
Jika-tabi

 (lit., " that touch the ground") are a style of traditional Japanese footwear invented in the early 20th century. Similar to socks in both appearance and construction, have a divided toe; though they can be worn with traditional thonged footwear such as and , are mostly designed and made to be worn alone as outdoor footwear, resembling boots that reach roughly to the mid-calf. are also known as " boots".
History.
, brother of , founder of the major tyre company Bridgestone, is credited with the invention of in the early 20th century. 
During the 1942 Battle of Milne Bay in Papua (now part of Papua New Guinea), the Allies of World War II faced the Japanese (Special Naval Landing Forces), who wore as part of their uniform. The distinctive tread marks left by the boots allowed Allied troops (mostly Australian troops with some American units) to follow the tracks, and thus Japanese soldiers, through the muddy forests. Examples of the boots worn by Japanese soldiers are held by the Australian War Memorial.
Use.
 are known as footwear commonly used by construction workers, farmers, gardeners, rickshaw-pullers and other labourers, due to the tough material and heavy-duty but flexible rubber soles they are made from. 
Though they have faced competition by the introduction of steel-toe workboots in some industries, are still preferred by some due to the flexibility of the soles allowing the wearer a greater degree of grip than rigid-soled shoes allow. Other varieties of have been developed for specific labouring purposes, such as knee-high made entirely of rubber used by workers in rice fields and other wet and muddy environments.
In recent years, some manufacturers have introduced steel-toe and hard resin varieties of , which have been approved by the Japan Occupational Safety and Health Resource Center.
Outside Japan, are available from online and martial-arts shops, and are used by practitioners of the martial art of , especially when training outdoors. are also commonly worn for certain kinds of exercise, specifically cross country running, walking, and climbing.
Though typically worn for manual labour and exercise, are also worn for comfort and as a casual shoe. A variation of known as is so called due to commonly being worn for festivals; this variety features extra cushioning in the sole for comfort.
Appearances in media.
In recent years, have been seen in Hollywood movie productions. Examples include "The Wolverine", "47 Ronin", "Big Hero 6", "Star Trek", "" and "Black Panther". have also been seen in the short movie "Anima" from Thom Yorke (2019).