The Hunt for a Gi: Tokon and a Fat Guy

[mindsedgeblade]

I have the opposite problem LOL. Where to find a uniform that is long enough but I can't swim in!

[Lupin1]

Good news! After visiting the Dr. yesterday I am officially 5'7", even without my shoes on. My wife still doesn't believe me, but she's not an MD (or even an RN)

Woo-hoo! Go 5'7''ers! Of course, I still had to shorten my gi pants by a good seven or eight inches... And I like them to touch the floor (I know some people who hem them up to high on their ankles.

[Bushido Brown]

Ok, ok... 5' 10" is a solid height... I surrender!

In other news, having tried on a few spare karategi at the dojo that I've now joined, I think that perhaps a size 7 Europa might work well. It's still hard to tell, but size 7 is so much more widely available, which is good.

I've been asking people around the dojo about their gi sizes and the like, though it's still a bit hard to translate as I am both more overweight and carry my weight much more poorly than most all at the dojo. Martial arts for fat people can be, in my experience, logistically as well and physically tough

I've located a martial arts supply store about an hour from my apartment. I'm going to check out the store this afternoon, and see if I can get a better idea of the situation. I'm hoping that the people there will have advice on finding a fitting gi, and a larger selection of sizes to try than my dojo.

Wish me luck... I'll report back after I've visited the store.

[Liver Punch]

I feel your pain. I'm 6'1 with a 29" inseam and thighs that aren't proportionate to my waist. What I end up with in pants are something that's way too long, too tight in the thigh region, and too big in the waist. The region of the pants from the top of the leg to the top of the waist band is always really tall too...odd.

In the Gi region, my short arms require modification, and the length of my torso ends up rendering the Gi almost too short. Being irregularly shaped sucks.

What I have found is that BJJ/Judo stuff fits me way better than any of my traditional, lighter weight uniforms. Good luck with it.

[christoh]

does anyone know if the Tokon Monarch is WKF approved? Are there any differences, if at all, between Tokon, Kamikaze and Kaiten? I am gathering that Tokon is the American branding of the Kamikaze however I have recently discovered that Kaiten have the same model gi's... what's the deal with this?

Can anyone recommend a website to purchase one from? I looked at tokon.com ($150... the labels state "TOKON"), best buy martial arts ($131.99... the labels state "KAMIKAZE" (at the top) and "KAITEN" (down the bottom)) and tokon.ca ($160... the labels state "KAITEN")... has anyone had any experience with best buy martial arts? I am in Australia and am thinking it would be cheaper purchasing from overseas.

I don't understand the different labels as the three sites above each have their gi's with different labeling. Also, the tokon.ca website (the one with the label "KAITEN") states that the gi is WKF approved yet I have found no mention of it anywhere else (such as tokon.com)

- Chris

[JohnASE]

does anyone know if the Tokon Monarch is WKF approved? Are there any differences, if at all, between Tokon, Kamikaze and Kaiten? I am gathering that Tokon is the American branding of the Kamikaze however I have recently discovered that Kaiten have the same model gi's... what's the deal with this?

Can anyone recommend a website to purchase one from? I looked at tokon.com ($150... the labels state "TOKON"), best buy martial arts ($131.99... the labels state "KAMIKAZE" (at the top) and "KAITEN" (down the bottom)) and tokon.ca ($160... the labels state "KAITEN")... has anyone had any experience with best buy martial arts? I am in Australia and am thinking it would be cheaper purchasing from overseas.

I don't understand the different labels as the three sites above each have their gi's with different labeling. Also, the tokon.ca website (the one with the label "KAITEN") states that the gi is WKF approved yet I have found no mention of it anywhere else (such as tokon.com)

- Chris

I don't think the Tokon Monarch is WKF approved. We don't carry it, but we carry the Tokon Europa and America, and they are not. As you said, the Kaiten Monarch appears to be. I don't know about the Kamikaze Monarch. WKF approval would probably need to be obtained (and paid for) separately for each of these brands, so one might be WKF approved while the others might not.

I don't know anything about the Kaiten vs Kamikaze, but I'll give a quick rundown of what I know about Kamikaze vs Tokon. As I remember it, Kamikaze, a company based in Germany, was selling worldwide under the Kamikaze name. There was a company distributing Kamikaze gis in the US and I think in Canada who also called themselves Kamikaze. I heard they trademarked the name here. When they stopped distributing Kamikaze gis, they kept the rights to the name. Rather than fight over it, Kamikaze Germany changed their brand to Tokon for the US market.

Tokon USA (tokon.com) is owned and operated by Marcus Hischberger, the nephew of the founder of Kamikaze Germany. I'm not sure who is running Tokon Canada (tokon.ca). Except for labeling, Tokon gis should be exactly the same as Kamikaze gis.

I just looked up Best Buy Martial Arts. I'm not familiar with the website, but I know the company under another name. They're reputable. Been around for decades. Don't know much about their customer service, but they're experienced vendors. Saw a pic of the label you mentioned. I'd bet it's an old pic. If you ordered, I'd bet you'd get a Tokon. Could be wrong. Every once in a while, an old Kamikaze will pop up out of old stock.

[christoh]

thanks for the reply, John. You have cleared up some confusion for me!

I ended up ordering a Kamikaze Monarch through my Sensei. I figured with all of the different brand names, different (and some unfamiliar) websites; it would be easier asking my Sensei to organise it.

- Chris

[RhysOwens]

I bought a Kamikaze Europa from Kamikazeweb.com brilliant service and an amazing gi! i am in the process of ordering my kamikaze monarch from there now. going to order the embroidery with it this time so will soon see how good the embroidery services are.

[Martial Walrus]

I have a similar problem. I'm 6'2" and very broad. Gi manufactures seem to think that anyone who is my height will be built like a stick, so I have to order two sizes bigger and hem the legs and sleeves so I can actually move. Also, I'm young enough to still be growing, so I've had to go up two sizes in the past year. Maybe one day, when I've stopped growing, I'll get a custom fitted gi. Maybe.

[senseikellam]

I saw your note and thought perhaps I should refer you to my earlier post about the Meijin Gi review. Meijin offers split sizes and half sizes which is something few manufacturers do. Just in case you don't see the earlier post, check out the following:http://voices.yahoo.com/the-meijin-tropical-karate-uniform-offers-exceptional-11035308.html?cat=11

Good Luck!