The History of Iwata
Founded by Mankichi Iwata in 1916 at the request of Jigoro Kano, the Iwata company makes judo dogi to the specifications of the founder of judo.
The brand's logo, two crossed sensu (fans), was suggested by Jigoro Kano himself.
In 1956, after a visit from instructors of the Aikikai Foundation, Iwata began designing and making dogi and hakama specifically for aikido practice.
Still in business today and true to its founder's vision, Iwata Shokai is highly regarded by practitioners of Japanese martial arts all over the world.
Cotton in Japan
In the history of Japanese textiles, cotton holds an important place. Silk, used for Japanese kimono, still takes pride of place thanks to its superior quality compared with the other Asian countries where it is produced; yet cotton, also of outstanding quality, is found throughout the archipelago and sought after by its users for both its softness and its strength.
Until cotton seeds were introduced in the 16th century, ordinary people wore linen or hemp clothing, as silk was reserved for the nobility by law. Versatile and comfortable, cotton was to delight the Japanese. The introduction of the spinning wheel made production far more widespread; it became very much a local craft, organized in small workshops, first on the island of Kyushu, where cotton was first grown, and then in the warmer regions of Japan. Farm women did most of the spinning and weaving of cotton at home, for their own needs or as a main or extra source of income.
During the industrialization of the late 19th century, a few large weaving and spinning mills were set up in Osaka. Because of the cost of labor and raw materials, they could not grow very much. World War II destroyed every factory built since the Meiji era.
It is therefore small workshops and craft businesses that have endured, as is often the case with crafts in Japan.
The cotton used to make these Japanese dogi reflects this commitment to quality and durability: it is Japanese cotton of the highest quality.
Kinari Cotton - 生成り木綿
Woven from untreated cotton, Kinari cotton (生成り) keeps its natural ecru color. Kinari dogi must be washed once before being worn.
This first wash causes shrinkage that brings the dogi to the fitted size given in the size chart.
As the cotton threads are untreated raw material, some fibers may show traces of discoloration. This is not a sign of poor fabric quality; quite the opposite.
Tumble drying dogi is not recommended: it causes unwanted shrinkage, whether the dogi is kinari (untreated) or bleached.
Bleached Cotton - 晒し木綿
Dogi made of Sarashi bleached cotton (晒し) are made from cotton thread that has been bleached beforehand, which gives them their bright white color. These dogi do not need washing to reach the fitted size given in the size chart provided by the maker, Iwata.
This is the high-quality cotton that has made Japanese cotton famous over the years. As with dogi made of kinari (unbleached ecru cotton), discoloration marks may appear (this is rare). They occur on these rare fibers because the material was untreated before being bleached. This is in no way a defect, nor a weakness in the fabric. Quite the opposite: it shows that the material was not altered at the outset (by grinding or any other mechanical process), which is a guarantee that these threads will last.
On some models, a seam down the back reinforces the jacket and, since more fabric is used, keeps the front panels from gaping as much.
A chest tie can always be added to jackets (paid option).
Indigo Cotton - 木綿藍染
Bushu-Sho-Aizome (武州正藍染) is a traditional craft from Saitama Prefecture. The region has specialized in indigo dyeing (Aizome - 藍染) for 800 years, particularly in northern Saitama, which produces both indigo and cotton, and where farmers began dyeing their clothes with indigo because it was durable and easy to dye with.
The threads are dyed before being woven, which gives an even color across the whole product. Indigo starts out with purplish tones that change over time, finally settling into deep shades of blue.
Indigo also has mild antibacterial properties; it is a good choice if you may be allergic to synthetic products.
Indigo-dyed products release a lot of dye at first, so it is important to soak and rinse them after purchase.