Heian shoes

[Hakuga]

*Bows in greeting* Hello, I am Hakuga, though elsewhere I am known as Minamoto no Hideaki. As I have some problems with my feet, I cannot wear any shoes that don't have a strap across the back of the ankle. The waraji is the only period footwear I know so far to have a strapping system. I am wondering whether there is anything else suited to a Heian kuge's informal ensemble.

Many Thanks

Hakuga

[Please Delete]

Fukagutsu (深沓) come to mind. They are a type of leather boot that you find in the Heian period and later, meant mostly for inclement weather. I actually use a pair of low-detail Mongolian boots (and a pair of Uigher boots that need repair) to simulate. The really fancy ones appear to be lacquered hard, but the pictures of the others look fairly straightforward. It seems to be a regular shoe of the period with additional high sides.

Here are some links that will give you drawings and pictures. Some are in Japanese, but you should be able to pick out what I'm talking about fairly easily:

Japanese, but look down the page about halfway

Scroll down for some tsuranuki and riding boots. These are probably more for warriors, particularly the furry tsuranuki, but the riding boots share a lot in common with other boot styles.

Chinese site on Japanese shoes. I would ignore what appear to be shoes for bound feet that the woman is holding up. I also don't care for the heel in the video still, as that looks very modern to me; the Japanese didn't have the type of stirrups that I would expect to need something like that, and most Asian shoes I can think of, at least in period, have flat soles. Beyond that, though, you probably get a good idea.

There are also asagutsu. These are like a type of (generally hard lacquered) slipper. Early versions from the Nara period are the "Sekinokutsu" or "Kurikawakutsu" and are basically like the "cloud toe" shoes from China. They are usually a leather or even wood base; early ones are covered in fabric and the insides are padded. Many have ties that attach below the ankles and would likely have been worn across the top of the foot to help hold it in place. By the Heian period they had become boxy lacquered wood constructions with padding in the toe. They are not exactly comfortable, in my experience; my feet are too big and were jammed in, and yet I still felt like they were going to fall off at any moment. You can see an example in the first link, above. Here's another picture of them:



Finally, if you want to make something for inclement weather, yourself, there are various "waragutsu", including these straw fukagutsu. I am still looking for a good pattern to try to make some, myself, but I have some thoughts on how it would be done, utilizing a rope "skeleton" to weave the straw around, not unlike waraji.

I hope that helps.


Ii Katsumori

[Hakuga]

Thank you, Katsumori-donno. I have a pair of suede boots that look a lot like fukagutsu. As I am going to a Historical Picnic, it will be quite perfect.

[Please Delete]

What is a "historical picnic"? It sounds intriguing.

-Ii

[Hakuga]

Perhaps a more precise description would be "historical costume" picnic. Anything before 1960 is good for this one.