WHATS IS KOHAZE

Kohaze are fingernail-shaped clasps for fastening the closure of tabi (Japanese socks), kyahan (Japanese leggings) and tekkou (Japanese hand and wrist covers).
They are attached to the closure and hooked onto “kohazekake” (a hook on tabi).
Kohaze has a close meaning to “connect and unite things with a hard material.”

History of Kohaze

Tabi were invented in the middle of the Heian era (794-1192) to prevent the slippage of the clog thong. But tabi were not generally worn because common people could not wear them without the permission of their feudal lord. It was not until the middle of the Meiji era (1868-1912) that Kohaze came to be used to fasten tabi.
During the economic boom after World War I, even 18 karat gold Kohaze appeared on the market. When World War II broke out, zinc-coated, iron Kohaze were produced as a substitute for those made of brass. However, they easily rusted and stained the tabi, leading the government to distribute aluminum for making Kohaze.
Although plastic Kohaze were also produced, they were not practical. As a result, the number of Kohaze per pair of tabi was reduced from twelve to eight.

Today’s Kohaze

Back when it was common to wear kimono and tabi, Kohaze’s role was only to prevent tabi from slipping off the feet. However, the demand for tabi has decreased because modern Japanese rarely wear kimono now.
Because of this tendency, Kohaze’s role now is not only to prevent tabi slippage, but also to be comfortable on bare feet and be flexible enough for the wearer to forget that Kohaze are metal. That is to say, people are asking for high-quality Kohaze. In order to meet this demand, we have placed grooved, brass wire around Kohaze. By framing Kohaze as the picture below shows, Kohaze become flexible and elastic like springs. They fit the shape of your feet without causing discomfort. It is not an exaggeration to say that the beauty of a person wearing kimono depends on the beauty of the feet. Why not make your feet look gorgeous?

For developer

We have many color variations not only gold, silver and black as ordinary color but also white, pink, blue, green and purple as colorful color. We can provide customizable pattern with variety of variations. We will also make products together while responding to requests from you, such as sizes of different sizes from traditional ones and deformed version of “KOHAZE”.

Manufacturing development

Manufacturing development
Color: gold, silver, black, white, green, pink, blue, purple etc. (if any other request, please contact us.)
Thickness: 0.26 mm, 0.31 mm, 0.32 mm, 0.35 mm, 0.4 mm (bracket), 0.8 mm (aluminum)
Material: brass, aluminum and others
(24 karat gold is acceptable)
Pattern: Calibrate until you can agree with size (number), letters, logo mark, original pattern etc