Shopper's guide

For senior members of Kendo, most of them would have travel to Japan, and training with the locals and have a good understanding of the quality of Kendo equipments. With the knowledge and understanding it is very easy for any senior member to understand the difference in quality in a Kendo product with just a simple look and feel. However, for most beginner's or those who does not have the opportunity to train in Japan, a senior person's advice could be one of the major decision factor for a member's purchase. It does not really take a rocket scientist to understand the simple requirements and after reading this guide, you will find yourself in a much more comfortable position to make a purchase with Sankei International and Sankei Australia.

Sankei's shopper's guide is here to guide and educate all customer's how to make the right purchase and exam the products you see online.

As a beginner, when you start Kendo, the first Kendo equipment you will buy is a Shinai, followed by a keikogi (top piece of a uniform), and hakama (bottom piece of a uniform), and a few month after your introduction most of those who continues Kendo will certainly move onto purchasing a full bogu set (Kendo armor: MEN, DO, KOTE, and TARE)

Here are the topics which we will cover in order in terms of buying.

1. Shinai
2. Keikogi (GI) and Hakama
3. Bogu

Shinai

In Kendo, a shinai represents the katana (samurai sword), in the ancient times when Sarumais rule the lands of Japan, a katana can be symbolised as the soul of samurai warrior, the symbol of mind, body, and the soul. As a simple example, like a dog tag of a soldier.

When purchasing shinai, the most important feature to look for are:

• Balance
• Size
• Safety

There are 3 major components to a shinai, Kensaki (the tip), Haribushi (the body, points to the thickest part of the shinai, towards the handle), and Tsuka (grip), see image on the left.

[Balance]

The Kensaki, Haribushi, and Tsuka determines the balance of the shinai, see the table below.

An evenly balanced shinai would be a shinai with a normal sized Kensaki, Haribushi, and Tsuka, and this type of shinai is highly recommended for all Kendo students because a shinai can determine the posture of your Kamae (fighting posture). For an experienced Kendoka, he/she will know the type of shinai to purchase based on their speed, waza and posture. For example, a quick Kendoka will prefer a shinai with the center of gravity closer to his/her grip to quick strikes (thick Haribushi, and thin Kensaki), and a Kendoka who strikes from Jodan would prefer a shinai with a thicker Kensaki, to speed the landing of this strike to his/her opponent with a heavier impact.

[Size]

Shinais comes in different length and sizes, and the general rule is that 39" shinais are used for males, and 38" shinais are used for females. However length is not the determining factor for gender use but rather the weight of the shinai, as they are generally different. Shinai for women are generally lighter than the male shinai and this attribute are taken into consideration in competitions. Hence it is very important that a person buying a shinai understands and acknowledges the existence of such rule if they are buying a shinai for competition purposes. Our website will ask you these requirements when you order from our website, so rest assure that your purchase is well looked after.

Shina sizes 37" and under are usually catered for children. Please see the table below for more information about the IKF regulation shinai sizes.

IKF REGULATION SHINAI SIZES
	Gender	Jr. High School	High School	University/Adult
Length	Male & Female	Within 37" (114cm)	Within 38" (117mm)	Within 39" (120cm)
Weight	Male	More than 440g	More than 480g	More than 510g
	Female	More than 400g	More than 420g	More than 440g
Diameter at the tip of shinai	Male	More than 25mm	More than 26mm	More than 26mm
	Female	More than 24mm	More than 25mm	More than 25mm

[Safety]

Other than pure carbon fiber shinais, all shinai are made of pure bamboo, a shinai can come in Keichiku bamboo or Madake bamboo. What is the difference? The only difference is the original and style of bamboo. A Keichiku is a type of bamboo that is commonly found in Taiwan, and Madake is form of bamboo that is found commonly in Japan. A bamboo is it's purest form looks nothing like a shinai, and numerous assembly process are required to transfer a shinai from it's purest form to a shinai. During this process, shinais are checked for its balance, surface finish, and moisture. In Japan, only shinais that is SSP approved can be sold in the market and used in competitions.

"SSP" stands for "Shinai Safety Promotion", and it was introduced in Japan to prevent unqualified shinai that did not passed the SSP protocol be sold back into the market through under registered suppliers that could break during training and cause serious injuries. All shinai from Sankei International and Sankei Australia are SSP certified. Below is a example of the "SSP" certified sticker which you can find on your shinai.

For all customers, it is very important to know that your shinai is SSP certified as it will effect the person's insurance policy if you injured someone during Kendo training in Japan.

Keikogi (GI) and Hakama

As Kendo has been practiced in Japan for decades, the average citizen does not even realized that Kendo is being practised in over 40 nations around the world. With this being a fact, and many foreigners are starting to learn the martial art, it is very important that they are getting the right size fitting for the Keikogi and Hakama as Kendo is about character building through the way of the sword, its appearance is just as important.

An excellent Keikogi and Hakama must be 100% cotton. Being made of 100% cotton, the Keikogi and Hakama will remain soft and it gets easier to wear over time. Keikogi that are not made of 100% cotton can harden over time and become uncomfortable to wear. The most important thing when purchasing Keikogi and Hakama is the fitting. Many of you who are buying Keikogi and Hakama for the first time will look at your seniors or research on the internet. From Sankei International's experience, no chart can accurately determine the correct fitting for a Keikogi and Hakama because the body shape and sizes varies too much in Kendo. Kendo is a martial art that can be picked up by people of all sex, ages, and sizes. The general rule in terms of fitting are the following:

[Keikogi]

• The sleeves of the GI must not cover parts of the KOTE.
• The Keikogi must allow the Kendoka to move freely.

[HAKAMA]

When you purchase from Sankei International or Sankei Australia, we will ask for your measurements, and confirm the fitting of your Keikogi and Hakama before dispatching it from our factory. With us, rest assure as we make sure you always get the right size Kiekogi and Hakama and it is a service that is second to none. Our policy is that if a size does not fit on arrival we will replace it free to charge. Feel free to contact us for more information.

Bogu

A Kendo bogu will be the most expensive item which you will buy during the course of your Kendo life, and it will be the most important item you will need. For first time bugo buyers it is very important that you seek professional advice and DO NOT purchase a bogu because it is CHEAP. When looking to purchase a bogu always look for the details and warrantee policy. If there is no warrantee policies then ask for one to ensure you are purchasing from a supplier that will look after your purchase for the next 3 to 5 years. Depending on location and currency, be prepared to spend over AUD 1500 or equivalent for a decent bogu that will last for the next 3 to 5 years.

There are 2 types of bogu, "tezashi" and "machine stitched", and both can come in great quality fit, durability, and life time. An excellent bogu is determined by the following:

• History of the supplier, how long have they been making bogu.
• The experience of the apprentices and craftsman.
• The quality checks in the finishing product.

The most common mistake people make is determining the quality of the bogu based on the stitching, a 4mm stitch is better than a 5mm, and a 3mm stitch is better than a 4mm stitch, and so on. This is a very common assumption, and it is an assumption that has truth in it but not the entire determining factor for superiority from one set of bogu to another.

A 3mm stitch is more expensive than a 4mm stitch because the stitching distance is smaller and will acquire longer hours to complete. The quality of the stitch will depend mostly on the craftsman doing the stitching. A skilled craftsman will put the right stitching tension into the MEN, KOTE, and TARE futon (padding) during the stitching process to produce a good padding. The closer the stitching, the more absorbent the futon will be to abosrb impact from a strike to the MEN, KOTE, or TARE when someone misses the DO. However, any closer in the stitching above 3mm, then the futon can start to become too hard and less absorbent to impact.

So who will buy a 1.5BU and 2.0BU stitched and above bogu if it will have a negative effect? The answer to that question is simply that with experience and constant training, a kendoka in his later DANs will become more skillful, and are less likely to get hit less. For experience Kendoka, any bogu with stitching above 3mm is the next level and commonly purchased by a Sensei or 5th DAN and above. This perception is not a rule, and sometimes it can due to financial reasons as well.

The equipment craftsman uses will also effect the finishing quality. For example, when fitting the MENGANE (MEN grill) onto the MEN, it needs to be complete within 3 hours (leather folded over the MENGANE and stitched) before the leather hardens. If this process is not completed in time, then the whole MEN will be rejected in the process regardless of the initial processes and start over again. Hence time and experience in this making process will great influence the durabiity and quality of the finish.

For a tezashi bogu which is all handmade the process will take a lot longer and commonly 1 ~ 3 months.

In Sankei, there a over 10 checking processes before the final stages of bogu completion. One of the checking processes of Sankei for machine stitched bogu is that we scan all MEN, KOTE, DO, and TARE to ensure there are no foreign particles in the futon (padding) that can cause injuries (e.g. broken needle tips from the sewing machine). In the past, broken needle tips have been found in bogu futon (padding) from external suppliers trying to enter into Japan.

Sankei Japan has over 30 years of Kendo equipment manufacturing experience and is the only recognised manufactuer with a team of craftsmen with the skills to assemble and repair bogu.