Obi (martial arts)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Obis for budō. The colours range from yellow to brown corresponding to judo kyū levels from 5th to 1st.

Many Japanese martial arts feature an obi (Japanese: 帯) as part of their exercise outfit. Such an obi is often made of thick cotton and is about 5 cm (2 in) wide. The martial arts obi are most often worn in the koma-musubi knot (square knot); in practice where a hakama is worn, the obi is tied in other ways.

In many martial arts, the colour of the obi signifies the wearer's skill level. Such colours usually start from white for beginners and end in black or red-and-white for masters.

Description[edit]

Depictions of tying the obi knot for judo, aikido and karate (top) and for ju-jitsu (bottom).

The colour of the obi signifies the wearer's skill level in certain martial arts. Such colours typically start from white for beginners and progress through yellow, orange and red (in varying order), green, blue, brown, and culminating in black for masters. In some cases stripes are added to distinguish additional levels, or the rank of a master beyond the 1st dan.

The red obi has the greatest variation among martial arts rankings. In some martial arts it is used for the highest dan ranks, the founder of a style or a grandmaster, while in others it designates a low or unranked beginner.

The obi is most often tied with the koma-musubi knot, which resembles the reef knot (see diagrams).

Unrestricted use[edit]

In some Japanese martial arts the obi is hidden underneath the hakama. Pictured is a kyūdōka.

In several martial arts, an obi is worn but with a single colour across all competition classes or with a colour which carries no significance. In some of these cases, a hakama is worn which covers the obi.

  • Atarashii naginata – The obi worn under the hakama is always white to match the white keikogi worn.[citation needed]
  • Iaido – The obi colour has no meaning[1] and is usually chosen to match the kimono or hakama.
  • Jōdō – The colour of the obi worn under the hakama has no significance.[citation needed]
  • Jūkendō – The practise uniform includes a hakama that covers the obi. The colour of the obi has no significance.[citation needed]
  • Kendo – An obi may optionally be worn to fasten the kendogi (kendo uniform) under the hakama. If worn, the colour of the obi has no significance.[2][a]
  • Kyūdō – A hakama covers the obi. The colour of the obi has no significance.[citation needed]

Aikido[edit]

Unlike in many other martial arts, an adult practitioner of aikido does not traditionally wear a coloured obi,[3] though in some schools different colour codes have been formed,[3] especially for children. A child's obi ranges from white for beginner level to 7th kyū, other colours for the rest of the kyū levels, and black for levels 1st dan and up.[4]

In some aikido schools, wearing a hakama is a privilege earned by reaching the first dan level. In other schools, all practitioners may wear a hakama. Once using a hakama, the colour of obi does not matter since it will be covered by the hakama.[4]

Below is a typical example of obi colours by level in aikido:[3]

Level Obi colour
6th kyū yellow
5th kyū orange
4th kyū green
3rd kyū blue
2nd and 1st kyū brown
1st–3rd dan black
4th–9th dan black and red, or
white and red
10th dan dark blue

However, aikido schools worldwide may use their own systems with little reference to other schools save the use of a black belt for at least some dan grades.

Bujinkan Budō Taijutsu[edit]

The Bujinkan (武神館) makes use of only a limited set of belt colours, however there are also different associated uniform emblems or wappen (ワッペン), the style of which varies dependent on the grade of the Budoka. Unlike many other martial arts, the number of Dan grades extends to Jūgodan (15th Dan), and practitioners at this grade of may also be gifted the status of Dai Shihan (大師範, roughly translated as "senior instructor") by the Sōke.[5][better source needed] This title also comes with its own wappen style featuring a purple background.

Level Obi colour
without grade (Mukyū) white
Kyū grades green
Dan grades black

Judo[edit]

Below are the colours of obi worn for judo practise. Junior practitioners have a different colour range.[6] There are also other colour ranges used worldwide.

Level Obi colour
Beginners white
5th kyū yellow
4th kyū orange
3rd kyū green
2nd kyū blue
1st kyū brown
1st–5th dan black
6th–8th dan red and white
9th and 10th dan red

Ju-jitsu[edit]

The following table lists standard colours for obi used for ju-jitsu practise,[7] and alternative colours that may be used by different ju-jitsu federations.[citation needed]

Level Obi colour[8] Alternative [citation needed]
beginners white red
10th–8th kyū red white
7th kyū white with
a red stripe		 yellow
6th kyū yellow orange
5th kyū orange green
4th kyū green blue
3rd kyū blue purple
2nd kyū violet brown and white
1st kyū brown brown
Shōdan-ho brown and black
("temporary black")		 n/a
1st–5th dan black black
6th dan and higher red and white n/a

Karate[edit]

The following table shows karate ranks and the respective obi colours worn by adults in the major styles: Kyokushin, wadō-ryū, Shotokan KUGB, and Shitō-ryū.

Level Obi colour
Kyokushin[9] Wadō-ryū[10] Shotokan[11] Shitō-ryū[12]
[better source needed]
mukyū
(beginner)		 white white n/a
10th kyū orange turquoise white
9th kyū orange + stripe red orange yellow/white
8th kyū blue yellow red yellow
7th kyū blue + stripe orange yellow orange
6th kyū yellow green green purple
5th kyū yellow + stripe blue purple blue
4th kyū green violet purple + stripe green
3rd kyū green + stripe brown brown
2nd kyū brown brown + stripe
1st kyū brown + stripe brown +2 stripes
1st–10th dan black
+1 stripe per dan		 black

For Kyokushin style, stripes on non-black obis can be either black or the next level's colour. Some brown obi sport white stripes. On a black obi, gold is the most common stripe colour, though some higher degree blackbelts prefer to wear a plain stripeless black obi. Note that some dojos in Kyokushin use a more elaborate striping system for children, allowing for a higher frequency of exams.

For Shokotan and Shitō-ryū styles, stripes are white. Shitō-ryū additionally has a 10th–15th dan, wearing a dark blue obi.[citation needed]

Ninjutsu[edit]

Ninja obi are required within JNF and WNF.

Obi colour Ninjutsu level
White
Silver
Yellow 2nd dan
Orange 2nd dan
Red
Gold 8 kyu
Pale Orange 2nd dan and 8-5 kyu
Brown 5th dan and 5 kyu
Green 2nd dan
Blue, Purple 2nd dan and 5 kyu
Black 4th dan and 10 kyu
Dark Blue 3rd dan and 10- 15-15 kyu

See also[edit]

Footnotes[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ This was mentioned in Sword Art Online when Kirito and his sister fought using Kendo.[relevant?]

Citations[edit]

  1. ^ Goodman p. 230–231
  2. ^ Goodman s. 214.
  3. ^ a b c Bennett p. 8–11
  4. ^ a b Goodman s. 70
  5. ^ Cousergue, Arnaud (2015-05-25). "What Type Of Shihan Are You?". THOUGHTS ON BUDO.
  6. ^ Goodman s. 134
  7. ^ Goodman s. 101
  8. ^ Goodman s. 101
  9. ^ "Kyokushin Grading and Belts". www.kyokushinwla.com. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  10. ^ Goodman s. 32
  11. ^ Goodman s. 52
  12. ^ http://shitokai.com/cyber-academy/shitoryu-karate-do-grading-syllabuses [dead link]

Sources[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Obi_(martial_arts)&oldid=1193440011"