Nafudakake for Ronin

It is not always the case that a martial artist is strongly attached to any particular group. 

Sometimes their grade may have been awarded by a previous instructor, or organisation.

If this is the case it may not be appropriate to add the details of the current group, implying that it had been awarded, or verified by the current organisation. It can also be just personal preference.

When this is the case the ryu can be added to the first nafuda. 

The nafudakake is read from right to left, so in this case the nafuda reading Shotokan and depicting the Shotokan tiger is the first nafuda.

This presentation piece was made from European oak in our classic black frame.

When there are no light coloured logo, black text and graphics are a great strong contrast to the oak nafuda. 

We believe oak also symbolises tradition, so is a very much suited to this type of commission.

Nafudakake in European oak.

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

"Click" to go to - Nafuda section shop page

Top Tip

If you are accessing this site on your phone you may wish to view the "Web version" and access the menu in the side-bar to navigate. Just scroll down for the link.

The Aikido Nafudakake

We seem to have had a bit of a run on commissions that are a little more challenging, and take a fair bit additional design time up. 

We were working with Maksym from Poland who was looking for a presentation piece to recognise fifty years of budo of their chief instructor.

It was unusual in a way, because it was important to capture rankings from four separate disciplines. These would normally be on individual nafuda, but that would overwhelm the piece. In the end we used a double width nafuda for the grades and disciplines and balanced the piece with two single nafuda each side.

We had to recreate the Aikido Aikikai logo from scratch as we could not find a suitable vector image online. 

We probably went a little "above and beyond" with this project, but at the end of the day we were celebrating a budoka with fifty years dedication. Worth a little bit of extra time on our part I think.

The nafuda were made from Canadian hard maple as the light colour is best as a background for logo, especially if yellow is included.

It was an absolute pleasure working with Maksym on this one, hope it arrives safely in Poland in the next few days.

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

"Click" to go to - Nafuda section shop page

Top Tip

If you are accessing this site on your phone you may wish to view the "Web version" and access the menu in the side-bar to navigate. Just scroll down for the link.

A Nafudakake for a Chief Instructor

A nafudakake presentation for the Chief Instructor of IJKA UK in oak and our standard black frame.

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

"Click" to go to - Nafuda section shop page

Top Tip

If you are accessing this site on your phone you may wish to view the "Web version" and access the menu in the side-bar to navigate. Just scroll down for the link.

A Nafudakake to celebrate Nanadan

A nafudakake to celebrate a recent 7th Dan grading, in European oak wrapped with our standard black framing. 

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

"Click" to go to - Nafuda section shop page

Top Tip

If you are accessing this site on your phone you may wish to view the "Web version" and access the menu in the side-bar to navigate. Just scroll down for the link.

Grading Nafudakake

A nafudakake to celebrate a recent grading, in American Cherry wrapped with our standard black framing. 

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

"Click" to go to - Nafuda section shop page

Top Tip

If you are accessing this site on your phone you may wish to view the "Web version" and access the menu in the side-bar to navigate. Just scroll down for the link.

Celebrating forty-five years of karate

We were commissioned to make a nafudakake presentation piece to celebrate the recipients forty-five year milestone in their karate journey to date. 

There is always so much to capture and after a bit of drafting we submitted a proposal graphic to our client. 

We wanted to use a special hardwood and suggested that we use a quarter-sawn oak. 

This was the last four nafuda of this material that we had and we were hanging onto them for about five years waiting for an appropriate project. 

We understand that the presentation was made a short while ago and we were humbled to receive a communication of thanks from Derek Sensei. 

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

"Click" to go to - Nafuda section shop page

Top Tip

If you are accessing this site on your phone you may wish to view the "Web version" and access the menu in the side-bar to navigate. Just scroll down for the link.

A Nafufudakake presentation to celebrate 50 years

We were recently asked if we would make a nafudakake for Hara Shotokan to celebrate their instructors 50 year anniversary.

The Nafuda are Maple and it is wrapped in our standard black framing stock.

Congratulations Ken Button Sensei.

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

"Click" to go to - Nafuda section shop page

Top Tip

If you are accessing this site on your phone you may wish to view the "Web version" and access the menu in the side-bar to navigate. Just scroll down for the link.

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.

"Click" to go to - Nafuda section shop page

Top Tip

If you are accessing this site on your phone you may wish to view the "Web version" and access the menu in the side-bar to navigate. Just scroll down for the link.

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.

"Click" to go to - Nafuda section shop page

Top Tip

If you are accessing this site on your phone you may wish to view the "Web version" and access the menu in the side-bar to navigate. Just scroll down for the link.

Ever popular Nafudakake

We were recently asked if we would make a nafudakake for an individual.

For many people, our lives take us all over and it is not always possible to train with a single Association or Dojo.

The first nafuda  (reading right to left) is usually the Association or Club, but for this one we were asked to put the Inyo and kanji for Shotokan.

 The nafuda were made from Canadian maple and wrapped in our standard black frame.

I think this is ideal for any 浪人 "Ronin", what do you think?

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

"Click" to go to - Nafuda section shop page

Top Tip

If you are accessing this site on your phone you may wish to view the "Web version" and access the menu in the side-bar to navigate. Just scroll down for the link.

BJJ Family plaque

Here we have a BJJ Christmas pressie, a family plaque.

Our client has always appreciated our plaques and wondered if we could make a nafudakake for his Son-in-Law / Grandchild. 

He was looking to have the names translated into kana as our normal plaques, but we suggested this may not be the best way forward. BJJ is not Japanese based and as far as I am aware has a belt system rather than an Eastern style rank system.

So what we came up with was  leaving the names in English text, changing the orientation by 90 degrees and depicting the Blue and Grey Stripe belt behind the names.

Apologies for not having a better piccy of the finished plaque.

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

"Click" to go to - Nafuda section shop page

Top Tip

If you are accessing this site on your phone you may wish to view the "Web version" and access the menu in the side-bar to navigate. Just scroll down for the link.

An anniversary gift

We are just catching up with a few posts from the Christmas order book.

Here we have an anniversary gift celebrating 25 years, made from maple nafuda (perhaps it should have been silver) in our standard black frame. 

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

"Click" to go to - Nafuda section shop page

Top Tip

If you are accessing this site on your phone you may wish to view the "Web version" and access the menu in the side-bar to navigate. Just scroll down for the link.

An Instructor's gift

 We were recently asked to make a Nafudakake for a visiting instructor, the club chose oak nafuda in our standard black frame. 

We understand that the recipient was really pleased with the gift, always nice to receive positive feedback.

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

"Click" to go to - Nafuda section shop page

Top Tip

If you are accessing this site on your phone you may wish to view the "Web version" and access the menu in the side-bar to navigate. Just scroll down for the link.

Happy 10th Anniversary Harrow

 We were recently asked to make a Nafudakake for the instructor of JKS Harrow to celebrate ten years in the life of the dojo.

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

"Click" to go to - Nafuda section shop page

Top Tip

If you are accessing this site on your phone you may wish to view the "Web version" and access the menu in the side-bar to navigate. Just scroll down for the link.

Something special for a rock

I had a call recently from an existing client who wanted something special to award his senior grade Sensei who had been with him for fifteen years and "been a rock."
He wanted to include a dedication to service, ideally in kanji.

We don't do translations of free text per se, but we suggested incorporating a Yojijukugo, a four character ideogram. Below is the graphic design sent to our client.

 

The Yojijukugo we selected was Ikki tousen which translates to having the capacity equal to one thousand warriors. Below is a photo of the finished commission, maple nafuda in a black kake. The very light coloured hardwoods are best for lighter colours, especially the orange in the school logo.

If you have a project in mind, feel free to drop us a 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 - Nafuda section shop page

Top Tip

If you are accessing this site on your phone you may wish to view the "Web version" and access the menu in the side-bar to navigate. Just scroll down for the link.

Nafudakake for Kimochi Ryu

Just before Christmas we completed a nafudakake, a gift for Kimochi Ryu's Instructor Ian Edward's.
The timeline was a little tight, but we got it there on time.

We complete a graphic design and send it to the client for approval prior to production.

After approval it was put into production, maple nafuda in the black kake is a striking contrast.

If you have a project in mind just drop us a 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 - Nafuda section shop page

Top Tip
If you are accessing this site on your phone you may wish to view the "Web version" and access the menu in the side-bar to navigate. Just scroll down for the link.

Nafudakake for Tividale Shotokan Karate Club

We recently produced a Nafudakake for Tividale Shotokan Karate club for their instructor Leslie Knight.
The Oak tiles were sawn and planed to size, sanded and then french polished.

Next the graphics are applied.

The frame is prepared

and then assembled

Even the back looks good :-)

We had to reproduce the logo from scratch because the one supplied was of a poor quality, it is about 99.5% perfect to the original. (but better resolution)

The completed Nafudakake.

If you have a project in mind just drop us a 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 - Nafuda section shop page

Top Tip
If you are accessing this site on your phone you may wish to view the "Web version" and access the menu in the side-bar to navigate. Just scroll down for the link.

Nafudakake for Applied Karate Association

A  few weeks ago we completed a pair of Nafudakake for the Applied Karate Association.

It is great to get repeat orders from clients and this time it was presentation pieces for two Godan, Chris Carr and Emma Williams.

The ever popular maple tiles in a black frame combination was selected for the commission.

If you have a project in mind 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 - Nafuda section shop page

Top Tip
If you are accessing this site on your phone you may wish to view the "Web version" and access the menu in the side-bar to navigate. Just scroll down for the link.

Sanjo Nafudakake

Back in the Summer we supported a prize raffle at the HDKI Annual Female Only Competition.

The voucher was won by the instructors of Sanjo Karate Club who put it towards a Nafudakake with their names and the club logo.

Sandra selected oak tiles in an oak frame for the commission.

If you have a project in mind 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 - Nafuda section shop page

Top Tip
If you are accessing this site on your phone you may wish to view the "Web version" and access the menu in the side-bar to navigate. Just scroll down for the link.

Wild Boar Nafudakake

It is always a honour to be asked by a dojo to produce a nafudakake for someone I know and have trained alongside for many years.

Proof sent for approval

 Bradford is the town of the wild boar and Robin is their senior instructor, who has recently been promoted to Yondan.

the completed commission

A heavy style font was selected and the nafuda tiles are made from maple and wrapped in a black kake (frame).
Soto Sabisu would like to offer their congratulations to Robin Sensei.

If you have a project in mind 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 - Nafuda section shop page

Top Tip
If you are accessing this site on your phone you may wish to view the "Web version" and access the menu in the side-bar to navigate. Just scroll down for the link.