The foot rests on the dai
The dai is the platform beneath the foot. The hanao thong passes through holes in it, while the teeth or other base contact the ground. Wood shape, surface treatment and thong design all contribute to the finished footwear.
Illustrated Japanese Culture
Geta: wooden footwear from the platform up
下駄（げた）
Geta are footwear with a platform for the foot, a fabric thong and a raised supporting base. Many have two teeth, but solid platforms, high teeth and other forms also exist. Their construction differs from the softer sole of zōri sandals.
Not every geta has two separate teeth.
Renba teeth are cut with the platform; sashiba teeth are fitted separately.
A historical farming device called ta-geta is not simply an everyday sandal.
01
Three parts to recognize
The integral form has a sole and teeth carved together. In the separate-tooth illustration, one tooth is moved aside to reveal the joint.
Integral or separately fitted
In renba construction, the platform and teeth are cut from the same piece of wood. In sashiba, separate teeth are inserted.
Height follows the form and use
Low and high teeth, thick platforms called pokkuri or okobo, and single-tooth forms belong to different uses. Maiko okobo should not be confused with the tall three-toothed footwear associated with courtesans. A high sole alone does not identify its wearer.
02
Shape wood, then add the thong
Use the timber carefully
Making geta can involve selecting timber, cutting the platform and teeth, smoothing, applying a finish and fitting the thong. In one traditional integral-tooth method, the shapes of a pair are offset within a block to reduce waste.
A cover can protect the toe area
Some high geta have a tsumakawa cover over the toes. An early-Shōwa women’s pair in Takaoka combines lacquer and maki-e decoration, a woven surface and fabric toe covers.
Different woods and finishes
Hita in Ōita Prefecture is associated with cedar geta. Shizuoka’s Suruga hari-geta add thin wood, paper or fabric coverings to the platform. The surface and construction vary between production centres.
03
Surviving footwear and changing production
Excavated wooden footwear
A late-Kofun-period watercourse at the Maenakanishi site in Kumagaya yielded an integral-tooth geta. Finds like this establish an early history of wooden footwear. Wider devices used to work wet fields have different functions and should not automatically be treated as the direct ancestor of everyday geta.
Objects and the people who made them
Kobe’s archaeological collection includes integral-tooth geta from the Heian and Kamakura periods. A medieval craft illustration also depicts an ashida maker.
A wider place in everyday life
Geta use became more widespread during the Edo period. Different heights, finishes and thong arrangements accommodated different wearers and occasions.
- 1878: production begins in Matsunaga
- 1907: mechanisation advances
- 1960s: product diversification
Matsunaga’s manufacturing industry
Matsunaga developed hardwood geta production from the Meiji period and mechanized in the early twentieth century. Production peaked around 1955; changing lifestyles then encouraged local makers to expand into other footwear.
Older shapes and new soles
Modern geta include models with rubber soles or wider thongs, alongside traditional two-tooth forms. Geta also appear in local events: Matsunaga has turned the older practice of tossing a geta for weather divination into a contemporary activity. The divination belongs to folk custom, not weather forecasting.
What can you now explain?
What are the main parts of geta?
The platform, the hanao thong and the teeth or other supporting base.
Do all geta have two teeth?
No. Other raised and solid-platform forms exist.
How do renba and sashiba differ?
Renba teeth are integral with the platform; sashiba teeth are made and fitted separately.
Are geta the same as zōri?
No. Their wooden raised construction differs from zōri’s softer sole.
What is a tsumakawa?
A cover fitted over the toe area on some geta.
Does a tall platform identify a maiko’s footwear?
Not by itself. Distinct high forms belonged to different uses.
What does the Kumagaya find establish?
Integral-tooth wooden footwear existed by the late Kofun period.
Are field-working ta-geta ordinary sandals?
No. Their agricultural function needs to be distinguished from everyday footwear.
What happened in Matsunaga after the production peak?
Makers expanded into a broader range of footwear as lifestyles changed.
Do modern geta retain only historical materials and soles?
No. Rubber soles and other adaptations coexist with older forms.