Gusoku shita!

[gurdymonkey]

Before you cry, "Gesundheit!" the term refers to a shirt-like garment worn under Japanese armor. I decided to use it as a model for rapier "armor" which I should be able to wear under pretty much any existing or new Japanese garb I own that I might want to fight in.  I look like a potato in it as it's made of unbleached heavy weight linen. The body is composed of two full layers of linen. The sleeves have a double layer from the armpit to elbow, as required by SCA rapier rules.




EDIT: When I was considering the design, it occurred to me that the seam between the migoro (body panel) and okumi (overlap) was one more place for potential wear/tear/puncture failure. As I had sufficiently wide fabric to work with, I simply cut the body panels to include the material for the overlap

Ishida-dono tells me he had sewn the waist tie to the body only to have it tear away. So mine isn't sewn on. I don't expect a double knotted himo to untie when I move.

Debating whether to add additional ties inside at the waist like some gi I've seen, but I want to see how it behaves when I wear it tomorrow evening.

The toggle is formed by a boxwood ojime of the three wise monkeys, the loop is a bit of round shoelace. .

May try to get better photos tomorrow, when there's a bit more natural light in the living room.