more on tabi

[Toastygawa]

I have found a number of tabi on eBay, ranging from brightly colored kid's socks to steel-toed work boots.

Here is the only pair of tabi that I have found in my shoe size.
cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7175359071

Did anyone in the 1550s (give or take 50 years) wear black tabi?
If I can find a shoemaker or cobbler of such salt that I can custom order a pair of deerskin tabi (with whatever reinforcing is necessary), I'd be happy (broke, but happy). I dunno... just making conversation with any and all who aren't at Pennsic...

[Saionji Shonagon]

If we can go by the Kyoto Costume Museum, yes: their "Christian Samurai" is wearing black tabi. www.iz2.or.jp/english/fukusyoku/busou/32.htm

They show patterned tabi - possibly deerskin patterned with fawn spots like you see on yugake - on the military figures in the same section, such as this one:
www.iz2.or.jp/english/fukusyoku/busou/36.htm

M.

[Sanosuke Hosokawa]

yes, in this time period they wore black tabi, unfortunately what you have there is odori, or tabi boots, the tabi they wore were socks, and they wore sandals over them.