Kyoto Budogu Blog

Monday, June 16, 2014

Fashion victims

I will spare you the old story I told before, about how difficult it was, back in the 80`s, to purchase a decent bogu. We all managed to survive those days and here we are, in the time of internet abundance.
Just by chance, I happen to work for a bogu maker and retailer, so I spend my days surrounded by bogu sets and loose parts. Just turning around my head, while I sit at the desk in the office, I can see two Do and two Men and I know that, just close to my keyboard, just under a pile of Kendogi and Hakama there are at least three pairs of Kote. The land of plenty indeed.
Without mentioning the ocean of bogu I saw in our warehouse and shipping centre, I would like to concentrate on the showroom that happens to be just a floor up from where I sit.

It is a beautiful display: all the best models of the collection (Korin, Koetsu, Tokuren, Samurai...) are lined up in the glass cases on both sides... The more I admire them, the more I realise there is a glitch somewhere. I have been scratching my head for a while, but now I definitely have the issue pinned down. What do all these bogu have in common? and what makes them so similar (from a distance) to the fit-stitched models, like Fujin, Rajin or Yoroi? The answer is easy: they are ALL BLACK.





When I finally had the money and a nice excuse (I just passed Godan) to purchase a brand new bogu, all in one go (not bit by bit, maybe recycling some wrongly sized purchase of some dojo mate), the first thing I thought of was: "WHICH COLOUR?", meaning the Mune and Ago embroidery and the shade of the Do Dai. I chose a subtle red theme, nothing too visible, but for sure NOT BLACK.
When I purchased my first hand-stitch set of Men and Do (in the days in which the yen was very high, not like today...), the first decision was again: "WHICH COLOUR?". This time I went for blue: two threads in two tones for Ago and Mune and, a Do Dai in a dark shade of blue. most importantly, I finally realised my kendo-career-long dream of having a BAMBOO DO.
A bamboo do! what a wonderful item! the craftsmanship! the quality of the lacquer! the matching embroidery! the beautiful inside, with my name written in golden ink... the long wait was over: I finally made the grade.

Definitely, I am a dinosaur. Japanese kenshi are well beyond coloured embroidery and bamboo Do.

There is a sort of unwritten rule that makes BLACK the only acceptable colour for a Do in official AJKF competitions. It has to be said, though, that in Student Championships teams tend to have matching bogu, sometimes very colourful and recognisable. However, adults seem to stick to the unwritten black rule (on the other hand, it also states that the urushi around the Mengane must be red:  all black Menbuchi is not allowed, in official AJKF competitions!).
A coloured, two- or three-tone embroidered Mune is definitely musty and terribly fané.
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Regarding the Bamboo Do, well, I had some raised eyebrows when I stated quite candidly that it is the ultimate (equipment) goal for a kenshi to possess a beautiful, traditional, all natural Bamboo Do. The comment was: "Oh really?" which in Japanese terms is the equivalent of a "WTF are you saying?" kind of reaction.
Bamboo is considered too heavy or too old fashioned. Bamboo Do is an item for celebrations or special occasions (Taikai? Examinations? Red Weddings?), surely not for daily practice. This was a discovery, too.

Are all these considerations meant for fashion victims only? Does it feel a bit like Giorgio Armani haute couture vs. Missoni knitwear ? Are we maybe forgetting that a bogu, for a kenshi, is much more than equipment, but that acquiring one is a significant (and emotional) step along the Way?
I leave it to my readers to decide. Comments are very welcome.
For sure, we are assisting to a very important shift in the Japanese market: Inner Beauty overpowers Flashy Outlook. There will a be lot more to write!



2 comments:

  1. So... Sensei was using a simple black doh until godan? I'm asking this because I have a imitation same do, which I use for almost every practice and that I like a lot, but after reading this I don't really know if I should use it or not for my next grading (sandan in December)... It is a special ocasion, a grading, but I'm afraid that it might look too pretentious or that it might get too much attention...

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  2. I had a black Do dai and If I remember well I had embroidered mune... it was the only Do I could put my hands on, not really a choice!
    Looking your best at an examination is exactly the point: you want to show off the best of your kendo and of your appearance - nothing to do with being pretentious! For the same reason, the jury panel is not amused when someone presents him/herself with tattered kendogi that lost all the indigo or a hakama too short. It is a matter of respect - would you go to cerimony wearing a T-shirt and shredded jeans? maybe yes, but, let`s be frank, you will be easily the only one.
    You are not going to have the price tag attached to your Do either, if it is in good condition and looking nice, why worry?
    In truth, do you think that if you strike a pair of really good ippon, the jury will deny you your grade because you wear an (imitation) same Do ? You should trust the judgement of your sensei a bit more !!! :-D

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