With the arrival of Perry’s black ships in Uraga, Japan was forced to open its doors to the West, and there was a tremendous increase in sales of weapons and armour. The Bakufu hastily set about constructing a national military academy (the aforementioned Kobusho) in Edo in 1855 to encourage the study of bujutsu. The Kobusho was responsible for unifying the criteria pertaining to bōgu and shinai used in kenjutsu training, which until then had varied from school to school. The Kobusho training was harsh and placed less importance on kata training, and more on shiai (sparring), and set regulations for the length of shinai at no more than 3-shaku 8-sun (approx. 115cm). This effectively took kenjutsu to a new level that transcended any particular school or tradition. This emphasis on shiai also started a revival in inter-school matches (taryū-jiai), and more durable and portable bōgu was developed.
Diagram 13
As the period of Bakufu rule drew to a close, the widely used one-piece leather dō was incorporated into an easy-to-carry set of armour. In the case of the bamboo armour, the breast area down to the hips was basically straight and rigid, however, the leather dō was able to incorporate a curve to accommodate the line of the body. Also, with the bamboo armour, the dō and tare were connected as one unit, and the tare consisted of three protective flaps. However, with the leather version, the dō and tare were separate, and the tare was improved with the addition of an extra two flaps. The men was not dissimilar to the men used today consisting of forty horizontal metal bars protecting the face. The vertical and horizontal bars were protuberant and were strong enough to offer protection against thrusts to the face. Also the men cushion was about the same size as the throat protector so it hardly protected the shoulders and was very short in comparison to today’s men. The throat protector was quite substantial in width, but did not have backup padding behind as modern men do. (See Diagram 13).
Around this time, dō were made of bamboo with a layer of protective leather stretched over the front. The main part of the dō became rotund, very similar to dō in use today. (See Diagram 14)
Diagram 14
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