Nanseikan Kendo Club 剣道クラブ南西館

Kendo term one finishes 27 March. We recommence for term 2 on 24 April. Term two goes through to 26 June which is 10-weeks. See  https://www.kendo.org.au/p/2021-dates.html for more details and updates.

click on the image to see an enlarged version Tomoko Fujiie showed us her beautiful sword bags recently at training. If you would like to order one, please follow the link to her order form below. She makes two sizes: one size for katana/bokuto and the other for shinai. The thing I really like about them, apart from the fact that they are beautifully made, is that they have an ingenious toggle-drawstring closure which is simple and secure. I've not see that before an any shinai fukuro . Tomoko san's order form You can email your order to directly to kyohei dot fujiie at mail dot com Payment on delivery.

Anyone who is interested in learning some of the basics of Tatsumi Ryu iai will need two extra pieces of equipment, as well as their bokuto. They are: a plastic saya  http://www.tozandoshop.com/Plastic-Saya-p/002-wps.htm and an obi  http://www.tozandoshop.com/Standard-Cotton-Iaido-Kaku-Obi-p/095-iomo[xx].htm Oh, and a pair of knee pads might be necessary, depending on how strong your knees are! Volleyballer's kneepads are a good option. We practice from 8.30 to 9.00am Saturdays before regular training. There is no fee for this training.

These kendogi and hakama are recommended for our newest members. The "Musashi" pattern kendogi at bottom is recommended for kids as the fabric is not so bulky and easier for small arms to move in. There is also a white Musashi kendogi available. There are no rules out which is more suitable, just a matter of personal choice. https://www.michimartialarts.com.au/shop/single-layer-blue-kendo-gi https://www.michimartialarts.com.au/shop/cotton-hakama https://www.michimartialarts.com.au/shop/musashi-whiteblue-kendo-gi

Good news! Michi Martial Arts are back, and with a very cool looking new site. Please consider them for your next purchase. http://www.michimartialarts.com.au/ Thanks to reader Marc for alerting me.

Recently there have been a few changes in the online (and offline) Kendo equipment world: Tan's Martial Arts in Lygon St has closed Michi Martial Arts' website is no longer up So here is an updated list of some newer sites worth checking out. Kendo Kids.com This site is run by All Japan Budogu so the standards of service are very high and their products are excellent. I've ordered some small bogu and they're well made and very flexible. The biggest sizes they make would fit up to a small 12 year old. Free shipping like all AJB sites, but prices are set in US dollars so currently we lose out on the exchange rate. All Japan Budogu Started by Andy Fisher and run from Kumamoto, AJB have created a small revolution in online equipment retailing. Their quality is high, their shipping is free and their service is fast and excellent. It was Andy who sourced Nanseikan's hitting dummy when it was not even a product they offered. They are good fo...

Junko has just informed me that they will have a full stock of shinai to purchase this Saturday. Price range I am guessing will be between $40–80, depending on size and also type of bamboo. They will have some sample kendogi and hakama which you can inspect and for which you can then place orders. These orders should arrive by 15 Dec. Junko asks that people placing orders please pay 50% deposit, either by cash or bank transfer.

Next Saturday 17th, Yuko from Eikobudogu will be coming to Nanseikan to take orders for shinai and dogi (uniforms). She may even have some stock to purchase on the day. You may remember her colleague Junko who came to Nanseikan last term with some equipment from the same supplier. They are still working on getting their English e-shopping site up and running, but in the meantime they are happy to come to us. Junko assures me that equipment ordered this Saturday will arrive by the last training for 2012 - Sat 15 Dec. That means you will have a new shinai and/or uniform to practice with over the summer break! So if you do not have your own hakama and kendogi yet, or your own shinai, now is the time to order them.

The new shipment of shinai and dogi have just arrived, thanks to Chee Jin and Taobao.com. The dogi look really good. As you can see the kendogi has a sweat-wiking lining. The hakama are cotton and very thick fabric. Both appear to be indigo dyed (if the blueness of my fingers in anything to go by!). The shinai are very thick and made from bamboo with very pronounced nodes. It will be interesting to see how all these things fare in practice. Those people who placed orders can get their items from me at next training.

Just got an email from Andy Fisher at Miyako in Kyoto and they're having a half-price sale. These bogu are mostly made in China, but the difference is Miyako's Japanese craftsmen travel regularly to the factory in China to inspect and train the makers there. The bogu is also made to Japanese design and specification. Andy is well-known in the international Kendo community (I think he may be the current British Kendo Team captain, even though he lives in Japan). He is an experienced kenshi and has a reputation to protect, so he would not sell inferior product. If you are thinking of buying bogu, I would recommend you seriously consider these. They are also offering free international shipping, which is pretty bonkers and saves about $100. The bogu above is their "Tsubasa" which, at a sale price of about $584.00AUD is one of the more expensive bogu in the sale. It uses "pitch" stitching which produces a softer, more comfortable bogu, but is as protect...