BELT 'EM!

 By Phillip Starr

I imagine that most of you wear some kind of sash or cloth belt around your waist when you attend martial arts training sessions. And no, this article isn't going to discuss the development of the ranking system or how the different belt colors came to be; reams have already been written on those subjects and I have no intention of adding any more. Rather, I'd like to talk about the WHY of your belt or sash. What's it for? Is there are special way to wear it? Is it even necessary to wear it all? Yes, it does help keep your jacket shut, but is that all it's for?

There are those who say that the wearing of a sash with a “kung-fu uniform” is a fairly newfangled idea. Poo. For starters, the whole idea of a “kung-fu uniform” is a newfangled thing; for centuries, martial arts in China were practiced without the benefit of a formal, standardized uniform. They still are, although some folks like to wear what they refer to as “Tang clothes” while practicing in the parks in the early hours of the morning. “Tang” refers to the the Tang Dynasty, which was arguably China's greatest “golden age”, and the colorful apparel that they wear is allegedly based on clothing worn during that time. But there is no standardized uniform such as we see in modern judo, aikido, or karate.

But they do wear sashes... even today. Oftentimes, it's worn underneath their clothing. I know because I live in China. They pay no attention to the color of the sash, or even the material of which it's made; some are wide (up to 3 inches or more) pieces of cloth while others amount to little more than a leather belt. If you ask them what it's for, many will answer that it's main function is to keep the dantien (an area of the lower abdomen; “tanden” in Japanese) warm. This is a quaint answer but it is grossly incorrect, especially considering that during the Summer months, you certainly don't need help to keep any part of your body very warm!

So, if it isn't intended to keep one's lower tummy toasty or as a designation of rank, what's it for? The correct answer is...breathing! The sash or belt is actually a tool that's been used for centuries to promote correct breathing. Many moons ago, most martial arts practitioners practiced a form of breathing known as “reverse breathing.” Simply put, reverse breathing requires that you slightly contract the lower abdomen when inhaling, and then push it outward (in the front, the back, and on the flanks) when you exhale. As the lower belly expands, it presses against the belt or sash and this provides a type of “resistance.”

Old photos of early karate practitioners in Okinawa (and even in Japan) show them wearing sashes rather than the familiar cotton belts. It was actually Dr. Jigaro Kano, the founder of modern judo, who came up with the idea of the heavy cotton belt. He's also responsible for the development of the familiar judogi (judo uniform), which is made of cotton. The upper part of the jacket is especially thick and durable because one's opponent will grasp the jacket and tug this way and that. Kano's first pupils wore traditional kimonos (which are closed with a sash of sorts) and I can easily imagine what these garments looked like after a spirited training session!

To make a long story short, Kano made a rough copy of the jacket worn by Japanese firefighters (modern copies of these are often referred to nowadays as “happi coats”) and a heavy cotton obi (belt) that was knotted in the front. Kano, a professional educator (whose teaching theories are still studied today) didn't forget about the real purpose of the sash. He determined that the knot of the obi should be worn over the lower abdomen (not higher around the navel) so that when the student breathed correctly, he could easily feel his tanden push up against it.

Many, if not most, practitioners of jujutsu (which gave birth to modern judo) wore traditional hakama. The hakama looks like a rather long and baggy skirt of sorts. Although the early hakamas were, in fact, skirts, later models that featured two legs were designed for warriors who rode horses. Most traditional Japanese martial arts still adhere to this particular lower-body apparel, including aikido, iaido, kendo, kyudo, and a host of others. It's my understanding that a cotton obi (such as those worn by judo and karate devotees) is usually not worn with a hakama at all. This is simply because the cotton obi didn't exist until Kano developed it for use in judo. Some people now wear them on occasion but in such cases, the obi is worn underneath the hakama. To wear the obi on the outside of the hakama is considered...well, tacky.

When Gichin Funakoshi (known as the “Father of Japanese karate”) introduced karate to Japan, he and Kano became close friends. Funakoshi liked the design of the judo uniform and developed a lightweight version of it for his pupils. Naturally, this included the heavy cotton obi. Old photos of judoka and karateka show that the knot in the obi was worn well below the navel and I remember the “old timers” back in the day pulling the knot in the obi down if it rode up too high on the abdomen.

But time has a way of changing things and as the (martial arts) generations passed, the use of the belt/sash as a training tool was forgotten along with the special technique of reverse breathing. Nowadays, it isn't at all unusual to see a martial arts enthusiast wearing his belt around his middle abdomen instead of his lower belly. Many contemporary martial arts enthusiasts regard the belt simply as an item that helps keep the jacket shut while it also serves as an outward indication of one's grade. As a gray-headed traditionalist, I think it's well to remember what the obi was originally intended to be...a training tool.