When did you receive your zekken?

[mark]

In a previous post Neil stated
"In our club, sensei says that wearing the zekken means that we feel you are ready to represent the club. He established the tradition that we award zekken to members who achieve shodan. This is definitely non-standard but the meaning is clear - represent your club with pride when visiting, and act in a way to make your club proud."

What is the tradition with your club? When did you receive your zekken?

[bullet08]

In a previous post Neil stated
"In our club, sensei says that wearing the zekken means that we feel you are ready to represent the club. He established the tradition that we award zekken to members who achieve shodan. This is definitely non-standard but the meaning is clear - represent your club with pride when visiting, and act in a way to make your club proud."

What is the tradition with your club? When did you receive your zekken?

we order our when we are told to get in bogu. nothing really special about zekken at our dojo as far as any tradition is concerned.

pete

[tango]

Haha.. nobody really cares too much about it in Memphis, although I'm sure some would like to have them since others do have them.

I got my first one at ikkyu when I was picked for the SEUSKF team to get my ass kicked in the goodwill division at the AUSKF champs. in 1999.

The one I wear regularly, though, I got when I think I was shodan or nidan.. when the Japanese guy in our class went back to Japan and decided to grab some for everbody who was in the class (regularly) at that time.

but I must admit, mark... I like your teacher's approach...
Maybe it makes sense for people to get them when they get bogu (as pete mentions), especially in larger dojos...

... It's especially good, IMO, to have one if you wind up at some seminar so maybe the sensei can remember who you are at the end of practice or something...

... is having one required for tournaments now? I might think so, but not sure..

[JSchmidt]

As soon as possible, as it greatly helps with identification!.

[mark]

but I must admit, mark... I like your teacher's approach...
Maybe it makes sense for people to get them when they get bogu (as pete mentions), especially in larger dojos...

... It's especially good, IMO, to have one if you wind up at some seminar so maybe the sensei can remember who you are at the end of practice or something...

... is having one required for tournaments now? I might think so, but not sure..

Sorry for the confusion Tango, I do not belong to Neil's dojo (have trained there.... great dojo... Saskatoon... has a fantastic seminar early March... you should come with teammates:) ).

In our dojo (Montreal MKC) we do not have a zekken policy as such. When I saw his post I thought it might be a good idea and just wanted to know what other dojo's are doing.

At seminars, I think a zekken gives sensei's a sense of how well each dojo trains its members (ettiquette, basics, ....) and the types of corrections/congratulations they could discuss in private with the dojo's sensei. It also is a great conversation starter, (I have been there on holidays.... I remember fighting....).

During my last tournament (Toronto.. very well organized tournament... 150 matches in 3 hrs) our newer members who did not have a zekken (we are in the process of testing a new supplier) ended up putting masking tape with their dojo & name on their tare. It worked fine as a stopgap measure.

[tango]

Sorry for the confusion Tango, I do not belong to Neil's dojo (have trained there.... great dojo... Saskatoon... has a fantastic seminar early March... you should come with teammates:) ).

Whoops! No confusion from you! ... I just failed to read the first line of your post.. haha..
Yeah, I would LOVE for some of us to get up to that seminar... unfortunately, we can barely get our act together to go to one that's only 400 miles away!




During my last tournament (Toronto.. very well organized tournament... 150 matches in 3 hrs) our newer members who did not have a zekken (we are in the process of testing a new supplier) ended up putting masking tape with their dojo & name on their tare. It worked fine as a stopgap measure.

Yes, that works well in a pinch!
:)

[mark]

Yeah, I would LOVE for some of us to get up to that seminar... unfortunately, we can barely get our act together to go to one that's only 400 miles away!


I know what you mean. I've been trying to get my folks to join me for the last three years, with no luck. Maybe this year?

[Neil Gendzwill]

You have an earlier chance to come join us. We haven't made the official announcement yet, but our 25th Anniversary tournament/party will be the September long weekend.

AFAIK our approach to zekken is unique.

[mark]

You have an earlier chance to come join us. We haven't made the official announcement yet, but our 25th Anniversary tournament/party will be the September long weekend.

AFAIK our approach to zekken is unique.

Hi Neil,

Sounds great, I will start saving my pennies:) (scotch sugestions?)

Unique?

My first thought was that waiting several years (shodan) to be branded was quite a while. I wonder if other dojo's do it when they give their first grade, permission to grade with the federation (IKYU), their first competition, when they buy their bogu, or something else?

ON a similar note, I wonder if clubs give zekkens to people who still wear club bogu?

[tango]

oh wait... there's scotch involved in this?

I've switched recently from Lagavulin to Caol Ila ....eeeee... how to convince my wife to let me go to this brouhaha...

[mark]

oh wait... there's scotch involved in this?
.

Oh YEaaaa!!

And this is a 25th celebration. We will be bringing out the good stuff!!! Hence the need for advice from Neil my resident expert taster:)

[sainueng]

We usually tell people to get a zekken once they start entering tournaments. That would be mudansha.

[Kansai Ronin]

will there be any beer?

[nodachi]

Interesting thing about the budokan here....

Recently there have been many beginner classes for young children. There have been as many as 20 brand new students at a time so they get their tare and zekken right away. It's the only way the instructors can efficiently give corrections and know who is who. They practice from day 1 in tare and zekken. I thought that was interesting... clever too because it usually takes me weeks to remember anyones name. :)

[mark]

will there be any beer?

Do you practice kendo? Of course there is beer, and rum, and wine....

[Kan]

dont forget sake!

I didnt get my first zekken until I went to my first tournament. There simply was not a need for one in my dojo because it is small. But in a larger dojo i see how there would be a need to get the zekken early on.
The Zekken I am currently wearing was made my our senseis friend in Japan who own a kendo shop. He orders new members Zekkens when he feels that they are ready. Since we are a university club that usually means when he feels the person is ready to represent our club in copmetitions. However recently, there has been a middle school kid attending our university practice which is fine. Any chance you get to practice kendo you should take it. But he took it upon himself to order his own zekken with our university name on it even though he is not a club member. Also it doesent really match with the rest of ours. Our sensei wasnt really mad but it is strange and a little rude.

[Newbie]

That seems.. odd. He's prolly just keen though and being younger prolly didn't think about it. I've been with my club for nearly a year and I'm still not very good. Never gave a second thought to getting a zekken till the other week when there was a general "let us know who wants one whilst we're ordering them for the University Games" so i'll be putting in for mine then. I know it's okay cos I was asked if I wanted one :)

[h2o]

What is the tradition with your club? When did you receive your zekken?At my first real competition, which is really the first time I have needed one. We are a small club, so zekken for identification on individual practice is good but not really neccessary.

[jediado]

Received mine 2 weeks before we went to our first tournament. Don't really need it for identification in practice, we've been doing it for 7 months without a zekkena and we already know who's who with or without bogu on. Class is not that big.

[Ignatz]

dont forget sake!
They recently discovered that the egyptian mummies were not embalmed, they drank large amounts of sake before they died.

[Washington]

Not sure if there is a "dojo policy" so to speak.. interesting question i'll try and remember to ask sensei about.. personally i got mine shortly before my first tournament

[NaKuSu]

Our dojo has changed a little, usually you do not have a zekken that goes over your Tare. When you make Sho-Dan, he wrights your name (nickname usually) on the Tare. He is older and trained all his life in Korea and Japan, so he looks at it like there are two ranks, Dan ranks and not Dan ranks. So therefore the Kanji is the noticable seperation between them (well besides the skill of course)

[Spendius]

We do have a pretty small dojo to but I got mine as soon as I got into bogu (with a 2 month delay due to logistic constraints mainly). In my dojo it is considered to be part of the uniform. That doesn't mean I not damn proud to wear it though :)

[mark]

Our dojo has changed a little, usually you do not have a zekken that goes over your Tare. When you make Sho-Dan, he wrights your name (nickname usually) on the Tare. He is older and trained all his life in Korea and Japan, so he looks at it like there are two ranks, Dan ranks and not Dan ranks. So therefore the Kanji is the noticable seperation between them (well besides the skill of course)

I don't think I understand. Before shodan you do not wear a zekken. After shodan your zekken has a nickname in kanji? Does your zekken also have a dojo name, and city name in addition to the nickname?

[Kitsune]

We still don't have zekken (none of us have one) But we have to plan make one soon for all of us, cos we have the nationals right ahead.

[NaKuSu]

I don't think I understand. Before shodan you do not wear a zekken. After shodan your zekken has a nickname in kanji? Does your zekken also have a dojo name, and city name in addition to the nickname?
Thats right, I have been studying for almost ten years and do not have one. Nicknames are quite common, and are usually in Japanesse, so they translate better than "joe" or "mike" No school name, no anything else. Just your name painted on the front flap of your Tare in kanji. My Kendo Sensei has studied calligraphy for decades, and will sometimes teach it. There are only two people he is currently teaching and no I am not one of them.

[mark]

Thats right, I have been studying for almost ten years and do not have one. Nicknames are quite common, and are usually in Japanesse, so they translate better than "joe" or "mike" No school name, no anything else. Just your name painted on the front flap of your Tare in kanji. My Kendo Sensei has studied calligraphy for decades, and will sometimes teach it. There are only two people he is currently teaching and no I am not one of them.

Painted? Wow! I don't think I have ever seen that.

[NaKuSu]

Its kinda cool, but can be a pain also. One of the Dan ranks is a very close friend and just got divorsed. His ex-wife was a sho-dan and he ended up with her bogu. He gave it to me to use as an extra for someone or whatever, as long as he never had to see it again. I spent a long time getting the kanji off the Tare. Oh my goodness that paint does not give up easy, but when I am done, it will be like brand new.

[Nochi-no-tsuki]

got mine right before my first seminar with a visiting sensei, i was in bogu for about 4 months. i remember not having anything to tie it on with so i tried taping it tight at the top and it fell off while the visiting sensei was explaining something so everyone saw! ah, memories. after that i tied it on with a shoe lace LOL. our dojo is small so people are easy to identify.

[David]

I have one of those with the elastic dealy on the top that keeps it from falling down. At our club, it's usually around the time you get your bogu. You give sensei a check for $35 and he sends it off to Japan. Took a while for me to get mine, but that was because he placed the order in the spring, when the shop was still handeling all the orders for people who were starting at the IBU.

[beinsteiner]

Our dojo orders once per year. I wasn't in bogu last order, so will wait till next order. No sense in going to any tournament, yet, anyway, unless someone needs a moving makiwara

[mark]

Our dojo orders once per year. I wasn't in bogu last order, so will wait till next order. No sense in going to any tournament, yet, anyway, unless someone needs a moving makiwara

We like to get our new bogu into tournament as soon as possible to get rid of the deer in the headlight phenom. This year they did really well, winning their first matches. Go figure:)

[Jin509]

i got my zekken when my bogu arrived, so i got to wear my zekken that day