Question for Shotokan folks.

[still kicking]

I don't think it's just Shotokan, but pretty much all traditional Japanese karate, no?

[Rateh]

Well, I'm no expert at all, but from what I understand, the karate gi comes from the judo gi. And the judo gi was originally made from unbleached cotton, which I'm assuming is an off-white color. Therefor bleaching it so that it is a more pure white wouldn't have been a big step.

Again, I'm not exactly an expert on the history of the gi.

[DWx]

In TKD we apparently wear white because its the traditional colour of Korean costume and it represents purity although seeing as we evolved from Karate styles anyway (in my branch namely Shotokan), its probably a reasoning attached after the fact. Or maybe Karate styles have a similar reasoning attached.

[bushido_man96]

Dyes cost money, and white not as much. That is likely why white is used the most. It just started that way, and since no one changed it, it became a "tradition" and has kept on.

Both the gi and the belt system are add-ons from Kano.

[jsteczko]

Yes, very much depends on your sensei.

I train shotokan and my sensei would not be glad to see me in a black gi. But I know him well and he would not be that mad. His instructor would kick me out of the dojo if I had a black gi. Many instructors are really extreme when it comes to this and they only allow white gis. One of my friends had once with him a band which he tied around his head. He was not allowed to train...

But as you can read here on this forum, some people say that black gis are allowed. This depends on your trainer. Some are a little bit more modern others want to stick to the tradition.

My sensei prefers tradition but sometimes he accepts changes. For example, we started to use names like 1,2,3,4,5 instead of heian shodan, heian nidan etc. Later, an instructor from another style came to our club and was guest training. When he realized we use "1,2,3" and not traditional names he started complaining.

I also think that everyone should use white gi. Then you know that he/she is training karate. I would not understand a karateka who has a gi of different color or a T-shirt (an exception can be beginners).

[1987witherspoon]

When I say first started I mean she was 5, and it was just a white gi with a Bungs in a gi transfer on the back.

[still kicking]

Witherspoon1987 wrote:

When I say first started I mean she was 5, and it was just a white gi with a Bungs in a gi transfer on the back.

Huh??? Oh, right, you're the one with the girlfriend who had a Bugs Bunny gi! Well, you didn't say she was 5 at the time. Awww, that's really cute.