BrothersMA
White Belt
Is it to be worn red over black, or black over red?
...could it just be a way to get a student to pay for another belt?
Our school has many students (sometimes 50 or more in a class)...so having visually distinct belts is useful for knowing which students should be working on what. I'm not saying you couldn't teach with less distinct belts...just that it's easier (less wasted time) when you can quickly scan the room and see what's what at a glance.
Do you ever wonder what they used to do before we came up with the bedazzled multi-colored belts?
Some large schools I am familiar with even have their students' names embroidered across their uniform tops...
No need for them in the old days when you had only a small group of students training - often under self-direction with the sensei only offering occasional correction.
Some large schools I am familiar with even have their students' names embroidered across their uniform tops. It makes sense when you have hundreds to keep track of.
So, let's take a larger Samurai clan from Japanese history, are you saying they were self training and there was no need to understand seniority?
...are a result of marketing...
Bedazzled belts and multi-colored always changing based on special program uniforms are a result of marketing and not a need for distinction of seniority in training.
So, let's take a larger Samurai clan from Japanese history, are you saying they were self training and there was no need to understand seniority?
I'm alluding more towards karate as trained in the Ryukyu islands pre-WWII, specifically through accounts of what it was like to train with Chojun Miyagi in his garden dojo where students came and went according to their individual schedules and there wasn't really a concept of a set 1 hr block for training where tuition was given by a single teacher. In that situation, where the numbers are low and there is no set 'bow in' time, training tends to be more individual.
Dunno about samurai as karate was never a pursuit of samurai, but I would venture to say that seniority as is typically discussed on a TKD board is probably a relatively modern concept.
I was told it was black over red because in rank black is over red. But then i saw our Master (my instructors instructor) tie one on red over black. Perhaps they changed it over time? The Master is not one to make such a mistake i think he is 8 or 9th degree bbelt. Im just gonna ask him next time i see him.
The progression of these colors is an arbitrary modern invention...who says black is over red? Who says white is first? Where did that come from?...
As I understand it, this is attributed to Kanō Jigorō.
Kanō Jigorō - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
When I say where did it come from, I am not talking about the last 100 years or so. No one just woke up and said...hey colored belts for ranking...it had to come from somewhere...where is that? What was done?