Equipment

In Kendo a practitioner uses a bamboo sword — shinai. It replaced the katana (combat sword) and bokutō (wooden sword), because together with the special protective equipment it allows full-power sparring that is completely safe for health.

Protective equipment — Bogu

Bogu (Kendo-gu) is protective gear based on the armor of medieval Japanese warriors, but it is a simplified modification made from modern high-quality materials.

Bogu consists of the following parts:

> Men — the helmet protecting the face, head, neck (throat) and collarbones;

> Kote — protective gloves for the hands and forearms;

> Dō — body protector covering the chest and abdomen;

> Tare — the skirt-like protective belt covering the lower abdomen and hips.

Clothing

A kendōka’s clothing consists of:

> Keikogi (kendogi) — training jacket, dark-blue or white;

> Hakama — dark-blue or white wide trousers.

An essential part of the outfit is the tenugui towel, worn under the men to protect the head and neck from chafing and the eyes from sweat.