Marugo SPORTS JOG AIR — a tabi runner from a 1919 Kurashiki maker

Photos: Marugo

A split-toe work shoe from 1919, re-engineered as a trainer — by the company that has made the work shoe all along.

Verdict

What it is

Marugo has made jikatabi — split-toe work footwear — in Kurashiki since 1919. The SPORTS JOG AIR takes that last and builds a modern knit trainer on it: roughly 220 grams, an air-cushioned heel, and a big toe that moves like a tabi toe.

Why it matters

This is the pilot pick that proved the Finds lane beyond watches: a century-old workwear pattern, re-engineered rather than referenced. The split toe isn't styling — it's the maker's core technology, carried into a shoe you can actually run errands in. One honest note, because we make it on the listing too: the lineage and the last are Kurashiki; the shoe itself is made in China. Marugo says so, and so do we.

Specs

What to check before buying

• Split-toe fit is different. You need tabi socks, and the toe box will feel wrong for the first hour if you've never worn jika-tabi.
• Sizing runs on the maker's chart. Measure in centimetres and use Marugo's own table; don't convert casually from US sizes.
• It's a light trainer, not a technical runner. The air heel is comfort cushioning, not race kit.

Price record

Want one?

1. In the shop: browse current stock — one-off pieces, and they turn over fast.
2. Hunting one? Join the Want List — tell us the maker and the budget; pieces like this surface in our trawl most weeks.
3. This one: at the source — See it at Marugo. Not our listing. See Disclosure.

Related picks

• Spingle SP-110 — handmade in Fuchu, Hiroshima
• Toraichi 2530-418 — tobi trousers, cut like nothing else
• TRASKA Commuter Electrum — an electrum-alloy case, 100 pieces

Spotted, not sold by us — this piece lives at Marugo. Disclosure

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