The tare prevents the shinai from striking the hips or in vital parts. Often when you try and strike the do you can miss and strike the hips. The tare absorbs the impact, and allows for safer practice. The tare consists of 3 big flaps called odare and 2 smaller 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
Kendo of course requires physical strength but also mental strength. There are many ways to train up your mentality, but the most basic level is mannerisms. This relates to other martial arts too, but it all “begins and ends with manners”. If you are aiming to be a strong kenshi, Read More
In kendo, the do is used to protect the body. The do covers the body from the stomach up to the chest, and is rich in design. There are all kinds of embroidery and colors, which makes the do the easiest part of kendo equipment to express individuality. The do Read More
A-1 Alpha picks up from where our A-1 leaves off. Light, easy to use and optimized for training These are the concepts that the legendary A-1 Series Bogu were built upon. As a collaboration between Tozando and Kanagawa Hakkodo, the A-1 concept was further refined and the new A-1 Alpha Read More
In kendo equipment, the men is used to protect the head and the throat. The men, apparently, was first made by a man named Naganuma Shirozaemon Kunisato. Naganuma and his father Yamada Mitsunori were trying to develop equipment such as the men and kote so that kenshi could strike each Read More
In Japanese Budo such as kendo, judo, kyudo, there are levels named “kyu” and “dan”. Each has its own characteristic, but many people wonder what the difference is between the two. Kyu is a word that describes the quality or the condition of objects as in “ikkyuhin”, “nikyuhin” and “sankyuhin” Read More
In today’s article we are looking at how we can work on our training outside of our regular dojo. If you are struggling to make it to regular training and want some ideas on how to make it up outside of the dojo then this is the article for you. Read More
In sports, many believe that breathing is important, and that is the same in Japanese Budo. Moving in the rhythm of your breathing gives your greater strength and speed, and brings out the best of your abilities. Moving with your breathing is necessary for a high level of performance. There Read More
In this article we take a look at how to take care of your iaito and keep it in good condition. Caring for your equipment is an important part of budo after-all! The iaito is a sword designed specifically for practicing iaido and uses an alloy blade instead of a Read More
