日光下駄みやび：日光下駄みやびについて

当工房について / ABOUT

『日光下駄みやび』では、すべての工程を手作業で行っており、草履表も、天然竹皮を一本一本丁寧に編み上げて制作しています。

プレス機は使用せず、竹皮本来の風合いを活かしながら仕上げております。
編目や形にも手仕事ならではの表情が生まれ、自然な温もりを感じられる日光下駄となっています。

竹皮で編んだ草履表を下駄台に縫い付けた日光下駄は、夏は涼しく、冬は暖かい履き心地が特徴です。
吸水性と保温性を兼ね備えており、一年を通して心地よくお履きいただけます。

また、草履表がほどよいクッションとなり、長時間の歩行でも疲れにくく、足裏へやさしく馴染みます。

お着物や浴衣にはもちろん、普段のお洋服にも。
暮らしに寄り添う履物として、ぜひ日光下駄をお楽しみください。

At NIKKO GETA MIYABI, every step of the process is carried out by hand.
The zori surface is also carefully woven one strip at a time using natural bamboo skin.

No press machines are used in the finishing process, allowing the natural texture of the bamboo skin to remain intact.
Each pair reflects the character and warmth unique to handcrafted work, giving Nikko Geta their distinctive appearance and feel.

The woven bamboo zori surface is stitched directly onto the wooden geta base, creating footwear that feels cool in summer and warm in winter.
With both moisture absorption and heat retention, Nikko Geta can be worn comfortably throughout the year.

The cushioned zori surface also helps reduce fatigue during long walks while gently conforming to the shape of the foot.

Perfect not only for kimono and yukata, but also for everyday wear.
We invite you to enjoy Nikko Geta as traditional footwear that brings comfort and beauty to daily life.

草履の材料となる竹皮(竹の子の皮)

日光下駄の歴史 / History of Nikko Geta

During the Edo period, the shrines and temples of Nikko — including Nikko Toshogu Shrine, where Tokugawa Ieyasu is enshrined — placed great importance on formality and tradition. Various rules governed etiquette and attire when entering the sacred grounds.

One such rule required worshippers to change into purified straw sandals at the main gate before entering.

However, the temple grounds were filled with gravel paths, steep slopes, and heavy snowfall, making ordinary sandals extremely impractical.

To address this, a special type of geta was created by mounting the sandals onto wooden platforms.

Because these geta were permitted for entry into the temple grounds, they became known as “Gomen Geta,” meaning “authorized geta.”

During the Meiji period, Gomen Geta were refined into a more practical form, eventually evolving into what is now known as Nikko Geta.

Source: Hello Work for Becoming One of a Kind in Japan: Inheriting Traditional Crafts
Author: Gil Bart

Lightweight paulownia wood is used for the geta base, while the surface that touches the sole of the foot is covered with a woven bamboo-skin zori layer, carefully stitched to the base with hemp thread.

Nikko Geta are recognized as a traditional craft of Tochigi Prefecture.