Kaga

Kaga [靴; かが] are traditional Kantonese footwear made out of laquered, varnished or plain wood. A kind of sandal, kaga can come in two types: bekkaga (split kaga) or yōkaga (whole kaga), the latter being more common. They are fastened to the feet with a wide fabric strap. 
== Development ==
It is likely that kaga originated in the Imperial Court during the early medieval period as a way of both elevating noble courtiers above the common folk, and keeping the hems of their robes from being dirtied. Surviving records and artwork from the mid-Nittori period suggest that kaga were originally worn with leather thong straps which ascended up the shin. However, in later centuries the fabric strap was introduced, perhaps as a way of adding more decoration through embroidery, dye patterns, etc.
Meiri - high-ranking courtesans of the feudal period - wore extremely tall, lacquered tsurukaga or 'narrow kaga' when walking with their attendants. These sandals often added five or six inches to the wearer's height, and narrowed considerably towards the base, until they reached a diameter not much bigger than the heel of a modern stiletto. This design forced the wearer to walk with careful, tottering steps, which was considered titillating to male passerbys. 
The senkō performers also wore their own specific type of sandals - bekkaga, which then became popular amongst the female population. These kaga featured a split base, which allowed for more freedom and less caution while they walked. Unlike meiri, senkō were not expected to rely on their attendants to stop them tripping or loosing their footing. During their dance performances, senkō would wear another type of traditional footwear - highly decorated laquered wahashi or strapped wooden sandals. Both senkō and meiri would go barefoot while they walked in public, allowing their toes to peek out from beneath their obu robes; this was considered highly erotic. Common prostitutes (banne) would either wear inexpensive straw wahashi or would go barefoot.
Some seafood and fish merchants also used very tall kaga with four- to six-inch bases to keep their feet out of any scraps of fish on the floors of their shopes; these kaga were known as sukaga, and commonly had a straw base with straps in the wahashi style, but were fitted with wooden bases. 
The original motivation for wearing the high platform shoes was not fashion, but practicality: to keep feet and robes from coming in contact with things on the ground, such as dirt, filth, water, or snow.