zori

plural zoris · alternative zōri · alternative zouri

1. A Japanese sandal made from rice straw or lacquered wood, worn with a kimono for formal occasions.

   1983 July, Tony Annesi, Dogu: Tools For the Way, Black Belt, page 70, Zori should be left at the edge of the training area so they can easily be stepped into. In Western dojo, this is sometimes impractical, but zori should at least be put on as soon as possible after leaving the training area.

   3 more examples

   […]and they had a machine gun aimed at us, and we stood in the snow for three, four, five hours in our underwear and zoris.

   1984, Morgan Yamanaka, “Morgan Yamanaka: Tule Lake”, in John Tateishi, editor, And Justice for All: An Oral History of the Japanese American Detention Camps, page 117

   She took a while getting her crooked feet into her zori, but finally turned toward Mr. Tanaka and gave him a look he seemed to understand at once, because he left the room, closing the door behind him.

   1997, Arthur Golden, Memoirs of a Geisha, Vintage, published 1998, page 25

   Traditionally, zori are worn to and from the place of practice. Zori are similar to flip-flops and used to be made from straw.

   2008, Roy Inman, The Judo Handbook, page 14

2. especially Southeast USA sandal, usually of rubber, secured to the foot by two straps mounted between the big toe and its neighbour.

   He ran back and I watched him go, legs pumping, soles of his zori showing.

   1980, Stephen King, The Mist, Viking Press

   Synonyms: flip-flop