Nafudakake
Nafudakake (名札掛け, lit. "name-plate-rack") is a Japanese method of displaying all the names of the members in a group by collecting the names on individual plaques called nafuda (名札, "nametag") and hanging them together in a specialized case called kake (掛け, "rack"). Nafudakake can be found in traditional art forms such as chadō, in modern art forms such as judo, at Shinto shrines (where they are used to display the names of benefactors) and in some modern organizations such as volunteer fire departments.[1][2][3][4] In English, the term is most commonly associated with Japanese martial arts, and nafudakake are commonly considered an element of a traditional martial arts dojo.[5]
Nafuda[edit]
Nafuda are thin, rectangular wooden plaques on which individuals’ names are written vertically in kanji or kana or horizontally in Latin script. The plaques are usually made from a light wood such as pine and hand-painted. The back of the plaque may contain information about the person's history in the dojo.[6]
The term "nafuda" should not be confused with the identification worn on the tare of kendo armor, for which the same word can be used.
Purpose and use of nafuda[edit]
Nafuda are used for different purposes in different dojos. In some dojos, nafuda are arranged according to rank, and a person's nafuda is moved upon attaining a higher rank, although other dojos display only the nafuda of yudansha but not those of mudansha.[7][8] In some dojos, nafuda are used to track attendance and in others a member's nafuda is removed for failure to pay dojo fees on time.[9][10] In some dojos, only the nafuda of currently active members are displayed, while in others the nafuda of past members who have moved away or died are displayed as a kind of memorial.[11][12] Some dojos display the nafuda of foreign affiliates of the dojo, but do so separately from active members of the dojo.[13] Some dojos display the adult and child nafuda separately.[14] In yet other dojos, everyone who has received a dan grade from the dojo is listed as yudansha on the nafudakake.[15] The nafudakake can be used to display the names of the dojo's lineage and style's founders.[16][17][18] In the Seattle Dojo, which is the oldest judo dojo in the United States,[19] displayed nafuda from early members help maintain the historical memory of the dojo.[20]
Design and placement of nafudakake[edit]
There is no standardized design for nafudakake. The nafuda may be hung from small hooks on the kake or held in place by wooden trusses.[21][22] The nafudakake may be placed in the shimoza (cosmological "south"—often the actual south wall) of a dojo, although it may also be located in other places such as the shimoseki (cosmological "west"), which in Daoist thought is representative of rectitude, or the proper relationship between members of the dojo.[23][24] The joseki (cosmological "east") may also be used, and if the arts of more than one ryū (流) are taught in the same dojo, separate nafudakake for both schools may be displayed.[25]
The arrangement of the nafuda on the kake may be very different from one dojo to another. Although Chinese characters are traditionally read vertically and in columns from right to left, some dojos place their senior member in the upper left portion of their nafudakake.[26][27]
The following example of a nafudakake is hanging on the west wall (shimoseki) of a Japanese aikido dojo. The dojo displays one nafudakake for instructors and a separate one for yudansha. In this example, the nafuda should be read right-to-left as follows:
(unlabeled version in Wikimedia Commons)
| nafuda (read L-R) |
transliteration "translation" |
purpose |
|---|---|---|
| 合気道無限塾 | Aikido Mugenjuku | name of the dojo |
| 代表 | daihyo "delegation" |
categorizes all the nafuda that follow as representatives of the dojo |
| 師範 | shihan "master" |
categorizes the nafuda that follows as chief instructor of the dojo |
| ジャックパイエ | "Jacques Payet" | name of chief instructor |
| 指導員 | shidoin "instructors" |
categorizes the nafuda that follow as instructors at the dojo |
| name | name of instructor | |
| name | name of instructor | |
| 指導補助員 | shidohojoin "assistants" |
categorizes the nafuda that follow as assistant instructors |
| names | 6 names of assistants |
| nafuda kanji (read L-R) |
transliteration "translation" |
purpose |
|---|---|---|
| 四段 | yondan "4th degree" |
categorizes the nafuda that follows as ranked 4th-dan in the dojo |
| name | name of 4th-dan holder | |
| 二段 | nidan "2nd degree" |
categorizes the nafuda that follow as ranked 2nd-dan in the dojo |
| name | name of 2nd-dan holder | |
| name | name of 2nd-dan holder | |
| 初段 | shodan "1st degree" |
categorizes the nafuda that follow as ranked 1st-dan in the dojo |
| names | 11 names of 1st-dan holders |
In addition to the terminology presented in this example, nafudakake may designate sensei (teacher), senpai (senior student), or any of a number of other positions recognized in martial arts dojos.
External links[edit]
- Daniel Rodríguez Valero. "La distribución de un Dojo" Aikido Alicante [Spanish]: blog post describing the nafuda at Kumanojuku (includes photographs)
images of nafudakake
- Photograph of nafuda being hand-painted
- Check-paid marker at a traditional Japanese restaurant that looks similar to a nafuda
- Photograph of the Nomo Dojo (kendo): nafudakake can be seen in the shimoseki, to the left of someone facing the dojo's shomen (i.e., probably the west wall of the dojo)
- Photograph of Yoshinkan hombu dojo with nafudakake in background
- Photographs of Seattle Dojo's nafudakake: nafuda from the oldest judo dojo in the United States: also available on Flickr
- Photograph of old nafudakake in the home of Shimizu no Jirocho; see also Ninkyō Shimizu-minato
- Photograph of nafudakake in which names painted on both sides of the nafuda are used to track attendance at a workplace
- Photograph of Aikido Center of Jacksonville's nafudakake: senior member in upper left corner.
- Photograph of Aoi Koyamakan Dojo
- Photograph of an Okinawan karate dojo's nafudakake: from its website
- Photograph of white oak nafuda with walnut kake from Shelby Shotokan Karate
- Photograph of nafuda that combine Japanese characters with Latin script read in a different plane from an Italian aikido dojo
- Commercial website showing a variety of different styles of nafudakake available for purchase
virtual nafudakake Some martial arts dojos have begun putting "virtual nafudakake" on their websites. In some cases, a simple list of dojo members is called a "nafudakake", but some dojos have used CGI for their nafudakake. The following is a list of examples of "virtual nafudakake":
- Example of virtual nafuda of a martial arts instructor and Directory of virtual nafuda
- Aikido of Pamplona website
- Tomodachi Judo Club
- Water Oak Aikikai
- Karate Taiyokan
References[edit]
- ^ List of flowers at a Japanese tea ceremony dojo
- ^ Draeger, D. Judo Training Methods: A Sourcebook Tuttle Publishing, 2011. See also Dalien, J. "Judo Etiquette" JudoInfo.com
- ^ Images of a Shinto shrine
- ^ Hill, C. reports seeing nafudakake in a Japanese fire house. AikiWeb.com Forum, 2003.
- ^ "Dōjō: The place of the Way" Shin Ki Tai Karate website glossary.
- ^ Herndon, J. A Dojo Guide; cited in Nafudakake Name board Shin Ki Tai Karate website glossary.
- ^ Bateman, B. reports that they are arranged in grade order in his dojo and moved AikiWeb.com Forum, 2003.
- ^ Re no mudansha, see example nafudakake of Mugenjuku Dojo in Kyoto mentioned in this article
- ^ Bateman,C reports: "he takes his plate down and puts it into a basket, and the name is subsequently recorded and the plate put back" AikiWeb.com Forum, 2005
- ^ Bronson@2:48AM reports that his iaido instructor takes down nafuda rather than asking for payments AikiWeb.com Forum, 2008
- ^ Clark, C. reports that nafuda stay on the rack if a "connection" has been made with other members of the dojo AikiWeb.com Forum, 2003.
- ^ Rehse,P. reports that nafuda are not removed after death AikiWeb.com Forum, 2003
- ^ Rehse, P. reports that his dojo has a separate nafudakake for foreign affiliates AikiWeb.com, 2003.
- ^ Herndon, J. reports having 2 for adults and 1 for children in the 1980s e-Budo.com Forum, 2007
- ^ Hackett,M@10:38AM reports that all yudansha have permanent nafuda, while mudansha nafuda can be removed AikiWeb.com Forum, 2008
- ^ lbb@1:14AM reports that his style's founder is in the top row to the left AikiWeb.com Forum, 2008
- ^ "Nafudakake" Aikido Center of Jacksonville blog
- ^ Harvard Aikikai displays nafuda for Morihei Ueshiba, Moriteru Ueshiba, and Mitsunari Kanai in addition to their club members Harvard Aikikai, 2001-2005.
- ^ "About Seattle Dojo" www.seattledojo.com
- ^ Svinth & Yamamoto have a nostalgic exchange in this forum discussion e-Budo.com Forum, 2006
- ^ Nafuda hanging on hooks at National Engei Hall Archived 2011-07-22 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Nafuda held in place by wooden trusses at a karate dojo
- ^ "Dōjō: The place of the Way" Shin Ki Tai Karate website glossary
- ^ Lowry, D. In the Dojo, reprinted with permission as "What Puts the Tao in the Dojo? Part 2" in FightingArts.com
- ^ Rodríguez Valero, D. "La distribución de un Dojo" Aikido Alicante
- ^ lbb@1:14AM reports that his style's founder is in the top row to the left AikiWeb.com Forum, 2008
- ^ "Nafudakake" Aikido Center of Jacksonville blog
