Black Uniforms

[Please visit our sponsor:]

[Kung Fu Liane]

Hi, my Sensei has just announced that our new school uniform is a black Gi. Does anyone know where to get good quality black Gis from? I have found some nice ones on Bujin, but other students at my school have said that they were stung for import duty on goods from America.

Some of our students have started wearing lightweight karate gis, but they don't really look up to the task.

Any help would be much appreciated.

-Liane

[Yann Golanski]

Google.co.uk ... easy.

[thomas_dixon]

Hi, my Sensei has just announced that our new school uniform is a black Gi. Does anyone know where to get good quality black Gis from? I have found some nice ones on Bujin, but other students at my school have said that they were stung for import duty on goods from America.

Some of our students have started wearing lightweight karate gis, but they don't really look up to the task.

Any help would be much appreciated.

-Liane

http://judogis.com/site/790161/product/SP-633

http://www.karatedepot.com/un-ju-48.html

Are a few examples...Hope that helps a little...Personally I would've stuck with white/unbleached, or went to blue, just for the practicality purpose of being able to find judogi in that color :P

[Kung Fu Liane]

Yann - thanks. I found a few Blitz suits which look suitable and reasonably priced.

Thomas - personally I prefer white, but it's not my decision. Perhaps it's some kind of test that my Sensei has devised...we'll all come in Black uniforms then he'll want us to get Red ones instead :)

[j0nharris]

Do you have to wear a black belt with the black gi? Then get a white belt when you test for shodan? :D
Or maybe a nice shade of something that won't clash with the black gi like a white belt would... .
Who knew uniform decisions could be like a Zen koan? :straightf

[thomas_dixon]

Yann - thanks. I found a few Blitz suits which look suitable and reasonably priced.

Thomas - personally I prefer white, but it's not my decision. Perhaps it's some kind of test that my Sensei has devised...we'll all come in Black uniforms then he'll want us to get Red ones instead :)

Hmm..didn't your Sensei offer them out of the dojo? Just wondering... I know mine does, I just decided to order it online because I figured I'd save him gas money, etc of driving all the way to the MA supply store... gasoline here costs $2.95 a gallon I believe, and the store is about 40 miles away.

[Jack Simpson]

You might want to try a heavy weight karate gi. I've used Dragon "Emerald" and they hold up very well http://www.juka.com/uniform/juka.htm#emerald . Dragon also has a ju-jitsu style gi, but I've never tried one.

Also, we've recently started dealing with HSU judo and they have been great to work with and the prices are really reasonable. They also have both a medium weight and heavy weight karate gi. In your basic black. http://www.hsumartialarts.com/ .

Happy shopping :)

Cheers,
Jack :ai:

[Lucy Smith]

Did your Sensei explained to you why he wants you to change colors? A new Aikido trend???? :confused:

[kaishaku]

Maybe suggesting your current gi is showing a bit too much dirt?

[Kung Fu Liane]

Keith - I have been known to get a bit of blood on my gi now and again (always my own though) so maybe that has something to do with it. I'll know something is definitely up if he replaces the canvas with a black one ;)

[siwilson]

Keith - I have been known to get a bit of blood on my gi now and again (always my own though) so maybe that has something to do with it. I'll know something is definitely up if he replaces the canvas with a black one ;)

Oh no! No the Black Gi!!!!!

Are you becoming Ninja?

Or is it something about the "Great Unwashed"?

What does the colour of the Gi have to do with anything?

Speak to his Shrink!

:crazy:

[MikeLogan]

st1 question

Liane Do you guys train on canvas covered mats, or, well, what's underneath? I used to train on a canvas covered surface, but the underlying surface was, if I recall correctly, two layers of different rubber used in bridge joints, one softer than the other. It had some yield, but will last forever. This just came into mind after you mentioned black canvas.


2nd, Why not dye the white dogi black?

http://www.pburch.net/dyeing/fiberreactive.shtml

http://www.fabricstodyefor.com/fabric_art_supplies/dyes/pro_mx.htm

Odds are it will be cheaper, and you know it will already fit / be broken in. Reactive dyes attach molecularly to the fibers, instead of just getting tangled up with them as is the case with traditional all-purpose dyes, hence the eventual fading.

Anyway, on the blood side, it might be more hygienic to know if someone is gushing before everyone inadvertantly comes into contact with it.

mike.

[Mark Uttech]

I think a lot of people go thru a "black gi phase." I think it is part of noble boredom.

[thomas_dixon]

I think a lot of people go thru a "black gi phase." I think it is part of noble boredom.

Heh..I'd like to see an aikido dojo with black dogi and white hakama :P

[siwilson]

I think some people just like looking like a ****!

:freaky:

[thomas_dixon]

I think some people just like looking like a ****!

:freaky:

Ninjas?

[Koren Ko]

Well, it really saves alot of dirty sight in black.

May be its to let the often-noticed-dirt-on-Gi seems not so noticed with black?

Just wish I am donning a black Gi back then during Karate days. But It will look uninterested when I put on my shodan black belt. :lol: (Will saves me lotta trouble to wash my gi, since its always dirty and full of foot prints after 3hours in badminton court and grassfield.)

Anyway, have your sensei tell you why. Its direct and you don't have think in a circle.(or is it drilling the cow's horn?)

[Hanna B]

Why not dye the white dogi black?
You could try, but most probably the seams are synthetic thread which does not absorb any dye. If you try, make sure to buy really high quality dye since black is the most difficult colour.

You could also go to the Bujinkan forum att http://www.kutaki.org/ and ask there. They know everything about black dogis.

[DCP]

I remember one guy with a black dogi and a white belt. The entire time I kept thinking of Oreos!

I guess if you buy a Bujin extra-wide white belt, you could be a Double Stuffed Oreo.

Sorry about the tangent, I couldn't help myself.

[thomas_dixon]

I remember one guy with a black dogi and a white belt. The entire time I kept thinking of Oreos!

I guess if you buy a Bujin extra-wide white belt, you could be a Double Stuffed Oreo.

Sorry about the tangent, I couldn't help myself.


Have em stand next to a white dogi and white belt and you have milk :P

[Lucy Smith]

Heh..I'd like to see an aikido dojo with black dogi and white hakama :P

I actually like the white hakamas. I've seen some pics. The thing is, they don't look so special with white dogis, but with black ones they could look really cool.

[siwilson]

Sounds like they want to look like a photo negative! Funny, when Aikido is such a positive experience!

:yuck:

[rottunpunk]

unless you have an ultra clean floor they'd get very dirty very quickly.
ironing hakama is a pain in the arse anyways without having to wash them all the time as well.

i prefer the traditional colours for aiki. and pretty purple for iai.
how about these nice two-tone ones though? javascript:ol('http://www.shop-japan.co.jp/english-boku/hakama5.htm'); buy me some NOW
:p

[siwilson]

I did hear about someone having a tartan hakama once!

:D

[Hanna B]

Tartan? Here's a nice pic for you: Black and white (http://www.budo.se/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=365&d=1146262377)

[Kelly Allen]

LOL I wonder if he has "Got Milk" embroidered on the back of his gi jacket.

[rottunpunk]

hehe. those ones are bootiful
if i were a chav id insist on getting burbury, but as im a girly and its nearly summer, perhaps i should get some flowery ones made.
:p

[Hanna B]

Another nice hak:Stars and stripes (http://cornerjudge.vstore.ca/images/kendostripes.bmp_thumb)

I think they are hilarius, but at the same time I feel a little mean to the thread starter to post it in this thread. I trained in a black dogi for a little more than a year, and I think Bujinkan is a very interesting art. In aikido, though, a black dogi is quite a bit away from the main road, which is why people tend to frown at it.

By the way, some of the old Swedish aikido folks say like this: From 5th day, you can wear a black dogi jacket if you like. From 6th dan, a white hakama instead of black or dark blue is optional meaning you'd be dressin all white, like osensei on many of the later films. My guess is this idea of black jacket and white hakama at certain dan ranks derives from our Japanese resident aikido teacher, long time ago. If this was his invention or not, I can not tell. Maybe he just said it when he did not want to have to change hos dogi top inbetween the iaido and kendo class. :D I know of one 6th dan who owns and wears a white hakama. He does not wear it outside his own dojo though, not to stir attention.

[MaryKaye]

I thought my black kung-fu uniform was nifty--until the day we had to do dragon-dances outside under direct sunlight. Yikes! At least with black hakama you don't get the sun beating down on your shoulders.

Dying things black is really difficult--you are likely to end up with dark gray, which will hide dirt even better than black, but won't look very appealing. You may also leave black smudges on your mat, if it is canvas.

Mary Kaye

[Lucy Smith]

Yeah, Mary is right. Plus, you may want to keep a white dogi, in case you go training abroad or you change to another dojo.

[nickpitman]

Hello,
This is the first time I have posted on this forum and I would like to set the record straight about the wearing of the black gi.
Firstly, when I was associated with the school of Francis Ramasamy (Malaysia) the Mushinkan Aikido dojo (since 1995) we were asked by the Sensei at the time to wear black as a mark of respect for the Harmonious Arts Association of Japan, then headed by "Sifu" Hayakawa Sooho of Kanazawa, Japan. Yes I did say Sifu, as this is how his students referred to him. He called his art, Wado Shinpo.
Hayakawa Sifu trained with O-Sensei during his latter years.
Because of my close link Ueda Tadatoshi Sensei in Japan I have continued to wear black, which is a personal choice and not some ego trip to "be a ninja". I sincerely believe in the ideals that I have been passed by high ranking aikidoka over the last 28 years and the wearing of the black gi is not a fad.
On the subject of having a white gi ready to wear when visiting other dojo so as not to cause offence. My students and I have proudly worn our uniform (black) in dojos all over the world and as I expected, people respect your choice of uniform.
Just thought I would clear that little misconception up.
Regards,
Nick Pitman

[David Yap]

Black pyjamas or white pyjamas - who cares!! I remember from the Samurai TV series, the Koga ninja worn white pyjamas.:D

On a serious note, most koryu budo arts use black uniforms. We do have stock of black uniforms in Malaysia. The silat boys use them, cheap and good quality. You can order them from Sogo Budo Martial Art Supplies/Shop - do a google for the suppliers, they are based in Johore Bharu, Malaysia.

David Y

[gdandscompserv]

I love BLACK uniforms. Use to train in one back in my wun hop kuen do days. Unfortunately, aikido is somewhat racist in this regard.

[Demetrio Cereijo]

I've seen in old pics and movies of european aikido pioneers (Abe, Abbe, Nakazono, Mochizuki...) the four combinations of white and black keikogi and white and black hakama.

[DonMagee]

I just happened to have some down time and thought I'd stop by and see what was happening.

I would suggest buying from Sirius Athletics, they have very nice gi's in white, blue, and black.

I would get either the ultra light gold weave or the gold weave traditional in black, it has the least amount of markings on it, and is a very good fit.

http://www.siriusathletic.com/kimonos.html

http://www.siriusathletic.com/traditional_blackUL.jpg for a picture of what it looks like.