Obi

[Nadine]

Hallo!
Does it mind in which direction the obi is bound, I mean if the knot "shows" to the right or to the left side?I saw both variants, but sometimes I hear that my knot has the wrong direction...

[Tuna]

as far as i know, there is a right and a wrong direction,because on the obi of blackbelts there stands the dojo and the name,which must be on the left and on the right side.but i don`t know wich one.....

[Nadine]

Yes,that makes sense.

[TonyU]

I'm gald you asked that question, because it's asked many times in many schools.

While many associations or instrcutors may attach some significance to the way the obi is tied in some cases it doesn't matter.

We used be concerned with that as well untill one day it was asked of a high ranking Okinawan and his response was "don't matter." Which was a revelation, we as non Japanese/Okinawans sometimes make too much of a tradition for something that really doesn't matter.

Of course you have to do what your sensei or association dictates.

[Anders Pettersson]

as far as i know, there is a right and a wrong direction,because on the obi of blackbelts there stands the dojo and the name,which must be on the left and on the right side.but i don`t know wich one.....
Gassho.

I have never heard of having a "right or wrong" direction for the obi in a Shorinjikempo dojo before.

It is definitely not a regulation in our organisation (World ShorinjiKempo Organization), let’s kill this myth before people think it is true.

/Anders

[Tripitaka of AA]

Anders has access to all, and I mean ALL, the documents and rules and regulations. He reads Japanese and is responsible for a large number of Kenshi in Sweden. I think his comment says it all... but I would suggest that Kenshi also take Tony's advice and follow the example of your own Sensei. If he ties it with the loop on the right or the left you should seek to copy it as closely as possible. This would be just another example of how best to learn. Copy your seniors.

I remember watching a Demo a few years ago where a number of different Japanese arts were featured. One particular Karate group spent a good 3 minutes preparing for a display of breaking by carefully removing their dogi jackets and folding them with precision in square piles. They proceeded to snap some lengths of pine over each others bodies. The ritualistic disrobing was done with all the seriousness of a Tea Ceremony. All the participants were English and they did not appear to have a Japanese head of their organisation. While the display took place I'm fairly sure I saw some of the Japanese people present fighting hard to suppress their mirth.

Knowing which aspects of Reigi are important and which bits are just ordinary behaviour in Japanese society is not always straightforward. Sometimes people attach immense significance to what is merely a funcional procedure. This happens a lot after people discover that their own normal behaviour is considered uncouth or disrespectful in a traditional Dojo. For example, a Westerner wanders across the mats in his outdoor shoes and gets yelled at. Subsequently that same Westerner is seen to copy the way his Sensei ties his shoelaces, combs his hair and holds his knife and fork. Sometimes it takes exposure to Japan in person for people to get a grasp of which bits of social behaviour are part of Japan, and which are part of the Dojo. Without the chance to see the Society as a whole in person, it may be possible to go overboard on the copying, but for the purposes of learning the Art, then I'd still recommend it as the way to go. You could always ask....

[Tuna]

It is definitely not a regulation in our organisation (World ShorinjiKempo Organization), let’s kill this myth before people think it is true.

/Anders
ok,I just can say I heard of it...