This page is a list of notes and stores for buying kendo
equipment, as written by Alex Waters. WUKC is in no way affiliated with the
linked sites. Those who are new to the Kendo Club, if you have been to several
practices and enjoy kendo, please consider buying a shinai (bamboo sword). After
about a semester, you will want to consider buying a uniform.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes on buying a shinai:
1) MAKE SURE YOU GET THE RIGHT SIZE.
Gentlemen use size 39.
Ladies use size 38. (High school boys also use 38, but a boys' 38 is typically heavier than a women's 38, so make sure you are really getting a women's shinai.)
2) MAKE SURE YOU GET LEATHER PARTS WITH YOUR SHINAI.
Higher end shinai usually don't come with leather parts (the handle, tip, etc.) Lower end shinai such as those recommended here often do, just make sure you double-check. The Tozando shinai don't come with them, but you can select the option "furnished" to add leather parts to your shinai.
3) MAKE SURE YOU GET A TSUBA AND A TSUBADOME.
The tsuba is the plastic handguard that goes on the shinai, and the tsubadome is a ring of rubber that holds the tsuba on. You need to have these. Again, some of the lower-end shinai come with a tsuba and tsubadome, but double-check. Otherwise, you can get them separately. (Don't worry, you just need a cheap one, and those only cost a dollar or two.)
4) CONSIDER A SHINAI BAG
You don't have to have a shinai bag, but it is nice to have one to protect your shinai and keep it clean when you aren't using it. You can get a relatively cheap one for in the neighborhood of $10. I've also seen some very nice homemade shinai bags. This is, however, optional.
5) CONSIDER GETTING TWO SHINAI
This isn't mandatory. But, while regular wear and tear on a shinai is repairable, slats do break sometimes, and must be replaced. If you have one shinai, and break a slat, you're out of luck. If you have two shinai, even if you break a slat on each of them, you can combine the good slats from the two shinai - so as long as you have four unbroken slats, you can keep on playing.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes on buying a uniform:
I haven't gone blow-by-blow on the uniforms, but a couple of the websites have combination deals with shinai/uniform; and all of them have combinations with gi/hakama.
1) SIZING The uniform sizing on all the websites goes by your height, though some will allow you to send them your measurements if you're not comfortable picking your own size.
2) QUALITY For your first uniform, the cheapest one is quite suitable - it'll certainly last you until you decide you want to actually invest some money in kendo.
3) COLOR I mentioned this in practice yesterday, but get a blue one. Not white (unless you're a girl, which none of you are) and not black. While there are a few acceptable variations, in kendo blue is the standard. Especially for beginners.
4) NAMES The top half of the uniform goes by several names: gi, dogi, kendogi, keikogi. They're all the same thing. The bottom half of the uniform is the hakama. Of course, you need both.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The actual purchasing process
1) LIST OF KENDO WEBSITES
www.eguchi.net
www.e-bogu.com
http://kendoshop.net/eshop/index.php
http://www.tozando.com/en/index.html
Eguchi and E-bogu are located in North America, so their shipping prices are significantly lower than Kendoshop or Tozando, which are in Korea and Japan, respectively. However, we've included them for the sake of completeness. Kendoshop is the cheapest of all, but the shipping is expensive (unless you put in a joint order with some other people). Tozando has pretty nice stuff, so you may want to shop there down the road.
2) PARTICULAR SHINAI FROM EACH WEBSITE
a. http://www.eguchi.net/cart_take.htm
SH1 Ready to Use, Size 39 $25 Good quality bamboo, assembled and ready to go- all you need to add is a tsuba and tsuba dome!
Approximate shipping: $7.00
b. http://www.e-bogu.com/Shinai_s/19.htm
Complete Kendo Shinai with Green Traditional Bag Size 39 Our Price: $29.00
Complete Kendo Shinai with leather parts Size 39 Our Price: $24.99
Approximate shipping: $10 c. http://kendoshop.net/eshop/index.php?mode=sub&catedb=4/11
MUSIM $18 GENERAL USAGE INCLUDING A TSUBA & DOME
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes on buying a shinai:
1) MAKE SURE YOU GET THE RIGHT SIZE.
Gentlemen use size 39.
Ladies use size 38. (High school boys also use 38, but a boys' 38 is typically heavier than a women's 38, so make sure you are really getting a women's shinai.)
2) MAKE SURE YOU GET LEATHER PARTS WITH YOUR SHINAI.
Higher end shinai usually don't come with leather parts (the handle, tip, etc.) Lower end shinai such as those recommended here often do, just make sure you double-check. The Tozando shinai don't come with them, but you can select the option "furnished" to add leather parts to your shinai.
3) MAKE SURE YOU GET A TSUBA AND A TSUBADOME.
The tsuba is the plastic handguard that goes on the shinai, and the tsubadome is a ring of rubber that holds the tsuba on. You need to have these. Again, some of the lower-end shinai come with a tsuba and tsubadome, but double-check. Otherwise, you can get them separately. (Don't worry, you just need a cheap one, and those only cost a dollar or two.)
4) CONSIDER A SHINAI BAG
You don't have to have a shinai bag, but it is nice to have one to protect your shinai and keep it clean when you aren't using it. You can get a relatively cheap one for in the neighborhood of $10. I've also seen some very nice homemade shinai bags. This is, however, optional.
5) CONSIDER GETTING TWO SHINAI
This isn't mandatory. But, while regular wear and tear on a shinai is repairable, slats do break sometimes, and must be replaced. If you have one shinai, and break a slat, you're out of luck. If you have two shinai, even if you break a slat on each of them, you can combine the good slats from the two shinai - so as long as you have four unbroken slats, you can keep on playing.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes on buying a uniform:
I haven't gone blow-by-blow on the uniforms, but a couple of the websites have combination deals with shinai/uniform; and all of them have combinations with gi/hakama.
1) SIZING The uniform sizing on all the websites goes by your height, though some will allow you to send them your measurements if you're not comfortable picking your own size.
2) QUALITY For your first uniform, the cheapest one is quite suitable - it'll certainly last you until you decide you want to actually invest some money in kendo.
3) COLOR I mentioned this in practice yesterday, but get a blue one. Not white (unless you're a girl, which none of you are) and not black. While there are a few acceptable variations, in kendo blue is the standard. Especially for beginners.
4) NAMES The top half of the uniform goes by several names: gi, dogi, kendogi, keikogi. They're all the same thing. The bottom half of the uniform is the hakama. Of course, you need both.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The actual purchasing process
1) LIST OF KENDO WEBSITES
www.eguchi.net
www.e-bogu.com
http://kendoshop.net/eshop/index.php
http://www.tozando.com/en/index.html
Eguchi and E-bogu are located in North America, so their shipping prices are significantly lower than Kendoshop or Tozando, which are in Korea and Japan, respectively. However, we've included them for the sake of completeness. Kendoshop is the cheapest of all, but the shipping is expensive (unless you put in a joint order with some other people). Tozando has pretty nice stuff, so you may want to shop there down the road.
2) PARTICULAR SHINAI FROM EACH WEBSITE
a. http://www.eguchi.net/cart_take.htm
SH1 Ready to Use, Size 39 $25 Good quality bamboo, assembled and ready to go- all you need to add is a tsuba and tsuba dome!
Approximate shipping: $7.00
b. http://www.e-bogu.com/Shinai_s/19.htm
Complete Kendo Shinai with Green Traditional Bag Size 39 Our Price: $29.00
Complete Kendo Shinai with leather parts Size 39 Our Price: $24.99
Approximate shipping: $10 c. http://kendoshop.net/eshop/index.php?mode=sub&catedb=4/11
MUSIM $18 GENERAL USAGE INCLUDING A TSUBA & DOME
Shinai+Shinai bag
$28 Package item : Musim Shinai + Color Shinai bag
Approximate shipping: $28.42
d.
http://kendo.tozando.com/shinai/keichiku.html
Standard Shinai
"Tozan" Our Price: ¥2500
Note: get it “furnished”, which will add ¥500, and “not
oil-treated”.
Approximate shipping: ¥2540