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Post by Deleted on May 8, 2008 10:35:59 GMT
I am an iaido student and I have been consdidering taking up kendo as well for some time now. I was just wondering what the addtional costs will be? I am well aware of the differences between kendo and iaido. I am especially concerned about the purchase of armour? How much does it cost approximately? How quickly does one need to purchase it and so on.
Thanks
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Post by Deleted on May 9, 2008 22:30:32 GMT
From my experience, most kendo dojo are non-profit, so the montly cost is low. I think my dojo is $25(USD)/month.
If you do iaido, I'm guessing you already have a hakama, if it's solid black, or better yet, indigo blue, you won't need to invest it that. You will, however, need a heavy kendo keikogi. You can get a cheap one for about ¥8,000.
Bogu, the armor, can be expensive. Cheapest is maybe ¥40,000 (400US). But I don't recommend getting the cheapest. Cheap is just cheap. But the most high end is just decoration. Something in the middle will last you for a long time and still look very good. Remember, bogu should be a one-time investment. I've had mine for over seven years of heavy use, and it is no where near needing to be replaced.
It would be a couple months after you start before you put on bogu. Also, many dojo have "loaner" bogu that you can wear until you can get your set. So you have plenty of time.
The best thing to do would be to find the dojo you will be practicing at, and talk to your sensei.
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2008 3:22:16 GMT
Concise and to the point, with exactly what the query asked for and nothing superfluous.
Quite objective and informative.
+1 Good Sir.
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2008 9:26:42 GMT
Thanks for a very good answer tom! +1 I actually do have a keikogi already that I use for iaido because I find it to be warmer :-) But my real concern was the bogu, and after your reply I'm glad I asked first before I bought! The thing is we don't have any local suppliers so the sensei basically tells you to see what you can get, they're not too strict because its such a hassle to get it shipped here!
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2008 17:14:11 GMT
is your keikogi indigo blue? Most Iaidoka use white keikogi. You'll need a blue one for Kendo...
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Post by Deleted on May 11, 2008 10:59:08 GMT
Keikogi doesn't necessarily need to be blue. White is acceptable, although usually reserved for women or old men. 99.9% of adult male kendoka wear the blue keikogi. Your dojo might also want to maintain a uniform look, so they may not want white as well.
Best place to start would be tozando.com While I've never personally never shopped from them, as there are much more local kendo suppliers in California, I've heard nothing but praise for them. They may be slightly more expensive, but you'll get quality from Japan, and they are used to shipping internationally, so communication in English shouldn't be a problem.
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Post by Deleted on May 11, 2008 19:44:40 GMT
No its white, but luckily its not a problem as quite a few of the students have white due to the fact that they also practice both iaido and kendo :-) I will probably get a blue one later on though.
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Post by tajima on May 16, 2008 21:20:46 GMT
My Kobudo/Karate uses an All-Black Hakama, but they are also permitted for the Kendo lessons.
Thanks, -Tajima
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slav
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Post by slav on Jun 19, 2008 14:21:52 GMT
I got my Bogu at a significant discount because my Sensei is good friends with the brother of E-BOGU.com's owner. I got a very nice set for $275. I wear all-blue.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 28, 2008 12:08:45 GMT
wow that is quite a deal. I always wanted to get in to kendo when I lived back home, but the only guy teaching it in the area was an instructor for a living. He charged like $90 a month and forced all his students to get their equipment through him ( which Im sure he made a nice profit off of also) so I never got in to it.
Gotta say though I always loved my instructor for karate, a man by the name of Jim Means. Great man who taught because he loved to teach. Only charged like $30 a month, just enough to cover building cost and insurance. There were even times I learned of after I got my black belt and started teaching that he would end up using his out of pocket money to keep the school going. He refused to kick some one out because they were strapped financially.
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