Samue Size Chart

How to choose your Samue

Although our expertise is mostly in the field of martial arts equipment, it is a strict rule at Seido to only provide products we are familiar with. The Samue is no exception and the two models we currently offer have been studied and tested by our team to provide you with a detailed presentation.
All Samue we sell are fully made in Japan.

Contents

Samue Size Tables

These measurements correspond to the exact measurements of the Samue when we receive it from the workshop and do not take shrinking into account. However, because the quality of the Japanese cotton is outstanding, the Samue do not shrink much. But since all Samue are hand made, slight variations are possible. All measurements are defined in centimeters and grams (imperial metrics are for informational purpose only).

The Samue are not meant to be tightly-fitting. They should be loose and comfortable without constricting the body, especially for Zazen practice. Please keep that in mind with checking the measurements, but note that our size recommendation are already set for a loose fit.

Example on how to read the size tables below:
For the Waraku Cotton Samue, the size L is for 170 to 180 cm in height and 84 to 94 cm in waist.
It is designed for 170 cm height and around 84 cm waist or for 180 cm height and around 94 cm waist.
Of course, Samue having a loose fit, there is a wide margin around those numbers, but if you are in-between two sizes, it is preferable to go for the smaller size.

Deluxe Cotton Samue

Size	Your Height	Chest Size	Waist Size	Jacket Length A	Jacket width B	Sleeve Length C	Pants Length A'	Pants Width B'
S	155 ~ 165 cm	80 ~ 88 cm	68 ~ 76 cm	75 cm	66 cm	70 cm	97 cm	50 cm
M	165 ~ 175 cm	88 ~ 96 cm	76 ~ 84 cm	77 cm	67 cm	73 cm	100 cm	53 cm
L	170 ~ 180 cm	96 ~ 104 cm	84 ~ 94 cm	82 cm	69 cm	74 cm	102 cm	55 cm
XL	175 ~ 185 cm	104 ~ 112 cm	94 ~ 104 cm	83 cm	72 cm	76 cm	103 cm	58 cm
XXL	180 ~ 190 cm	112 ~ 120 cm	104 ~ 114 cm	85 cm	74 cm	78 cm	105 cm	60 cm

Expected shrinkage after cold wash : ~1%

Size	Your Height	Chest Size	Waist Size	Jacket Length A	Jacket width B	Sleeve Length C	Pants Length A'	Pants Width B'
S	155 ~ 165 cm	80 ~ 88 cm	68 ~ 76 cm	75 cm	66 cm	70 cm	97 cm	50 cm
M	165 ~ 175 cm	88 ~ 96 cm	76 ~ 84 cm	77 cm	67 cm	73 cm	100 cm	53 cm
L	170 ~ 180 cm	96 ~ 104 cm	84 ~ 94 cm	82 cm	69 cm	74 cm	102 cm	55 cm
XL	175 ~ 185 cm	104 ~ 112 cm	94 ~ 104 cm	83 cm	72 cm	76 cm	103 cm	58 cm
XXL	180 ~ 190 cm	112 ~ 120 cm	104 ~ 114 cm	85 cm	74 cm	78 cm	105 cm	60 cm

Expected shrinkage after cold wash : ~1%

Temple Style Cotton/Polyester Samue

Size	Your Height	Waist Size	Jacket Length A	Sleeve Length C	Pants Length A'
S	155 ~ 165 cm	68 ~ 76 cm	75 cm	75 cm	102 cm
M	165 ~ 175 cm	76 ~ 84 cm	77 cm	78 cm	105 cm
L	170 ~ 180 cm	84 ~ 94 cm	79 cm	81 cm	108 cm
LL	175 ~ 185 cm	94 ~ 104 cm	81 cm	84 cm	111 cm
3L	180 ~ 190 cm	104 ~ 114 cm	84 cm	86 cm	114 cm

Expected shrinkage after cold wash : ~1%

Deluxe Chijimi Cotton Samue

Size	Your Height	Chest Size	Waist Size	Jacket Length A	Jacket width B	Sleeve Length C	Pants Length A'	Pants Width B'
M	165 ~ 170 cm	88 ~ 96 cm	76 ~ 84 cm	77 cm	70 cm	74 cm	104 cm	61 cm
L	170 ~ 175 cm	96 ~ 104 cm	84 ~ 94 cm	79 cm	74 cm	76 cm	107 cm	62 cm
LL	175 ~ 180 cm	104 ~ 112 cm	94 ~ 104 cm	81 cm	77 cm	78 cm	110 cm	63 cm

Expected shrinkage after cold wash : ~1%

Waraku Cotton Samue

Size	Your Height	Waist Size	Jacket Length*	Sleeve Length C	Pants Length A'
S	150 ~ 160 cm	66 ~ 76 cm	69 cm	71 cm	102 cm
M	160 ~ 170 cm	76 ~ 84 cm	74 cm	75 cm	107 cm
L	170 ~ 180 cm	84 ~ 94 cm	79 cm	79 cm	112 cm
LL	180 ~ 190 cm	94 ~ 104 cm	84 cm	83 cm	117 cm

* The length is measured from the bottom of the collar to the bottom of the jacket
Expected shrinkage after cold wash : ~3%

Deluxe Aizome Cotton Samue

Size	Your Height	Waist Size	Jacket Length A	Sleeve Length C	Pants Length A'
M	160 ~ 170 cm	76 ~ 84 cm	75 cm	70 cm	100 cm
L	170 ~ 180 cm	84 ~ 94 cm	77 cm	74 cm	103 cm
LL	180 ~ 190 cm	94 ~ 104 cm	79 cm	74 cm	106 cm

Expected shrinkage after cold wash : ~2%

Deluxe Sashiko Samue

Size	Your Height	Waist Size	Jacket Length A	Sleeve Length C	Pants Length A'
S	150 ~ 160 cm	70 ~ 83 cm	70 cm	68 cm	93 cm
M	160 ~ 170 cm	75 ~ 88 cm	75 cm	70 cm	100 cm
L	170 ~ 180 cm	80 ~ 95 cm	78 cm	72 cm	105 cm
LL	180 ~ 190 cm	85 ~ 103 cm	85 cm	74 cm	105 cm
3L	180 ~ 190 cm	90 ~ 120 cm	88 cm	78 cm	106 cm

Expected shrinkage after cold wash : ~2%

Classic Kurume Samue

Size	Your Height	Waist Size	Jacket Length A	Jacket Length B	Sleeve Length C	Pants Length A'
M	165 ~ 175 cm	76 ~ 96 cm	73 cm	71 cm	75 cm	99 cm
L	175 ~ 185 cm	84 ~ 102 cm	76 cm	74 cm	78 cm	101 cm
LL	175 ~ 185 cm	90 ~ 108 cm	82 cm	74 cm	80 cm	102 cm

Expected shrinkage after cold wash : ~3%

Samue Illustration

Please note that the models do not always feature the exact same cut and we strongly advise to check the measurements for each model separately to confirm your size.

A: Jacket Length - from the base of the jacket to the shoulder.
B: Jacket width
C: Sleeves Length - from the center of the back to the tip of the sleeve.
A': Pants Length - from the top of the pants to the ankle
B': Waist - around your waist / waist circumference

Samue Jacket
Samue Pants

What is a Samue?

The term Samue is composed of 3 Kanji "作務衣" and literally means "work" (作), "duty/task" (務) and "cloth" (衣). It traditionally describes the monk's working or non-spiritual clothing, put on for cleaning and gardening. Originally, the jacket used to be longer, reaching the knees and was worn without the pants. The latter were adopted later to make it more functional. Today, a Samue is always composed of both, jacket and pants.

Who wears the Samue today?

Of course, you can still see the monks wearing Samue when you visit Japanese temples. But because this garment is highly functional, it became more and more popular outside of this frame and today, it is also often chosen by craftsmen, musicians and artists of many fields, serves as casual and comfortable uniform at restaurants and is provided for guests at Ryokan or Onsen. But above all, it is more and more liked as leisure and home wear and even used as pajama. Compared to other traditional Japanese clothing like the Kimono that are difficult to maintain and come with quite complicated rules on how to wear them, the Samue is simply an all-rounder which although thrills westerners.
Because loose and light, allowing freedom of movement, we especially recommend it as outfit in Dojos, for Zazen, breathing exercises or other forms of meditation. The Samue does not constrict your body and lets you focus and relax.

How do I choose the model?

Deluxe Cotton Samue

The cotton fabric used for the deluxe Samue features a classic, plain but light weave with an even surface. It is slightly thicker and therefore a bit more resistant than the Chijimi weave. With its long sleeves and pants it is perfectly appropriate in Dojos and for Zazen, and great as leisure wear around the year.

Deluxe Chijimi Cotton Samue

The term Chijimi actually means "shrinkage" and is a very traditional Japanese fabric, that has been made since the Edo period in Takajima, a place not too far from Kyoto.The texture of the fabric is creased, which is accomplished by tightening the weft (the horizontal thread of the fabric). It is highly sophisticated and particularly light with a slightly rough surface, that resembles the texture of crepe-paper.
Thanks to the exceptional weave, the fabric does not stick to the skin when perspiring, making it extremely comfortable to wear. It keeps the skin aerated, dries super quickly and it is the perfect choice for summer and spending leisure time in and around the house.

Customizations

Embroidery

Although the fabric of both models is much lighter than that of a Dogi, the Samue jackets can be embroidered for a personal touch.
We offer the usual Dogi jacket embroidery positions, but you can contact us prior to placing your order if you prefer something different. For example, waiters in Japan often have their Samue embroidered with the restaurant's name in the middle of the collar (about 20 cm above the position we usually offer for Dogi).

Other customizations

Many customizations are not directly available on the product page, because we believe they require to be discussed prior to placing the order, but we can offer e.g. the "sleeves cut" option or other alterations.

Taking care of your Samue

Washing

Do not machine wash above 40° and choose a washing program for delicate fabric. Do not tumble dry, do not bleach, do not dry clean and iron at medium heat of max. 150°. To avoid the color from fading, avoid direct sunlight especially when drying and wash it with soap that does not contain bleach. Be careful when washing or drying the Samue with other clothes, especially during the first few washings, because the color might bleed.

Storage

As many other garments, the better you take care of it, the longer it lasts. If you want to store your Samue for a few months, make sure to choose a dry place to avoid the fabric from getting moldy.