r/kendo

It’s been 3 months since I started kendo, and my sensei told me to buy bogu. I heard from other people that they bought theirs after around 6 months or so, and I’m afraid it might be too soon for me. I love kendo, but I feel like I’m not ready to practice in bogu yet. I don’t think I’ve mastered the techniques well enough, and I don’t want to develop bad habits by moving forward too quickly. Another issue is the cost, since I’m a student studying in another city, away from my hometown. They told me I learn fast, but I don’t know if they really mean it because practicing with someone without bogu during keiko can be inconvenient, since I’m mostly the only one without bogu. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

I came in a bit late for our last practice and I didn't really get enough practice in me, and while I was sitting down after class, our head senpai called out a girl and asked if she would like to practice more. She was like yeah let's go! And the spastic autistic me was like "I would like to join too!", and even though I did tell the girl to go first... yep... the girl left, and it was just head senpai and me, and we sparred for 10 minutes until both of us were exhausted.

Then when I went home and hit the showers I just realized the girl and head senpai were doing extra sparring a lot after class... and they seemed to be happy when they do that. So... whoops.

So head senpai, sorry for stepping in, when you call out that girl again after practice, I'll just practice with the uchikomi-dai.

Hello everyone!

I recently completed an annotated English translation of the 1915 Kenjutsu Kyōhan, the Taishō-era Army fencing manual that covers bayonet, two-handed sword, and cavalry saber.

I’m looking for one or two experienced kendoka willing to read through the sword chapter and flag anything that doesn’t square with his/her understanding of the underlying mechanics.

It’s a primary source translation, not a how-to guide. I’m specifically interested in whether the biomechanical descriptions in my annotations track with lived practice.

Please comment or DM with any interest!

Samurai League translator here! My friend shared the first Samurai League video a while ago, but I thought it might be fun to set up a discussion post about the matches! I spend way too much time watching and translating, and I'd like to spend even more time hearing about other people's thoughts on the matches. Maybe do a monthly discussion thread after each group's matches are posted? I'm a long-time reddit lurker, first-time poster -- if the mods think this is unnecessary or excessive posting, let me know and I'm happy to follow board rules.

Videos links are in the comments. Some questions to start off:

1. Which team match-up was your favorite? Individual match-up?

2. What commentary did you find insightful?

3. What do you think about the comments on shinpan-ing? Thoughts on video review?

4. If you do translations for seminars, etc., what do you find interesting/challenging/frustrating about kendo translation?

5. (For feedback purposes) Were any of the English subs confusing? I'm trying to find a balance between translating for a kendo audience while also making it "beginner" friendly, so I'd be interested to hear if you found them to lean too far one way or the other.

If you are subscribed to the channel, please note that English subtitles may be posted a few days late. Sometimes I only receive the video a few hours before it goes live, and since this is a volunteer activity, I have to prioritize *Work and Responsibilities* first. Most videos go up on Fridays, and translations should almost always be live by the Monday after.

Also, I saw a previous comment about how the AJKF may be reacting to the video review. The Samurai League is actually fully supported by AJKF! While I am not privvy to the backstage conversations, it's my impression that the AJKF saw this as an opportunity to experiment with new technology that can make kendo more "accessible" to non-practitioner viewers, without significant reputational risk since the corporate league (and Samurai League) operates as a sort of distant subsidiary.

Tipo tô sem grana ksksk só tenho a espada de bambu

I've enjoyed the first episodes on HBO. I especially enjoyed the scenes where they sparred with that gargantuan suburi bokken.

But the Kendo equipment shown both bogu and shinai looks fairly modern. I even wonder if the shinai even had plastic tsuba dome?

What was the state of bugo and shinais in the 1860s, how much did they differ from modern equipment?

Hi all I was seeking some advice.

I suffered a concussion during practice a few weeks ago. I was receiving kirikaeshi on the men and was repeatedly getting brained by the person I was receiving for.

I kept telling the person they were hitting too deep, to stop hitting so hard and to check their spacing. Instead of being hit with the tip of the shinai I was taking hits from three quarters down the shinai closer to the tsuba.

For the first 2 weeks post concussion, I had daily headaches and felt nauseous on and off each day. I'm 3 weeks post concussion (4 this week coming) the headaches are less frequent, their intensity is down but sometimes still varies.

I've avoided kendo, running, the gym etc as advised, the doctor said to stay clear for 6 weeks for strenuous exercise. I was considering going back to practice this week coming and doing suburi in bogu without the men.

I didn't pass out when I was hit, and stupidly I just thought I had a 4 day headache when it happened. I've not yet spoken to my doctor about returning to practice.

I'm just looking for advice from other people's experience if you've ever been in a similar situation please. I haven't even picked up a shinai since it happened and worry my confidence has been knocked.

A question I found myself thinking about is where is the line drawn between noises and speech in shiai? I gather that you cannot talk to the opponent, but I've heard people in tournament matches (and mostly casual jigeiko) use short Japanese words or phrases as kiai (e.g. れつ, よっしゃ/っしゃ, or in the case of casual jigeiko repeating the name of the target the other person just hit). Where is the line of hansoku drawn? Is it different in Japan?

I always use a custom bogu set that was made for women during both keiko and shiai. When I strike—especially men strikes—my arms sometimes hit the do-mune (the upper part of the do). I think it might be because my bust pushes the do slightly forward.

Has anyone else experienced this? Have you found any good solutions or adjustments that help?

I’d really appreciate hearing different opinions and experiences.

I have around on and off 10 years experience so i guess i do have somewhat experience. Shiai is also not new thing for me but in recent years i have may be able compete 3-4 tournaments per year. as i watched replay of a match i saw myself not doing what i should be doing instead felt more like i was fighting the way i fought when i was a kyu. i was chasing ippons and stopped looking for opportunities. my strikes became inaccurate and striking from far distance with excess force trying to force my to ippon. i know that the stress gets in shiai situations and me being somewhat over 30 still wants to go at it is not helping the situation. also attack is not starting from the leg or the core but from my arms.... generally struggling to find a balance. People with good shiai mentality and experience could you give me some pointers? how do you find the balance being not over aggressive but not too docile and bring out your best kendo.

Hi folks!

I'm getting to the point where I'm starting to think about buying my first bogu. I'm not in any rush, but a question has come up that I can't find an answer to.

I am currently on the larger side (understatement!) and I am in the process of losing weight. I don't know how long it will take me, and my weight loss isn't dramatic from one month to the next, but it is happening slowly. But, this does mean that if things go to plan, then over time I will slim down and potentially any do I buy now will end up being too big.

Is it possible to have things like the do adjusted to a slimmer size? Or will I potentially have to buy a new one when I shrink out of the current one?

I don't feel like there's much point me waiting until I'm slimmer to buy bogu, since I don't know how long it will take and I don't want to delay my learning for an extended length of time. I just want to know if I potentially have to budget for replacing bogu parts sooner than I might do just off wear and teark if that makes sense?

Any input appreciated, as always!

Hey all so ive been training a year now and I was going to grade in April for 4Kyu but couldnt because travel. That aside im making my 5 year plan (in life not just kendo). My 2 passions are sailing and Kendo so I'd like to do both. With the job I will start next year I will be traveling all of the time and not just in the US. I do still want to progress in kendo. I will spend most of the year on a ship or wherever the ship is docked at the time so I will most likely be able to attend dojos in other countries I also plan to train on my own (hopefully being able to record my sessions and sending them to a sensei for feedback). For the few months i wont be on a ship i plan on moving to thailand (for the health of my savings account lol). Enough background my question is how would you all navigate this for kendo progression? Would i need to pay to join multiple federations to progress? Should I just say fuck progression and worry about personal growth? Should I fly to the US every year? How would you all traverse this? Have any of you had similar situations?

Sorry for rambling

I finally got my footwork to sync with my strikes! I actually "did" and didn't think and it was amazing!!

Used kendo armor fits anyone 250lb and under. Comes with plastic face shield. Tare and kote lightly used.

Case not included.