History (Origins)

As a rule, one should use zori (traditional rice-straw or plant-fiber sandals) when visiting a Shinto shrine or Buddhist temple, where observation of formalities is paramount. However, in Nikko, where snow and hilly roads are common, people during the Edo Period (1600–1868) invented special zori with geta wooden sandals layers added on the bottom, known as gomen-geta, for use when visiting local temples and shrines.

Characteristics (Techniques and Materials)

In order to provide good balance when walking on rocks, hilly roads and so forth, and to prevent this footwear from getting stuck in the snow, Nikko-geta's wooden base with its wide opening features a grass-woven layer interweaved with bamboo skin and sewn on with twine. These geta are unique in the refreshingly cool feel they provide in the summer and warmth they offer in the winter.