Obi tying

Tying the Genwakai Obi

Many of you may not know that Genwakai ties its belt (obi) like no other martial art style. To my knowledge, Genwakai is the only style that has given the time and attention to an issue that may seem irrelevant to others. Most martial artists including those who practice judo, jujitsu and other karate styles, tie their belt using methods, which they have essentially copied from each other.

Have you ever seen a martial artist wearing a belt with one end longer than the other? Or someone wearing a neatly tied belt but when he turns around the bottom layer suddenly comes out from under and becomes the top layer? Or worse, the belt twists and turns over in back? I cringe when I see a black belt wearing a poorly tied belt. It makes me think his techniques are poor too. I ask, if he cannot properly tie a belt, what can he do? Does he pay attention to details? Where is his self-discipline? What kind of dojo does he train in?

The Genwakai student must tie his belt so it has equal lengths below the knot and the Genwakai name is visible. When the belt is tied wrong, the knot or the writing is the first obvious sign of an error. The following illustrations show the correct way to tie a Genwakai belt.

HOW TO:

1. The right hand holds one end (R) of the belt while the left hand wraps the belt around the body on top of itself. This will create the appearance of one belt but it will have two layers. Avoid the belt turning over as it goes around. In the beginning it is important for the Genwakai kanji to be in your right hand facing your body.

2. The left end (L) of the belt circles the body on top of the first layer and passes beyond the right end (R). It then loops over top and down through. It passes between the belt layers and your body. This way it becomes tied to itself.

3. At this point the ends are measured by extending them out in front of your body. They should meet in the middle of your body. If one end is longer than the other, pull the belt around your body and reposition the belt (the knot) until the ends are equal lengths.

4. Once the ends are equal lengths take the top end (T) and drop it down over the bottom end (B).

5. Loop the top end (T) under the bottom end (B) and thread it up through the hole. Pull the ends to tighten the knot (musubi).

6. An old Japanese tradition is that women wear the belt tight and level while men wear it loose with the knot drooping down.

CHECKPOINTS:

1. The belt lays on top of itself so it is smooth all the way around, no changes in overlap,
no twists.

2. The knot has one side that is round and the other is split. The split side is on the right.

3. For Black Belts, the Genwakai kanji belt-end folds out so it is visible while your name kanji is not.

4. If you wash your belt it will not wear right and it will appear limp. (Not a good sign for any rank.)

Illustrations by Jean Ciolek, Ni Dan