Japanese traditional cotton apron First of the north star, MAEKAKE, HOKUTO NO KEN

Japanese traditional cotton apron First of the North Star, MAEKAKE, HOKUTO NO KEN

Ken the Survivor, also known by the original title Hokuto no Ken (北斗の拳?, trans. lit.: "The Fist of the Big Dipper"1 or more precisely "The Fist of the Big Cart"), is a shōnen manga imagined and drawn by Tetsuo Hara, and written by Japanese screenwriter Buronson. Ken the Boy Who Lived was originally pre-published between 1983 and 1988 in publisher Shūeisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine. .

The story takes place in the 1990s (which was then a relatively near future), on a land ravaged by a nuclear war, which had resulted in the evaporation of most of the seas and oceans, as well as the destruction of a large part of the vegetation. During the introduction of the animated series one can read "199X", that is to say an undetermined year at the end of the 20th century4. In this post-apocalyptic universe, the survivors are either humble villagers trying to survive, or vicious bandits grouped into gangs who loot and persecute the villagers.

However, a martial arts expert named Kenshiro, known as Ken, a man recognizable by the seven scars on his chest (forming the constellation of the Big Dipper), was chosen to become the successor of a legendary school of assassin martial art, Hokuto Shinken (北斗神拳?, the divine art of the North Star), whose technique consists in pressing the opponent's vital points to make them explode from within

The maekake is a traditional style Japanese apron, tied at the hips and worn by the craftsmen and the staff of certain shops. Maekake has been favored by workers since the Muromachi period of the 15th century. The name maekake comes from mae, which means before, and from the verb kakeru, to hang.

The story of a classic Japanese garment
The origins of the maekake date back to the 15th century, when fishermen of the Muromachi era cut aprons of old sail cloth to tie around the waist. The full and formal name of the garment is ho-maekake, or canvas apron. In Japan, as elsewhere, the need has led to the reuse and remodeling of used materials. The popularity of maekake peaked in the 1950s and 1960s. Most maekakes were made in the city of Toyohashi in Aichi Prefecture, some 300 kilometers (185 miles) from Tokyo. During the dramatic expansion of the Japanese post-war economy, maekake production exploded and aprons printed with a store or company name spread among sake breweries, stores selling rice , miso, soy sauce and fertilizers, and food manufacturers across the country.