Is this good or bad?

**sarge127** · 24th January 2012, 06:26 AM

Ok guys, sam here!

Today was a little strange, i got a package in the mail "Wooden sword" and i was shocked to see it arrived, however.
School dormitory policy says, "You shall not have any type of weapon". But since i began kendo 4 months ago, i had my shinai close to me everyday, on a shelf close to my bed.
I tried to reason with them, but they said "surrender the sword, so other students won't use it as a weapon".
But i tried to fight for it, saying "dude, i have a shinai above my head 24/7, how come you don't take away that?".
Then they said "Its a different weapon".... Then i said im only gonna use it for kendo practice, no one will ever lay a finger on my equipment. Then i bought up my bogu coming in, they too are going to be taken away.

But what if in my non-busy time i want to practice? damn i hate my school... Transfer? but i bet policies are the same almost.
What should i do? let them take my equipment or fight to keep them?

**jjcruiser** · 24th January 2012, 06:44 AM

It sounds like the school has a policy that prohibits having weapons, and they agree your shinai are not weapons but not bokuto? Well, see if one of your kendo friends or your dojo can store your bokuto.

I don't see how bogu could possibly be construed as a weapon though. Go to the dean of students or whatever. Explain that you don't see how armor could be possibly be a "weapon" and therefore it doesn't violate the policy. Explain that it has athletic and cultural significance, could not possibly be used in any dangerous fashion, and ask them to overrule your overactive dormitory police.

Try not to do this in a whiny, defensive way. Just be mature and calm. Ask them to be reasonable. Say you read the rules and a reasonable reading of them is that they should not apply to bogu. In any event, I don't see how they can confiscate any of this stuff. Ask to see the rule that says they can confiscate martial arts protectors.

How long till you graduate? This won't be an issue after that.

As an aside, is English your second language? If not, not meaning to be cruel here, and sometimes I find myself giving this advice to people that should have received it from their teachers in middle school, but here goes:

Your posts are written like you are much younger than you are. You might want to consider some writing classes while you're still in school and can do so easily. You will benefit from it long term no matter what your chosen field is.

**b8amack** · 24th January 2012, 07:02 AM

Find alternate storage or move off campus. Or are you at a private public school?

**Scully** · 24th January 2012, 07:38 AM

Hey Sam,
My boy had the same kind of problem,
He started kendo when he was 12, and living reasonably far out of town, he just stayed there after school when training was on, for a while no one saw the problem, until he recieved his equipment, at first the shinai wasn't a problem, but when the bokken came the school got very iffy,
Probably becuase the difference between 4 bamboo slats and a curved wooden sword are quite significant,
You get hit hard with a shinai you recover pretty fast, get hit hard with bokken, you probably wont be too damn happy about it.
They where worried about someone else stealling it and usining it as a weapon.
When he was ready to use bogu, they were very suspicious about what was in the bag, he showed them and they then labelled it "Inappropiate"

I explained the culutural siginificance to them (this had really upset my son becuase he effectively couldn't train becuase of the school) and pretty much gave the principle a stern lecture (something I very much regret doing for obvious reasons) they allowed him to bring his bogu and shinai, but no bokken, we just asked one of the fellow kendoka to store it which he did quite happily,
3 motnhs later I pulled him out of the school and sent him to the local high school, where he actually developed a Kendo Club within in the school.

My suggestion to you, either do what we did, ask a kendoka to hold on to it for you, or get it locked away.
Don't do what I did and get rather angry with your staff, they just get deffiant,
I found my uni teachers had a god comlpex and when you argued with them, tey just had to show you there power, so it easier just not to bother.

You could offer to have it locked in a case, an old army foor locker?
mine fits my iaito if I need to transport it, so it should fit a bokken, or if you want to go the full monty, get a gun locker, but I could see how they may be a bit iffy about having a GUN locker in the school.

Bogu? I have to say it, that is just stupid, the worst you could do is punch someone with your kote, which would hurt a whole lot less than any boxing mittens, or you could head but someone with your men, but I doubt anyone will just tie on there men to go around hed butting everyone, its armor, its designed to PROTECT not attack. Once again, if they just keep arguing, offer to have it locked away (with a combination lock, give them the combo for some piece of mind) that way no one can touch them.

As much as I'm sure your trustworthy with weapons, I think there worried about other students getting there hands on it.
Especially people that don't understand the kind of significance these pieces of equipment have, freinds who don't do martial arts especially,
If you ever do Iai and you get a sword, when your mates come in, the firs thing they'll do is ask if its real and go pick it up (depending on your state and country laws, they may have to be locked up) my mates know that if they touch my martial arts equipment, I'll be on them faster than white on rice.

**sarge127** · 24th January 2012, 11:49 AM

I like all your replies the more logic one was scullys, i got to hand it to ya... We indeed fought in a professional way, i gave'em hell man.
My principal knows me well, she's just not to sure about "IT" lying around my room, and yeah i speak 2 languages English, and Ojibwa, im of native decent so i don't know how to exactly write or type in a professional manner or appropriatly... Ojibwa is fluent in me so yah!
And Back to the Bokken discussion:
Just awhile i went out to present it to the principal, i told her to make an exception of me keeping it locked up in my room, immediatly she agreed.
So now that the problem is fixed, i just have to fight for the bogu now... Indeed it is stupid but i bet it will go smoothly as it did the first time.

Sidenotes:
I graduate this year... looking to get into RedRiver College, in Graphic Design.

**jjcruiser** · 24th January 2012, 12:53 PM

Originally Posted by sarge127

and yeah i speak 2 languages English, and Ojibwa, im of native decent so i don't know how to exactly write or type in a professional manner or appropriatly... Ojibwa is fluent in me so yah!

Then good for you and my apologies. I have to work hard just to speak one language adequately.

**DigitalDowntown** · 24th January 2012, 03:11 PM

You might try describing your bogu as 'athletic padding' or 'protective sports equipment' before calling it 'martial arts armor.' I'm not suggesting you deny it as such, but sports equipment sounds more benign than martial arts armor. You might also show them a book on kendo to back you up and validate your point.

**Scully** · 25th January 2012, 10:39 AM

Once again,
For your bogu, army footlocker, futs everythimg well, i used to put mynbogu on the bottom, lay a blanket over ot and place my shinai ets over the top when i had to move them around alot

**dillon** · 25th January 2012, 12:17 PM

If the bogu is soaked in sweat from practice it could get gnarly quickly in a non-ventilated foot locker.

What is the world coming to that bogu could be construed as a weapon? I can see how bokuto is borderline (in Japan you can't walk around the street with a bokuto openly unless it's obvious that you just bought it from a souvenir shop and have no intention of using it before getting home... like being a grade schooler on a school excursion). But what kind of unthinking liability fearing bureaucrat does one have to be to think that protective equipment can be used to directly assault people? What about American football or hockey padding?

**Cailin Coilleac** · 25th January 2012, 02:30 PM

Originally Posted by jjcruiser

Explain that it has athletic and cultural significance, could not possibly be used in any dangerous fashion

Have you ever been hit in the face with a men? Ouchie...

Aside from that: many great comments in this thread! Having a classmate store the bokken is a good idea. Alternatively, maybe your dojo has some storage space? Ours does, though it's nothing more than a locker in a high school gym

**Ariel** · 25th January 2012, 02:35 PM

I have been hit in the elbows, and it stings pretty badly once the adrenaline wears off ...

Good to know that the principal understood your reasons.

**jjcruiser** · 26th January 2012, 01:46 AM

Originally Posted by Cailin Coilleac

Have you ever been hit in the face with a men? Ouchie...

No. Of course not. You have? Who hit you with their men in the face?

**sarge127** · 26th January 2012, 04:06 AM

Hey guys,

yesterday, i gave up my bokken and i was told "your doing the right thing". After that reply i felt like the bad guy, even thought im not a fighter on the streets.
I fell discouraged by that, i looked at my guardian and said, "I feel like the bad guy". He said, "There afraid of everyone not being safe soo".
the only thing they left was the tsuba... Meh, oh well i can take it out once in awhile... I wish someone in my school knew kendo, so i can train with him or her.
But nooo!! there to stuck up to do something awesome.... >,>