The Gi of Many Colors; My White Pajamas Are Not Angry

Okay, I know white isn't exactly a color. But remember your color wheel from art class? White light has all the colors of the rainbow in it, and you can tell that when you split them out with a prism.

Or something.

Sometimes when I do stupid things, I get bad results.

But remember, Grasshopper, it's better to be lucky than smart.

Last night I flew out of the house (my last client had taken more time than usual) and zipped to the dojo for my private class with Sensei Koyama.

To discover that I had two gi tops, and no gi pants.

After a certain period during which I experimented with vocabulary use and abuse I had not practiced since I dug ditches for Pancho Willis, I decided that the only thing to do was to wear my fairly loose Levis, with all the stuff pulled out of my pockets, and put on my gi top, and my obi, and make the best of it.

Sensei Koyama did not point, jeer, and guffaw, which had been a small possibility.

Instead, he went into his office and brought out a brand new size six made-in-Japan-not-made-in-China-thank-you-very-much Tokaido Karate Gi, the Gold Standard of Karate Gis.

When it comes out of the wash, I'll be able to let you know its specific type (I think it's a heavyweight, traditional fit size six).

It was an absurdly generous gift, and I, of course, don't deserve it. On the other hand, a karate student of my mediocre ability doesn't deserve to study with an 8th Dan, JKA, but that's a discussion for another day.

So at this point, when the gi shrinks the 5 or 10% that I expect (that's normal for a new cotton gi, by the way), I will look like a big kid karate student.

Actually, there will come a point in another two or three years when I'll look like a big kid karate student: they have black belts that are sort of falling apart at the edges and turning gray, and their wonderful Tokaido Gis (made in Japan) are just beginning to show some wear.

The question, of course, is whether I'll be able to perform techniques like a big kid karate student.

And that's a question that is most certainly for another day.

For today, I'll tell you that my initial inspection of The Gi suggests that there has been no reduction in quality in Tokaido Made in Japan Karate Gis over the last 40 years or so. My first such gi is still around for comparison, and the fit and finish appear quite similar.

The number 10 blue-white cotton material used in the Tokaido made in Japan Gis is much of what sets them apart from all others. There are a fair number of gis that have excellent designs (often borrowed from Tokaido! Remember that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery) and excellent construction, but few glow in the dark and levitate like the original and still the champion.

I will let you know how my newest gi acquisition compares to my other gis, and how it stands up to my primitive washer and dryer (someday, I have to replace them; they are constructed from chipped flint, which may let you know how old they are) and how well it wicks sweat during the summer.

Here in Arizona, during the summer, the wicking of sweat by a karate gi is a survival characteristic.