If you practise kyudo regularly, your kyudogi (弓道着, the white practice top) and hakama (袴, the pleated trousers) will absorb sweat every session. Many people still leave them unwashed for too long because they are worried about three things: the hakama pleats collapsing, the colour running, and the fabric shrinking. All three really can happen, so the worry is reasonable.
This page goes through what can be washed at home and what cannot, item by item, in the order you would actually do it.
One rule comes before everything else: the right way to wash depends on the fabric, so read the care label first. Two garments that look identical can be made of different materials. Everything below is secondary to what the label says.
Start with the care label
Kyudo wear is usually made from one of two kinds of fabric:
- Cotton — absorbs sweat well and feels soft against the skin, but shrinks easily and dries slowly.
- Polyester blends (sometimes sold as “Tetoron” blends in Japan) — dry quickly and resist wrinkles, but sweat odour can stay in the fibres.
Roughly: with high-cotton garments, watch out for shrinking; with polyester blends, watch out for heat.
On the label, check three things:
- Whether home washing is allowed (the tub symbol) and the maximum water temperature
- Whether the machine must be on a gentle cycle or hand-wash only
- Whether tumble drying is allowed (check the symbol — do not assume it is)
Shrinkage cannot be undone. If you are unsure, choose the gentler option. Under-washing can be fixed next time; shrinking cannot.
Each item is handled differently
Do not put the whole set into one load.
| Item | Washable at home? | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Kyudogi (white top) | Usually yes | Wash with whites only. Collar, underarms and back yellow over time |
| Hakama | Depends on fabric and dye | Always wash separately as a coloured item. Prepare the pleats first |
| Obi (belt) | Depends on fabric | Belts with a stiff core can lose their shape |
| Tabi (split-toe socks) | Usually yes | Wash separately — dirt from the soles transfers |
| Muneate (chest protector) and yugake (glove) | No | Leather items are not washed in water |
The yugake (弽, the deerskin shooting glove) is never washed, even when it is soaked with sweat. It has its own care routine, explained in Yugake Care and Storage. The cotton shitagake (下がけ, the under-glove worn inside the yugake) is the part that takes the sweat and is washed — see Shitagake: The Cotton Under-Glove.
Washing the white kyudogi
The problem with a white top is not the sweat itself but the yellowing that appears later, when skin oils are left in the fabric.
- Wash it on the day you practise. Folding it away damp with sweat is the worst thing you can do.
- If you cannot wash it that day, dry it first and keep it somewhere it can air out — not at the bottom of a laundry basket.
- Wash it only with other whites. One wash with a dark hakama can ruin a white top.
- If the collar, underarms or back are stained, pre-treat those areas before the main wash.
- Check the label before using bleach. It can weaken the fabric or stitching, and some labels prohibit it.
Washing the hakama: set the pleats before you wash
The usual worry with a hakama is the pleats, and how they come out depends a great deal on what you do before the wash.
- Fold the hakama with the pleats neatly lined up. Do not skip this step.
- Put it, still folded, into a large laundry net that is big enough to hold the folded shape without letting it open up.
- Wash it on its own as a coloured item. Dark hakama can release dye for the first few washes.
- Use a gentle (or hand-wash) cycle and low water temperature. Keep the spin short.
- Take it out as soon as the spin ends. Every minute it sits wet turns into creases.
Indigo-dyed (aizome) hakama are a separate case. The dye runs easily and the texture can change depending on water temperature and detergent. Wash them on their own and ask the shop you bought from, or the maker, how they should be washed. That is safer than guessing at home.
Drying: this is where the pleats are set
How you dry matters more than how you wash.
- Dry in the shade. Direct sun yellows white fabric and fades coloured fabric.
- Line the hakama pleats up one by one with your fingers before hanging. The shape you set while it is wet is the shape it will have when dry.
- Hang it over a pole or use a hakama hanger so the pleats stay vertical as it dries.
- Do not tumble dry unless the label allows it. It can cause shrinkage and loss of shape.
- Make sure it is completely dry before putting it away. Storing it half-dry leads to odour and mould.
If you iron, use a pressing cloth and keep to the temperature on the label — polyester blends can turn shiny under a hot iron. Pleats come out better when you set them while drying than when you try to rebuild them with an iron. How to put the kimono-style top and hakama on again correctly is covered in How to Wear Kyudogi and Hakama.
Common problems
The sweat smell will not go away
This can happen with polyester blends in particular: sweat residue stays in the fibres, and washing the surface does not remove it. Within what the label allows, soak the garment in lukewarm water before washing, and make same-day washing a habit. Avoid very hot water or strong chemicals — they damage the fabric.
You practise every day and it never dries in time
Having two tops and rotating them is one practical solution. Cotton dries slowly, so solving it with a second garment is kinder to the fabric. If you prefer to own only one, a quicker-drying polyester blend is an option; which suits you depends on how often you practise.
Blood or other stains
The longer you wait, the harder it is to remove. Rinse with water as soon as possible and do not rub — rubbing damages the fibres and leaves a mark. For stains that will not come out, take it to a dry cleaner and tell them what the fabric is.
Before a grading or a tournament
Do not wash the day before. It may not dry fully and the pleats may not set. Wash it a few days earlier and store it with the pleats lined up.
When to replace kyudo wear
Washing carefully extends the life of the fabric, but not forever. Signs it may be time to replace:
- The white top is yellowed and does not come back after washing
- The hakama pleats no longer hold, whether you set them while drying or iron them
- The knees, elbows or seat are wearing thin
- Seams are fraying in more places
If you appear in front of others at gradings or tournaments, the point where washing no longer fixes it is a sensible time to replace. Your teacher or a kyudo equipment shop can advise you.
Summary
- Start from the care label. The fabric decides the method, and shrinkage cannot be reversed.
- Wash the white top only with whites, the hakama alone as a coloured item, and the tabi separately.
- Fold the hakama with the pleats aligned, then put it in a net — this decides the finish.
- Dry in the shade, no tumble dryer, and store only when completely dry.
- Never wash the leather yugake. Wash the cotton shitagake instead.
- For indigo-dyed items or labels you are unsure about, ask the shop, the maker or your teacher.