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 Which is more suited for the glove-head – leather or Orizashi? Inside the glove, traditionally smoked deer skin has been used. For the glove-head, indigo-dyed deerskin or Orizashi can be used. There is also material called “yakko” which is a mixture of both. 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 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
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
Minamoto no Yoshitsune, Kenjutsu, and the Tengu The namesake of one of our most popular bogu, the Kurama Set is named after the highest peak in Kyoto, Mt. Kurama. I decided to visit the mountain and see with my own eyes what makes it special. Mt. Kurama is located North Read More
Kendo is tough – there is no escaping it. Your keiko demands a lot of you and doesn’t let up. Of course not all keiko are alike and some places are easier than others, but the very nature of Kendo is self-improvement and the results of your jigeiko are unambiguous. Read More
