Description
Meijin PRO Silk Black Belt
Meijin Silk Black Belt is the result of years of researching the best materials and methods in our quest to produce the perfect karate belt. A belt that was stable, long lasting and good looking. One that showed character and maturity after long, hard use. The result was the Meijin belt in the 1.75″ width with 10 lines of stitching.
This looks and feels like karate belts that cost more than twice as much, but do not perform as well in actual use. A belt that will serve you faithfully for many, many years. Our belt construction methods & materials are chosen to stabilize and enhance Japanese belt embroidery, something that our company is very famous for.
The unique look of a well-used, embroidered silk belt is particularly desirable! Especially when the characters are expertly translated and sewn.
Sizes: 1=78”; 2=86”; 3=94”; 4=102”; 5=110”; 6=118”; 7=126”; 8=134”; 9=142”.
IMPORTANT NOTICE:
Some of our satin belts are shorter than their advertised approx. length. If length is critical, please call us at (818) 889-3856 with the exact length you need.
Belt History
According to the Kodokan Judo Academy in Tokyo, the history of coloured belts for different grades or ability levels was started by Jigoro Kano (1860 -1938) Sensei, the founder of modern Judo.
Kano Sensei, in his youth, studied Kito-Ryu jujutsu. Later, by absorbing techniques from other schools such as Yoshin Ryu, he created Judo (柔道) as a physical activity for all people, from Yawara, the ancient samurai unarmed method of violently subduing an enemy.
When he was a student, instructors wore strong jackets decorated with diagonal lines of stitching similar to a modern kendo jacket. The colour and sometimes the degree of elaboration of the stitching would distinguish the instructors rank and experience.
Kanos idea was to create an art that everyone could practise regardless of income, social status, or gender. Buying expensive new training jackets at every promotion was beyond many people, so he substituted a coloured belt to denote the wearers ability.
Originally just white, brown and black were used; other colours were added as student numbers increased exponentially with the introduction of Judo into the Japanese educational system.
In the early 1920s, when Gichin Funakoshi started introducing Okinawan karate into Japan, Kano Sensei supported him by giving Funakoshi access to the upper levels of Japanese society. Funakoshi adopted both the training clothes of Judo and their coloured belt rank system, thinking, perhaps, that this would allow him to benefit from the prestige of Judo and its founder, who by this time was heavily involved in the Japanese Olympic movement. Time has proved him correct!
Japanese Belt Embroidery
Please place your order for the type, size and color of belt that you would like in your shopping cart. Then got to our embroidery designs section and chose your embroidery. A little while after that please call us on 818-889-3856 and discuss your order with one of our embroiderers who, by that time, may have questions for you. Every custom embroidered belt is uniquely yours so we want to make sure that we can create exactly what you envisaged! We do not charge for “setup” and in most cases translations for customers are free.
