The Tare- If the Tare-obi is thin or narrow it will burden your back The thickness and stuffing You may think that if a tare is thin then you could tie it tightly to make a good fit. As it is not struck as often as the men or kote, Read More
The Kote- Can you correctly grip the shinai from the top? Kote-buton and the kote-gashira As with the men, the stuffing of the kote-buton is very important. There are many items that lack adequate impact absorption in the kote-gashira (fist) area, and so you should be careful. Any futon that Read More
As we meet the new academic year, there are many people who have just begun kendo, are starting again as school begins, or just want to purchase a new bogu. But what kendogu should they get when there are so many to choose from? For those who find this all Read More
Evaluating budo equipment can be very difficult, especially as a newcomer to martial arts. We thought who better to ask than our resident kyoshi 7-dan Hayashi Sensei: he not only has a great understanding of his chosen art (kendo), but he also actively works in product development. Let’s take a Read More
Correct Kendo Equipment Knowledge taught by Artisans Kote with low impact absorption not only hurt, but can cause serious injury. What are good quality Kendo kote? Many people will give answers like “You can move your wrists easily.”, “soft”, “easy to use” or “light”. Those are obviously points demanded by Read More
The kote protects the hands and arms. It has a meticulous design in order to protect the hands against striking impact while allowing them to hold the shinai flexibly. The basic structure of the kote consists of the kote-gashira (fist cover), tenouchi (palm cover), , and the kote-tsutsu (wrist cover). Read More
