 The karate-gi, or kekogi, can be found in multiple arts and is presented in a variety of colors, cuts, and patterns. It's a fairly simple garment, yet it holds a tradition that still remains to this day. It's always worn with the left side over the right. Why is that? So while the karate-gi in itself is a fairly simple garment, the kimono that is based off certainly is not. I am fascinated with the formal uniforms of various martial arts because I think there's a lot to be said about the culture that is infused in them. In many cases, you'll find that the uniform reflects that society's formal attire, at least to some degree. Now, we took a look at this in one of our episodes, different types of uniforms, as well as how many belts are in karate. And speaking of uniforms, if you like our content, then I ask you to please consider joining us on Patreon or YouTube memberships. Both platforms help support this channel and keep it running. Members have access to exclusive content, such as exclusive episodes and behind-the-scenes. In two of these episodes, we go through my collection of different uniforms and crazy belts. Among several other topics, many of them are embarrassing, but I'm willing to share them within our martial arts family. You can find both links in the description below or you can click the join button under this video to get a tour of our member section first. I thank you in advance for your support. So why is the karate-gi always worn with the left draped over the right? To answer this, we need the first peek back to where the karate-gi even came from. The kekou-gi, or dogi, is usually shortened to just gi, and consists of three elements, the jacket without buttons, which when worn uses the left lapel to cover the right lapel, the trousers and the belt. Many people assume that the gi is an ancient garment that has been around since the ancient times of martial arts. The reality is that the karate-gi has been around for roughly about a hundred years or so, and in terms of ancient martial arts history, that's pretty brand spanking new. It resembles the Japanese kimono, and it was introduced at the beginning of the 20th century by judo founder Jigaru Okano. He established the judo-gi to be used in judo, and became the first of the modern martial arts training uniforms. The popularity of the judo-gi spread, and it wasn't long until other arts began to adopt it as well. Gichin Funakoshi, the founder of Shodokan and the man who brought karate to Japan, liked the uniform and decided to standardize it in his teaching as well. Minor modifications were made to the gi over time for karate, such as a lighter canvas material and adding strings to the inside of the jacket to hold it closed and keep it sharp and neat looking. So where does this tradition of right over left come from? It comes from the tradition set forth in the formal wearing of Japanese kimonos. It was during the Nara period that the first actual kimono-like clothing appeared. The nobility wore clothing based on Chinese clothing design, whereas the common people dressed much more simply. Now, we can spend a lot of time looking at all the formalities of the kimono, and there's a lot of fine and strict guides on how to wear it properly, but just a surface level look helps explain the traditions of the gi. Kimonos are comprised of several layers, and they have casual and formal rules. There's an etiquette in place regarding the colors and patterns that are used, what type of bow to tie the obian, and even down to the appropriate color of the tabi to wear with which occasions. There are also several differences in the kimonos worn between men and women. For example, the tips of men's sleeves are typically cut square, as circular sleeves are considered more feminine. The women's obi is much more ornate and wider than men's obi, and it's worn higher up on the torso. Men wear the narrower obi with more subtle patterns and colors. And in fact, men's kimonos in general are usually soberer in colors, usually presented in green, black, gray, blue, white, and the patterns much more subtle. A woman's kimono, on the other hand, depending on the situation, may be extremely ornate, colorful, and with vibrant patterns. These are just a few examples, but there's a whole study on the etiquette and formality that goes into wearing the traditional kimono. As far as to where that tradition comes from, Japan went through different periods of different clothing codes, and a lot of history is missing on the details of these codes, although historians are working together to piece a lot of it back together. It is believed that much of the kimono traditions come from Chinese influences that Japan adopted. As quoted by the book Kimono Fashion and Culture by Liza Dalby, the Euro clothing code of 718 marked a high point in Chinese influence politics for the early Japanese state. The code specified that all robes should be crossed left side over right in Chinese fashion. Such sidedness of clothing is important in many cultures. Precisely because of the natural arbitrariness of left and right, sides can be used to express cultural differences of great import. A garment's sidedness is not something to be regarded lightly. The Chinese considered right over left a mark of barbarism. This explains the Japanese decision to abandon the traditional mode. All Japanese robes, including kimono, have wrapped left over right since the Euro clothing code demanded it. So the symbolism of left and right can be interpreted in many different ways, and I've even heard several philosophical explanations. So for example, the yin-yang emblem that most of us are familiar with, the balance of light and dark, give and take, love and hate, male versus female, strength versus wisdom. The right side of the symbol is yin and the left side is yang. So some explanations I have heard is that it could represent light versus dark nature, that you want your light side to cover up your dark nature. The left side may also represent the heaven over the earth, in which is the right side. The left side is also often associated with male energy or chi, where the right side is associated with female. This is actually a tradition in formal American Kempo when it comes to the etiquette of wearing belts in the classroom. In a traditional Ed Parker American Kempo school, men wear the belt knots on the left side and women wear the belt knots on the right side. Only instructor whose energy should be in balance wears a knot in the middle. So Ed Parker gave two reasons for this. The first was that men wore the knot on the left because it represented male energy and females on the right for female energy. But he was also known for saying that during the 60s and 70s was a time when both men and women were growing their hair out and when he was walking around the rooms at seminars, he had a hard time telling them, you know, the men from the women from the back. So he referenced the belt. Which one of these stories is true? Why not both? So there could be several spiritual and symbolic explanations as to why the left is worn over the right. However, there are also a couple of practical reasons as well. See, the majority of people are right-handed and we find that many times in martial arts, traditions are set in favor of right-handedness. The code conduct of samurai is an example of this. A samurai wore their swords on the left side as most of them are right-handed and they would draw the sword with the right hand. Wearing their kimono as proper etiquette dictates with left over right allows the sword to be drawn out smoothly. If it were the reverse, there is an opportunity there for the sword to get caught and snagged in the clothing and even a split second delay could make the difference in between a life and death situation. You also see this in their formality. When the samurai is at the ready or expects to have the fight, the sword is on the left. However, if there was a guest or a host, then symbolically they may wear it on the right side to show that it's a friendly gesture that they are not expecting to need to draw the sword. There is also the application of concealment. Accessing the inside of the gi is extremely easy. And I mean you guys should see the junk I keep in here. Still playing on the domination of right-handedness, wearing the kimono left over right offers the ability to reach easily into a concealed weapon if the necessity arose. It would be much harder to draw it if it were reversed. So the left over right makes a bit of sense in terms of practicality. The only time you would traditionally see the kimono worn right over left is when it is being worn by the dead and there is no need to draw or conceal anything. If you wear a gi or kimono with a right lapel over the left, you're bound to raise some eyebrows. As an additional aspect of wearing the gi in this way, it leaves the left side available for display. Several schools will utilize patches and embroidery to represent their art and the left over the right method allows it to be worn proudly over the heart. Now what I find interesting is that a lot of modern arts that don't employ a lot of traditional martial arts methods still observe this rule of robe. Brazilian jiu-jitsu and many modern karate schools, for example, still seem to retain this tradition. You'd be hard-pressed to find any practitioner wearing it in the opposite way unless it was an intentional statement. It's interesting to see what traditions survive and pass on over time and it can be fun to trace them back to see where they started from. So I'm interested to hear if any of you out there have heard any other traditions regarding the symbolism of the left over the right. Or are there any other subtle traditions that you'd like to share? Let us know in the comments below and if you'd like our videos, please be sure to subscribe and knock on that little bell and be notified of when our next episode drops. Thank you so much and we'll see you next week.