For a thousand years every samurai worth his salt has worn Hakama, but of all traditional Japanese garments the Hakama is often the hardest to find for sale, especially if you are looking for a color other than basic kendo black.  I can't tell you how many times I've been at a con and seen an otherwise perfect Kenshin cosplay spoiled by white hakama, or loose gray pants simulating hakama. With this simple pattern you can make your own Hakama, in the color and length appropriate to your character. 

MATERIALS:  Hakama require 4 yards of fabric, more or less depending on your height, plus one piece of flexible plastic 10 inches wide and 4 inches high.  Any plastic will do – I recommend using two layers cut from a plastic placemat.  Most plastic can be machine washed on cold, but should not be put in the drier.  

Left: The pattern pieces – size them based on your height.

Step one:  Cut out the fabric pieces, two of FRONT, two of BACK, two of BACK PIECE, and two belts each about ten feet long and four and a half inches wide.  The FRONT and BACK pieces should be sized to be about 6 inches longer on the long side (side AB and HI) than the distance from wearer’s waist to the ground.  Also cut a trapezoid of plastic, 10 inches on the long side, 7 on the short side and 4 inches high – a smaller version of the two BACK PIECE cloth sections. 

Step two:  Folding on the thin lines, fold section E of the FRONT sections under, then fold section D under as well, so it is folded over twice and the rough edge is completely covered.  The top edges of D and E should now line up with the top of C.  Sew the folded-back section securely in place.  Repeat for panels K and L of the BACK sections.

Step three:  Sew the two FRONT parts together, sewing A to A, from the top square corner down to the center peak of the sticking-out triangle (this will be the crotch).  Do the same on the BACK sewing H to H. 

Step four:  Now the two B sections of the FRONT parts are contiguous, as are the I sections of the BACK parts.  Sew B of both FRONT parts to I of both BACK parts, so the BG corners line up with the IN corners and the sticking-out triangles line up in the center.  This completes the crotch and inseams.

Step five: Sew the F edges of the FRONT parts to the M edges of the corresponding BACK parts from the mid-point (where the folded-under panels stop) to the bottom.  This forms the side seams.  No rough edges should now be showing anywhere except the top and bottom.  You now have a huge, loose pair of pants.

Step six:  For the back pleats, measure section J of each BACK part and divide it into three segments of which the middle is slightly smaller than the other two.  Fold the fabric over toward the center on the mark closer to the center, and back on the mark farther from the center.  The pleats will overlap in the center, the right pleat on top.  Adjust the pleats so the total width of both back sections together (J) is 10 inches – the same width as the long side of the plastic trapezoid.  Pin in place.  Be certain the pleat folds run straight all the way from the top of the garment to the bottom. 

Step seven: The Front Pleats are the same as the Back Pleats, but with three small pleats on the right side and two on the left, instead of one pleat on each side.  It is easiest to work by eye, making sure that the pleats look evenly spaced and that you can see all of them.  There should be one gap in the pleats where the single bottom layer of fabric is visible, slightly to the left of center.  Make sure this gap is precisely the same width as the visible width of the pleats on either side of it.  Because of the way the front folds over, this asymmetry will not look asymmetrical when you are wearing the garment.  When in doubt, look at a picture of your character for reference.  Pin pleats in place.  Again, be certain the pleat folds run straight all the way from top to bottom, and iron them flat. The whole width of both front sections together (C) should now be about 14 inches.

Step eight: To make the BACK PART that sticks up, take the plastic trapezoid and check that it is a little smaller than the two fabric BACK PART sections, so that if you lay the fabric on top of it there is extra all the way around.  Make sure the bottom wide edge of the plastic section is the right width to line up with the top of the BACK sections (J), and that the slanting edges of the trapezoid should line up with the slanting edges where panels K and L are folded under.  Sew the two BACK PART cloth pieces together along the three smaller sides (not the wide side O) making a pocket into which the plastic can be inserted cleanly.  Adjust your seams to make the pocket fit as tightly as possible around the fabric, leaving some extra fabric at the open side to close the pocket later.  You want to Turn the pocket right-side-out so the rough edges are concealed inside.   Insert the plastic but it but don’t sew it in place. 

Step nine:  Take one of the two belt pieces and fold the long rough edges under, then fold it in half long-ways and sew it closed so it becomes a six-foot strip about one and one half inches wide with no rough edges showing.  Lay this belt flat across the outside of trapezoidal BACK PART so the center lines up with the center, and so the bottom edge of the belt lines up with the bottom edge of the plastic trapezoid under the cloth.  Pin in place, then remove the plastic from the BACK PART pocket.  Sew the belt very securely to the BACK PART pocket, then put the plastic back in.

Step ten:  Fold the extra rough edges of edge O of the BACK PART cloth pieces up inside, and stick the rough top edge of the BACK sections (J) inside as well, so all rough edges are covered and O lines up with J.  Sew in place, very securely. 

Step eleven:  Fold the remaining ten foot belt in half long-ways and fold the rough edges under, the same way you did with the back belt.  Pin.  Now line up the center of the belt with the center seam of the FRONT (where A meets A).  Insert the rough top edge of the FRONT (C) into the folded-over belt so the rough edges are all covered.  Sew very securely in place, being careful of the pleats.  Remember, when you wear the Hakama it folds over, so it will be the underside of the front belt, the part on the inside of the garment when it is not in use, which is visible, not the front side.  Make sure your inside stitching is neat.  Last, sew the full length of the front belt closed from end to end, and hem the ends.

Step twelve: Hem the bottom of the Hakama.  Make sure the height is right for your character: most characters have nearly floor-length Hakama, so the loose fabric can conceal their feet in combat, but others wear shorter styles.  After you finish hemming, iron the whole garment, taking to crease the pleats.  To keep the pleats crisp you will want to iron your Hakama between each use.

Above: Some characters have hakama without distinct pleats – to achieve this, simply don't iron them between uses.

That's it!  Now, the next time you cosplay a samurai, shrine maiden, shaman or high-ranking Go title-holder, you'll be ready with your own custom-made hakama.