tradition and belt washing

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[jss]

About the most recent poll:
I didn't know there's some tradition that says you shouldn't wash your belt, except the white to black belt story. Is that the tradition people are talking about here? And if not so: what other tradition, whose tradition, where did it come from, ...?

As always interested in aikido-trivia,
Joep

ps.: I really hope it's not some prank of some Japanese aikidoka after some question from a Westerner... :-)

[cbrf4zr2]

Check out this thread:

http://www.aikiweb.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5300

[roninja]

Ano... I know this topic isn't Aikido specific. I have been training in various martial arts for a better half of my twenty year life and I have never once washed my obi. I don't ever specifically being told not to, but there was a good chance i was, when i was young, and though the words have slipped away, the sub-consc thing sticks around. Plus belts are supposed to show one's level and i think one's level, in a dojo, is relative to one's training, thus to wash a belt takes away a hint that the Sensei can use to determine where you need to be in a class. if that makes sense. that's my guess though really, and I've never run across any system (except for brazilian jiu jutsu, where I have an almost brown white belt, my first one was also really dirty, but I had an incident involving cats a lot of clothes and urine) where you were in one rank long enough to really have any wear and tear on your belt. of course there are the black belts, and you can tell the ones who get out there and train all the time because their belts are falling apart. I still have to try this out someday. Anyway, time to go to sleepy. Amitabha :o