This new limited edition Kabuki Kimo-Noh is a collaborative effort between Gawakoto & comic book artist and writer David Mack.

Gawakoto is a rising brand of really well designed and original fightwear which includes rashguards, grappling tights, shorts, t-shirts and kimonos. The mastermind of Gawakoto is Bong Abad a British/Filipino BJJ player and self-confessed comic book geek based in the UK. Gawakoto creations are heavily influenced by Bong’s passion for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and the Filipino Martial Art, Kali. He values and takes pride in his Filipino heritage, which is reflected in his designs. “Gawa ko ‘to” – a seemingly ordinary Filipino sentence means, “I made this”. 

This Kabuki Kimo-Noh is a collaborative effort between Gawakoto & David Mack. David Mack is a New York Times best-selling author of Kabuki. His original comic book creation ‘Kabuki’ has been translated into several languages and has been nominated for (and won) several prestigious awards including The International Eagle Award, Eisner, Harvey & Kirby Awards.

I was looking for a lightweight gi with a simple but also original design. Bong sent me the Kabuki gi, and I was really satisfied with the great service he provided me. The gi arrived at my doorstep surprisingly fast, despite living in Serbia and Gawakoto headquarters being in the UK.

Here are the specs:

1. 10 oz drill cotton pants embroidered with the ‘Kabuki’ & Gawakoto logos.
2. Ultra Light Pearl Weave jacket 475gsm.
3. Extra lines of stitching.
4.  Black & white art inside the shoulder and embroidered with the David’s original ‘Noh’ dragon at the back

GI WEIGHT (in kg) for an A3: 1,5 kgs

Sizing:
The first thing I noticed when I received the gi was how light it was (1,5 kgs for a A3) and also the nice embroidery on the gi. This would be great for competition when I would be near the weight limit. The gi came in at almost the right size. I just needed to shrink it a bit to fit me perfectly. The pants were also slightly bigger (which is normal). I washed the gi twice at 40 degrees and it shrink a bit just to a perfect size. I am 1m86 , 86kgs for an A3. The cut is slim fit.

Material and durability:

The jacket is made of Pearl Weave and a one piece design. Although the gi is very light, it is much stronger than what it seams. I as always, I put the gi to the test training with my Eastern European heavyweight training partners and it was fine!
The skirt of the jacket in size feels great , not too short and not too long.
The pants were also also fine and durable.

After 3 weeks of rolling everyday in the gi, it has held up very well to tough gripping of my partners. This gi is built to last and will do great in training and competition.

Look:
The thing I like about this gi is the combination of the simple/traditional and originality . The big dragon on the back looks really cool. Everybody a the academy asked me about the gi 🙂

Feeling when rolling:
The gi is very comfortable to roll in and I will especially enjoy this one in the summer when temperatures will hit the mid 30′s.

In Conclusion
The kabuki is a combination of high quality and great design. It retails at 120 Pounds or 142 euros on the Gawakoto site which places in the mid price range for BJJ gis.
I would give the Kabuki a Mark of 9/10

Pros

-High quality, light but strong fabric
-Strong stitching
– Greot embroidery
– Attractive  and original styling
– Strong Pearl Weave

Cons
– The gi is slim cut/fit. I personally prefer looser gis, but that’s just a personal preference.