Equipment
装備
Kendo is practised in armour, with a bamboo sword, in clothes shaped by four centuries of refinement. The tools matter — a well-fitted bogu lets you take strikes without flinching, a balanced shinai makes ki-ken-tai-ichi possible, and the indigo dōgi and pleated hakama carry meaning in every seam.
This page is the League's standing reference on kendo equipment: its anatomy, its care, and where to source it in Tunisia and abroad.
Composition
構成
防具 bogu — the protective set worn during keiko. Four pieces, each engineered to receive a specific strike target.
Men
Head & shoulders
Helmet built to absorb shōmen, yokomen, and tsuki strikes. The fit at the jaw and the spacing of the mengane bars decide whether you can see and breathe under pressure.
Dō
Chest & abdomen
Torso armour. Traditionally bamboo slats covered in lacquered cowhide; modern dō use fibre composites. The mune is often embroidered — a quiet expression of personal taste.
Kote
Hands & forearms
Padded gauntlets. The most-struck piece of bogu — quality stitching at the fist and a clean wrist articulation are what separate good kote from excellent ones.
Tare
Waist & hips
Waist apron in five panels — three large outer ō-dare and two inner ko-dare. The zekken at the centre carries your dojo and family name.
Sword
竹刀
The shinai is built from four bamboo slats bound at three points, held together by a silk cord that defines the "back" of the blade. Properly maintained, a shinai lasts several months of regular keiko; a split slat is an immediate signal to retire it.
| Size | For | Min weight |
|---|---|---|
| 36 | Children (under 12) | ≥ 365 g |
| 37 | 12 – 14 yrs | ≥ 410 g |
| 38 | High school · adult women | ≥ 440 g |
| 39 | University · adult men | ≥ 510 g |
FIK regulation minimums; competitions may add weight or grip-diameter requirements.
Apparel
道着・袴
Quilted indigo (aizome) cotton jacket. The natural indigo dye is antibacterial, bleeds for the first wears, and fades into the deep blue-black that marks practitioners who have trained in the same gi for years. White dōgi are reserved for iaido and demonstrations.
Pleated trousers — five front pleats and two at the back. Each pleat carries a virtue rooted in the Confucian tradition kendo inherited:
A thin cotton head-cloth tied under the men, absorbing sweat and cushioning the forehead. Often printed with calligraphy — a phrase chosen by the dojo or sensei and worn as a quiet declaration before keiko.
Iaido
居合道
Iaido is the discipline of drawing the sword from the saya. Practitioners use an iaitō — an alloy practice sword, blunt by design, balanced and weighted to mimic a real katana without the danger or the regulatory weight of a sharp blade.
Senior practitioners may train with a sharp shinken for tameshigiri (test cutting), under controlled conditions and only with sensei approval.
Maintenance
修理
Daily
Periodic
Replace
Purchase
購入
Equipment Partner
Equipment partner of the League. Nippon Budo equips Tunisian dojos with bogu, shinai, and gear sourced from established Japanese makers.
League members place orders through their dojo — Nippon Budo offers preferential pricing on bogu, shinai, and gear sourced from established Japanese makers.
Don't buy bogu before your first three months of practice. Talk to your sensei — fit is everything, and the wrong size men can teach bad habits. A shinai, a dōgi, and a hakama are the only essentials at the start.
The League does not sell equipment directly. Listings are informational; prices, availability, and import duty are the buyer's responsibility.
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