Kendo equipment consists of clothing, armor and weapons. In a similar fashion to Olympic fencing, Kendo maintains three swords categories:
- Shinai – racing sword which is made from a single bamboo pole.
- Bokken – a practice sword made of wood. Use mainly in Kata and techniques for practicing basic techniques.
- Shinken – as the name suggests “true blade”. Use only in Kata.
The clothing consists of two pieces, the kendogi and hakama.
Finally, the complete and safe training in Kendo is made possible by utilizing a special armor called Bogu. Bogu sets are made exclusively for kendo and consists of 4 parts:
- Men – the helmet
- Kote – gloves
- Tare – the breeches
- Do – thorax
A small guide on how to wear Bogu: