Decorating your dojo

[username19853]

Can anyone offer some links to websites where I can buy stuff for my new dojo? I’ve been googling like crazy and haven’t had much luck, not sure what im doing wrong or if I just don’t know the right people. I’m teaching Matsubayashi Shorin Ryu and definitely going for more of that traditional feel. White walls, tatami mats, mirrors, etc…

- im looking to decorate the shomen appropriately. Not sure where exactly to go and what exactly to look for.

- pictures of past karate people; do you just print it out and frame it or do you get it from somewhere legit?

- pads/free standing bags: who has the best prices?

- anything else you think could be a fun or necessary addition.

Is there anything you wish you bought or could buy for your dojo?

Thank you!

[bushido_man96]

A properly made makiwara; I wish we had one of those.

[sensei8]

- im looking to decorate the shomen appropriately. Not sure where exactly to go and what exactly to look for.

The Shomen is a very personal space. Therefore, the Shomen can be very simplistic or very elaborate or somewhere in-between. For ideas, you can look at images of the Shomen on the internet. There's no wrong and there's no right because the Shomen is a personal thing.

- pictures of past karate people; do you just print it out and frame it or do you get it from somewhere legit?

I believe that the pictures that should be hung might be those of one's lineage. One could hang up just a picture of the founder and ones Sensei and leave it at that. Only picture I ever hung was of Jesus Christ. You can go wild, or you can hang very few pictures, if any. Ask your Sensei if you can xerox some pictures that your Sensei has...then frame them. After all, the internet is its own shopping mall full of all kinds of knickknacks.

- pads/free standing bags: who has the best prices?

My go to has always been Century MA Supplies from OKC, OK.

- anything else you think could be a fun or necessary addition.

Makiwara...Wing Chun Dummy. I had them both, and several sets of each. Don't forget a supply of Hojo Undo equipment, a staple in any Okinawa style dojo.

Is there anything you wish you bought or could buy for your dojo?

Two Large Taiko Drums with the Okinawan Shield on its skins. Forever I only had 2 Medium sized Taiko Drums, but to have 2 Large Taiko Drums...for me...HELLO!!??

Imho.

[kenpo4life]

Check craigslist and Facebook Marketplace for used standing bags. I have bought about 5 of them that are lightly used for a cheap price.

[Nevinyrral]

Also make sure if you require to have certified equipment. Some insurance companies might give you trouble for that reason.

[ryanryu]

I’ve been slowly decorating my home dojo, so maybe some of these ideas will be relevant –

• Dragon Associates (https://www.karatekaikan.com/) sells a number of dojo scrolls of various sizes that you can order. They also sold old photographs of several Okinawan masters in the past, but I couldn’t find it on their new website. (I had ordered a great photo of young Chojun Miyagi looking suave.)

• Etsy has a whole host of calligraphers and sumi-e artists, plenty of whom will do specific commissioned pieces. I’ve bought pieces from both FlowWithTheBrush and MyJapaneseNamePlus.

• Century’s Versys standing bags are also great. I have the Versys 3 in my home, which is possibly discontinued, and also trained with the Versys 1 in an old dojo. It’s been a great multi-use tool for kicking, striking, even setting up take downs. I ordered mine during Black Friday a few years ago at almost half price.

• I also have a bookshelf in my home dojo. If you have a good karate library, I say share it with your students!

[Montana]

I had black and white 8x10 pictures or drawings of the founders of our system thru current heads of the system.  I hung an American Flag 3x5 as I'm a veteran and BY GOD THIS IS AMERICA!

My kobudo weapons were hung on the walls along with my rank certificates and dojo charter from the organization I belonged to.

One thing you do NOT want to hang is a picture of Bruce Lee or Chuck Norris, unless you are teaching their system! SOOOO CHEESY!

I did have a hole in my wall with a picture frame around it once from a female student that put her foot thru the sheet rock and her name underneath it. lol

[Zaine]

I love the idea of framing holes in the wall and labeling them. That's hilarious.