Brand New to Kendo and need good advice! (Muryama or KendoStyle?)

[DCPan]

I'm curious about something.

I can relate to the idea to the idea that it takes skill to fully appreciate the higher end stuff, if it is something you actively manipulate, like a shinai, a bow, a golf club, a racket, whatever.

But bogu is a piece of passive, static equipment that you "wear". I am not so certain it takes more "skill" to appreciate good bogu.

With bogu, I suppose it's nice to be able to appreciate how the high-end stuff is "theorectically better" than the low-end stuff, but honestly, I just want to not feel pain.

Besides, one begs the question on who is more fixated on the "surface" stuff? If what they can do is more important than what they are wearing, why are people focusing on what's being worn instead of the interesting stuff?

Really, you can't even make much of an assumption about the person just because of what they are wearing. It could be a loaner, for one thing. Or, much like Charles's case, my first set of bogu my sensei pretty much picked out. My mom paid for it. I didn't even know a set was coming until it showed up on my door steps. I certainly had no input on what it would look like. To make a judgement about the person based on what they are wearing is fundamental attribution error at best.

YMMV.

[cr720]

He already but himself a set.

Are you waiting for delivery or the "ok" of you sensei?

Waiting for delivery. I got the OK way back in September, but was not able to financially purchase a set until this month.

[enkorat]

All of your points are true... I am only making my statement based on talking to my clubmates when they are considering buying bogu, particularly when they get somewhat overly excited by the thread colors of their doh. Personally I don't really make judgments about people by what their wearing but by their comportment and how they move. I frankly don't care too much. At one point my bogu was new and shiny. Its not anymore, and eventually I'll start replacing the fundamental parts once I the all important monies...

And if people want to spend money, at least it will help keep our bogu suppliers in business....