Sandals - Sandal (English spelling)

A type of footwear. It is an open-type footwear that mainly protects the soles of the feet, and consists of a sole on which the foot rests and a string or belt to keep the sole from coming off the foot. Along with moccasins, it is one of the original footwear models, and relics from ancient Egypt have been discovered. Sandals from this period were permitted for royalty, aristocrats, and priests, and were a kind of symbol of their authority, while common people were barefoot. They were made of leather, papyrus, or wood, and were decorated with gold and jewels. In the Greek period, they became a typical footwear, and crepis was widely worn by both men and women. Some were made of wood, leather, or grass, and were embroidered. They were also widely used in the Roman period, with crepida, which had covered heels, worn by citizens, and baxea, which was woven from palm, worn by philosophers. The origin of the word sandal is the Greek word sandalion and the Latin word sandalium. In Western Europe, as Christian culture developed in the Middle Ages, sandals fell into decline as more formal footwear came into use, but richly embroidered sandals remained as symbols of royal authority and as part of the official garb of bishops and abbots. After the French Revolution, they were used for a time when ancient Greek and Roman clothing came into fashion. They later ceased to be used, and in the 20th century they began to be used at seaside resorts and indoors, and in the 1930s high-heeled sandals also appeared.

Nowadays, they are popular among women and children in the summer, and this trend is particularly strong in Japan. There are many different types, depending on the use and purpose of the outfit, and they are made of all kinds of materials, ranging from high-heeled, delicate evening sandals to beach sandals for general outings and wearing at the beach. In Japan, sandals are also called footwear with only a wide belt around the instep and no straps around the heel, and are worn at home. In recent years, they are often made of vinyl and are also called hep sandals. Sandals are generally worn in warm regions, and are popular in Spain, southern Italy, and Mexico. The Japanese zori (Japanese sandals) and waraji (Japanese straw sandals) are also a type of sandal.

[Tanaka Toshiko]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

履き物の一種。足をのせる底と、それが足から離れないようにするための紐(ひも)やベルトからなる、足の裏の保護を主とする開放的な履き物。モカシンとともに履き物の原型の一つで、古代エジプトの遺品も発見されている。この時代のサンダルは王族、貴族、僧侶(そうりょ)などに許され、その権威を示す一種のシンボルとなっていて、庶民ははだしであった。皮革やパピルスや木を材料とし、金や宝石の装飾もあった。ギリシア時代には代表的な履き物となり、クレピスcrepisが男女ともに多く用いられた。木、皮革、草などを材料とし、刺しゅうを施したものもあった。ローマ時代にも盛んに用いられ、かかとが覆われたクレピダcrepidaが市民に、シュロ（棕櫚）で編んだバクシアbaxeaが哲学者などに履かれた。サンダルの語源はギリシア語のサンダリオンsandalion、ラテン語のサンダリウムsandaliumである。西欧ではキリスト教文化が発展した中世に、閉塞(へいそく)的な履き物が用いられるようになり衰退したが、豊富な刺しゅうのものが王権のしるしや司教や大修道院長の公服の一部として残っていた。フランス革命後、古代ギリシア・ローマ風の服装の流行とともに一時用いられた。のち中断し、20世紀になって、海浜でのリゾート用や室内用として使われ始め、1930年代には、ヒールの高いサンダルも登場した。

　今日では、夏に女性や子供に好んで用いられるようになり、ことに日本ではこの傾向が強い。種類は服装の用途、目的によってさまざまで、あらゆる素材を用いて、ハイヒールできゃしゃなイブニング・サンダルevening sandalから、一般の外出用、海浜で履くビーチ・サンダルbeach sandalまである。また日本では、足の甲の部分に幅広のベルトをつけただけで、かかと部分に紐などのない履き物もサンダルといい、家庭内などで履かれている。近年はビニル製が多く、ヘップ履きともよばれている。サンダルは概して温暖な地方の履き物で、スペインやイタリア南部、メキシコなどで愛用されている。なお、日本の草履(ぞうり)や草鞋(わらじ)もサンダルの一種である。

［田中俊子］

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