Aikido, more than just a Martial Art.

Like all martial arts or sports for that matter, Aikido has their own set of uniforms called Aikidogi.

There are different terms used to refer to uniforms of donned for traditional martial arts class. For Aikido it’s the Aikidogi. For Judo, it’s Judogi. For Karate, it’s Karategi. The training uniforms used in martial arts are often times referred to as mere ‘gi’ or ‘dogi’.

The Aikidogi consists of simple trousers and a white jacket for the upper garment called Uwagi. For Aikidogi, wrap-around jackets used in judo and karate are acceptable. Judo jackets are thicker and are built for durability since in judo the jacket receives considerable stress from the techniques like seizing and throwing.
For Aikidokas( a term used for people who practiced Aikido), judo jackets might be advisable since some Aikido techniques also involve some grabbing which could tear the cloth during practice. Sometimes, Aikido uniforms are customized to handle precisely the stress in some techniques.

The jacket is also a little longer around the waist which allows the Aikidoka to easily tuck them to their Hakama. The Aikido jacket might also have shorter sleeves since basic techniques of Aikido focuses on wrist grabs and twists. The Uwagi might be made from heavyweight tightly woven terrycloth which is similar to Uwagi of Judo or from heavy canvas similar to Karategi. Regardless, both are strong enough to withstand the regular grappling and throwing found in Aikido training.
Aside from the trousers and wraparound jackets, Aikido schools also add Hakama, which looks like a dress or skirt, to the uniform. The concept behind wearing a Hakama is to be able to hide the movements of the feet. The Hakama is commonly black or indigo in color and are usually reserved for Aikidokas that have received the black belt.

The Hakama were originally meant to protect a horseman's legs from brushes against trees and bushes. Leather was hard to come by in Japan, so heavy cloth was used instead.

The 7 folds in the hakama (5 in the front, 2 in the back) is said to have the following symbolic meaning:
• Yuki = courage, valor, bravery
• Jin = humanity, charity, benevolence
• Gi = justice, righteousness, integrity
• Rei = etiquette, courtesy, civility (also means bow/obeisance)
• Makoto = sincerity, honesty, reality
• Chugi = loyalty, fidelity, devotion
• Meiyo = honor, credit, glory; also reputation, dignity, prestige

In Aikido, most of the styles or schools use the Dan ranking system which is the norm in the martial arts world. However, each style has different qualifications for meeting each rank and each style might use different colored belts while others do not. In some schools the hakama is worn by all students regardless of rank. While in other styles, only female aikidokas are required to wear them.