Sailor Sindbad

Can you quote Kanga Sakugawa or Arakaki Seisho ever saying this, for reasons OTHER than being found out by the Shimazu?

I just ordered two sets for my son. I REALLY wanted to order him a Japanese brand (I ordered two sets of Shureido for my older daughter), but he just doesn't seem to be as into karate as she is, and he is also not as good at taking care of his things as she is. In any case, I would say that at face value, they're unbeatable at that the price that they go for. They look just like more expensive brands, in terms of the cut and materials. But here's where the problems come. If you're of a slender shape and don't need anything hemmed, you're good to go. If you do need it hemmed, and you don't mind the regular one-line stitch (which makes your gi look cheap and reduces the snap), you're also good to go. But to get the same hem that the gi comes with, my local alteration shop $38 for the pants, and $38 for the sleeves. Thankfully, my son only needed the pants hammed. Otherwise, if he needed pants AND sleeves, this would add $76 per gi. By the time you do this, you're probably better off ordering a Japanese gi off of kuroobiya.com. Tokyodo hems for free, and the other brands (Tokaido, Hirota, and Hayate) hem for an even lower price than the cheap one-stitch hem that your local alteration shop charges. KI International needs to offer the same service. If they did, it would undoubtedly be the best deal for the money out there.

I get it, everybody's always with whoever I'm talking to. Okay, moving on... Except we couldn't do this. We'd get ripped a new one if we came into the dojo doing what we learned on YouTube. Or doing what we see higher belts in the dojo doing. Even if you know the whole kata (by observing others), you're only allowed to perform up to what you've officially been trained on in the dojo. And if you know more that what you've officially been trained on, then you best keep your mouth shut. Thankfully, I don't have to worry about that where I am now.

As long as this is done correctly, because this being done incorrectly is one the main reason I quit my last dojo and moved on to another. My last dojo had an hours requirement for eligibility to test. And they made it a point to spread everything - especially katas - over all of the hours, instead of giving them to you up front and then you polish it up from there. That said, when I had classes that were focused on things that were not testable, I was livid. We were doing that "extra" stuff, when we didn't have everything we needed for the test. Eventually that, along with other things, is why I packed up and moved on to another dojo.

The belt may be just a piece of cloth, but your dan ranking is a credential. This isn't about the belt. It's about the credential. And credentials are only as good as how recognized they are outside of the entity that issued it.

That's your concern, not your students. But does the fact that you're seeking rank from a particular organization while your students are being denied the ability to do the same not bother you at all? Doesn't seem as bad as the self-promotions that are more likely in independant dojo owners. We're talking about "traditional martial arts." There are non-traditional martial arts that are designed to evolve, that are focused on "the streets," that train in the uses of knives, firearms, extendable batons, etc in addition to hand-to-hand. As long as students know that that's what they're getting, versus "traditional" Japanese/Okinawan/Korean martial arts - hey, no problem. But if they're in a dojo that calls itself as "Goju-ryu" and they're allowed to carry on believing that their dan certificate will hold the same weight as one issued by IOGKF, then it becomes a problem. People in general are aware that you get what you pay for. The shodan exam at my ISKF dojo is $80. I'd gladly pay that, and still be a shodan at any ISKF, SKIF, ITKF, or most other Shotokan dojos worldwide, than pay $20 at an independent Shotokan dojo and not have that.

All of the cons listed are the kancho's concerns, not the students'. The students want what they've earned to be recognized and have meaning anywhere in the world they go, not just the 1500 sq feet surrounded by four walls and a roof in the middle of Smalltown, USA. I saw somewhere else (either in another forum or on Reddit), a guy who earned 4th Dan in an independent TSD dojang, being told he'd have to start from white belt in a WTSDA dojang. IMO, owners of independent dojos should be required to warn prospective students of this. Otherwise, being independent and not disclosing this is pure selfishness.

Some dojos more or less than others. I simply found another dojo that suited me better, when others have simply gave up on karate altogether.

Does anyone have experience with Arazawa? I'm losing weight, so I'll be in the market for new gis soon - and it'll be a whole new karate wardrobe. I mostly used Japanese brand gis. But it appears that Hirota is cutting back on their heavyweight gis (no more #162, and MH-10 is no longer available "off the rack"), and Tokaido (made in Japan, not "Kata Master") seems to be moving away from pure cotton and onto poly/cotton blends (no more TAW). Shureido takes 3 to 4 months just to get an "off the rack" gi. All brands are going to toot their own horn, but it seems like Arawaza is the best at it. A Canadian brand that will confidently price their top gis right up there with Japanese gis. I'm looking at the Black Diamond, Amber Evo, and the Emerald specifically. Is Arawaza as good as Hirota and Shureido, in anyone's experience?

I'm currently 4th kyu, and that's how I look at it. And that's what I looked at when deciding on a dojo. Someone with more experience than myself may be able to look beyond that at other things, but that's where I keep it. To me, it shows quality control from echelons above the dojo AND the fact that what I achieve in one affiliated dojo will hold weight outside of it.

Ask your wife that question, and it's going to lead to a conversation that you don't want to have. That's the resemblance (possibly). Like I said, I have time to watch what the two people ahead of me do; and I'll go with that.

I could also ask my wife if it's okay for me to sleep with another woman. I didn't actually do it; I just asked, right? This could be the same thing.

This is something that I'm thinking about, as I'm getting closer to brown belt. Things I'm thinking about first: 1. It appears that, at my dojo (ISKF Shotokan), you're given a plain cotton black belt (of the same brand and product lineup as the colored belts) upon reaching shodan. At nidan, you're gifted an embroidered 1.5 inch cotton Tokaido belt. 2. I don't know whether or not I'd be required to wear the plain cotton belt for the duration of the time that I'm a shodan, or if I can upgrade it myself if I want. There are two people in my class ahead of me (the lower of which is six months ahead), so I'm going to watch what they do. 3. Even if I'm required to wear the plain belt until reaching nidan, I don't think I'd want the Tokaido belt that's gifted to nidans. I'd want a 1.75 inch satin or silk belt that wears. In lieu of dan bars or coral/red belts (which Shotokan does not have), I would like to have something to show for my experience as I train beyond shodan. The bottom line, of course, is whether or not it would be considered disrespectful to buy your own belt if you don't like the one that's gifted to you. Is there a general answer on that?

And many people inside, as can be seen here in this thread. If they "don't care about rank," why did they wait until after making shodan first before deciding that? I can see not wanting to make a grade that requires greater involvement than showing up to train x number of days per week like everybody else. But staying a shodan for life in order to show off fake humility does the exact opposite of that.

In my opinion, stopping at shodan and claiming to "not care about belts" is a self-contradiction. Because what really happened is that you got what you wanted (the black belt), and NOW you don't care about rank. But you did up until you got that black belt, though. If you're Goju-ryu, you should want to learn Suparenpai; if you're Shotokan, you should want to learn Unsu, etc. And that doesn't happen at shodan.