What color your Gi?

These were the individuals who tested me for shodan in 1979,

But I believe the photo was  from 1976.

 

When I was a kyu all kyu in Lewis Sensei’s IKC always wore a white Gi. But there seemed to be no rule what black belt holders could wear. They just had to back up wearing them.

 

One time a new student showed up in a newly purchased black gi and was sent home to change after being told kyu students could not wear that.

 

When my black belt exam approached, on a business trip to Philadelphia, I bought myself a black gi. Then after I was promoted, the next class that is what I wore. I learned the hard way that a black gi fades within a few years.

 

At times I would mix it up, say black top and white pants or white top and black pants.

In the long run I learned that I preferred the white gi. and that is what I wore thereafter.

 

However my seniors, who wore white gi most of the time, at different times wore many different gi’s

 

One group of my seniors used to have gray gi’s.

 

One of my seniors, Dennis Lockwood, whose mother was a seamstress who made many gi for him, often creating gi in many colors.  One of which was a black and white striped top to be worn with black bottoms (a referee gi). But my favorite gi for him was the paisley gi she made for him.

 

Charlie Murray used to wear a blue denim gi at times. It was very soft, durable and looked good.

 

But of course it is not the gi that makes the individual, it is the individual who makes the gi.