Hand stitch bogu and suitable

[Pichit]

Hi

Is that true that only dan grade people are suitable for hand stitch bogu?

The reason that I ask this question is because I live in UK and I want to buy bogu from Koei, so I have to buy via www.eurobogu.net which is the European distributor of Koei and the problem is that 3mm machine stitch bogu like G-22 and S-22 bogu are about 1700 to 2100 Euros, but they have special price of Y-15 Hand stitch bogu at the price of 1375 Euros. I want to buy that Y-15 bogu, but the problem is that I'm still kyu grade, so I might not be suitable for this bogu.

So anyone please give me suggestion on this please.

Thank you in advance

Pichit Hongsaranagon

[alexpollijr]

That depends.

Some people like to look down on mudansha wearing expensive gear. I haven't yet met any of these people, but I'm pretty sure that they exist.

To me what bogu you'll wearing, or fancy clothes or coloured Do or whatever, is absolutely uninportant . The gear is not kendo. Skill is kendo. Buying hand stiched bogu won't make you better. It is, in fact, an investment you're making, since you're paying for the quality and durability, not the status quo.

That's like saying that an amateur football player ( the kind who plays a game with his workmates every friday night) can not wear Ronaldo's Nike soccer shoes.

So I suggest you go ahead and nevermind the bollocks.

[kendokamax]

buy it if you have the money!

dont mind jealous dan holder that dont have enough cash to buy a good looking bogu lol

[Neil Gendzwill]

That's an excellent price for Y-15, I'd jump on that if you can afford it and you're sure you want to continue with kendo.

[kendomushi]

Buty it.
The bogu does not make the kendoka. I know some people who spent over US$4,000.00 on bogu thinking it would help them pass promotion test for 4th or 5th dan........ They look good, but still haven't been promoted.

[Critical_Bill]

get the armor! heheh
if it wasn't right for lower grades to get then there's a lot of men in mid life crisis who damn well better turn in their porche keys!!
and if anyone has a problem with your protective attire...put them to the sword ;)

[KhawMengLee]

Check with them what materials are being used to make the set. I have a s-22 set myself and its a beauty...got it at a discount price (1200US) with 60 bamboo dou, kamon design, deerskin palms etc...

My only peev is the deerskin palms are a bit thin so I think they wont last long...

Check what you are going to get...eg. what kind of dou, palm leather, etc MOst imporant is that the MEN and KOTE are real good.

[Karaken]

Good Bogu can only help not hurt. Some of the not well fitting Bogu can cause bad habit.

Meng, that's the beauty of deer skin -thin yet durable.
Has anyone heard about ( For all Ausies out there ) Kangaroo palm?
I think that'll work real well.. Thin and durable..

Only concern I heard was real bamboo do can be very heavy. I don't know how heavy.. I'll soon find out, I'm waiting for 1.2bu myself..

Center-oh-center

[Alex]

Therw will be an article coming up in the next issue of Kendo World adressing this very issue. Stay tuned, or subscribe!:D

[Neil Gendzwill]

Bamboo doh is heavier but it feels good. Better protection. K-15 and S-22 are both Koei products, Koei recommends K-15 over S-22. I have the S-22 kote myself, after 5 years of use I have two small holes in the palm that I'm about to patch. They wear well and stay flexible, good stuff.

[KhawMengLee]

mmmMMMMmmm....Bamboo......(drools like homer)...

Kangaroo skin kote, eh? Well I got a kinkachu(is that right? the little pouch that was used a s a purse in fuedal japan) made from kangaroo scotum. Seriously, you can buy them at tourists shops all over Oz...

[nodachi]

I say buy it! The quality of equipment is not limited to one's level of skill. If that was the case, beginners should only buy crappy equipment that would break on them and cost them lots of money to repair or replace. When they reach dan levels, then they earn the privilege of buying good equipment that will last. Sounds kinda dumb, doesn't it?

Go for good equipment if you have the money for it. It will save you money needed for fixing things down the road.

As for kangaroo skin equipment, I would go for it. My soccer cleats that lasted the longest were made of kangaroo leather. The others all wore out, but my happy kangaroo cleats are still good to this day.

[Kendoka]

Originally posted by Karaken

Has anyone heard about ( For all Ausies out there ) Kangaroo palm?
I think that'll work real well.. Thin and durable..

Yes there are some "experimental" kangaroo leather palmed kote being used and they are peforming very well.

I was told that the leather is particularly strong, but light. It has to be smoked of course, to get that nice smell and I think there may be some curing effect as well.

Then we chuck the rest of the kangaroo on the barbie.

[aru-ma]

the kote I'm wearing is actually kangaroo leather palm, it feels good too. it has a nice feel to it in the inside when you're wearing it.

[KhawMengLee]

Then we chuck the rest of the kangaroo on the barbie.


Don't forget the tail for soup...mmmm

[Karaken]

Aruma, how does one find Kangaroo Kote? Did you just re-palm with Kagaroo leather or do they actually sell them somewhere?

Center - only.

[aru-ma]

I asked someone from the club to fix the palm part when it was torn and when I got it back the palm part was replaced with kangaroo skin instead of synthetic leather. I think they do sell kangaroo skin, though I don't know where to get them.

on that note how do you cook kangaroo meat? I heard the meat can be very hard if its wasn't cooked properly.

[KhawMengLee]

riiiighto!...now kangaroo meat is quite gamey...meaning it smells funny when cooked(a lot like the pork in Australia because they don't castrate the male pigs and so the hormone buildup makes the meat smell when cooked).

Therefor, when you hunt kangaroo it pays to get a young male or female(about 2 years old for both). Note: don't shoot a female with a joey(baby kangaroo to everyone else). The meat from a young roo absorbs marinade better and has no smell(less hormones).

Roo meat generally is good in a stew or stir fry but on the barbie its neat as well. oh, and the tail boils up into good soup.