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Kohai - Purity: White, the colour of innocence.
The carrier has a blank spirit with relation to Karate techniques and
the spiritual aspects of Karate. White is the symbol of purity, at least
in the English and Japanese based cultures. The new white belt student
might be described as pure, being completely ignorant of the
requirements of the art. The purity is lost as soon as the first
exercise is performed in the dojo. The pristine colour is gone forever
through sweat and dust, and the journey through the colour spectrum
begins. There is no shame in being a white belt and the instructor, more
than the others, is aware of this because he or she too was one once.
In the Honbu dojo in Japan, while under Mas Oyama, the tradition was
that uchi-deshi (live-in or full-time students) white belts would shave
their heads as a sign of their dedication. The third year uchi-deshi,
newly graduated blackbelts, also did this to indicate humility,
symbolising the return to the spirit of a beginner.
10th / 9th - Stability: Red, the colour of the Japanese sun as pictured
on its flag, as it sets at the end of the 'first day'. It shows that
someone has sustained the 'first days' and whose capabilities and
understanding is growing to further boundaries. In some countries or
dojo, the red belt is not used. For a while, in Japan the white belt
gains first one black stripe, then a second one. Currently (1997) the
system for the IKO(1) is an orange belt. The reason for the change is
that in some karate systems, the red belt actually denotes a very high
rank e.g. 5th dan or higher, and to have junior kohai wearing such a
belt would belittle those red-belted yudansha.
In the run-up to and throughout the red belt training, you develop the
very basics of karate. You unlearn any ideas you had about how to fight,
and you learn about your body. (Anyone who has been through this stage
will tell you that this is where they learnt their body had muscles
where they didn't even know they had places!) It is here too that you
begin to develop a sense of balance and coordination between the various
body parts, with an emphasis on stance.
You should also be familiar with dojo etiquette at this stage.
8th / 7th - Fluidity and Adaptability: Blue, Colour of the sky and the
ocean, the carrier has aspirations to the horizon of Karate the spirit
is as the depths of the ocean not yet explored. While the red belt
aspects of training must be continued, now the Karetaka begins to work
on the upper body, strength, flexibility, and coordination. It is here
that you learn to overcome the urge to "Take it easy", and if
successful, training becomes a pleasure. The student begins to feel the
benefits of training with an increased sense of well-being, a bigger
bounce in ones step, and overall better fitness.
Here the Karateka must start taking control of mind and body. This might
take the form of not showing the pain of being hit during sparring, not
showing exhaustion during training, not wiping the drop of sweat off
one's nose because one hasn't yet been told to, not yawning despite
extreme tiredness etc.
6th / 5th - Assertion: Yellow, the colour of the sun,
light and new founded richness and knowledge. The colour shows that the
carrier has seen a 'new day' and that the bearer is beginning to develop
and understand the principles of Karate the spirit is beginning to
develop, understanding and technique is dawning. Here you learn to focus
your power, by concentrating it on the hara (the general area of the
lower abdomen) or even the tanden (the single point in the lower abdomen
that more or less is located at the centre of gravity of the body).
Fortunately for most of us, this point is just behind where we tie the
knot of our belts.
This is the first level where training begins to concentrate the
psychological aspects of training, with an emphasis on mind-body
coordination. It is here that the Karateka must begin to develop both
power and speed when performing techniques. The yellow belt is the last
of the "raw beginner's" belts and the Karateka begins to take control of
his or her life. body, and environment.
4th / 3rd - Emotion and Sensitivity: Green, colour of growth the grass and the trees. The carrier of this Obi is understanding and exploring the deeper meanings of Karate, whose spirit and techniques are growing and bearing fruit.
2nd / 1st - Practical and Creative: Brown, colour of dirt and the earth. This colour shows that the skills of the carrier are executed professionally. He also has a rich and steady mind.
Yudansha - Understanding and New Beginnings: Black, it is a fusion of all the colours. The carrier has learned most of the techniques and has overcome all the possibilities of the 'first days'. It's not the colour of victory but the colour of the night. This means that they have not found 'the road' yet. As you have moved through the colours, after the day, the setting of the day, the growth and the creation, there will be a new day. A day where the carrier realizes that they are at a 'new beginning' of a new vision of 'the road'. The carrier is stepping out of the student period and now exploring the way to further grow and explores the way to maturity in Karate and possibility the way to become a teacher, or 'Sensei', which literally means, born before.
Significance of the belt (obi)
The colour of the belt isn't the only meaning. Another aspect is the way
it's worn. the obi encircles its carrier and in Buddhism this signifies
a circle in the centre and totality of the universe. A correctly worn
obi encircles the 'Hara', the centre of gravity of the carrier (just
under the bellybutton) in martial arts this is where our inner power or
'Ki' is generated. The meaning of the obi is therefore not only symbolic
for the technical abilities of the carrier but also the spiritual
maturity. Thus, the belt is never washed. Every class you take, every
drop of sweat is part of what goes into each student's unique
experience. It must be remembered although not clung to. The belt must
tell its own story. Therefore, no experience is washed away.