FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs):
1. Age/Gender
Kendo is open to all ages and members range from our juniors at 5 years of age to some in their 80s. Juniors under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent/carer and signatures on consent forms will be required. Kendo is for all genders. There are no gender advantages and disadvantages. Physically, kendokas(kendo practictioner) are vary in all sizes horizontally
2. Do I need the kendo clothing and armour as a beginner?
No, you will need just to wear some gym / exercise suitable clothing that’s not restrictive to your movements (tight jeans, etc.). Please do not wear jeans or tight fighting trousers that will inhibit your movements. No footwear is required as kendo is practiced in bare feet. Please ensure you take your shoes off before entering any practices.
3. What do I need to start?
We will loan you a shinai (bamboo sword) for the trial period. A bamboo shinai appropriate to your height and age that we will recommend, bokuto/bokken wooden sword and a weapons bag. There are some suppliers offering beginners sets that include the clothing as well with more discounting. If you should decide to continue, you will have to order the basic equipment set of a shinai, bokuto (wooden sword) and the weapons carry bag that’s included in the joining fee.
4. When do I get the kendo clothing (hakama and kendogi)?
After about 3-4 weeks when you have learned the basic footwork, we recommend buying the kendo clothing (hakama, kendogi). It’s important in the beginning to be able to see and correct your footwork.
5. When do I get to go into kendo bogu (armour)?
Depending on your progress, this typically takes anywhere from 3-6 months on average before beginners get into bogu armour equipment.
6. Is there a trial period?
We allow 1-2 weeks for tiral period. If you are interested in learning more about kendo and seeing if it is something you would like to take up, please just come join us, though please contact us beforehand and let us know so we can prepare some equipment in advance. During trial period you need to buy shinai, the bamboo sword for practice. We don’t rent it for the beginner. Please ask for purchasing shinai.
7. What equipments shoud I need for practice at beginning?
At the first several weeks you will require just normal gym clothing. Once you have progressed further, a set of kendo clothing including the hakama and kendogi will be needed. Please ask us for beginner’s set. The club might have pre-purchased beginner’s set. It included with shinai, boken(wooden sword), hakama and ki.
8. What about bogu set?
Kendo armour or bogu typically are in the various range of pricing. Generally a 3mm (distance between each stitching) is recommended for maximum protection, although there are different designs that can offer great protection with wider or different stitching. A bogu set can last well over 10-20 years. The frequency of replacing this depends on the individual’s level, amount of excessive strength used and also the regular accuracy of the kendoka. The bokuto / bokken wooden sword rarely requires replacement and lasts a long time with proper care. Please ask us for choosing bogu sets before purchasing.
Kendo Etiquette – Reigi
POSITION IN LINE
Please understand your place in the dojo based on your experience. Seniorities are by age until you reach the first Dan rank. Shodan(1st dan) and Nidan(2nd dan) are junior ranks. Sandan(3rd dan) is the point where people are normally expected to start teaching or being a sempai. Yondan(4th dan) and above are normal junior teaching ranks. In the the ranks below Yondan, please cooperate with each other and share your duties as Sempai and other roles that you might be asked to perform at some time. If you are in doubt, please ask one of the more senior members. Line up in the order of your grade. Within each grade division, there is no particular order to follow though it is polite and respectful to offer an older or more experienced person your higher side. It is not appropriate to argue if a Sempai directs you to move. If in doubt ALWAYS make way for someone else, especially if they are a visitor.
ROLES IN THE DOJO
During seiretzu (lining up), do so quickly with the most minimal amount of fuss. It is not important to be overly concerned about your position in the line as there is little difference in abilities between someone who graded 3 months earlier then the next person. Ask the advice of a sempai (literally anyone who is senior) if in doubt. Each dojo typically has a sempai or most senior student to deputise for sensei – but in Japan this could be a Hachican Hanshi. In the West this is typically the next most senior student to the dojo leader OR whoever is appointed (Toban) OR is senior on the day.
Please show due respect to seniors and please do not argue with anyone who has higher rank. Kendo is only democratic in the pub and other social events afterwards. Inside the dojo, please be respectful to each other to the point of over emphasis. Better to be too polite than not polite enough.
If asked by the sempai to do something, please perform the task quickly. If the task might cause harm or distress, always let the Sempai know in advance.
DOJO ARRANGEMENT
The high side (komiza) is the once farthest away from the entrance and the Sempai will be positioned there. Everyone else will line up together after the Sempai.
Bogu, Tenegui, and Equipment
Make sure you really are lined up correctly first starting with the Sempai’s position. When seated at seize, the knees should be lined up and all the bogu should be lined up starting with Sempai’s bogu. The kotes should be positioned correctly with the open ends in front and fists pointing to the right. The men should rest straight and not leaning to either sides. The shinai should also be lined up at the tsuba on your knee level. The tenegui should be clean and folded neatly. Some dojos have the tradition to have the teenage over the bogu, others have it folded and inside the men. Please put these away nicely after practice and folded neatly.
Dogi (equipment)
All equipments(bogu set) should be in good repair (especially shinai), clean and fit for use.
Please observe also how to put your bogu on the floor correctly as well as how to put it away properly after practice. This also includes how to carry your equipment around the dojo correctly. You should know how to set your bogu up on the dojo floor, how to place doh and tare if required, how to lay out men, kote and shinai and what to do with your tenegui. If you are told to take your bogu off during practise, make sure you are ready to put it on again immediately. You should be able to put men and kote on properly in 2 minutes. This includes tying a tenegui rather than just making a hat out of it that is more appropriate for juniors. You should be able to put the whole lot on, the knots tied correctly (esp the doh) in less than 5 minutes. Time yourself & practise at home through guidebooks as you have to remember that you are also taking others away from their practice time to help with your bogu. During the class it is tempting to speak to or try to teach your partner, especially if they are junior in order to help them.
Please refrain from speaking.
Unless you have a mid rank grade (3-5 dan), you should keep quiet and call the Sempai or whoever is teaching in order to make any corrections. Focus on your own mistakes, not those of others. We all have faults and the goal is not to pass on the faults to someone more junior. Even then it is better to be quiet and attempt any corrections via actions. While you are talking, you are not listening and talking over a sensei is considered very rude. It is also possibly dangerous as you get the situation where no one is quite sure what to do and that is when mistakes are made.
About bogu set
We recommend everyone get their own bogu though rental is an option for those who might be hesitant or need more time to decide on a bogu. It is different with juniors as they often grow fast and it might not be economical to purchase a new set for 2-3 kids per family every few years. New bogu tend to shape itself into the person’s head shape on the men part. If you are a beginner ready to purchase a new bogu, the first suggestion is that you do not spend too extravagantly on the first set. After you reach 1-kyu to shodan levels in kendo, you will have probably committed to kendo and can look at a more longer term and perhaps more expensive bogu set.
There are without exception numerous choices in bogu equipment. Prices invariably differ depending on craftsmanship, material, country of origin, the supplier’s reputation and many other factors. Generally, the lower cost bogu will offer much less protection and not wear well. Consequently, this could eventually lead to the user wearing extra protection and thus restricting full movement. In particular, this includes usually having to use extra padding on the wrist or on top of the men which might not help in the end either with more protection. Keep in mind that if you decide to purchase bogu from an overseas based company, custom taxes might be added on top of delivery costs. We recommend prioritising protection, comfort and durability rather than the extras such as decorations and embroidery.
The selections of bogu is extensive and often there are many choices. One of the main differences have been the width between horizontal/vertical stitches on the bogu in millimetre (mm). Depending on your budget, a 2mm will be very long lasting, but sometimes can take some time to break into and get comfortable. The 3mm is usually a bit more affordable. Keep in mind that these are for the traditional horizontal/vertical stitching. The other variations of cross stitched, etc. are not considered here as they can offer very good protection but will not follow the 2-3mm recommendation in widths.
Most machine made bogu are made in China either in parts or in entirety even if it the vendor is based in Japan, Korea, the USA or Europe.
Deer palm is usually better than cow leather.
MEASURING FOR BOGU:
Please not measure yourself to get your measurements for bogu. Get someone, usually your sempai or sensei to else to do it so you can avoid delays or return hassles. There are plenty of resources available to measure yourselves with an online search or through most of the supplier websites. Each supplier will have their own chart for measurements.
ZEKKEN
We recommend that once you have decided on bogu to also order a zekken. The format for Evergreen Kendo Club is:
Top: Evergreen
Middle: Name or Surname in Kanji(Chinese character)
Bottom: Romanised Name
Please ask about the kanji. We can provide these for you. We require that all members keep the same format and do not recommend any extra decoration. It is better to show your good kendo instead. Please consult the senseis if you are thinking to add anything extra to the zekken/nafuda.