Uwagi
上着
The jacket of the keikogi training uniform. It is wrapped left over right and held by the obi belt. In judo it is made of heavy fabric to withstand grips.
Quick Facts
Term typeClothing
LanguageJapanese
Formnoun
Pronunciation[oo-wah-gee]
Alternative Namesjacket
Readings and romanizations
Reading (kana)うわぎ
Hepburn romanizationuwagi
Word breakdown
上uwaabove, outer
着gigarment
Definition
Uwagi (上着) means “outer garment”: ue is above, gi is garment. In martial arts it is the jacket of the keikogi training uniform, worn with the trousers zubon and the belt obi. It is always wrapped left over right, the opposite wrap is used in Japan only for the clothing of the deceased. The uwagi differs in material by art. In judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu it is made of heavy, reinforced cotton with a stiffened collar, because it is grabbed and pulled by the collar. In karate it is lighter, because there is no fight over grips in it.