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FREE Japanese Embroidery Service

We offer a low cost, high quality, precision STYLE and NAME embroidery service for uniforms, belts and polo shirts purchased from us. Each job is individually hand crafted, the embroidery is oversewn so it will not come undone, and "layered" for a thick and luxurious appearance. 

We also translate the customer's names FREE.

Others make mistakes when their non-English speakers are asked to translate names into Japanese and they are unfamiliar with English sounds. Our translators are native Japanese speakers who have a great deal of experience with spoken and written English. We ship embroidered uniforms and belts within seven days in most cases.


New Meijin Uniforms are embroidered FREE
to purchasers with either the owner's name or his/her style. When you order a new Meijin uniform from us please mention that you need this service.

By combining old fashioned craftsmanship with the latest Japanese precision engineered, multi-needle embroidery machines from Tajima Industries, Osaka, Japan, we can now offer "Gyosho" (calligraphy style) Japanese embroidery on our uniforms and belts.

These individually digitized Japanese characters faithfully reproduce the brush strokes of the calligrapher to create a richness and elegance that is superb.

Sewn at low speed to retain detail and give the finest finish, Gyosho style embroidery is a unique way of customizing your Meijin Uniform and it's FREE!
(up to a value of $15.00).

Standard thread colors include black, dark brown, blue, midnight blue, navy blue, red, platinum white, sterling silver, traditional Japanese gold and gold luster. Traditional Japanese gold has more of an orange hue to it and the gold luster appears closer to the metal. Custom thread colors are also available on request.

Japanese can be written left to right, & right to left (horizontally), depending on the circumstances. On scrolls it often appears right to left as was the custom in ancient times; in more modern usage, left to right. Either is perfectly correct, and the choice is often based on what actually looks best.

To embroider your name we use the Japanese katakana phonetic script to translate its most common English pronunciation, (there may be more than one correct way to write your name in katakana). If there is a particular way to pronounce your name, please call us so that we can translate it perfectly by hearing it spoken.

PLEASE NOTE: The English language name embroidery option will be in all CAPITAL letters unless instructed otherwise.

When ordering a embroidered uniform or belt by telephone, we will ask you to send us the spelling of the name, or image of the kanji (Chinese character) you require us to embroider, (unless it is one of our standard, advertised, designs), via email or fax.

This is to ensure complete accuracy and avoid misunderstandings.

PLEASE NOTE: If you return your uniform in exactly the same condition as we shipped it, (including an undamaged Meijin plastic bag) we will exchange it for you, or issue a credit or refund.

However, if you ordered your uniform to be embroidered, for the label to be removed, or if it appears to have been worn, washed, or soiled, even slightly, we can’t exchange it or issue a credit or refund.

If you would like to be sure, we can ship you an unembroidered uniform to try which you can return to us within 30 days for free embroidery. This costs a little extra as there is a return shipping charge but you will have a uniform that fits you perfectly, and the embroidery is still FREE!

 

Click here to see style examples

To order a Meijin Karate Uniform Start Here

To order a Polo Shirt Start Here

 


 

Belt Embroidery

FREE Japanese name translations—Guaranteed correct. Beautiful, washable, and durable embroidery in any color.

Our embroidered belts are the very best looking on the market. Eight lines of stitching and high-quality base. They are sewn right through (strengthening rather than weakening the belt) and leaving the design on the face of the belt free from ugly stitching. We can embroider to your precise specification in a color of your choice, on any color belt.

Click here to see style examples

To order a Meijin Belt Start Here

 


 

Custom Translation, Design and Embroidery Service

We can create almost any design you require and embroider in a dazzling range of colors. Please call us to discuss your requirements. 818-889-3856. (Sorry! We don't embroider other manufacturer's products).

As embroidery is done in-house we can even combine characters to create new designs without the need for a setup charge. For example by combining Kokusai, Karate Do, and Renmei you create the International Karate Federation

If you would like your name in kanji or you can’t find your school name in our style examples, please email us an image of what you are looking for. If do not have the kanji in our file stock, we can digitize your image for a small fee.

 


 

Price Guide for Embroidery

Name Embroidery including translation into katakana script and sewing onto a uniform or belt.

First name $15. First name and last name $25

PLEASE NOTE: The English language name embroidery option will be in all CAPITAL letters unless instructed otherwise.

Style Embroidery from our list of standard designs
$15 - $22.50
depending on design chosen.

New Meijin Uniforms are embroidered FREE to purchasers with either the owner's name or his/her style. When you order a new Meijin uniform from us please mention that you need this service.

Because of limited space on polo shirts, the size of the embroidered designs are 25 to 50% smaller (and fewer stitches) than on karate uniforms. Therefore the price of embroidery on polo shirts is 50% less than karate uniforms. We will adjust the size of polo shirt designs to create the very best appearance.


ORDERING & INFORMATION


A Brief History of the Karate Uniform & Belt

When G. Funakoshi first went to mainland Japan to teach Okinawan karate, most Okinawan instructors were still wearing Chinese style rank sashes tied in a bow at the left hip. Photos exist of Choki Motobu also wearing baggy shorts for training with a black sash around his ample waist.

In the tropical climate of Okinawa, karate students often trained without tops and in the summer even pants were discarded in favor of a simple loin-cloth.Far to the north in mainland Japan with its cold winters a different solution had to be found. Uniforms based on the design from Jigoro Kano's Kodokan Judo Institute were adopted, and with them a stitched cotton belt.

By the time the first Japanese black belts were created the modern style karate-gi (keiko-gi or do-gi) was universally used, as was the thickly stitched belt wound twice around the waist and tied with a simple knot over the navel.

Embroidery

Okinawan karate was first established successfully in the Japanese Universities of Keio, Waseda, and Tokyo in the mid 1920s. Training would take place in the gymnasium where uniforms would be hung to dry after class. The picture above of Gichin Funakoshi teaching a Tokyo university class against the background of a wall covered with uniforms shows clearly why each uniform was identified with its owners name.


As we produce, publish, or manufacture much of what we sell,
we welcome questions of a technical nature on
(818) 889-3856

(818) 889-3170

To place an order using your credit card call the order desk at
(818) 889-3856
(818) 889-3170

(8am-8pm PST Mon-Sat)

Dragon Associates Inc.

e-mail:  mamasan@dragon-tsunami.org