TRANSLATION OF THE UNITED STATES CHITO-KAI CREST (adopted in 1994)

SUN: The sun is the cultural symbol of Japan which is derived from oriental mythology and is represented as the national symbol seen on the flag of Japan. Doctor Tsuyoshi Chitose said that the sun really belongs to all of the people of the world, and he hoped that through the practice of Chito-ryu people would learn to be friends and that the sun would someday shine on an earth which was at peace with itself.

CHITO-KAI: These Japanese characters represent the style and federation of Karate practiced by the members of the United States Chito-ryu Karate Federation.

ALL UNITED STATES: The name of the United States in Japanese characters symbolizes that this patch is worn by members of the United States Chito-ryu Karate Federation which is an independent organization.

CLASPING HANDS IN CIRCLE: The fingers clasping hands in a circle representative of the way of Karate. Many eastern philosophies professes the belief in life as a continuity or a continual flow, as seen in the mathematical symbol, the circle, a line without a beginning or ending. Within that circle lie two hands clasping in opposition. Where one ends, the other begins, continuously chasing each other year after year. The seasons are an example of contrast. Karate can also be like the seasons, hard and direct, soft and circular. It takes these two contrasting feelings to make a whole and, in the same way, Karate requires a person to be hard and direct, soft and circular. Only when a student has mastered these elements does he really know the true way of Karate.

Evolution of the United States Chito-kai crest

	The original All Japan Karate-do Federation crest used in the 1960's. The upper right says "Zen Nihon" (All Japan), the lower left "Karate-do" and the center "Renmei" (Federation)
	The International Chito-ryu Karate Federation crest used in the 1970's. The characters in the center have been changed to read "Chito-kai
	A prototype of a proposed international crest from the 1970's which was never adopted. The upper right says "Chito-kai" and the center "Karate-do".
	The International Chito-ryu Karate Federation crest adopted by the international organization after the death of O-Sensei in 1984.

Dress/Blazer Patches of the United States Chito-kai

	Blazer patch worn by Kyu-rank members of the United States Chito-ryu Karate Federation
	Blazer patch worn by Dan-rank members of the United States Chito-ryu Karate Federation
	Blazer patch worn by United States Chito-ryu Karate Federation Shihan-kai