Struggling_Mudansha

Decided to buy a pair of stainless steel sai from Dreametal Kobudo. Sai as a pair Single sai Little engraving on the moto Engraving on the tsukagashira Opposite side of the sai Comparison with my Shureido Overall, it's a nice pair of sai. They're lighter and quicker to manipulate than my shureido and they definitely have a hand-forged feel to them. The octagonal shape doesn't go all the way down the monouchi. I thought that I would notice it when using the sai, but I surprisingly don't. I'm still attached to my Shureido though. After using them for almost three years, it doesn't feel right using anything else.

Can you help me? Can you tell me if mine are Shureido Nunchaku? Bought two in a martial arts shop (he had them in store for a long time), paid 60€ each and every section is long 13 1/4” Thank you! https://www.dropbox.com/s/ryf15opo5phdv05/Foto%2007-02-19%2C%2022%2051%2004.jpg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/rbczdyyelco2wgq/Foto%2007-02-19%2C%2022%2051%2041.jpg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/w2zj5v6i99l4x8u/Foto%2009-02-19%2C%2007%2001%2052.jpg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/0ors3fgz5vmj886/Foto%2009-02-19%2C%2007%2002%2044.jpg?dl=0 There are three factors that lead me to believe those are Shureido: 1) There's no metal ring inside the nunchaku where the ropes come out of the top. 2) The corners of Shureido nunchaku are cut really sharp and yours have that appearance. 3) Shureido uses a real light shellac finish on their wooden weapons. It looks like that's what yours has.

I have no idea. It's probably what you describe below: Still, it'd be nice if I was thrown a bone every once in while in terms of understanding things a little more deeply.

I never said that I felt I was at the level of Shodan. Our head sensei literally said, "Students do not earn the right to train until they make Shodan." I said all I wanted to do was learn Karate, but in order to do that, I have to make it to black belt. It's a paradox. I don't really care what's tied around my waist. I have no desire to skip the basics and I have worked as hard as anyone could with what my teachers have shown me. No, I'm not a Shodan because of the "in-time" requirements that is required in our dojo. That's how our school works; it doesn't matter how far you've taken your training, if you haven't been in your rank for a specified amount of time, you don't get to test. Period. This applies to the yudansha grades as well. I know. This is the stuff I want to learn. Every time I get a snippet of this information, my enthusiasm is restored and things don't feel so much like a grind. Trust me, I understand fully what you're saying.

A great source of stress, anxiety, sleepless nights and even depression. I promised myself that I wouldn't be swept up by the idea of achieving a black belt; I would train to the best of my ability, regardless of rank. And for the most part, I've done just that. I have everything but two drills memorized that is required for all color belts (and I'm still just a sankyu). I even managed to pick up two black belt katas from a seminar last year. However, after three years of my scrawny body getting put through the ringer three times a week, the mileage is starting to show. Training now is causing me a great deal of stress because I've lost the enthusiasm I had a few years ago. It feels like I'm just hanging on for that mystical belt and certification. I've also found out that I'm not fond of teaching. I mean, I enjoy helping anyone who asks for my help (and I'm honored that those people approach me) but teaching kids with ADD can be a nightmare sometimes. My trips to the dojo used to be a way for me to get away from my stressful life, but now that luxury is gone. Finally, the black belt can be a symbol of oppression at times. What I mean by that is some Yudansha feel it's taboo for a colored belt to learn anything higher than their grade. Some of the more open-minded black belts don't mind, but whenever I practice Gojushiho (our first Shodan kata), I get a few stinkeyes. In many cases, I feel I'm ready to start training more advanced drills or forms, but the belt system makes that almost impossible. My favorite thing about seminars is fact that I can jump into a group of black belts and have the ability to train like one, regardless of my colored obi. All I've ever wanted to do from the very beginning was learn Karate, but the unfortunate reality is that I wont get that luxury until I make Shodan. I'm now in a rut to where I'm going to have to wait another grueling 2 and 1/2 years just to get that simple desire. I think the most depressing thing is I might be another one of those students who'll quit after I make it to shodan, because the journey was so arduous that I'll have absolutely nothing left.

Yes, weapon quality has gone down significantly over the years. I think it's largely due to a severe lack of quantity of good product. Donald Shapland, a Canadian weapons maker, is getting up there in age and will probably retire soon. Peter Carbone is also getting out of the business and has no desire to pass his knowledge onto a protege. Gordon Shell of Murasaki Kobudo has recently removed kama from his website and I'm getting word through the grape vine that he's trying to ease his way out of the business. Lastly, Crane Mountain Kobudo has been gone for a good while now and there was no indication that the weapons maker was able to pass his knowledge onto someone else. There are two makers that have emerged recently, Sundy Papapanos of Dreametal Kobudo and David Williams of Shushin Kobudo. However, Sensei Papapanos is the only one out of the two that makes metal weapons. From my experience, finding quality weapons has been an absolute nightmare. Because of the severe lack of available makers, it's been almost impossible to find the weapons that I need.

Shureido USA has a tendency to twist a person's arm until it turns purple (at least from my experience). For whatever reason, they think their gi's shrink 6 inches length wise. I have never owned a gi that has shrunk that much. I bought a K-10 from them with this in mind. Nuked it in hot water and turned the dryer on max multiple times. Only shrank 2 inches. I was incredibly heartbroken and frustrated and had to sell it on Ebay. It's possible it could've shrunk over the course of a decade, but I didn't want to wear a gi that didn't fit me for that long. This is why I haven't asked for a custom gi from them yet. I did try to make my own custom measurements in metric for the Okinawa Shureido store. Filled out the form and was put on the waiting list. I cancelled the order two months later though because I was worried sick that it wouldn't fit me right. I think the only way I'm going to get a Shureido gi is if I'm in Okinawa and the Naha store measures me.

I didn't really have much buyers remorse taking it out of the bag. The quality was obviously very high and the cotton had a silky smooth feel to it. The gi was definitely breathable (although the $80 ProForce held its own against it quite well). I'm just an extremely skinny guy. My legs only took up half of the pants sleeves so that's probably why they felt so uncomfortable. I'm honestly not sure if I want to bother with expensive gi's anymore because none of them seem to fit me right. I could get one tailored, but dealing with Shureido USA on the matter causes me a great deal of anxiety. I could look into Tokaido, but I'd only buy one if I had the opportunity to try one on. Buying an expensive gi and returning/ selling due to it not fitting gets tiring after a while.

Well I finally managed to order a Shureido K-11 after waiting two years for them to get in stock. I decided to take some pictures as I was never able to find anyone who posted their own images of the gi. Jacket and pants Jacket label Pants label Jacket Pants Comparison of my ProForce gi and the Shureido gi (the ProForce is still brand new). Notice they're the same length but the Shureido is wider. ProForce on the left and Shureido on the right. Jacket comparison. Shureido is on the left and ProForce is on the right. Notice how the Shureido jacket is shaped almost like a box while the Proforce contours a little bit. Label comparison Material and construction comparison (sorry for the quality) Tie comparison Overall, I'm pretty disappointed with the Shureido. The pants are the right length but the width is too wide; they give me crotch wedgies (the gusset rides up between my legs). The jacket is also fairly wide and is about an inch too long; feels like I'm wearing a long coat. I'm also not thrilled with how high the jacket ties are positioned. I think the best thing for me to do is return the gi and get my money back, rather than risk trying to shrink it. I'm 5'7" at 140lbs so I think the only way I'm going to be able to wear a Shureido gi is if I get it tailored.

1) Use the website Imgur. 2) Make your account and select new post at the top: 3) Select the image(s) that you want to post by scrolling the mouse pointer over your name and select images. This will bring up your library. Click on the image you want to post and this screen will pop up: 4) First click on the image size you want on the bottom right hand side of the window. I prefer large thumbnail or huge thumbnail. Then, copy the BBCode circled in step 2. You don't need use the image tags from the forum; Imgur will do it for you. 5) Preview your post to make sure the images are the way you want them. Hope this helps.

Can't really see myself giving up on Shureido sai. Every time I get to try a pair they're always the best, hands down. The Energy Sai of Agena are nice, but they weigh a metric ton and don't offer much in the way of options (octagonal monouchi, different tsukagashira, different weights, etc.) Not to mention they're made to order and priced very steep. I called the Shureido store in Naha, Okinawa and the English speaking representative said they're aiming to get natural sai in on the first quarter of this year and stainless steel later on, possibly December or early 2019. Might not be entirely true but Shureido has NOT said they've stopped making metal weapons, so they've got to produce more sai eventually. I've got 18.5 inch thin natural sai on back order from the USA store and I'll keep using my standard Shureido sai until then.

Think I may have found another image of thin Shureido sai. The sai on the right appears to be their small sai, but the monouchi is round and the tsukagashira is smaller. A lot of the bulk seems to have been shaven off the moto and yoko as well. Very interesting.

Just as an update, the rust has gotten so bad on my sai that I was getting concerned that they were becoming a health risk. I took some of my 0000 steel wool that I use to polish guitar frets and gave my sai a nice rundown. It certainly helped a lot, but I couldn't get rid of all the rust with wool alone. I'll probably use a removing agent a little on down the road. Stainless steel sai are still on my radar because this maintenance work was quite dirty and the wool and rust dust aggravated my asthma quite a bit. I realize stainless steel is not completely rust proof; it's just stainless steel would have a much longer lifespan.

I actually have a few weapons by Murasaki: I have a pair of kama from Shushin as well: At one point I had a pair of Shushin Tonfa: I tried to email Crane Mountain Kobudo but it seems they're no longer operating. That's honestly a shame because the image I found of their tonfa makes them look fantastic: There's also another Kobudo company based out of Greece called Dreametal Kobudo. I have a pair of his tonfa: Kensho International Eaku

One of the most frustrating things about practicing a niche art is there aren't usually stores that allow you to walk in and try things out. This means you have to order things online and that can be a pain; an item's description can sometimes be vague resulting in a blind order. The biggest offender of this is Shureido. They're perhaps one of the most popular Karate and Kobudo brands but inquiring as to what their products are like, I've found, has been extremely difficult. That's why I thought it'd be a good idea for me to post some pictures I've accumulated over the years of the Shureido products that I've bought. Shureido Bo - 6' Tapered http://i.imgur.com/CnYDAIFh.jpg http://i.imgur.com/P74T4kTl.jpg http://i.imgur.com/UYmHHD0l.jpg (Well loved) Shureido Sai - Plain Steel http://i.imgur.com/YDHLpthh.jpg Thin Red Oak Shureido Nunchaku http://i.imgur.com/P4lruQYl.png Shureido Round Tonfa - Medium http://i.imgur.com/SHV68Xxh.jpg http://i.imgur.com/4tcFDx4l.jpg Shureido Kama - Medium http://i.imgur.com/53INY7Lh.jpg http://i.imgur.com/tAVMnhXl.jpg Shureido Stainless Steel Sai - Medium (not my image - I managed to snag this off an Ebay listing) http://i.imgur.com/NI1rHudh.jpg Shureido Round Tonfa - Small http://i.imgur.com/4yV9r1Rh.jpg At one point I had images for a K-10 karate gi, but for whatever reason, I deleted them.