Washing your obi/belt?

[Zaine]

Well i guess you have your opinion and i have mine,

[Thruhiker]

Jussi, do you realize that in some systems to some masters to wash your belt would be an insult, i dont think you should wash your belt cause its not going to get "stinky" there is really no point to wash your belt, it gets all nice and comfatable when you dont and when you wash it it can kind of stiffen,

Zaine, I have a couple of guys in my class that sweat pretty bad and by the time class is over their belt is soaked. I think for these two guys washing the belt would be a good idea. No disrespect to anyone or the art. Their belts just stink after a while.

[Zaine]

Well i can see that, the only time i have ever washed my belt was because it was mildey but, they must sweat really bad for it to sweat through there gi onto there belt

[AngelaG]

Oh yeah and with the creation of the belts and how they were clean, yeah totally wrong, the belt would start out as white, ther turn green from the grass, the when the grass all went away from trains so much they would train and the belt would turn brown from the dirt, then, after awhile, it would turn black , and thats how people got te belts

Sorry but this is total and utter... myth. I'm afraid there is no truth to this story at all.

[AngelaG]

Well i can see that, the only time i have ever washed my belt was because it was mildey but, they must sweat really bad for it to sweat through there gi onto there belt

Sure, if you work hard in a lesson you sweat. I've seen people who look like they've stepped into the shower with their gi on. There's nothing to be ashamed of by sweating, it just shows that you have worked hard and given everything you've got. An added point is that the healthier your body gets, as you do more exercises, the more you are going to sweat. A good sweat shows that your body is working properly.

I'm always suspicious of people that finish a lesson without breaking a sweat. Seems to me they are not putting nearly enough effort in.

[trillium]

I've never washed any of my belts.

My gi is clean before each class and I will hang up my belt after class to make sure that it dries, cause it does get quite damp in class.

If my belt starts to frey (sp?) I would sew it, but have never washed it.

[lgm]

My Japanese sensei, Kunio Sasaki, 6th dan JKA, who was commissioned by Nakayama Sensei to teach karate in the Philippines in 1965, told me to never wash my black belt. I never bothered to ask why. I believe for him the black belt symbolizes something sacred. Since my black belts don't get dirty nor smell, I have no reason to wash them.

However, if in the future they get accidentally soiled or should they stink, I don't see any reason why I shouldn't wash them, even if they are very important artifacts to me personally. To me, washed or not, they will always represent my sacrifice, dedication and achievement in karate.

[IcemanSK]

My favorite superstition about why you don't wash your belt it that "All your knowledge & pain goes into your belt." I must admit, I love that one. So, I never have.

I noticed in the 90's, it was fasionable to have a not just faded belt. But fraying & faded black belt. I know folks that beat them with rocks to get just the right look. I have belts that are as black as the day I got them & belts that are grey. I have no idea how one gets grey & the others stay black.

[A. Orstrom]

Sunlight will bleach a belt more than you would think. Perhaps that's what happened.

Anyway, thanks for all the great replies. I, however, have not changed my mind; my belts will not be washed, ever. Call it tradition, legend, superstition, respect, stupidity or anything you like. I like a bit of all that

[aefibird]

Oh yeah and with the creation of the belts and how they were clean, yeah totally wrong, the belt would start out as white, ther turn green from the grass, the when the grass all went away from trains so much they would train and the belt would turn brown from the dirt, then, after awhile, it would turn black , and thats how people got te belts

That's just a legend. If you read the earlier posts then you'll see that Jussi presented a (spot-on) explanation of why that story can't be true.

However, it is a myth that just refues to die - a lot of karateka are told that story, mostly without even questioning the reasoning behind it.

Belts are a very new invention in terms of martial arts; one common explanation for their introduction is that they were developed from swimming sashes.