Kendo is likely one of the most expensive martial arts a person can practice. Comparing Kendo to, say, Karate from an expense perspective is very much like comparing the sports of hockey and soccer. Hockey like Kendo requires a uniform, protective gear and an implement (stick). Soccer, like Karate pretty much requires a proper uniform and you are good to go. Of course this is overly simple but you should get the point.
Kendo equipment is not required for the first couple of weeks when you begin to learn. As the weeks pass you will be encouraged to begin acquiring necessary items. You are welcome to buy all of the equipment you will require before attending your first class if you like. You should likely ask your Sensei and Kendo seniors about equipment features, signs of quality and general considerations before making the purchase.
For the first couple of weeks you only need to wear comfortable clothing and practice in bare feet. Once you have learned the basics of footwork, you then will be required to purchase your first and most important item, a shinai. After you have a reasonable understanding of footwork and holding/swinging a shinai you can purchase a Gi and Hakima. After practicing for four or five months you will be ready to purchase a set of Bogu.
A shinai is your sword for purposes of Kendo. You learn to swing it as if it were a sword. In time you will hit the shinais of other students and eventually you will strike other students upon their protective armour also known as bogu.
Most shinai are made of bamboo although you can get them made out of carbon fiber as well. The bamboo shinai are available from different manufacturers and are made in differing grades of quality, different types of bamboo and with various balance characteristics. It is beyond the purpose of this document to begin to address how one should shop for a shinai and what points to consider. Buy a shinai that you can afford and treat it well. Ask for the opinions of those more senior than you.
No matter what quality a shinai is or what it is made out of, it is going to break eventually. Your first shinai should likely be a less expensive model since beginners tend to break their shinai more often than more experienced practitioners. A Kendo beginner might expect to go through two or more shinai in a year. A proficient Kendoist might be able to make a single shinai last more than a year. Your average Kendoka will own more than one shinai and will eventually develop a stockpile of spare parts and spare bamboo slats which will allow the purchase of new shinai to be delayed.
You can find more expensive shinai if you see the need. You may also be able to find shinai for a better price if you shop around.
A carbon fiber shinai will cost more than $400CDN. Experience seems to indicate that a carbon shinai will last maybe ten times as long as a bamboo shinai but it all depends on the individual. They will break eventually too.
Shinai come in a small number of sizes. Remember that if you are under sixteen years of age you should be practicing with a size 37. Otherwise if you are female and are more than sixteen years old you will use a size 38. Males older than 16 must use a size 39. That's the way it is. Your own height or strength do not have anything to do with selecting the size of shinai.
A Bokken, also known as a Bokuto are a wooden representation of a Katana (long) and Wakizashi (short) swords. These are used for performing Kendo Kata.
A student is not required to have a set of these until they begin grading closer to the Ikkyu rank but they may be purchased at any time before that point.
Only the Katana is required to perform Kata 1-7 of the tachi forms. The Wakizashi is required to perform the Kata 1-3 of the kotachi forms.
These wooden swords can be made of a variety of woods, some more precious than others. Prices will vary widely for a set of two based on the wood and design.
Basically, a shinai bag is just that; a bag in which to keep your shinai(s). Some bags come with handy shoulder straps. Others do not. They keep your shinai clean and help you look more refined than carrying a bare shinai in your hand.
Some Kendoka will construct their own shinai bag, others will buy them. Check to see if your shinai supplier will throw one in if you buy more than one shinai or maybe they have a special where you get a free one somehow.
Beginners can get by with a shinai bag that holds one to two shinai. More senior practitioners will usually have a bag which will hold more in addition to their bokuto and perhaps have extra compartments for extra parts.
Shinai bags are usually fairly inexpensive, if you can't get the one you want for free and don't want to make one yourself, expect to pay $10CDN to $60CDN. As always you can pay more to get more.
A Kendo uniform has a top and a bottom. This is the top portion. A Kendo Gi is usually a heavier than a Gi worn for other martial arts like Karate, Judo or Aikido for example. The material serves as a layer of padding.
Usually you can get a better deal on the Gi if you are also purchasing a Hakama which is the bottom of the uniform.
Gi are available in a range of sizes, thicknesses, fabrics and a limited number of colours. Prices vary accordingly. As always you can pay more to get more.
Most suppliers will provide a guide on how to measure yourself so as to purchase the correct size.
A Gi will wear out over time but you should get a few years out of one before you need to replace it.
A Kendo uniform has a top and a bottom. This is the bottom portion. A Kendo Hakama is usually a heavier than a Hakama worn for other martial arts like Aikido for example. The material serves as a layer of padding to a point but mostly, the thicker the fabric the better it looks on you.
Usually you can get a better deal on the Hakama if you are also purchasing a Gi which is the top of the uniform.
Hakama are available in a range of sizes, denseness of fabric, fabrics and a limited number of colours. Prices vary accordingly. Expect to pay somewhere between $100CDN to $300CDN. As always you can pay more to get more. You can sometimes get your name and dojo embroidered on the back of then hakama for an additional charge.
Most suppliers will provide a guide on how to measure yourself so as to purchase the correct size.
A Hakama will wear out over time but you should get a few years out of one before you need to replace it.
Bogu is the armour worn by the Kendo practitioner. Bogu consists of Men (helmet), Kote (gauntlets), Do (breastplate) and Tare (groin protector). Most people purchase their first bogu as a set. The price is usually better this way than if you purchased each component separately and of differing qualities.
It is beyond this simple document to enter into the steps to deciding on a set of bogu. Buy the best bogu that you can afford and treat it well. Ask for the opinions of those more senior than you. Contact suppliers directly and inquire as to differences in quality.
Most suppliers will provide a guide on how to measure yourself so as to purchase the correct size.
The sky is the limit for what you will pay at the upward end of this necessary item. Bogu prices in the multi-thousands of dollars are not unusual or unheard of.
Bogu will wear out after a number of years. Even a very basic Bogu should last a few years of practice two to three times per week.
As the name suggests, this is a bag in which to carry your bogu. This is very necessary since you might get arrested on the way to practice if you put all of your gear on at home and then traveled to your Kendo session. :) It is too cumbersome to carry all of your gear without a bag.
You need a bag that is at least large enough to hold your bogu. Some Kendoka have one bag for their bogu and another for their uniform. Other Kendoka prefer to carry one large bag that holds their bogu and their uniform.
Your choice can range from a purpose-made bogu bag, a simple sports/gym/hockey bag or even a suitcase. These bags are sometimes thrown in by a supplier when you purchase a set of bogu, other times you must purchase the bag separately in order to get what you really want.
This item is the head cloth worn inside your Men (helmet). It is usually a cotton fabric measuring approximately 30cm by 100cm with a design or Japanese kanji printed on it. It provides a small amount of padding but more importantly it absorbs the sweat from your brow.
Senior Kendoka will often have many tenegui in order to allow for time between laundry days. You should wear a clean Tenegui in your Men each practice.
Tenegui are often provided as part of a bogu purchase. If you wish to purchase one separately, expect to pay between $6CDN and $20CDN.
A zekken is the name and dojo indicator of the Kendoka. One Kendo practitioner in bogu pretty much looks like the next one, especially at a distance. It is for this reason that each person wears a marker on the front of their Tare (groin protector) that shows their last name and their dojo. A Zekken does not indicate rank.
Some Kendo dojos consider the presentation of a Zekken as a rite of passage. It indicates that wearer has not only become accomplished enough to wear bogu, but also that the individual has earned the respect of their Sensei and fellow dojo members such that they can wear the name of the dojo and represent the dojo well. Check with your sensei first before presuming that you should wear one.
Zekken are generally made out of a sturdy material similar to Hakama material and colour. One size fits all.
Your dojo may present your Zekken to you when you are ready, or you may be asked to order your own. Many dojos will have a preferred style of Zekken and might even have a dojo logo included in the design. The Zekken lettering might be silk-screened, decals, embroidery or stitched-on lettering.
Note: These prices are estimates. Contact suppliers of these items directly and collect actual pricing which may be lower or higher than the estimates on this page.
Price estimates are based on 2016 prices