About this site
An independent publication about kendo equipment and craft — the objects, the materials they are cut from, and the faults they develop in use.
Everything here is filed by object and by part. Each entry names one component, says what it is made of and what it does, and then says how it fails — because failure is the part of the subject that is usually left out, and it is the part that decides when something is repaired, replaced or taken out of service.
The six sections follow the object outward. Shinai covers the four staves and the fittings that close them. Armour covers what the shinai strikes. Wood is the bamboo itself. Floor is the room it is used in. Workshop is inspection, replacement and repair. Words glosses the vocabulary, which is Japanese and precise.
What this is not
It is not a federation, dojo or retailer, and it does not offer grading, membership or instruction of any kind. Nothing here is a substitute for a qualified instructor's judgement about whether a piece of equipment is safe to use.
Terms and measurements
Japanese terms appear where they are the right words — each names exactly one component — and are glossed in English the first time they are used. Measurements are given as they are specified rather than as they are estimated, since that is how they are checked.
Start with Four staves and a knot, or read the complete list of entries.