At Last…. My Own Kendo Armor Set (Bogu)

After waiting for about 1 month, it finally arrived. Actually, it should’ve arrived sooner, maybe around 2 weeks after the order. Because the set I order is pre made bogu set. What it means by pre made is that the set is already made with several common size,so by ordering pre made bogu set, we can get the bogu faster than if we order custom made bogu set. Unfortunately, my ordered bogu set was out of stock at that time, so the seller have to made it from scratch, thus make the waiting time longer. For the custom made bogu set, aside from the long waiting time, we can have the bogu size perfectly fit with our size, we also can choose the embroidery pattern on our bogu, oh.. and usually pre made bogu cost higher than pre made bogu.

Here’s what one bogu set consist of , with short description of each part :

1. Men (Head protector)

Protecting the head from shinai strike, but also the main target in kendo practice and match. Because of the importance, choose men that really fit with your head size so it won’t get loose during practice.

2. Kote (Hand/wrist protector)

Kote protecting from lower arm under the elbow to finger, and another strike target in kendo. Good kote made from genuine leather, but also cost higher than kote made from imitation leather. For ease of movement, choose flexible kote that fit with your wrist and palm size.

3. Do (Body protector)

This bogu part, give protection to chest and stomach, and also a target for a strike. There are a lot of characteristic for a good Do, but for a beginner like me, got to learn much more to know about it, heheh. At least, for a Do, choose Do with size that fit your body, not too big, cause that will hinder your movement and not too small, for that will make you less protected.

4. Tare (Waist protector)

Different from the other parts, Tare isn’t a target for a strike in kendo. It gives protection to waist, upper thighs, and your genital area. Tare also function as a place to attach zekken (a piece of cloth that show your name/identity).