Tabi: The shoe that became a sock and then a shoe again

https://one-from-nippon.ghost.io/untitled-2/

by kizunajp • 3 years ago

161 43 3 years ago

one-from-nippon.ghost.io

I enjoyed learning about this, but did it really become a sock and then a shoe again?

It sounds to me like several designs emerged at different stages from the same root idea, rather than a linear transition from one thing to the other.

kizunajp2• 3 years ago

Well, few things in life actually take linear transitions. Ideas and experience gained from one thing often influence solutions in unrelated domains.

Like I've written, the history of the tabi is long and complex, so it necessarily involves many changes and evolutions along the way.

bonzini2• 3 years ago

After a shortage of leather, "Manufacturers switched to making tabis from cotton and other fabrics. And here is where the shoe started turning into a sock."

Shojiro [...] "developed a new kind of tabi made of thick cotton and a rubber sole. They called this a jika-tabi (地下足袋) which loosely translates to “tabis that touch the ground”. This married their expertise in fabric tabis and their experiments with a material that was relatively new to Japan. And turned the sock turned back into a shoe."

So basically the most common variation in different times changed depending on available materials and these days cotton tabis are used only as part of traditional dresses.

kizunajp2• 3 years ago

and these days cotton tabis are used only as part of traditional dresses.

And in the construction industry - which I think is very unique to Japan. Don't know of any other country that doesn't use shoes.

There are also newer entrants in the running shoes space, like the Toe-bi: https://www.kineyatabi.com/shop/tabi-running-shoes/toe-bi/

lovemenot• 3 years ago

Cannot answer your historical question, but maybe I noticed something relevant today.

I went out this morning with a couple of dozen Japanese to do a dragon dance (Ryūjin) around the local village. Exactly like this one[1] from 8 years ago.

80% of the dancers were wearing tabi. I figured out why. Upon re-entering the community centre from where festivities are organised, tabi-wearers could just wipe their feet and enter. The rest of us had to hold that dragon while simultaneously removing shoes and stacking them.

Socially, tabi are the only acceptable in-and-out shoes/socks I have seen here.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSLQbSXFUY8

e12e2• 3 years ago

Do they not wear slippers over the tabi?

ramchip• 3 years ago

Yeah, if we say the three stages are 1) leather (shoe), 2) cotton (sock), 3) cotton + rubber (shoe), then (1) is extinct but (2) and (3) both exist today.

mongol• 3 years ago

The link about how he aborted the race is well worth reading. From Wikipedia:

Kanakuri pulled out midway through the race and was cared for by a local family. Embarrassed from his "failure", he silently returned to Japan without notifying race officials.

Although local newspapers at the time correctly reported that Kanakuri withdrew halfway through the race, the fact that Kanakuri had not officially reported back after doing so gave birth to humorous stories in Sweden about the supposedly lost Japanese runner.

In 1967, he was contacted by Swedish Television and offered the opportunity to complete his run. He accepted and completed the marathon, remarking,"Kanaguri of Japan is now in the goal. Time, 54 years and 8 months 6 days 5 hours 32 minutes 20 seconds 3, which will end the entire schedule of the 5th Stockholm Olympic Games," was announced. He commented "It was a long trip. Along the way, I got married, had six children and 10 grandchildren."

HPsquared• 3 years ago

Reminds me of the Japanese soldier found living on an island years after WW2. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_holdout

bananatype• 3 years ago

Ah yes, Hiroo Onoda. He was adamant the war was still on, that his commanding officer had to be flown in to Sabang Island in Mindoro province (Philippines) just to give him his orders.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroo_Onoda

CannisterFlux• 3 years ago

The part about the cost of a cheap straw shoe vs the longer lasting tabi reminded me of the Sam Vimes Boots Theory from the Pratchett novels. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boots_theory

jaipilot7472• 3 years ago

It is expensive to be poor.

bookofjoe• 3 years ago

Both in terms of money and time.

jezzamon• 3 years ago

I wonder how true this actually is now. I initially read this and believe it was accurate but I've come across two things that make we wonder about it now

Specifically for clothes, the cost of "good quality" products could potentially be a lot more expensive, to the extent that the cost per wear is still better going with the cheap option and buying replacements more frequently. I only have one piece of anec-data which is a spreadsheet a coworker created to track this for themselves

The other thing this would seem to imply is that the total spending increases at some people as income goes down, as they have to pay for more lower quality things, but what I saw a graph of spending vs income (which I can't find again after some searching) that doesn't hold up in the data. That could mean that they're compensating for high costs of some things by spending less in other areas, I guess.

zabzonk• 3 years ago

i think that Kumiko in "mona lisa overdrive" runs through a freezing London in rubber tabi. at the time of reading i thought - that is going to hurt. of course, we don't get many freezing days in london now.

gregwebs5• 3 years ago

If you are looking for a blend of sock and shoe: https://baresocks.com/

I have been absolutely loving wearing these in colder, drier weather. Its an extremely minimal shoe- feels like being barefoot, They are too warm for warmer weather and they absorb water is wet weather. I dealt with wet weather by using sealskinz waterproof socks. I bought two sizes: a smaller size for just my foot and a bigger size to accommodate socks.

hutzlibu2• 3 years ago

Thanks for the hint, there are also a couple of more expensive options, like https://www.getfyf.com/

Same principle, but with single toes.

And then there are them:

https://skinners.cc/en/

So far I have used none of them, but different Five Finger shoes extensivly. I can recommend the general principle much, if you enjoy barefeet running, but not cutting your feet open.

e12e2• 3 years ago

I can recommend the general principle much, if you enjoy barefeet running, but not cutting your feet open.

I can also recommend Vibram five finger shoes for swimming where there are rocks or sharp shells or corals. They basically work like wetsuit feet with a great grip - and helps avoiding falls and cuts. Works both for summer and winter in my experience.

Ed: or just for wading/ crossing streams.

twic• 3 years ago

Do you wear the Baresocks with or without socks? Either way, how often do you wash them?

gregwebs5• 3 years ago

You don't need socks with them. I have a smaller size for no socks and one size larger for wearing with socks. I wear the larger size with socks when it is colder or wetter. I have multiple pairs and haven't needed to wash them yet. The seal skinz socks need to get washed frequently if they frequently get wet and sweaty.

arcanemachiner• 3 years ago

I got some minimalist shoes on Amazon's that are somewhat similar. They're like a cheaper version of Vibram FiveFingers.

germinalphrase• 3 years ago

Do they slide around on your feet like standard socks would?

gregwebs5• 3 years ago

Only in a size that’s one too big but then you can use that size for socks.

abandonliberty• 3 years ago

Do the sealskins work if you have really sweaty feet?

gregwebs5• 3 years ago

At some temperate (different for every person) the sealskinz will be too hot. I really liked wearing them in near freezing weather- basically I didn’t have to buy a waterproof boots. When it’s above 50 Fahrenheit I don’t wear them because I will sweat in them.

hotpockets• 3 years ago

I got a cheap version on Amazon (like 10 bucks) last summer. they are great.

pedalpete• 3 years ago

I've been considering these for bouldering, if anybody has tried that, please let me know.

I am aware that climbing shoes are designed to be stiff to give you support, but I'm wondering if I can strengthen my feet enough and use something like this?

gregwebs5• 3 years ago

I am going to try bouldering in them as well. There was a thread on Reddit where someone mentioned really liking bouldering in them, but then the bouldering gym wouldn’t let him use them because they look like socks.

jp0d• 3 years ago

Tabis were part of my official uniform when I trained at a Bujinkan Ninjitsu school almost a decade ago. They were fun.

jahnu• 3 years ago

Nit pick but fun trivia: the marathon distance wasn’t yet fixed at its current 42.195 km until 1924. While that distance had been used before, for the 1912 olympic marathon it was 40.2 km.

gweinberg• 3 years ago

What does splitting off the great toe get you? It seems like a needless complication.

wlonkly2• 3 years ago

Compatibility with sandals and shoes (like geta) which have a strap between your great toe and the rest.

wlonkly2• 3 years ago

One thing I find interesting about traditional tabi is that they're cut and sewn, not knit as a tube. Socks with seams!

Tabi: The shoe that became a sock and then a shoe again

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