Bogu has arrived

[yohed55]

I just got my 5/2.5 mm set from E-bogu in the mail via ups. Along with the travel bogu bag. I noticed that the tare is actually 4mm. The bogu bag is very nice as well. I thought it would be a good Idea to make a thread about your first bogu, so please share your stories. :happy:

[drizzt]

congrats yohed, May you have alot of fun trying to figure it all out LOL

[MikeW]

I bought my first bogu used from a guy in Canada (forgotten his name, it was years ago). It was a fiber do (I actually still use the do), with a 4-5mm men and kote. The tare was/is the least nice of the set (the whole set was japanese made however) and was 6mm or so. I doubt that it was a whole set of bogu originally and was just from pieces the guy I bought it from put together.
I used it through making shodan but over the years I have replaced it all except the do but still have the parts as back up. Oh, and the original cost I paid for it (remember it was used) was US$60 for the whole set including a bogu bag.

[yohed55]

:surprise: Woah, that's a really good deal.

[Mugu]

Congrats :) Mine won't come until the end of this month :( But I have Titanium Mengane, kakakakaka (I didn't ask for it, it came with it for $500) ;)

P.S. - Which Dojo do you practice at, Yohed?

[Rincewind(-.-)']

I just got my 5/2.5 mm set from E-bogu in the mail via ups. Along with the travel bogu bag. I noticed that the tare is actually 4mm. The bogu bag is very nice as well. I thought it would be a good Idea to make a thread about your first bogu, so please share your stories. :happy:

Lucky you!!! I am currently using a like 400 years old stinky bogu,wich was used probably by 321481469736417964 people:))I still LOVE it though:D
Don;t really know when a miracle will happen and I will be able to afford my own bogu(the one I;m using is property of my club):(

[joekc6nlx]

Yohed,
Congratulations on your new bogu. I hope you have many good times wearing it.
Since you asked, I bought my bogu in November 2004. I couldn't wait for it to get here. I bought the e-Bogu 2mm Top Quality set and couldn't be happier. I took it to the dojo to have my sensei help me put it together, and he was extremely impressed. Unfortunately, I didn't know that he was also rushed for time to get to the airport for a flight to Japan - he was going to watch the 8th dan promotion exam so he'd get an idea what he was in for the next May. My dojo mates had a great time "initiating" my bogu and I had a great time while they did it.

Rincewind, I wonder if there is a counter buried in your bogu that tells you the exact figure and age. :silly:

[Syrdar]

Lucky you!!! I am currently using a like 400 years old stinky bogu,wich was used probably by 321481469736417964 people:))I still LOVE it though:D
Don;t really know when a miracle will happen and I will be able to afford my own bogu(the one I;m using is property of my club):(
I just received my bogu this Christmas, after a long and painful delay. I used for 2 years a old bogu (property of my dojo).
After reading this I start wondering how many dojos lend bogus to their students. I thought that only in countries like Argentina dojos lend training equipment and in other countries every student has is own equipment (Hakama, Bogu, shinai, etc).

[LNGUYEN]

My first bogu is GZ-17 from bogubag. However, I suspected the Men was not from GZ-17 but who cared. I just replaced the Kote with Mine Kote, beside that everything is still good.

Mugu, what bogu do you get?

[Julian]

At my dojo one can borrow a shinai and bogu aswell, but not hakama and gi ;)

Im still waiting for my bogu to arrive ... end of january, i hope :normal:

[Rincewind(-.-)']

I thought that only in countries like Argentina dojos lend training equipment and in other countries every student has is own equipment (Hakama, Bogu, shinai, etc).

Hmm...right now there are three people at our dojo who use dojo's bogu(including me)I'm not sure if we have anymore free sets though.
Shinais and bokkens arew different matter.Yeh can borrow them for few first lessons,then yeh should buy your own(the sooner the better:D)

And what exactly do yeh mean by "countries like Argentina"?

[Mugu]

Mugu, what bogu do you get?
Got the GX-30 from bogubag

[LNGUYEN]

RGSO ALERT, RGSO ALERT, RGSO ALERT, RGSO ALERT, :p

[MikeW]

After reading this I start wondering how many dojos lend bogus to their students. I thought that only in countries like Argentina dojos lend training equipment and in other countries every student has is own equipment (Hakama, Bogu, shinai, etc).
All the clubs that I know of around here in the SEUSKF have some loaner bogu Syrdar. I think it's prety common. At T.K.I. we bought 2 or 3 inexpensive sets (I beleive from e-bogu) as loaners with club funds but I think most of the clubs just have sets that were donated by members when they bought new equipment for themselves.

[yohed55]

P.S. - Which Dojo do you practice at, Yohed?

I practice at the East West Connection (http://www.ewcdojo.com/kendo.aspx) but tonight is my last class. The owners of the East West Connection (non kendoka) charge too much. So all of us are moving to the UWM kendo club. You can find it in the Midwest listings.

I am enjoying reading about all of your first bogu sets. I was wearing my sempai's bogu up to now, so tonight I'm sure he will break mine in :happy:

[Rurouni Kenshin]

No offence, but East West Connection sounds like some cheap wannabe hip-hop group we see around here in the Netherlands........

[yohed55]

None taken, the owners (non kendoka) are pretty money driven, so I wouldn't be surprised if they made a spin off band. :p

[piggy]

Yohed,
I bought the e-Bogu 2mm Top Quality set and couldn't be happier.



Same here. Seems like a really great set except I think my tare and doh might be 3mm but I don't remember.....

[Syrdar]

Hmm...right now there are three people at our dojo who use dojo's bogu(including me)I'm not sure if we have anymore free sets though.
Shinais and bokkens arew different matter.Yeh can borrow them for few first lessons,then yeh should buy your own(the sooner the better:D)

And what exactly do yeh mean by "countries like Argentina"?


I mean countries where people usually earns 300dols monthly, making too hard to buy your own bogu.

[Julian]

Erm, think about the poor students like me ;)

[rawilliauk]

Got my first set of Bogu yesterday, 2.5mm in the sale at nine circles. I'm going to have lot's of fun tieing the straps to the Men and Do, but the Tare and Kote feel great.

Indigo died my t-shirt when trying on - not a good move. I may have to purchase a blue Keikogi, looks like my white one would become stained quite quickly and then look out of place in Iaido.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how the indigo dye can be 'set' on Bogu? Or should I just purchase a blue keikogi and put up with it?

[porcelainpunk]

When I first bought my hakama and keikogi, I soaked them in salt and vinegar with cold water, sounds like you'd smell like a chip shop, right? Well no, as the smell dissapears as they dry. I did not turn indigo as my fellow kendoka did either. ;)

However soaking your bogu in such a concoction may not be such a good idea.... perhaps spraying on a mixture of water, salt and vinegar?

[Neil Gendzwill]

Does anyone have any suggestions on how the indigo dye can be 'set' on Bogu? Or should I just purchase a blue keikogi and put up with it?
With time, they'll eventually stop bleeding. The best you can do if you want to use it with a white keikogi is buy some white doh-himo.

[creepieguy]

My bogu arrives Monday! 3mm custom set from ebogu.com. I can't wait!

[Mugu]

It's my turn to be excited! MY BOGU IS HERE! MY BOGU IS HERE! I can't wait till they redilvery tomorrow, I'm picking it up in a few hours! Yipppiiiieee :D

[Kaoru]

It's my turn to be excited! MY BOGU IS HERE! MY BOGU IS HERE! I can't wait till they redilvery tomorrow, I'm picking it up in a few hours! Yipppiiiieee :D

Whoohooooo!!! Pics please!!! That is SO cool!! Now you get to break it in! :D Hey. That means you get to use it tomorrow in practice if you go on Wednesday. :D Totally awesome!!

Kaoru

[samurai999]

It's my turn to be excited! MY BOGU IS HERE! MY BOGU IS HERE! I can't wait till they redilvery tomorrow, I'm picking it up in a few hours! Yipppiiiieee :D

Have fun with your bogu. Make sure you line up as a motodachi for dou practice.

Tim

[ShinKenshi]

It's my turn to be excited! MY BOGU IS HERE! MY BOGU IS HERE! I can't wait till they redilvery tomorrow, I'm picking it up in a few hours! Yipppiiiieee :DYou know what that means! Means you gotta come down here for some bogu breaking in and I'm eager to help out in that department :D.

[yohed55]

It's my turn to be excited! MY BOGU IS HERE! MY BOGU IS HERE! I can't wait till they redilvery tomorrow, I'm picking it up in a few hours! Yipppiiiieee :D


Congrats to all of my fellow first-bogu-set kenshi!

[Mugu]

I couldn't pick it up last night because the delivery guy was still out and they said they should be back at 6, but he didn't :( So I have to wait until tonight to get it.

Kaoru: I'll post some pics when I get it all set up tonight :)

Tim: I'll make sure I'll use a key to scratch the Do somewhere first. It's feel just like buying a new car, hehehehe

Shinkenshi: I'll probably see you this Sunday if no snow :)

Yohed: Thanks :)

[Hai_hai]

...I thought it would be a good Idea to make a thread about your first bogu, so please share your stories. :happy:
It was a dark and stormy night. I had spent countless hours looking over bogu catalogs and websites. You could say it was an obsession. Of course, kendo doesn't revolve around how good you look... unless you have the DNA characteristics of a rich-boy show-off.
I knew that I couldn't make a hasty decision. How foolish would that be? The options are almost mind-boggling. You don't want to pick the exact embroidery pattern for the mune and ago as last year's AJKF champion, but then again, it looks so good on a winner. What's better than to look like a winner than getting bogu that looks the same?
It was around 11:39 PM. The phone rang breaking the silence of the quiet evening. I answered the phone, "Hello?". The voice on the other end was a bit shaky, "Moshi moshi, Hai_hai-san onegaishimasu." It sounded like Dr. Morimoto. "Hai_hai desu. Is this Dr. Morimoto?" He responded, "Yes, Mr. Hai_hai, I just got back the DNA results from your blood work..." He didn't sound too positive so I leaned forward in my chair, "What is it?" He waited with a pause, thinking of how to answer, "...we double-checked the lab results. Unfortunately..." Right then, a big lump formed in my throat. He continued without hesitation, "...you are a rich-boy show-off oni." I paused before answering, "Oni desu?"
Dr. Morimoto went in detail, "Yes, we discovered that the 14th chain in your DNA contained the exact formation of the rich-boy show-off oni. I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do." I jumped out of my chair and kneeled on the floor. His information broke me down. I raised both my fists in the air, dropping the phone, and yelled "NANI!!!"
At that point, I knew I had no choice in the matter. I was to purchase a rich-boy show-off bogu and there was nothing I could do about it... even if I tried.

[LNGUYEN]

Ha ha Hai Hai, you are too much to handle.:D

[Kaoru]

I couldn't pick it up last night because the delivery guy was still out and they said they should be back at 6, but he didn't :( So I have to wait until tonight to get it.

Kaoru: I'll post some pics when I get it all set up tonight :)

Tim: I'll make sure I'll use a key to scratch the Do somewhere first. It's feel just like buying a new car, hehehehe

Shinkenshi: I'll probably see you this Sunday if no snow :)

Yohed: Thanks :)

That's such a bummer you didn't get to pick it up yesterday! :( At least you get to have it today. In time for practice? And, I can't wait to see it!! :D I wish I could be the first to hit you! hahaha... :D


Shinkenshi: I'll probably see you this Sunday if no snow :)

*jealous* I wanna go too! I miss going to practice... :(

Kaoru

[yohed55]

It was a dark and stormy night... LOL, you're the best man, that made my day.

[DarQik]

I couldn't pick it up last night because the delivery guy was still out and they said they should be back at 6, but he didn't :( So I have to wait until tonight to get it.I expect you finally got ahold of it...

My son's arrived last week. Mine was delivered today--just in time to get broken in tonight. He's pretty frustrated with trying to tie knots at wierd angles, and I'm just not good at wrapping towels around my head. (That hideous Sahara movie comes to mind suddenly.)

Too bad there's no time now to whip up some fancy full color Samurai Champloo or Bleach graphic vinyls to decorate the do like a billboard. It'd be fun just to see the expressions on people's faces as I pull out the new ultra-pimped do...(then promptly remove the temporary joke vinyls) I'll have to do that for next week just for those temporary looks of abject horror on people's faces. (...but I had to cover the scratches...)

[samurai999]

So are we going to see an episode of "Pimp my Bogu" any time soon.

Tim

[Ignatz]

It was a dark and stormy night. I had spent countless hours looking over bogu catalogs and websites. You could say it was an obsession. Of course, kendo doesn't revolve around how good you look... unless you have the DNA characteristics of a rich-boy show-off.
I knew that I couldn't make a hasty decision. How foolish would that be? The options are almost mind-boggling. You don't want to pick the exact embroidery pattern for the mune and ago as last year's AJKF champion, but then again, it looks so good on a winner. What's better than to look like a winner than getting bogu that looks the same?
It was around 11:39 PM. The phone rang breaking the silence of the quiet evening. I answered the phone, "Hello?". The voice on the other end was a bit shaky, "Moshi moshi, Hai_hai-san onegaishimasu." It sounded like Dr. Morimoto. "Hai_hai desu. Is this Dr. Morimoto?" He responded, "Yes, Mr. Hai_hai, I just got back the DNA results from your blood work..." He didn't sound too positive so I leaned forward in my chair, "What is it?" He waited with a pause, thinking of how to answer, "...we double-checked the lab results. Unfortunately..." Right then, a big lump formed in my throat. He continued without hesitation, "...you are a rich-boy show-off oni." I paused before answering, "Oni desu?"
Dr. Morimoto went in detail, "Yes, we discovered that the 14th chain in your DNA contained the exact formation of the rich-boy show-off oni. I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do." I jumped out of my chair and kneeled on the floor. His information broke me down. I raised both my fists in the air, dropping the phone, and yelled "NANI!!!"
At that point, I knew I had no choice in the matter. I was to purchase a rich-boy show-off bogu and there was nothing I could do about it... even if I tried.

Just then, a shot rang out. . .

[d33m4n]

well i acctually bought my bogu before i started kendo,
i thought it would look cool in my living room, and i saw one on the net for
120 euro's (about 130 dollars) i got the guy to sell it to me eventhough he had higher bidders, but once i got it home i didn't know how to put it on, and i looked on internet how, but coudn't really find it, then i saw that there is a dojo near my house, and tried a lesson, been hooked ever since :D:D:D

[Sôjirô]

i got mine two weeks ago! my first bogu eh... its really cool. the set is 4.5 mm and its a 60 stave bamboo do. all indigo, as was i after the first practice. i actually took pride in being blue ;) last practice i had my first real bogu to bogu, man to man sparring lesson. it was very difficult, but very fun. i did not cower from hits, i had proper zanshin, and the sensei said i did very well for my first time. i just needed to kiai a bit more ;)

[yohed55]

Yea, my first jigeiko was against this really big guy at my dojo. After that, I never cowered from any more hits. :ko:

[ravenouswolf]

Yippee, I got my first bogu last night! I havent tried it out in all its glory yet, still sorting out where the different himo attach. Plus I will only use tare and doh at practice for a while yet I trust. Its a 2mm set with plenty of deer, titanium mengane. Im not sure who the manufacturer is, as I bought it thru the dojo where I train in Beijing - they have a kendo equipment site sort-of set up at www.kendomarket.com - but I presume it has a reputable OEM origin.

One question, the very top of my head touches against the men with no space inbetween - is that ok? It doesnt feel uncomfortable, it just touches, though I wonder what receiving a men would feel like at that point. I guess if its received on the front half of the top of the men it wont be a problem.

Also my fingers press a little in the end of the kotes. Do they stretch much over time? Yes I will be getting my sensei/sempai to check the fit next week, but I prefer more rather than less info since Im getting all my feedback in a second language.

Thanks everyone!

[Kaoru]

I just got my 5/2.5 mm set from E-bogu in the mail via ups. Along with the travel bogu bag. I noticed that the tare is actually 4mm. The bogu bag is very nice as well. I thought it would be a good Idea to make a thread about your first bogu, so please share your stories. :happy:

Hey, congratulations on getting your new bogu! I hope it works well, and you enjoy wearing it. :) Let us know how your first practice in it was, ok?

Kaoru

[ravenouswolf]

I know you quoted yohed55, but Im thinking you are talking to me, so...

Thanks Kaoru, I will! I cant wait!

[tilt]

I got my first set from Nine Circles - and was really pleased with it. They threw in a Nine Circles Tenagui too, so if I wear it right I can get the "www.ninecircles.co.uk" across the back of my head - should I be charging them for advertising space?

[Alison2805]

Mine had an interesting path into my hands. I started kendo and after the beginners course had finished and we were considered good enough for bogu, us 3 beginners that had survived trooped over to the bogu cupboard with the sensei. He pulled out some sets for the 2 guys to rummage through and find what fitted, and then pulled out what looked like a new bogu bag. With a look of disgust, he handed it to me and said "take a look". Inside was a brand spanking set of white bogu with orange trim. I said "I want it!!!". The sensei gave a big sigh of relief and handed it to me.

Apparently a friend had been getting hold of sets on sale or whatever in Japan and sending them over to be used as club bogu. This was the only white one he had sent, and it had sat in the dojo for ages, unloved, unused, unappreciated. Noone wanted to wear it, plus the men was pretty small. The sensei was not impressed as it was relatively exspensive.

So, I bought it off the club (for an absolute bargain!!) and love it to death. I look back now and its amazing that it was my exact size and everything.

Hehehe, I love the look of confusion officials get at gradings when they walk over to me with the white chalk...priceless.

[lucy]

Hehehe, I love the look of confusion officials get at gradings when they walk over to me with the white chalk...priceless.

:D That's really priceless! :D

[tilt]

Hehehe, I love the look of confusion officials get at gradings when they walk over to me with the white chalk...priceless.

Image upload please!

[Nochi-no-tsuki]

i got my 2.5mm set from http://www.e-kendo.com 2 weeks ago. the men was a little big but i use a pad so it works out well. it's a beautiful set, and was on sale at the time for $360. the shipping was $90 but it got to me in 5 days after they sent it from Korea. they also kept in excellent communication with me via email.

if you have the money this set is friggin awesome:
http://www.budo-aoi.com/kendo/bogu/fd_4.html

[Alison2805]

Image upload please!

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i114/Alison2805/DSC00840.jpg

This is the closest thing I got. As you can see, white chalk aint gonna do squat.

Geez, cant wait to get a new hakama that is longer than my shins...:spchless:

[Kent Enfield]

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i114/Alison2805/DSC00840.jpgGeez, cant wait to get a new hakama that is longer than my shins...:spchless:Not that my opinion is particularly important, but I think your hakama are fine.

The picture does raise a question, though? If white bogu is almost always worn by women, why is the default size for mendare the same as for other bogu? I guess this if you're buying it in a boguya in Japan, it doesn't really matter. You pay 2000 yen (or whatever) and have the boguya shorten them up for you.

[David]

My first/current bogu is second-hand from a guy who quit kendo a little bit before I started. $350 for a complete bogu set (minus tenugui, plus men pad) and a synthetic carry bag. The kote were way to small for me, so a sempai ended up buying those, and my sensei placed an order at e-bogu for a set. Until they got here, I used an old pair that he had. He also let me have an old tenugui that he had.

[Alison2805]

The picture does raise a question, though? If white bogu is almost always worn by women, why is the default size for mendare the same as for other bogu? I guess this if you're buying it in a boguya in Japan, it doesn't really matter. You pay 2000 yen (or whatever) and have the boguya shorten them up for you.

Why would you bother? :surprise:

[Kent Enfield]

Why would you bother? :surprise:So they don't get in the way!

On my old men (a decent, mid-range machine stitched one), the mendare were relatively stiff and a couple of centimeters longer than my current men. It wasn't so noticeable most of the time, but anytime my downswing didn't go down my center line, such as men-kaeshi-do, my right arm in particular would get tangled up on my mendare.

I suspect that if the mendare had been significantly longer, the effect wouldn't have been as noticeable, as there would be enough mendare to stay on top of my arms, but I'd still have had to push it all around during the technique.

Basically it's so you don't have to adapt your technique to your equipment.