How did the Karate Gi originate?

I have always wondered how the Karate uniform came into use. I was told that is cam from the Judo uniform and read elseware that is was sleepwear for the okinawans so I have two different stories.|||The idea for the karate uniform came from Judo%26#039;s uniform.|||A Judo Gi is nice to wear in Karate class - its like padded armor. ;o)





Gis are generally just shirts. Traditional Japanese dress involved a kimono and obi. It is not a stretch of the imagination to see how the gi and belt evolved.





The Judo gi had to be thickened and reinforced to withstand the strains of the sport. Likely a light weight gi like the Karate gi was in use long before the Judo gi.|||Both the above answers are somewhat accurate. The traditional dress for a man in feudal Japan was a komono, which is similar in construction to the gi top of today except slightly longer, and hakama, or the pleated pants. Now, these were your %26quot;Sunday-go-to-meeting%26quot; clothes. The gi top we see today originated from a more practical and labor-oriented version of the komono. The gi bottoms are likewise a simplified version of the komono. I have also heard some mention that the Japanese would wear layers of clothes, especially in winter, and that the gi was in fact the underclothes. I have studied some Japanese culture, and I think that this is highly likely. I also find it rather humerous that we wear Japanese underwear to work out in! :)