Geta – Japanese wooden footwear

You have probably seen someone wearing a geta – a wooden footwear, even if it’s just in movies. Have you ever wondered why? What is the need? What is it for? In this article, we will answer all these questions.

Geta [下駄] is considered a sandal, with a wooden base, similar to a clog, it serves to prevent the foot from coming into contact with the ground. They are worn with traditional Japanese clothing, such as kimono or yukata, or during the summer months.

What is Geta for?

Its purpose is to prevent the foot from coming into contact with snow or rain and to keep the foot dry; it also prevents the kimono from dragging on the ground. In its simplest form, geta is a thick wooden sandal supported on a single piece of wood. The wooden base piece is called a tooth (ha [歯]). Wearing it with only 1 tooth requires a lot of balance, which is why today most have 2 teeth.

Since geta are usually worn only with yukata or other informal clothing, there is no need to wear socks; in some more formal cases where a kimono is worn, they prefer to use zori sandals made from rice straw or other fibers.

The reason for wearing these high platform shoes is not due to fashion, but for practical reasons. If you are wearing an expensive kimono, you wouldn’t want to dirty it with mud.

Curiosities about Geta

Karankoron – Geta makes a noise when you walk. In the Japanese language, this sound is called “karankoron”.

Geisha – The geishas and maiko (apprentices) often wear a type of geta called okobo (or “pokkuri” and “koppori”), okobo are very high and are generally made from a block of willow wood instead of having teeth.

Breaking the tooth – Breaking the tooth of the geta is considered bad luck. For this reason, many people avoid buying cheap footwear, but they are surprisingly easy to break. It is still possible to find places to repair it when broken.

Tetsugeta – These are iron geta, weighing from 3 to 5 kilograms. They were historically used by students of martial arts like karate, to strengthen the legs.

Types of Geta

There are different types of geta, usually categorized by some special characteristic in each of them. Now let’s list the types of Japanese clogs that exist:

Ashida [足駄] – High clogs; rain clogs;

Yamageta [山下駄] – Mountain geta, raw geta, usually made of Japanese cedar;

Kōshi [厚歯] – Clogs with thick teeth in the anterior-posterior direction. Called Bunkara by some students.

Yanagigeta [柳下駄] – Low geta made of willow.

Umageta [馬下駄] – Ancestral made of cedar with different teeth and square. Similar to a horse’s hoof.

Komageta [駒下駄] – A clog that can be worn in any weather. Introduced in the late 17th century and widely used by everyone.

Kirigeta [桐下駄] – Initially painted black, it was used as a luxury item;

Tetsugeta [鉄下駄] – Iron clogs instead of wood.

Takageta [高下駄] – High clogs with long teeth in the vertical direction.

Tageta [田下駄] – The oldest footwear in Japan, which was extracted from remains of the Yayoi period. It is believed to have been used in rice fields and swamps.

Ipponba [一本歯] – Used for walking in mountains, used by monks who practiced in the mountains. It is said to be the origin of the tengu also called tengu clog.

Yoshiwarageta [吉原下駄] – Almost the same as Yamashita, but made of cedar. The thong is made of bamboo skin.

Sukerokugeta [助六下駄] – The clog that the main character is wearing in Kabuki 18 “Sukeroku”. It became popular at the time of its debut (1713).

Ukongeta [右近下駄] – A toothless obstruction with a curved surface. The area around the foot is excavated.

Hiyorigeta [日和下駄] – Geta for use in dry weather.

Toshihisageta [利久下駄] – It is said that Senrikyu invented it.

Azumageta [吾妻下駄] – A type of geta for women with a tatami insole.

Nikkōgeta [日光下駄] – Traditional from Nikko.

Odawarageta [小田原下駄] – From Odawara, the roots of the teeth do not appear and can be replaced.

Shinshoku-yō geta [神職用下駄] – Round clogs made of synthetic white leather used by priests.

Pokkurigeta [ぽっくり下駄] – Got this name because of the sound, they are used by geisha and maiko.

Getasukēto [下駄スケート] – Geta with skating blades.

Robou [露卯] – Clogs with different teeth, where you can see the hozo of the teeth on the table.

Hachitsuwari (yatsuwari) [八ツ割（ヤツワリ）] – Clog without teeth.

Videos about Geta

To finish the article, I will leave a video for you to see the sound that geta makes, how to use it and walk with it. See that it is not a monster with seven heads.