This is the second part of my bogu review for E-Kendo! After around a month and a half of waiting, I finally received my huge package in the mail. To remind you, I ordered the 4mm/2mm custom bogu set with a blue do (D06) and red mune embroidery (M25) both of which came free. It did take a little while for them to order in and alter the parts to fit the measurements I provided, but once it left the Korean warehouse it reached Canada within 4-5 days.

I finally brought it to class to try it out and was very pleased! Everything seemed to fit quite well – it’s all still a little stiff but just needs to be broken into. The men is awesome – the 2mm stitching protected my head quite well. I could feel hits but they weren’t painful for the most part – there were a couple of times I would flinch and duck my head, consequently receiving a blow to the back, but that was my fault .

I cannot believe how soft the kote palms are! E-Kendo doesn’t state whether the palms are made of synthetic material or leather, but it’s very, very comfortable.

The do was gorgeous, I was worried that the blue would be too bright (and it is in my dojo, everyone has much darker/subtle dos) but I love it. If I were to order again I would probably pay the $10 to upgrade to the fake plastic bamboo on the inside. I think that would make it a little more sturdy and make it look nicer.

I believe the tare they sent was meant for a junior (I’m small and they sent me a L tare, so I can only assume!). It’s a tiny bit big on me but does what it’s supposed to. Now all I need is a zekken!

The provided tenugui is BIG (compared to my other tenugui at least!) and the fabric feels a little thicker. It has kanji printed on it that I believe says ‘Shadow Sword’. It looks quite classy.

The free bogu bag is very helpful as well, there’s lots of room inside and it easily fits a hakama/gi along with the bogu. It comes with a strap, so you can sling it on your shoulder or carry it on your side. However after lugging it around not even a block I’m already wishing it had wheels!

The total cost for everything, including conversion rates from Korean to Canadian, shipping, the price of an extra tenugui/do buttons/kote and men protector and customs came to just under $500CAN.

Pictures speak larger than words, so below is a gallery containing a bunch of photos taken of a bunch of different angles. Have fun perusing!

Bogu Photo Gallery

Surfing the net today I came across this set of bogu that some crazily skilled person painted. It probably wouldn’t last long in the dojo and I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing it (is there a louder way to scream ‘TARGET’?) but what a work of art!

Yeah this should probably be hung up in a living room somewhere. Epic.

I don’t know who painted it so if anyone recognizes this work let me know and I’ll credit them!

Speaking of bogu, my order from e-kendo arrived last week! Unfortunately I’m not currently in posession of my camera (it’ll be returned to me soon) so expect a review shortly.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/liuvincent/ / CC BY 2.0

I took up Kendo about six months ago (it’s known colloquially as Japanese fencing). I’m not a fit person by any means – it’s the first sport-like activity I’ve ever tried IN MY LIFE – but I really enjoy it even though I sometimes find it difficult!

After six months of practising basic footwork and swings, I am nearly ready to don armour (Bogu) and re-learn it all again . Our club unfortunately does not have club bogu for newbies, but I had the chance to try the bogu of a fellow kendoka and even though I winced at each kote strike it got me very excited!

After a LOT of searching online, comparison shopping and research, I decided to order my bogu from E-Kendo.com. I found it considerably difficult to find any online reviews of this place (actually reviews for other major Kendo suppliers are also lacking) so I thought that I would chronicle my purchase online to help anyone else who might be looking at bogu!

I didn’t have a lot of money to plunk down for bogu, and it can get quite pricey. I’ve heard many stories of people quitting shortly after getting into bogu, and while I hope I won’t be added to that statistic buying a cheaper first set would soften the blow. I also wanted to balance price with something of a decent stitch length, as I’ve been told that 6mm will probably fall apart pretty quickly. And to top it off, I wanted a colored do with pretty mune stitching (what can I say, I’m a girl!). I was a little concerned at getting something personalized, as anything too bright and colourful can be frowned upon by traditionalists. However after talking to some higher-ranked kendoka who completely supported this choice and finding out that these personalizations are more acceptable in the West, I decided to get a pretty do!

Because of these reasons, I ordered my bogu set from E-Kendo.com. Specifically, the 4/2mm Machine Stitched Bogu Set. It had many advantages:

the bogu set I'm ordering!

• decent 4mm stitching with 2mm at the men and tare
• good price at just $315
• custom! in that you can provide your body’s measurements and they will make sure the bogu fits you precisely
• FREE mune embroidery choice (some complicated patterns are a little extra)
• FREE do color choice (some fancier designs are a little extra)
• come with free extras: himo set, bogu bag(!), men leather, and a tenugui

small sample of some do colours!

The customer service was excellent! I communicated with one person via email, and though the time zones are quite different he was very quick to respond to any of my inquiries. There is a language barrier though, and the engrish may make it difficult to decipher a response. However I had no problems sending follow-up emails to clarify.

I ended up asking if they stocked smaller do sizes, as the size they display on their site would be a little too large on me. He told me to send him my waist and height measurements and that he would take care of it. He even entertained my request for white do-himo (I wear a white gi and the navy do-himo would definitely leave stripes all over it). I also made a gutsy move and asked if he could send an extra free kote pair (Kendoshop.com, a competitor, is running a sale where they are offering an extra kote set with each bogu purchase, and I asked if he would be able to match that). He said yes! Fantastic!

The only downside so far is the expensive shipping, priced at around $90.00 for a bogu set. However even factoring this in, it still comes out cheaper when compared to other suppliers (and I have yet to find anyone else who offers free do and mune customizations! Haha this is obviously a big deal for me ). The order process is pretty painless, you’re able to pay by Paypal or credit card (make sure you allow pop-ups). Don’t bother setting up your order in advance though, it seems that your shopping cart automatically empties every night.

So as of now the order is in and I’m assuming the various parts of the bogu are being collected and customized. This process should take around 5-7 days before it’s shipped. I’ll keep you updated on the process, and will especially let you know how badly I get dinged for customs (I live in Canada, they’re shipping from Korea). This was something that was difficult to find on Google - I found one thread where the customs charge ranged from $40-$120, so I have my fingers crossed!

Obviously I’m no Kendo expert as this is my first set of bogu, so I’ll be sure to post many pictures when I get it so you can judge the quality for yourself. I’m so ridiculously excited (as I’m sure anyone else who’s done Kendo can remember – oh that first bogu set!!).