Bōgu

nihongo|Bōgu|防具 is specially developed protective armour used in a number of Japanese martial arts, most notably "kendo" and "naginata".

A set of "bogu" consists of:
*nihongo|"men"|面|めん facemask and shoulder protector (helmet);
*nihongo|"dō"|胴|どう: torso protector;
*nihongo|"kote"|小手|こて: hand and forearm protectors (gauntlets);
*nihongo|"tare"|垂れ|たれ: leg and groin protector;
*nihongo|"sune-ate"|脛当て|すねあて: 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 "dō" 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. Lacquered bamboo is traditionally used although lacquered paper "fibre" (frequently misidentified as fiberglass) or molded plastic are used for less expensive "dō". The "dō" 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 "dō" are the two lower sides for a slashing cut to the stomach. The top half of the "dō" is a valid target for a thrust in naginata. In the "kendo" 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" 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 "oni-gote" are used by some koryu, most notably Itto-ryu. 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 ("zekken", or "nafuda") that identifies the name of the wearer and the "dojo" 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", "sojutsu", and "karate".

ee also

*Armor

External references

* [http://www.kendo-usa.org/reference/bogu.htm Kendo America Bogu]