Wondering about your favorite hakama/dogi colors

[Noodle Cutter]

I read the post about hakama ( the ugly ones, the one with blue/white ...)

Personnally, I only use fully white or fully purple color.
The common color is blue because most of the do... are blue inside so thats better to keep a dogi clean ;)

But Im wondering ... whats your favorite hakama/dogi colors? (even if you dont use it for some practical issues)

[nodachi]

I'm a big fan of the traditional indigo blue.

[Kaoru]

I read the post about hakama ( the ugly ones, the one with blue/white ...)

Personnally, I only use fully white or fully purple color.
The common color is blue because most of the do... are blue inside so thats better to keep a dogi clean ;)

But Im wondering ... whats your favorite hakama/dogi colors? (even if you dont use it for some practical issues)
What? Have you ever worn bogu or even seen it? Do are red with a black mune inside. Never Indigo. I have never seen anything else. That's not why anyone wears the colors we wear either. It is traditional to wear indigo or white in the dojo. That's all. You can't stop indigo from getting on the uniform no matter what you do, because the do-himo is indigo unless you order white, and most people don't, even if they do have a white uniform, and the kote/men is indigo. Because the inside of a do is red and black, getting a uniform messed up from a do isn't possible.

In a Kendo dojo you wear either white or blue(indigo) keiko-gi, and sometimes, but not often, you might see someone wearing a black keiko-gi and either indigo, white, or less common, black hakama. Nobody wears purple. Not even in Iaido have I heard of that.

I prefer Indigo instead of white. We can't wear other colors.

[bokkenbreaker83]

i prefer black hakama and white dogi....but i also like blue on blue. It doesn't matter that much as long as i'm wearing something, instead of praticing in my underwear.:silly:

[Ryukyu]

Indigo!! But, occasionally I wear a Musashi keikogi.

[Lloromannic]

What? Have you ever worn bogu or even seen it? Do are red with a black mune inside. Never Indigo. I have never seen anything else.
My Do is black inside with a black mune. It's a Yamato Do, it says so in big katakana in the back. That is kinda odd. I would have imagined Yamato to be written with a really fancy Kanji.

[Ryukyu]

My Yamato doh is black inside as well, but I have seen some that are red.

Stroud sensei at Bogubag once told me that sometimes the bamboo doh are painted black inside as well, but I've only seen red so far.

[DanDan]

indigo or navy blue or Korea National Team ;)

[Kaoru]

My Do is black inside with a black mune. It's a Yamato Do, it says so in big katakana in the back. That is kinda odd. I would have imagined Yamato to be written with a really fancy Kanji.
Thanks! I wondered if there was an all black do. I should have asked. I need to be more specific! *makes note to self*

Yeah, that is wierd it's in katakana. That's usually used for foreign words. If it would be in anything other than Kanji, it should have been in Hiragana. How odd! Oh well... :)

Kaoru

[mark]

I was told by someone with a lot (50+) more kendo experience that the color of the inside of a bamboo do, red or black, was linked to the quality of the do (black = better). I was not able to ask for an explanation. I am not sure if they were talking about the quality of the maker or of the product. Has anyone ever heard of this distinction?

[joekc6nlx]

I was told by someone quite senior to me that the seikon dye used had some antiseptic properties. Such that, if one were cut, then the dye would enter the cut and help keep it sterile. This is not kendo, this is actual warfare.

For a samurai to wear only white, was to imply they were a real badass, because they didn't care about getting cut or they felt that they were so good, nobody could cut them.

[Noodle Cutter]

Well, now kendo is more a sport than a traditional activity.
Maybe in some places, its still extremly traditinal, in japan that would make sense.
But in other contries, kendo is just a sport, you can wear flashy pink wears if you want (that would rock) :)

To be more specific the choices of colors before the direct or acides dye (check color index around ) were vegetals. Indigo was one of the dye mostly produced in china since 4000 bb.
It came to be an easy and moderatly resistant vegetal dye and one of the cheapest for its quality. When you check all the old maps of trades and in history, its easy to understand why blue indigo were used to dye hakama...
You have also to refer to the ranks ...

Now we are in 2004, kendo, hakama/dogi colors are just designed to be nice :)
About do, for an everage quality (so most produced) its inside color is usually blue or dark colors. Its the same for the men.

Koaru, you can do the test by urself . rub a men on a white piece of cloth for like 15-20 mins and check about the color of the white piece of cloth.
Do it everyday during weeks and weeks and you will understand that wearing a dark color is important if you dont have a white color inside of the boguset :)

[Optomitrist]

I think the dark indigo hakama and the faded blue keikogi look great with bogu (rather than matching set)

[Kaoru]

Well, now kendo is more a sport than a traditional activity.
Maybe in some places, its still extremly traditinal, in japan that would make sense.
But in other contries, kendo is just a sport, you can wear flashy pink wears if you want (that would rock) :)

Actually, that is not true. You can't wear other colors in Kendo in ANY country unless it is some non-IKF and AJKF(Do you know what these are?) associated dojo: IE Made-up McDojo and not real Kendo. It is NOT just a sport in other countries. Shows how much you do not know.


You have also to refer to the ranks ...
It is nothing to do with rank. It is what the sensei tells you to wear. The only instance it has to do with anything similar, is that in some dojo, beginners wear white keiko-gi and blue hakama, and seniors wear all blue uniform.That's all.


Now we are in 2004, kendo, hakama/dogi colors are just designed to be nice :)
About do, for an everage quality (so most produced) its inside color is usually blue or dark colors. Its the same for the men.
Hakama and keiko-gi colors are only three in Kendo. White, blue(indigo) or black. That's it. Now, in a Koryu art, you MIGHT see at an embu, a high ranking sensei wear a nice silk or very good quality cotton uniform in grey or brown or white or varying shades of blue. Possibly other soft colors. But, mainly the ones I mentioned above.

The inside of a do is NEVER anything other than red or black. It is NEVER any other color. I have a hard time believing you actually do Kendo.

The inside of a men is ALWAYS indigo cotton and indigo dyed leather on the outside parts that have leather. Unless it is ladies bogu, which is made of WHITE cotton and white leather on the parts using leather. Beige leather on the ladies bogu kote, I have seen besides white.


Koaru, you can do the test by urself . rub a men on a white piece of cloth for like 15-20 mins and check about the color of the white piece of cloth.
Do it everyday during weeks and weeks and you will understand that wearing a dark color is important if you dont have a white color inside of the boguset :)
You were talking about the inside of the do. Not the inside of the men. Read your post again. I replied to your post as it was. You said do. You didn't mention a men anywhere.

The inside of a men is never white unless it is a girl's white bogu(The do is still red inside with a white mune too. Maybe black inside(do part.) depending on the do.) Otherwise, a men is always indigo and yes, it rubs off. On your face! That is immediate when you wear it. The flaps on the men might rub off some, but mainly it gets all over your face. Yes, kote will rub off too. It is expected to happen.

Wearing a dark color is not important unless a person is too concerned with their looks, which is being vain. This is not encouraged in Kendo. If you keep the uniform clean, it is fine. Yes, some indigo will stain a white keiko-gi no matter how much you clean it, but some people don't mind.

Kaoru

[DCPan]

I was told by someone with a lot (50+) more kendo experience that the color of the inside of a bamboo do, red or black, was linked to the quality of the do (black = better). I was not able to ask for an explanation. I am not sure if they were talking about the quality of the maker or of the product. Has anyone ever heard of this distinction?

I think the reason he said that is this.

Before Yamato doh became really abundant, I noticed a pattern.

In the same way that table tennis/ping pong paddles are black on one side and red on the other, normally, black dohs have a red interior.

So, when you have a doh that's not black, the inside somehow defaulted to black, in the same way that ping pong paddles are inversed.

So, naturally, when the inside of the doh is black in color, it usually indicates that the outer lacquer is special...which is more expensive, which is normally "better".....

FWIW.

[DCPan]

You can't wear other colors in Kendo in ANY country unless it is some non-IKF and AJKF(Do you know what these are?) associated dojo: IE Made-up McDojo and not real Kendo. It is NOT just a sport in other countries. Shows how much you do not know.

Kaoru, do you really need to be so condescending?

Check out these photos (http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/dcpan2000/album?.dir=eb16&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/dcpan2000/my_photos) from the July 1998 Issue of Kendo Nippon. It is an ad for Mitsuboshi/Chibabogu.

Don't tell me that's a McMagazine or McBoguya. :wink:

BTW, the sharp eyed will note that the packing string is still on the shinai, the kote is backwards, and the leather is brown, not indigo-dyed.

[mark]

Thanks DCPan.

[Kent Enfield]

Actually, that is not true. You can't wear other colors in Kendo in ANY country unless it is some non-IKF and AJKF(Do you know what these are?) associated dojo: IE Made-up McDojo and not real Kendo.You really need to get off your seemingly constant nevers, always, onlys, nones, and the like. For a while, young woman from Hawaii practiced at my club. She wore a white keikogi and maroon hakama. Other than my occasionally teasing her that she looked like a shrine attendant, no one said a thing, and no one had a problem with it.

Genuine Hawaii Kendo Federation shodan she was.

You can wear whatever color combination you want. Whether you should want to wear something unusual is a different question entirely.

Oh, and you’ve obviously never seen a formal demonstration of the Nihon Kendo Kata, have you?

http://dojo-musashi.org/kendo_kata_01_high.jpg

Which of white, indigo, or black are those hakama?

[t3k1lla]

the color i think would be nice for hakama and dogi is "bordeaux" (don't know the word in english) but mine are blue...

[Legato]

In a Kendo dojo you wear either white or blue(indigo) keiko-gi, and sometimes, but not often, you might see someone wearing a black keiko-gi and either indigo, white, or less common, black hakama. Nobody wears purple. Not even in Iaido have I heard of that.

You shouldn't make that absolute statements, actually I have seen many people wearing purplish or even (dark)purple gi, but purple/purplish hakama are more rare. I suppose there even isn't any absolute "dress-code" in Kendo, blue, white and sometimes black are more like traditional colors. And referring to Noodle Cutter's first post, I think he really meant whole bogu, not only do. You shouldn't be that harsh to him.

[litige]

Well, now kendo is more a sport than a traditional activity.
Maybe in some places, its still extremly traditinal, in japan that would make sense.
But in other contries, kendo is just a sport, you can wear flashy pink wears if you want (that would rock) :)


Now we are in 2004, kendo, hakama/dogi colors are just designed to be nice :)
About do, for an everage quality (so most produced) its inside color is usually blue or dark colors. Its the same for the men.


Well. if your doing somethin with bamboo sword where you can wear anything you want, and it's a sport. Than it's not kendo, sorry.
we are in 2004, kendo asn't much changed, and the colors are not design to be nice, but to be traditional. If you don't want to be traditional, than don't do kendo.
Ouvre tes yeux mon grand, les choses ne t'appartienent pas. Essaye pas de changer ce que les autres travaillent à construire, surtout quand y'a rien à changer.

[crabbi]

the color i think would be nice for hakama and dogi is "bordeaux" (don't know the word in english) but mine are blue...
Hi t3k1lla-San

Do you mean like this: http://www.constantvzw.com/blog/images/volcano.jpg

(from the Korean movie 'Volcano High')?

cheers

crabbi

[t3k1lla]

Hi t3k1lla-San

Do you mean like this: http://www.constantvzw.com/blog/images/volcano.jpg

(from the Korean movie 'Volcano High')?

cheers

crabbi
almost that yes :) i think a little bit darker but not a lot... yeah that's great that... does someone thing it's possible to buy it? and where? thank you for the help

[crabbi]

almost that yes :) i think a little bit darker but not a lot... yeah that's great that... does someone thing it's possible to buy it? and where? thank you for the help
If you really want a different coulour gi / hakama then the easiest way is to buy white and dye it with a permanent dye.

If you decide to do this then make sure that the stitching is natural (cotton) or you will end up with a coloured gi / hakama with white stiches...

cheers

crabbi

[Optomitrist]

Valcano High, good movie. (I doubt any of them knew anything about kendo tho) I like that maroon set.

[t3k1lla]

so ill buy a blank cotton hakama and follow your advice... but before ill ask my sensei if he allows me to do this... and will it be allowed in competition?

well i have another blue if not...

thank you very much...

[litige]

so ill buy a blank cotton hakama and follow your advice... but before ill ask my sensei if he allows me to do this... and will it be allowed in competition?

well i have another blue if not...

thank you very much...

It's not your sensei you got to ask, It's the IKF president.

[t3k1lla]

for competition i agree i have to ask to the president but i have to ask to my sensei too to knwo if he allows me to train with colored hakama...
so ill ask both

[Noodle Cutter]

Well, if you want to get an hawaii strips hakama or something exotic you should check that link :
http://www.kyotokimono.com/WhatsForSale/CustomMadeItems.html

That looks like a traditional hakama with 2 ties and the board at the back etc
But before ask yourself (not your sensei) if you really want to wear that !

[splice]

I don't think there's a need to contact the IKF president, seriously. Your sensei should know the current rules and regulations, and can have some of his own beyond that. He might allow you whatever color, but inform you that shiai, taikai, enbu, gradings, are all with traditional indigo uniform. We had a special guy in our club for a while, really nice fellow (I hear; I joined after he left, unfortunately), made custom uniforms. He had a lime green hakama with a smiley face. I doubt that he wore it outside our own classes :)).

And FWIW, "bordeaux" would probably translate to something like Wine Red. You're talking about "pourpre", right? http://www.pourpre.com/chroma/dico.php?typ=fiche&ent=bordeaux is a french color card for it.

[splice]

Ah, I made a mistake on that "pourpre". That's the name of the site. Also a color, of course, but it seems to tend more towards a brighter red/violet. Find it on the site if you like (use "index" at the left for a list, but it's all french, sorry). Very nice site for color names, I'll have to bookmark that.

And, ah, I've been thinking about this for a while. Kaoru, I know your intentions are good, and you wish to be the protector of all things budo, but... You come accross as awfully condescending at times. You always seem to be certain of yourself but often make mistakes. For example, I've read a lot from you about Niten Ichi Ryu. How are you connected to the style? How long have you studied it?

The more I read (in general, from anyone), the more I stay away from even talking about my own ryu (except with dojo mates), let alone others I've only practiced for a few hours with qualified instruction (talking about myself, as that's the only reference point I have). It's not all set in stone, different branches do things differently, different sensei have different opinions, different ways of interpreting and performing waza. There's so much about the arts that isn't generally available outside of Japanese, in Japan, and perhaps even only to certain people. I would be cautious of lecturing anyone over the internet, considering how little I know and how short a time I've been practicing. It's becoming clearer to me now why so many old timers and seniors aren't posting anymore (on other boards, I'm new here); anything can be argued over the internet, regardless of actual merit.

Anyway, I'll kindly stop rambling now :)

[t3k1lla]

but it's all french, sorry
pas de probleme le francais est ma langue maternelle ;)

but for those interested the code color i was talking about is that : #6D071A

thank you for the site it can be useful at anytime...

[Ryukyu]

pas de probleme le francais est ma langue maternelle ;)


Easy for you to say!! :smiley:

[crabbi]

for competition i agree i have to ask to the president but i have to ask to my sensei too to knwo if he allows me to train with colored hakama...
so ill ask both
Hi t3k1lla

I would have thought that with a name like yours you would go for 'Sunrise' colours (Tequilla?)...

Anyway... just to remind you again... make sure that you buy gi and hakama that use natural fibre stitches...

Bon chance!!!

crabbi

[KendokaJim]

To get back to the subject... I always thought that an indigo hakama and white keikogi look ed really sharp together.

[crabbi]

To get back to the subject... I always thought that an indigo hakama and white keikogi look ed really sharp together.
Agreed Jim-San... only prob being the indigo dye from the do-himo coming off onto the Gi top...

Practically speaking I guess the indigo Gi and Indogo or Black hakama wins out... but if we were just talking aesthetics then I guess I would go for a nice dark bottle green or a bordeaux colour as t3k1lla-San mentioned...

crabbi

[crabbi]

...and for the fashion victim kendoka out there: http://sdksupplies.netfirms.com/cat_reberuniforms.htm

crabbi

[crabbi]

... or this : http://www.marunaka-gofuku.com/eshop/season/hakama.htm

... or : http://www.trappingsandtrouble.com/html/am-garb/amhakama.htm

crabbi

[nalogg]

e-bogu sells these SWEET sweet looking non-bleached hakama

http://www.e-bogu.com/Top_quality_Non_Bleach_Kendo_Hakama_7_000_Size_AL_ p/tak-ken-hak-tq7-beige-all.htm

it's white, but just off white, but not too TEETH-looking y'know?

A guest sensei came to our dojo to practice and he had non-bleached dogi and it looked real good.

I really want one but i'm really just a beginner (intermediate maybe?)... so i don't wanna appear showoffy.... it's a shame because i need a new hakama

I'm going to order a black tetron from bogubag because my current hakama has some F'd-up himo length and pleat width in the front that make it all wonky.... i like my pleats CRISP.

[JSchmidt]

Actually, that is not true. You can't wear other colors in Kendo in ANY country unless it is some non-IKF and AJKF(Do you know what these are?) associated dojo: IE Made-up McDojo and not real Kendo. It is NOT just a sport in other countries. Shows how much you do not know.



Would you be so kind to point me to where that is written down?.

Jakob

P.S. Shows how much you do not know.

[Noodle Cutter]

Crabbi, do you know about the quality of the links that you posted.
Because maybe I was thinking buying some new ones or maybe Im going to make some. Thats pretty easy to make hakama but the only trouble is to find some good cloth :/

[crabbi]

Crabbi, do you know about the quality of the links that you posted.
Because maybe I was thinking buying some new ones or maybe Im going to make some. Thats pretty easy to make hakama but the only trouble is to find some good cloth :/
Hi Noodle Cutter-San

No idea about the quality of these places...

There was another thread a while back that mentioned making your own hakama and linked to a place that had patterns... I will check it out and see if I can find the link for you...

...here it is... http://www.kendo-world.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5194

...good luck! ...and I think that you are right that finding the right material is more than half the battle!

By the time you have the patterns, find the materials and find someone proficient enough to make decent hakama for you you would probably find it cheaper and have a better result if you search for a tailor in Japan who could do this for you...

Try searching on Google or phone some Japanese sites using 'Hakama' as a search criteria...

cheers

crabbi

[Noodle Cutter]

Thanks for the links :) I also found some in some cosplay sites. (No dont ask, Im not into that kind of stuff)
I think that my tailor skills are sharp enough to have some good results, I make a lot of my clothes by myself, but the cloth supply is always the trouble :ermm:
So time if that works I will make a dark brown and a dark green set :)

[Vortex]

For me Indigo blue is it. Its not only traditional but it looks good on me too...

[splice]

The link that was posted first, sdksupplies, is very well known in the community. It's Kim Taylor's outfit. The uniforms are great, though can take a long time since they're custom made. Everything Kim sells is of high quality, you shouldn't have any worries ordering anything from him. He'll get you set with pretty much anything an iaidoka might want, from a beginner set to a $25k+ Fujiwara Kanefusa nihonto.

[crabbi]

The link that was posted first, sdksupplies, is very well known in the community. It's Kim Taylor's outfit. The uniforms are great, though can take a long time since they're custom made. Everything Kim sells is of high quality, you shouldn't have any worries ordering anything from him. He'll get you set with pretty much anything an iaidoka might want, from a beginner set to a $25k+ Fujiwara Kanefusa nihonto.
Thanks splice-San

so... there you go Noodle Cutter-San.... the link that Splice-San is referring to is: http://sdksupplies.netfirms.com/cat_reberuniforms.htm (http://sdksupplies.netfirms.com/cat_reberuniforms.htm)

If you decide to go ahead with your research... please keep us posted...

cheers

crabbi

[Itto_Okami]

Well, now kendo is more a sport than a traditional activity.
Maybe in some places, its still extremly traditinal, in japan that would make sense.
But in other contries, kendo is just a sport, you can wear flashy pink wears if you want (that would rock) :)
t :)
Kendo is Kendo!!! It´s a traditional activity, a martial art that compiles phisical and spiritual training.

Don´t speak nosenses; if you see only "sport" you aren´t doing kendo. Even outside Japan, who practise kendo keeps the traditions.

As we said in Spain "El hábito no hace al monge": The colour of your robes doesn´t affect your kendo.

[Matlock]

I was told by someone with a lot (50+) more kendo experience that the color of the inside of a bamboo do, red or black, was linked to the quality of the do (black = better). I was not able to ask for an explanation. I am not sure if they were talking about the quality of the maker or of the product. Has anyone ever heard of this distinction?I had free time and I researched the dou quality stuff before I purchased my new set of bogu. The black dou, espacially the Yamato is black and made of plastic and they do not last so long because they become very flexible over time. The smooth red is made of a fiber material and the best "poor man`s" dou. Last long time and not so expensive. The bamboo dou can be discovered by the "rib" like pattern that makes up the bamboo staves on the inside of the dou. Although usually painted red, there are some black bamboo dous out there. Quality goes from the basic plasitic, to fiber all the way to the ultimate level of bamboo.

As to colors of hakamas and such, well.... the dojos I practice kendo in would throw me out if I came to practice in anything other than a indigo blue, black or maybe a white hakama or dougi. Any other color combination and I am practicing alone. There are many concepts in "DO" of the KenDO, some are not to differentiate yourself from others...simplicity and serenity. Leave the pink hakamas at home :)

Cheers