External Dojo Nameboard - Kanban

We were recently asked to make a external dojo name board for Bushi Jutsu Ryu, The club name was translated into kanji and a brush script font was used.

We reworked the logo in our graphics package and added it to the kanji

The production starts with a high quality curved aluminium profile that is used for directional signage in corporate buildings. The graphics are applied to a plastic substrate that fits into the rebate of the frame at the sides and then custom end caps are fitted.

There are hidden fixing points behind the graphic, to gain access a plastic suction tool is used to pop the graphic from the frame.

Current costings can be found in the relevant shop page please click on the button below to view.

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Personal and Shotokan Tiger Hanko

We recently manufactured a couple of small 12mm hanko, one was a traditional layout of a surname and one was a Shotokan tiger.

We were apprehensive that the resolution for the tiger may be too low as there is a lot of detail in the design, but we think it works.

If you are thinking of ordering a Shotokan tiger, depending on the application it will be used for it may benefit from being a little bigger.

Current costings can be found in the relevant shop page please click on the button below to view.

"Click" to go to - Hanko and Inkan section shop page

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Pagham KC - Logo, Kyu and Mon Certificates

We recently worked with Pagham Karate Club to update their logo and produce A4 Kyu and Mon Certificates.

They had an existing logo but it was of low resolution. They wanted to include a Japanese translation in the design. We updated the logo with the benefit that the normal rate for logo design is discounted when purchase alongside a certificate template.

New vector image logo

We incorporated the new logo, along with a club hanko into the designs for the kyu and mon certificates.

A4 Kyu Certificate

A4 Mon Certificate

So if you are thinking of updating your certificates with either a full or semi custom version just drop us a e Mail and we can start developing a graphic for your approval.

Current costings can be found in the relevant shop page please click on the button below to view.

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Custom Plaques

We recently asked our customers for suggestions for a give away, unfortunately the promotion is now closed but we thought we would share some of the suggestions and graphics we produced to illustrate what they would look like.

For these plaques the graphic design is now complete so the cost would be the same as any of our standard plaques. 

If they prove popular we will add them to our range.

To place an order just drop us a E Mail to sotosabisu@btinternet.com

Custom plaques are charged at a rate depending on size and amount of graphic design required.

"Click" to go to - Plaques and Name Board section shop page

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A gift to celebrate a new dojo

To celebrate a move to a new dojo a student asked us if we could produce a gift for the club. 

We suggested a fully customised "entry level costs small plaque" which is 350 x 200mm in size, a maple veneer on a mdf backing in our classic black frame. 

We took a look at the clubs website and borrowed some graphics, there were of a reasonable quality and did not need re-working. 

The clubs name was translated into hiragana - Sengoku Bujitsu Dojo. 

We fitted some brass mirror plates so the plaque can be screwed to the wall. 

Our standard range of small plaques are currently £89.00, with a little customisation there is an additional £10.00 charge. 

Custom plaques are individually costed depending on the work involved in graphic design. 

This one only had a £20.00 uplift as everything was straightforward. 

If logos need to be re-worked or re-created the cost would increase slightly. 

A good budget for a small 350 x 200mm plaque would be £109.00 to £129.00 including postage and packing to non-premium UK postcodes.

Custom plaques are charged at a rate depending on size and amount of graphic design required.

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Dragon Hanko

We recently manufactured an oval hanko which incorporated a Christian name and a image of a dragon.

A little different from a traditional layout, but custom is what we do best.

Current costings can be found in the relevant shop page please click on the button below to view.

"Click" to go to - Hanko and Inkan section shop page

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Hanko with graphic and kanji

We always like doing things that a little bit different. This hanko had a graphic and kanji. A dove symbolising peace and harmony, associated with Wado along with the kanji for Tozai (meaning East and West) and the ryu. 

It was produced in our standard club stamp size of 24mm x 24mm. 

We weren't sure how the detail on the graphic would appear on the inkan, but we were presently surprised.

 

Current costings can be found in the relevant shop page please click on the button below to view.

"Click" to go to - Hanko and Inkan section shop page

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Personal Inkan in kanji

We recently manufactured self inking stamps for use in grading books for an exiting customer.

They have a Nafudakake (Name board) where all the members names are represented in kanji.

They sent us the representations that they wanted to use and we made some graphics in both a round and oval format.

They selected the round stamps and here are the finished hanko ready for posting

Current costings can be found in the relevant shop page please click on the button below to view.

"Click" to go to - Hanko and Inkan section shop page

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SGKA Kyu Certificate

We recently worked with South Gloucestershire Karate Association to develop a kyu certificate.

They had a logo concept which we developed for them into a vector image, with the benefit that the normal rate for logo design is discounted when purchase alongside a certificate template.

Logo Concept

SGKA also had a basic layout that they wanted to replicate into a high quality kyu certificate. The layout was was quite a change from our standard template, but fairly straight forward for us to produce.

SGKA Kyu Certificate

So if you are thinking of updating your certificates with either a full or semi custom version just drop us a e Mail and we can start developing a graphic for your approval.

Current costings can be found in the relevant shop page please click on the button below to view.

"Click" to go to - Certificates section shop page

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Personal Hanko for grading books

We recently manufactured square self inking stamps for use in grading books for the Southwest Karate Association.

The work up in the graphics package

We translate the names and import them into the software. The font was then reduced in size and individually spaced vertically. The font was increased in width by 25% to "fill" the hanko and SKA was embolded and added.

The graphics for the individual stamps

The finished hanko ready for posting

Personal hanko are normally round or oval, but  our client wanted to use Christian and Surname and SKA. So it is a bit of a hybrid between a personal an organisational stamp. The Square format is traditionally used for a business, club or Association etc, but we like how they turned out and ideal for the clients requirements.

Current costings can be found in the relevant shop page please click on the button below to view.

"Click" to go to - Hanko and Inkan section shop page

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New Kyu grade certificates for Ippon-do honbu dojo

We recently worked with Ippon-do Honbu Dojo to develop kyu certificate.

They didn't have an existing logo so we developed one with them, with the benefit that the normal rate for logo design is discounted when purchase alongside a certificate template.

We produced a couple of variations for them to comment / choose from, below is the final certificate.

A4 Karate Kyu grade Certificate

So if you are thinking of updating your certificates with either a full or semi custom version just drop us a e Mail and we can start developing a graphic for your approval.

Current costings can be found in the relevant shop page please click on the button below to view.

"Click" to go to - Certificates section shop page

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A leaving gift

We recently worked with Selby SKC on a leaving gift for a special student who was returning with his family to Poland. 

Presentation Nafudakake

He had joined the club just after his fifth birthday and will be ten next month.

After completing nearly five years with the club he completed his 8th grading to 5th Kyu this week.

Current costings can be found in the relevant shop page please click on the button below to view.

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Square Personal Hanko

We recently manufactured a square self inking stamp for use in grading books.

Personal Hanko are normally round or oval, but to get a good "fit" for Christian, Middle and Surname  we were asked if we could design to a square format.

The width to height ratio and spacing have been adjusted in our graphics package and individually placed.

The client requested if we could design, manufacture and deliver ready for a mid July grading. 

The Hanko is in the post with a few days to spare.

Square personal Hanko

Current costings can be found in the relevant shop page please click on the button below to view.

"Click" to go to - Hanko and Inkan section shop page

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EKF Senior Dan Grade Certificates

Our Congratulations go to Doug James - 9th Dan, Ged Tumman - 8th Dan, Tomiyama Sensei - 9th Dan and Barry Tatlow - 9th Dan on your awards made by the EKF today, Sensei ni rei, Oss!

EKF Senior Dan Awards - July 2022

It was a great honour to be asked by the English Karate Federation to work with them to develop a fully custom certificate.

Doug James's - 9th Dan certificate

We did not use one of our standard templates for this project as the EKF had some essential elements that they wanted to incorporate. 

The certificate needed to be suitable for a multi-ryu organisation and needed to balance a Japanese heritage with a more diverse group of Associations.  

Ged Tumman's - 8th Dan Certificate

So if you are thinking of updating your certificates with either a full or semi custom version just drop us a e Mail and we can start developing a graphic for your approval.

Current costings can be found in the relevant shop page please click on the button below to view.

"Click" to go to - Certificates section shop page

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Belt Label Design

We were recently approached by an existing client to see if we could help out and undertake the design work for a custom belt label. They are looking at having custom belts made for their Association and wanted a custom label design to send to the manufacturers.

Belt Label design with Background

The embroidery will be stitched on a black material so we produced one graphic on how the end result will look. We also produced a second graphic which is the image for the embroiderer. You will note that you cant read the white text as it appears on the white background, but it is still there in the image file.

Belt Label design without background

If you are thinking about ordering custom belts and want some design undertaking just drop us an E Mail to sotosabisu@btinternet.com, There are big discounts for existing customers where we already have vector files of your logo and kanji.

Current costings can be found in the shop page please click on the button below to view.

"Click" to go to - Design section shop page

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New Kyu Certificates for CKA and ESKC

We recently worked with an existing client, Chiltern Karate Association to develop kyu certificates for both the Association and Exmoor Shotokan Karate Club.

CKA was one of the first clubs that we produced Dan certificates for and they wanted to use the same font as previous certificates. They also customised the paragraph text and for these certificates decided to go with imbedded Inkan for the Association stamp along with a phoenix border.

The Association kyu Certificate

The Club kyu Certificate

The finished certificates are identical except for the logos so we were able to strongly discount the overall order.

So if you are thinking of updating your certificates with either a full or semi custom version just drop us a e Mail and we can start developing a graphic for your approval.

Current costings can be found in the relevant shop page please click on the button below to view.

"Click" to go to - Certificates section shop page

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Custom Karate Dan Certificates

We recently worked with Shotokan Karate Norwich to produce their new custom dan certificates. 

Our congratulations go to Archie and George Smith on their promotion to Shodan, Oss!

SKN requested that we use a brush style font and incorporate their logo. They also chose not to embed the inkan into the certificate, but to use their own Hanko to create the inkan after the certificate is printed. We are happy to make Hanko for our customers when required, but this is left as a client option.

Current costings can be found in the relevant shop page please click on the button below to view.

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Logos

Helping out with logos is not a big part of our business, but if one of our customers wants a martial art based logo with some kanji etc it is an area where we can provide added value. 

Some customers don't have a concept and leave it up to us, others come with a concept for us to develop.

New Logo with Kanji and English script

For Ippon-do Honbu Dojo we created it from scratch and for Gloucestershire Karate Academy we developed their draft. 

The new SGKA logo

This was the SGKA logo concept

We often re-work a customers existing image into a high quality image that can then be used on apparel, stationary, websites and banners etc. 

Current costings can be found in the shop page please click on the button below to view.

"Click" to go to - Design section shop page

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A3 Karate Dan Certiicates

We recently worked with Martial Arts East to produce a Dan grade certificate. 

Our congratulations go to Ethan Ward on your recent promotion to Shodan, Oss!

The Certificate incorporated the club logo, a hanko with a standard block script font for the club and smaller chief instructor hanko. 

All the certificates produced for the club will have the recipients name translated into katakana, the Dan rank in kanji, the date added in the imperial calendar format.

Current costings can be found in the relevant shop page please click on the button below to view.

"Click" to go to - Certificates section shop page

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AKA Nafudakake

We were recently asked if we would make a couple of nafudakake for AKA members following their gradings.

Congratulations to Matt Powell and Dave Galloway from Applied Karate Association on your promotions to Godan.

The nafuda were made from maple and the kake from our standard black framing stock.

Current costings can be found in the relevant shop page please click on the button below to view.

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Monochrome Magic

A little montage of a recent project - A bit retro with the monochrome

Custom plaques are charged at a rate depending on size and amount of graphic design required.

"Click" to go to - Plaques and Name Board section shop page

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Super Sized Shotokan Tiger

We had to extend the workshop bench to accommodate this super sized Shotokan tiger (1380 x 920mm). In the photo below the frame is being assembled. 

Shotokan Tiger plaque

Our preference is the "Blue Tape" method of applying a controlled tension to the mitres in glue up. Once dried the mitres are reinforced with underpinned metal wedges and the plaque mounted in the frame. The frame will have mirror plates fitted so it can be screwed to the wall.

The Tiger is due for re-homing with its new owner on Tuesday

Current costings can be found in the relevant shop page please click on the button below to view.

"Click" to go to - Plaques and Name Board section shop page

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Club and Personal Hanko

A 24 x 24mm standard club hanko, the kana are katakana and kanji.

Also a personal hanko producing an oval inkan. Most personal hanko are 12mm diameter and this is like an "everyday" hanko for personal use in Japan and would normally just have the surname. 

We are regularly asked to produce a hanko with both Christian and Surname. There are too many kana for a small round stamp so we  recommend an oval design with dimensions of 16 x 11mm is used. 

In the West it is common practice to just use your Christian name on a hanko (the name you are known by). In the East people may have been friends for 40 or 50 years, but would still call each other by their Surname. 

Although it is not "normal" in Japan, I think it is much more common in the West to be known by your full name. When perhaps using just the Christian name is too informal and using a title and Surname too formal, a happy balance perhaps.

Current costings can be found in the relevant shop page please click on the button below to view.

"Click" to go to - Hanko and Inkan section shop page

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Kanban for Norway

As part of a larger shipment to a club in Norway was a Dojo Nameboard. 

We incorporated the Inyo, the symbol of the JKA and the text in katakana and kanji for Baerum Shotokan Karate Club and added their name in Norwegian at the bottom. 

A maple veneered board was used in our standard black frame.

Current costings can be found in the relevant shop page please click on the button below to view.

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Dojo Kun for Norway

As part of a larger order we were asked by a JKA club in Norway if we could manufacture two Dojo Kun that would be big enough for students to recite from during the rei.

Norwegian Dojo Kun

Our client sent us the Norwegian text for inclusion in the project.

If you would like to commission a dojo kun plaque for your dojo just drop us an E Mail to sotosabisu@btinternet.com

Current costings can be found in the relevant shop page please click on the button below to view.

"Click" to go to - Kun and Mokuroku section shop page

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Team Black Belt - Hanko

A little Hanko for Team Black Belt, kana in katakana and kanji.

Current costings can be found in the relevant shop page please click on the button below to view.

"Click" to go to - Hanko and Inkan section shop page

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Fully Custom Shito-Ryu Dan Certificate

 We have been working with Genbu-kai UK to produce a traditional format Shito-Ryu Dan certificate. 

Fully Custom Shito-Ryu A3 Dan Certificate

Apologies for a long post, this was a lot of work and we thought you would be interested in the process.

Our experience is very much  based in the Shotokan Ryu and we don't have the knowledge to provide script translations, but we were interested to see if we could be of  service for this enquiry.

Our customer wanted to keep very much to the style of their existing International Federation Certificate both in border and text. However, they did need to make adjustments to the issuing authority so it represented the devolved National Association rather than the International Federation.

Our first step - Establishment of authority to issue Dan Certificates. 

We do not "Police" the issuing of authority, but we do make enquiries and undertake some research to authenticate a request for Dan Certificates. On a small number of occasions customers have "withdrawn" from an enquiry when we have politely asked what we consider "reasonable" questions. 

As an existing format Dan Certificate we had been provided with a photo of  our clients Rokudan issued by Shihan Fumio Demura. The author of quite a few books that had sat on my bookshelf for 20 years! Our customer is recognised as the International Federation's representative in the UK.

We started by establishing the kanji used on the certificate so we could insert them into our graphics package.

右の者, Migi no mono means right person, the persons name who is written in the column on the right of this line of vertical text.

糸東流空手道,  Shito-ry karate-do

参段,  Sandan, 3rd dan

允に授與する, Awarded to

玄武会連合王国, Genbu kai rengo-okkoku, Genbu kai UK

We added the column for the imperial calendar date, changing the era to the new imperial era and added the Chief Instructors details.

The customer wanted to retain the border, but we could not source it anywhere. Our work around saw the client sending us an existing blank dan grade certificate, which we then had commercially scanned. We then had remove all the background and text to just leave us with a border. It turned out to be about four hours work in itself.

The kamon did not scan well and we could not find one on the internet that was of a high enough resolution, so we created one from scratch in the graphics package.

Last but not least was to recreate the hanko. Although we have searched for over ten years for a seal font we have never managed to access one. However, for this projects we made further enquiries in Japan and managed to access font from a Tokyo based font factory. The new Association kanji were transposed into the seal font and the inkan positioned on the certificate.

How long did it take? Well we lost track of hours, perhaps just as well because it would not be commercially viable to do. An estimate, about 16 hours over a 6 week period. 

Did we enjoying doing it, absolutely. 

The first batch of certificates are awarded.

Current costings can be found in the relevant shop page please click on the button below to view.

"Click" to go to - Certificates section shop page

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