The way of the barefoot warrior

Recently we completed a re-working of a logo for one of our established customers and thought you might like to see the journey of creation, the "logo-do"

It is a normal trait of the martial artist to do everything to the best of your abilities - "Hitotsu! Doryoku no seichin o yashinau koto!"
Our client has a passion and we like to think we share this passion, so we were happy to keep making small adjustments until we reached a final design.
Most clubs will use their logo for many, many years so it is worth taking whatever time is necessary.


Our specialty is being able to offer a translation and selection of kanji to incorporate into your design.
Although not our core business we do offer Logo design and support to our customers.
Our services are restricted to offering "added value" to our martial art customers.

If you have an old Jpeg file we can look at converting to a vector image.
If the quality is too poor or you don't have an existing image we will work with you to produce a brand new design.
Our specialty is being able to offer a translation and selection of kanji to incorporate into your design.

Once completed you will receive your image in jpeg. and pdf. file, we can also send it in a cdr. which will allow your sign manufacturer to produce it in any size with no loss of resolution, even the size of a tower block if you want.

If you are interested in commissioning a vector image logo 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 - Design section shop page

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Logo Design and Support

Although not our core business we do offer Logo design and support to our customers.
Our services are restricted to offering "added value" to our martial art customers.

If you have an old Jpeg file we can look at converting to a vector image.
If the quality is too poor or you don't have an existing image we will work with you to produce a brand new design.

Our specialty is being able to offer a translation and selection of kanji to incorporate into your design. The designs below in the rolling marquee are a mix of client images converted to vector or logos built from scratch.

Once completed you will receive your image in jpeg. and pdf. file, we can also send it in a cdr. which will allow your sign manufacturer to produce it in any size with no loss of resolution, even the size of a tower block if you want.

If you are interested in commissioning a vector image logo 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 - Design 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.

Dan Grades and Titles

In the tables below I have set out some dan grade nafuda and some titles that are commonly found on nafudakake.
The designs can be used across our full range of traditional, modular (MCN) and virtual nafudakake.
There is also the option to use about a dozen different fonts. Click on the "fonts" link in the sidebar.

Dan Grades
Shodan	Nidan	Sandan
Yondan	Godan	Rokudan

Titles
Daihyo	Shihan	Shidoin
Shidohojoin	Soke	Senpai
Renshi	Hanshi	Kyoshi

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A selection of Stamps for Denmark

We have recently been working with WTKO Denmark to produce a selection of Hanko and Inkan for  the Association, Odder Shotokan Karatedo Kai and Individuals.

We were able to advise on the layout and Kanji used for other countries we had prepared stamps for so their is uniformity across the association from member countries.

From Left to Right:

1. 24mm x 24mm Hanko - WTKO Denmark

2. 12mm diameter Inkan - Morten

3. 16mm x 11mm Oval Inkan - Christian

4. 12mm diameter Inkan - Jan

5. 12 mm diameter Logo Inkan - WTKO

6. 24mm x 24mm Hanko - Odder Shotokan Karatedo Kai

For stamp (3) we advised using an oval shape to accommodate the six kana used for Christian

For stamp (5) we were asked for a stamp with the WTKO kanji to be used for annual renewal on licences. We advised that the kanji would be unreadable at this size and suggested that they considered a simplified logo instead. We worked up a single colour graphic design based of the WTKO logo which was approved and went into production.

If you have a project in mind do not hesitate to drop us a mail to sotosabisu@btinternet.com, below is a table of our standard range, but we are always happy to accommodate custom requests. 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 to Hall St, MI, USA

I have recently been working with Mata Sensei from the Kyoseikan Dojo, who was inquiring about a Hanko for Grand Rapids Aikikai.
I was sent an image of what they required for their Hanko.

The first two lines read Grand Rapids and the bottom line reads Aikikai.
The first two kanji are the first two kanji from"Aikido" a relatively modern martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba, the last Kanji "Kai" means association.

I often exchange a few mails with clients to ensure they get the best design. In this case my comments were that a normal layout for a Hanko would be vertical text reading right to left.
The next comment regarded the Kanji for "ki" it was different from my stock kanji, but after a little bit of research I found both were commonly used.

Comparison of the two versions of Aikikai

Ki 気 is the modern kanji and the older form was 氣. This original version combined a radical 气 meaning steam or breath and the kanji for rice 米. Putting these together represented the vapour that rises from rice when you cook it; and this had connotations of life-giving or vital energy, with rice being such an important staple food. This old kanji is the one that O Sensei used in his own calligraphy. The modern version is simplified: 気.

Below is a table of prices for our Personal and Business stamps, we also do many custom sizes to match your needs, just drop us an E Mail to sotosabisu@btinternet with some outline details of your requirements. Delivery to the UK is approx. 7 to 10 days and Worldwide 10 to 14 days from approval of design and payment. 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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A Nafudakake for Ji-Sei-Kan Karate-Do

A short while back we were approached by Ji-Sei-Kan Karate-Do to commission a Nafudakake for a Christmas present for their chief instructor.
They wanted to incorporate the shotokan tiger, the club name and their instructors rank and name.
Wherever possible we use existing translations that an individual may have from a dan grade certificate or translation in kanji of the club or association. However on this occasion no translations were available.

Starting from the right hand side is the Shotokan tiger. We used a high resolution stock image and changed the colour of the vectors to red and centralised the design to the Nafuda.

Where possible we will assist where we can with translations and on this occassion we used the Kanji for Jisei which means "self control".

The instructor's name was translated into katakana which is the kana used for foreign words.

If you are thinking about commissioning a nafudanake please remember that our nafudakake are all custom made and take 4 to 6 weeks to produce. If you would like to make an inquiry just send an E mail to sotosabisu@btinternet.com with some outline details of your requirements. 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

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Walsall Karate Dojo celebrate 20th Anniversary

We were recently contacted by the Yudansha of Walsall Karate Dojo and asked if we could produce a plaque to celebrate the clubs 20th Anniversary.
We worked with them and produced a couple of designs.

The photo shows the plaque just before dispatch. The plaque was larger than most of our commissions (600 x 400mm) and needed to be in a single piece rather than in nafuda sections. We used a 12mm mdf board with a maple veneer and balancer, the board was sanded to 320 grade and a couple of coats of sanding sealer applied before it was french polished and the graphics applied.
It has taken a couple of weeks, very happy with the end result.

If you have a project in mind just drop us an E Mail to sotosabisu@btinternet.com with a brief outline and we will help you work up the design and provide you a quotation. 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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