Monpe

thumb|Hilton, Elstner, (1915) Woman in Kimono and Monpe with Basket|300px Monpe (もんぺ /モンペ) sometimes romanised as moppe or mompei, and referred to in Korean, ilbaji (see Baji), is an umbrella term for a traditional style of loose agricultural work-trouser in Japan, typically characterised by loose ankles and ties at the waist. It is most commonly worn by female labourers, especially farm workers in agricultural and mountain villages. Although traditionally the garment is very loose, it became more common through the twentieth century for women to add elastic at the ankles and waist to make it easier and more comfortalbe to wear. The origins of monpe is unclear, the garment is historically thought to have descended from the traditional court trousers, umanori hakama because of the loose shape of the trouser leg and how the piece of clothing is designed to also be worn over kimono. There have been historical variations linked to rural Japan referred to as yamabakama (lit. hakama for mountains) or nobakama (lit. hakama for fields).

Geographically, it has been associated with Japanese women living in the Northeastern Japanese farming countryside, such as Yonezawa, although this specificity has been questioned by historians. It is actually thought that women have been wearing variations of monpe across many areas of Japan, particularly in the Tohoku region, for centuries.