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Monday, July 27, 2009, 12:00 AM
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I own 4 karate belts. All others I either gave away to my kohai or lost in one hurricane or another, I don't really remember. Before I started training karate I assumed that a person's belts were like trophies which should be displayed proudly on one's wall, with the greater number of colors symbolizing the greatest achievement. I also once believed that belts would be given to the student in some special ceremony.
Needless to say, I was a little startled when I passed my 8th kyu exam and was told: "There are some yellow belts are in the closet. They're $7." I guess it's a better method when I really think about it. I mean, what is the meaning of a piece of fabric anyway? It's just an item, something that can be taken away, something that has nothing in common with one's training, which can never be taken away.
Still, being the verbose sentimental person I am, of course I'd have a story about why I keep 4 right? Haha! Yep!
I lost my first white belt years ago, but I bought another one because it's quite useful for training in the dojo of other ryu (styles of karate) where I am not a black belt. In 2003 I used the heck out of that thing training in an Ashihara dojo in Maizuru.
The fancy tsuwamono belt with gold writing on it is actually my first black belt. It reads on one side "Louisiana Karate Association" and on the other, "Kaitlin" ...well... sort of. See, this belt was given to me by a friend of mine from Kyushu whose mother had taken to making up kanji for my name. Sadly, that friend of mine left the dojo in a storm one day and no one has heard from her since. My parents found it in the wreckage of their house a month or two after Katrina. I don't really wear it much anymore because it's extremely stiff and kind-of stands straight out like pippi long stockings when I tie it.
The plain belt on center left was my second black belt, which was given to me by the late sensei of the Purdue Challenge Karate Club because I had no clothes to train in after the hurricane. About a year and a half later Charles sensei died in in a car accident, which is why I hold onto the belt even though it doesn't fit me anymore. I never realized it at the time, but 19 year-old post-katrina me must have been pretty near to 100lbs.
Finally, the belt on the far right is my most frequently worn belt (as I'm sure you can see from the white around the edges). It's thin and plain and has no embroidery, but it fits perfectly and folds nicely into a suitcase for travel. All it says on it is "JKA" and "tokaido" which are the names of my organization and of my favorite gi company which manufactured it. It too was a gift, but its origins are a secret which I promised not to tell.
Though it doesn't matter to me what other people wear when they train, I usually feel most comfortable training in a uniform that is as plain as possible. I guess though my karate is nothing special, I'd still rather be judged by my technique than my clothing. Then again, this is all just personal opinion. Maybe that's just the way I am.
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Dojo Shout-out #5: Iwabuchi Karate Kaikan Thursday, July 16, 2009, 11:31 PM
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(Yes, isn't it wonderful that I'm all sweaty and tired looking in all of the photos I've put up here so far? Haha!)
As it's been a while since my last shout-out, I feel it's only fitting to feature the dojo which inspired me to make this part of the blog and much of the comic too actually. Standing around the corner from Suminodo station in the heart of Daitō Osakafu, the Iwabuchi Karate Kaikan was a bit of a train ride from my dorm in Hirakata, but one which I gladly made several times a week in the fall semester of 2007. The Iwabuchi kaikan is a local headquarters for the Japan Karate Association, and is run by the Iwabuchi family, who have been in karate for generations. Iwabuchi sensei (behind me in the picture), called simply, "shihan" by his students is a superb instructor who takes great care in those he trains at the kaikan. Meanwhile, his father holds a high position in the JKA as well as possibly some sort of public office (though I'm not entirely certain). I had many chances, such as the okanomiyaki night pictured above to talk freely with the whole Iwabuchi family and sempai of the kaikan about anything from technique points to my American sensei and sempai whom they had met years ago.
The karate-ka who trained at the Iwabuchi Karate Kaikan were quite plentiful and in the advanced class ranged in age from about six to sixty, yet even the smallest children had very strong form. Another truly remarkable thing about the Iwabuchi Kaikan, is that the Iwabuchi family welcomes foreign karate-ka to come and train, sometimes even securing a means of housing in the adjacent building for long-term stay. While there, I was very well taken care of by the whole dojo. They took me to tournaments, ate dinner with me, gave me a discounted karate gi (after I accidentally shrunk my old one), and even sent me New Years cards after I got back to the US. The next time I go to Japan, without a doubt, I would like to visit them again. What a remarkable place and remarkable people!
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Lazy summer days | 2010-07-25 16:47:26 |
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| This weekend was my first off in a while, so I took the opportunity to finish a bunch of art projects. First and foremost, of course, was this week's page of Shizentai. I also found enough time to plant a garden outside my apartment, go to the movies with my sister, eat out, and tonight I will be attending a barbecue! Man, summer rocks... even if my vacation is only three days long =_= Enjoy! See you next Monday! |
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