The significance of the color white in Japan

[SaiFightsMS]

One thing I remember reading but not where it came from dealt with preparing a body for burial or cremation. A family member washed the body then it was placed in a simple white kimono with the right side on top - the opposite of how they were worn in life.

[shaolinprincess]

A thing that I have heard about gis is that if the grand master of your system dies, you place the right side of your gi on the top. Opposite of how you normally wear it, I am not sure if you wear your belt or not, I can not remember.

[fireka]

i read that thing about the colors representing stains on the belt, it was in an article about karate myths, its completely untrue, though romantically a good idea. there was originaly only two belt colors; white and black. the color belts come from the fact that martial arts in america got here from the US Millitary and so they created a rank structure just like the millitary has a rank structure. i honestly dont see a problem with immersing yourself in any one elses culutre if your intrested in it, espicially if your an american.

[24 Fighting Chickens]

A short answer to why gi's are white.

 

The traditional Japanese Karate, Gi, is made from cotton and allows the Martial Artist to move freely with good air circulation around the body. Karate Gi’s are predominantly white, for the purpose of symbolizing purity of mind. In Karate, to be pure in mind is to be empty of extraneous thoughts and be ready to receive new information and learning from the Sensei or Teacher.

 

http://www.agkk.com.au/enhanced/Uniform.htm

 

I am sure there are others that have insight on this topic and have more to add.

 

Some good internet research.

 

While I lived in Japan, I found that most Japanese were not aware of any significance to the color of a karate uniform, nor did they know what colors were thought to mean. Probably only the Miss Manners of Japan knows or really believes this sort of detailed symbolism.

 

Many karate clubs in Japan used black gis. Some use multicolored gis just like some clubs in the US do. White is more prevalent over there than it is here.

 

But, and this is very interestings...

 

originally karate was trained in without a gi. The use of the gi is stolen from Judo, and originally all karate gi were not white, but an off-yellow color like a judo uniform. So the "white" thing is fairly recent.

 

Also, the original training uniform, back before the 1920's, was your regular clothes either with your shirt off or on. Pictures of Okinawans sitting around after practicing karate show men dressed in dark blue and black a lot. Not white.

 

The purity of white is a recent contrivance.

 

I think white is used most often because it stains more quickly and therefore will probably need to be replaced sooner - more money for the gi companies that already charge way too much money for what is essentially low-quality duck cotton canvas. (white blue jean cloth)

[24 Fighting Chickens]

Something I read regarding the belts awhile back:

 

It was said that at the start of your karate training, you had the white belt to symbolize purity. Then through the ages, and changing of seasons, when spring came around, the flowers blooming, and grass growing would leave a green tinge on the Karateka's belt, then after more years of training , your belt would actually get so dirty, that it would turn Black! I found it interesting

 

That story is just a myth and completely untrue.

 

The Japanese are very fastidious and while training there, I was forced to wash my belt regularly to keep it from collecting bacteria. The whole nonsense about colors of belts coming from stains on a white belt was made up by someone wanting to sell belts and make them seem "traditional."

 

I have an article about that on my web site at:

 

http://www.24fightingchickens.com/shotokan/101/19_belts.html

[fireka]

if you go to 24 fighting chickens website theres whole article he wrote about wear the belts come from, thats were i read the thing about the colors being fake.

[fireka]

opps, lol, i didnt see you made a link

[hobz]

Didnt mean anything, just trying to tell you of something i read

[mArTiAl_GiRl]

Thanks SaiFights, that was interesting.

 

At my Dojo, our training gi's are white, but the Kata gi's are very light blue, almost white.

 

But I like white more...

[Shorin Ryuu]

Here's something that I posted on another forum, but is related to this topic:

 

This is something my karate instructor put in our manual. He's a big history buff, martial arts history especially, has done extensive research and these are his words (of that I am 80% sure...)

 

In Japanese and Okinawan society, there is a very strict social class structure. It is similar to America's "upper class", "middle class", and "lower class". In Japan, in the early 1900's, this social class structure was as strong then as it still is today. Karate was just beginning to be taught on mainland Japan even though it had been thriving on Okinawa for many years. Due to this social structure, you had all three classes training together. Some upper class students felt they deserved better treatment than the middle and lower classes. Funakoshi, Gichin, founder of Shotokan Karate sensed this problem from the very start. He felt that a uniform was necessary in order to make everyone equal in the dojo. The karategi is a combination of the hakama and the judogi (already being used by Jigoro Kano’s Kodokan at this time). Traditionally, white was the only color and it was used to signify purity and also served to remove the class distinction in the dojo. Prior to this inclination, traditionally Chinese and Okinawan martial arts teachers and students were only given teaching certificates from their instructors at the time they had acquired enough knowledge to begin teaching themselves. This was the only traditional means of promotion.

 

Here in America, the concept of equality and unification among fellow karateka has somewhat been discarded. Practitioners have traded the pure white uniform for gis that have "stars and stripes" as well as many other colors and styles. In some classes, the gi top is left out in favor of T-shirts.

 

One of the most frequently asked questions at dojo in this country is, “How does your "belt system" go?” By this, the person is asking how one shows levels of achievement in their dojo. Of course, any information not known and any techniques learned is an achievement, but for some people, it is necessary to have visual proof of achievement. For both Eastern and Western cultures alike, the obi was introduced to the martial arts to award the practitioner with rank certification.

 

Before an explanation of rank certification is given, it is necessary to discuss the history behind the obi. The obi is also a relatively new addition to the martial arts. In the beginning, there were no rank certifications, only titles. In China, one was considered a master, instructor, or student. On Okinawa, the titles of Renshi (trainer), Kyoshi (teacher), and Hanshi (Instructor of teachers) were the only certifications awarded.

 

The man credited with inventing the Dan/Kyu System was Kano, Jigoro, who also was the founder of Judo. Judo has been practiced on Okinawa since the 1920's. Funakoshi, Gichin, had met Dr. Kano while in Japan. Funakoshi, himself a teacher and a very educated man, was very impressed with Dr. Kano and decided to use the Dan/Kyu system in his teaching and awarding of rank certification. In 1924, Funakoshi awarded seven men with karate's first Black Belt Dan.

 

In 1937, Miyagi, Chojun, founder of Okinawa Goju Ryu, was the first karate expert to be awarded the title of Kyoshi. The next year, the Butoku Kai (butoku translates into "martial virtue") called for a meeting to discuss the standards for awarding rank certification. By the 1940's & 50's, anyone receiving a menjo (rank certification) had to have a member of the Butoku Kai sign the certificate recognizing his achievement. What this meant was any certifications issued were done so by an individual or organization that had set standards that were recognized by similar prestigious individuals or organizations.

 

The Dan/Kyu System did not take hold on Okinawa until 1956, when Chibana, Chosin formed the Okinawa Karate Association. Chibana, Chosin is the first Okinawan to name his type of karate shorin-ryu and was the first president of the Okinawa Karate Association. Chibana and a man named Toyama, Kanken were the only ones recognized by the Japanese Ministry of Education to grant rank certification no matter what style of karate one was studying.

 

In 1964, the Federation of All Japan Karate-do Organizations (FAJKO) was formed as the governing body for all karate, and by 1971, a standard system for issuing rank certification was adopted. This system is still in use today.

 

The original colors used for the obis were white, brown, and black, but today, especially here in the United States a rainbow of colors have blossomed. This sprang from the American need to see all levels of achievement, no matter how minor.

 

In this dojo, the colors used are those issued by the hombu dojo in Naha of the Kobayashi Shoinkan Shorin-Ryu karate system listed below. Students are taught that the obi does not make the difference in the student. Wearing a black obi does not make one all knowing or make their karate better, in fact, the wearer of the rank of Shodan (1st degree black belt) is frequently characterized as one who has “mastered” the basics. In the end, it's skill and character that earns rank and turns the student into a disciplined karate practitioner.

 

 

 

My instructor says he longs for the days when there were only the white, brown, and black belts...and he says that all this commercialization makes him sad (he doesn't charge us for our tests and certificates...he doesn't even get paid to teach us).