Kendo: Armour and Training Weapons

Kendo: Armour and Training Weapons

In kendo, the armour, which is called bogu, is an essential part of the practice. To this we must add other accessories for training.

Remember that, to practice kendo, you need to have the complete equipment. Otherwise, you could suffer some type of accident, which may cause injuries and time off to heal.

The base of kendo

It should not be forgotten that the foundations of kendo come from the ancient samurai. The Japanese warriors of the past created various schools of martial arts to practice fencing. This is the origin of this noble art.

But it requires protections to avoid damage. Let's have a deeper look.

The armour in kendo

Although many consider it an armour, its real name is bogu. It is a medium weight suit that covers almost the entire body of the person who practices kendo.

Let us remember that, in the past, samurai trained with sabres, katanas and bows. Nowadays, we are more focused on protecting practitioners. Hence, a complete protective clothing has been developed.

Kendo clothing comes from the first masters. Thus, it dates back to the Edo Epoch, Toranishi, Kanshin and Ono Tadake, when the shinai was created.

The use of kendogi is important, just as judogi is used in judo. This is the martial gi style jacket that is made in the rice-grain style.

Training weapons in kendo

The most usual is the shinai, the long wooden sword made with four bamboo canes, which avoids injury with the bokken or the katana. However, the bokken is also used, especially the one made of beech, ramin, red wood or the new and resistant ones made of polypropylene.

You already know a little better the world of kendo and the use of the bogu, which many consider an armour surrounded by clothing. Are you interested in this martial art?

Image courtesy of Harald Hofer