are a style of footwear with a divided toe, originating in Japan. They are similar to socks in both appearance and construction. 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 Japanese are usually understood today to be a kind of split-toed sock that is not meant to be worn alone outdoors, much like regular socks. However, were originally a kind of leather shoe made from a single animal hide, as evidenced by historical usage and the earlier form of the word, , spelled , with the kanji literally signifying "single hide". As Japanese footwear evolved, also changed, with the split-toe design emerging towards the late Heian period to allow the wearer to accommodate the thong of straw sandals to reinforce the sole. Outdoor versions of involved some kind of reinforcement, as seen in the historical photographs above, with soles traditionally made of cloth, leather, or straw. Brothers Tokujirō Ishibashi and Shōjirō Ishibashi, founders of the tyre company Bridgestone, are credited with the invention of rubber-soled in 1922. 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