Question about clothing.

[Amber_]

Hi, my name is Amber, and I'm pretty new to kendo.
this is also my first post here.
I've been wondering about this question for quite a long time, and I can't find an answer to it!

-Official keikogi for women is white (though not many women wear it anymore). Why do women wear white keikogi? Isn't white the color of death? I can't find the reason anywhere...

[shred_lord]

WelcomeOfficial keikogi for women is white There are no "official" colours, only traditional. Isn't white the color of death? That is very context based. Black is the colour of death in western culture but you see plenty of people wearing black suits.

Hope that helps.

[Lady_Kitsune]

Yeah, but I think she wants to know, why in a tradicional marcial art as it's kendo, we women wear white when white is colour of death...

[Smakfull]

Actually, there's a discussion about that right now, although I don't think any solid answers has been posted yet.

--> Origins of white bogu (http://www.kendo-world.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14440)

[shred_lord]

Yeah, but I think she wants to know, why in a tradicional marcial art as it's kendo, we women wear white when white is colour of death...
That is very context based. Black is the colour of death in western culture but you see plenty of people wearing black suits.And just the re-word that...... white is the colour of death only in certain contexts.

[kartoffelngeist]

And shredder's 2nd point was also a good one: if black is the colour of death in western societies, why do we wear black suits?

[nysamurai]

I suppose that you cannot really equate the two, black in a fashion sense and black as a traditional color of death or mournings. As with so many things there are often more than one correct answer.

[Kent Enfield]

Official keikogi for women is white (though not many women wear it anymore). Why do women wear white keikogi? Isn't white the color of death? I can't find the reason anywhere...As others have pointed out, there are no official colors. You can wear green and white striped hakama with an orange keikogi if you want to. (Whether that's a good idea is an entirely separate discussion.)

Not all women wear white. Not all who wear white are women. Heck, on Friday I wore white (I'm male) because someone had mistakingly taken my indigo set home from the budokan. And while white is the traditional garb for corpses, it's also the traditional color for bridal clothing, and for other things I'm sure. Being the color appropriate for one situation doesn't make it exclusive of others. That more girls than boys or adults of either gender wear white is simply a matter of fashion. That's all it is.

[bullet08]

white also is colour of purity and virginity. that might have something to do with women wearing white.

pete

[namabiru]

Mmm... not too sure. It's probably a question along the lines of "Why is it in basketball and football, the home team wears light color and the away team wears dark, yet in football the home team wears dark and the away wears light?" No answer I'm aware of on that case, and I don't know that there's a solid answer for kendo.

[Alison2805]

There must have been a reason origonally.. buggered if I know what it is tho. Interesting question Amber! If I remember Ill ask the next visiting Japanese sensei I see.

[Paikea]

Whoops...must read more, type less.

[Ignatz]

white also is colour of purity and virginity. . .

I just ordered a white hakama and dogi. Actually they are a little off white.:confused2

[Kent Enfield]

Actually they are a little off white.:confused2"What we call a 'hussy white'."

[chidokan]

the 'white for death keikogi' is a joke I fire at the MSR people I know, who seem to have picked it up here in the UK as a standard to wear colour for some reason... I just tell them its because MJER is superior so they have just planned ahead to save the undertaker a little time in advance of me winning the match....kind of them doncha think!;)

I wear white in Japan because it seems 'cooler' (as in less sweaty). For kendoka I think you also need white himo as the blue leaves stripes on your white gi (which looks untidy).
White bogu to me says "dont throw your weight around too much as the girl doesnt weigh as much as you". This does NOT mean lower my standard or treat a woman like a beginner, just be more 'technical' (like I am supposed to be all the time...:rolleyes:)

[gir]

And shredder's 2nd point was also a good one: if black is the colour of death in western societies, why do we wear black suits?
Probably goes back to the fact we wear them going to work and work is the death of fun. :silly: