Black belt purchase

[dave_pfc]

Hi there. I'm hoping to pass to 1st Dan in the next few months and want to get an embroidered black belt. I want to get one with red embroidery, Japanese text. Does anyone know where I can get belts with red embroidery? Most people with black belts seem to have gold text but I would prefer red.

What do people generally have on embroidered belts, i.e. is it meant to be your name and is this normally done at both ends?

Also is it the 'silk' black belts that fray at the edges over time as I quite like that effect?

Thank you,

Dave

[KarateGeorge]

If you can't find a place that will do the embroidering as part of the order, I would just suggest having the belt ordered with embroidering and take it to a local embroider for it to be done the way you want. Also, and this is very important, you'll want to make sure that whatever you're having done to the belt is acceptable to your school's standards regarding belts. If you're uncertain, check with your sensei.

As for what people have put on the belt, that depends on the school and the individual. There's at least one thread regarding what's on people's black belts around the forums. Some wear their black belts with no embroidering. Some have rank stripes, and some also have names. Some have them done in English and others in Japanese.

For example, my belt has a stripe on each end, my last name on one end, and Sho Dan on the other end, in gold embroidering. Which is the standard for how my school handles all the black belts.

[Ichi_Geki]

The silk ones are the ones that turn white over time and flake and fray.

I order all my stuff from meijin through classical fighting arts. They do have the red embroidery and gold, and white.

But usually your teacher will give your kuro obi with the proper embroidery on it. Just tell him what type of material you want and you might pay a bit more.

[Shizentai]

Ichi makes a good point, but not all dojo provide new shodans with a gift black belt (mine didn't lol). It's best to ask someone in your dojo about this point before relying on someone else to purchase something for you.

Almost any type of belt will turn white if you wear it long enough. Silk ones just wear the fastest. However, I also have a super thick cotton one which is white on the edges from just about two years of wearing it. The cotton ones last longer, but thick cotton belts can also be really stiff and stand out in a silly way. I prefer my silk one because it's nice and floppy. It's really up to you which feel you prefer I think.

In regards to ordering a belt with red emroidery, I recommend KI international. They do red embroidery, you can buy it online, and it can ship most places.

As for what to put on your belt, this is another matter I should think would be best asked to another dojo-mate as this too can vary from school to school. In my dojo, we wear belts with our name in Japanese on one side and our organization name (ISKF, JKA, WKF, etc.) in Japanese on the other.

One word of caution though: Should you chose to have your name in Japanese on your belt, be sure to give whoever does your embroidery your name in katakana, not in English. I've seen sooo many terrible mistakes happen.

If you would like to put your name in Japanese on your belt but don't know how to write it, I suggest asking a Japanese speaking friend. If not, I can help you out. Just let me know.

[SenseiJ]

I like belts from Eoshin Panther. They are very good quality and will custom embroider, and they offer silk or cotton. Either will wear with time. I have my name on one end and my style on the other in Japanese.

[sensei8]

I like belts from Eoshin Panther. They are very good quality and will custom embroider, and they offer silk or cotton.

I concur with this! Solid product and solid customer service. Imho, the Kanji won't be wrong from Eoshin Panther.

[dave_pfc]

Thanks everyone. Some helpful information here. I think I'll speak to my sensei and see what's acceptable then potentially get one from this Eoshin Panther site, though they don't seem to have silk belts?!?

[Wa-No-Michi]

Shouldn't you be focusing on your grading rather than the belt?

Sure great to set yourself a goal, but shouldn't that be just passing.

I have several bbs, but the best one is the one my sensei awarded me - verbally!

WNM

[SenseiJ]

I'm sorry, I thought they has silk belts, they do have satin belts. They wear similar to silk belts.

[Shizentai]

Another option is Tokaido They have cotton, satin, and silk. You can even choose a corresponding label to your organization (if they have it).

Imho, the Kanji won't be wrong from Eoshin Panther.

As nice a company as they must be, I guarantee that finding out how to spell your name in Japanese first is the only way to be certain that it is right. It's not the kanji people mess up, it's the pronunciation of English names and hence the phonetic language (katakana) they use to write it.

For instance, I've seen someone named Demitri get his name translated as ドミトリ (which funny enough, means "dormitory" in Japanese), when it should have been デミトリ. It's an honest mistake if you didn't know how to pronounce it, but he got called "Dormitory" and "Dum-tree" by mistake because of it.

If you don't have a Japanese master, it probably doesn't matter that much. Just remember that it's a name tag you may wear for the rest of your life. In that frame of mind, I'd rather have no name on my belt than a wrong name.