An introduction to taking care of your wooden weapons An introduction to taking care of your wooden weapons A large part of being a modern Budoka is the ability to take care of your own equipment. This is especially true for wooden weapons. Proper upkeep is vital and can help Read More
In this week’s spotlight, we are taking a look at (and through) a brand new mengane. In particular, our brand-new High Vision Mengane which we recently developed. For those that don’t know, the mengane is the metal grill that protects the front of your face in a kendo men. Not Read More
Amongst kendo equipment, one of the most distinctive parts is the do (胴). This protects your chest and stomach and is made from two main components: the curved plate that covers the stomach called the dodai (胴台), and the piece that covers the chest called the mune (胸). In this Read More
We have another interview with Hayashi-san, Tozando’s most senior kendoka. This time we explore his connection with Kendo and how it has changed the course of his life. So, what actually made you take up kendo? It was the summer of my first year in junior high. At that time Read More
Buying bogu is often a daunting task, not only is it a significant investment, but information about it can be difficult to track down. This is the same for beginners and veterans alike. In this article we take a look at ten key things for you to check; either before 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
Takahiro Hayashi – born in 1978, from Shiga. He has never failed a promotion exam and became the youngest person at age 35 to reach 7th dan. Works at Tozando. Alec Bennet – born in 1970, from New Zealand. Chief editor of magazine Kendo World, Professor at Kansai University. B Read More
Kendo bogu breaks down into Men, Do, Tare and Kote. Amongst these components, the Kote are particularly known for wearing out the fastest. As a matter of fact, by the time you wear one breastplate out, you’ll probably have already eaten your way through three sets of gloves. The main Read More
Today, there is a tendency to wear lighter kendo equipment, including the do-dai which is the topic for this article. It is unfortunate, but the bamboo do-dai coated with urushi (Japanese lacquer) is in fact losing popularity. Synthetic do-dai (Yamato-do) or the do-dai made of fiber have become ubiquitous in use amongst kendoka across the world. Urushi is an expensive and time-consuming art, so it is eassy to see why it is not popular, it also begs the question, can lacquerware really stand up to being struck by a shinai?
