Bogu

	Email		Print
	Bookmark		Link

Bogu

is specially developed protective armour used in Japanese martial arts, kendo
Kendo

, meaning ":wiktionary:? of the :wiktionary:?", is a modern Japanese people martial art of sword-fighting based on traditional Japanese swordsmanship, or Kenjutsu....
and naginata
Naginata

Naginata is a pole weapon that was traditionally used in Japan by members of the samurai class. It has become associated with women and in modern Japan it is studied by women more than men; whereas in Europe and Australia Naginata is practiced predominantly by men - this is however only simply a refection of the martial arts de...
.

A set of bogu consists of:

The men protects the face, neck, and shoulders. It consists of a facemask with several horizontal metal bars running the entire width of the face, from the chin to the top of the head.

Discussion

Ask a question about 'Bogu'

Start a new discussion about 'Bogu'

Answer questions from other users

Full Discussion Forum

Encyclopedia

facemask and shoulder protector (helmet);
torso protector (breastplate);
hand and forearm protectors (gauntlets);
leg and groin protector (faulds);
shin protectors (greaves)(worn only by naginata practitioners).

The men protects the face, neck, and shoulders. It consists of a facemask with several horizontal metal bars running the entire width of the face, from the chin to the top of the head. To this is attached a long rectangular thick cloth padding that curves over the top of the head and extends to cover the shoulders. A throat protector is attached to the bottom of the facemask. The men is held in place with a pair of woven cords that wrap around the head and are tied at the back. The back of the men is left open for ventilation and the back of the head is unprotected. The target areas of the men are the center top, and upper left and right sides for cutting strikes and the center of the throat protector for a thrust.

The main component of the do is the gently curving stomach and chest protector. The modern form has a pronounced bulge to help redirect the force of strikes away from the soft areas in the middle of the torso. Lacquer

Lacquer

In a general sense, lacquer is a clear or coloured varnish that dries by solvent evaporation and often a curing process as well that produces a hard, durable finish, in any sheen level from ultra matte to high Gloss and that can be further polished as required....
ed bamboo is traditionally used although lacquered paper "fibre" (frequently misidentified as fiberglass

Fiberglass

Fiberglass, , is material made from extremely fine fibers of glass. It is used as a reinforcing agent for many polymer products; the resulting composite material, properly known as fiber-reinforced polymer or glass-reinforced plastic , is called "fiberglass" in popular usage....
) or molded plastic are used for less expensive do. The do is supported from the shoulders by two diagonal ties and is restrained at the small of the back with another set of ties. The target areas of the do are the two lower sides for a slashing cut to the stomach. The top half of the do is a valid target for a thrust in naginata. In the kendo
Kendo

, meaning ":wiktionary:? of the :wiktionary:?", is a modern Japanese people martial art of sword-fighting based on traditional Japanese swordsmanship, or Kenjutsu....
past, this was also a valid target for a thrust, but is no longer a permitted target.

The kote are mitten-like gloves. They were designed expressly for kendo. While appearing to be cumbersome, enough mobility is allowed to grip the shinai
Shinai

is a weapon used for practice and competiton in kendo and are meant to represent a Japanese sword. Shinai are also used in other martial arts, but may be styled differently from kendo shinai, and represented with different kanji....
in a comfortable, powerful, and firm way. Kote for naginata users have a singulated index finger and thumb to better facilitate the rapid shifting of the hands along the length of the naginata's shaft. Naginata kote have a little less padding than those used for kendo. In the past kote were often made with fully articulated fingers. This is rarely seen today as there can be a safety issue with snagged fingers. A special heavily padded design known as are used by some koryu

Koryu

is a Japanese language word that is used in association with the ancient Japanese martial arts. This word literally translates as ":wikt:? :wikt:?" or "traditional school." Koryu is a general term for Japanese schools of martial arts that predate the Meiji Restoration ....
, most notably Itto-ryu

Itto-ryu

, meaning "one-sword school", is the ancestor school of several Japan koryu kenjutsu styles, including Ono-ha, Mizoguchi-ha, Nakanishi-ha, Kogen, Hokushin, and Itto Shoden....
. The target area is the wrist portion of each kote.

The tare is a thick cloth belt that wraps around the waist and ties under the front flap in front of the groin. Sturdy cloth covered flaps hang from the belt to protect the upper legs and groin. The flaps run along half of the belt's length, which should be positioned over the front half of the body. The center flap is usually covered with a name tag (or ) that identifies the name of the wearer and the dojo
Dojo

A is a Japanese language term which literally means "place of the Tao". Initially, dojo were adjunct to temples. The term can refer to a formal training place for any of the Japanese do arts but typically it is considered the formal gathering place for students of any Japanese martial arts style to conduct training, examinations and other rela...
or country they represent. There is no target point on tare, it is for protection against off-target and accidental strikes.

Other Martial Arts

Other bogu variants are used in jukendo
Jukendo

is the Japanese martial art of bayonet fighting....
, sojutsu
Sojutsu

, meaning "art of the spear" is the Japanese martial art of fighting with the Japanese ....
, and karate
Karate

or , and often mis, is a martial arts developed in the Ryukyu Islands from indigenous fighting methods and Chinese martial arts kenpo. It is primarily a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands and ridge-hands....
.

Bogu

Other Martial Arts

See also

External references