Armour Maintenance
How to take break in and take care of your armour
I was having an interesting discussion with some guys on Kendo World recently about Bougu, life expectancy and correct care. It made me think about all of you new guys that have bought armour, and those noobs that soon will be. So I decided to merge some of my forum posts together and write a brief piece about how to best break in and maintain your new Bougu. Bougu is a big investment and a major part of your Kendo life. A well looked after set of Bougu can last a long time, and with correct maintenance there is no reason that you guys can�t make a set last you 5 years at least. I�m going to break this down into easy-to-follow sections: Bougu parts and common issues/damage, how to break your Bougu in correctly, correct storage, and maintenance.
Bougu parts and common issues/damage
As you should know Bougu has four main elements: Men, Kote, Do, and Tare.
When your new Bougu arrives in the post you will notice a few things. Firstly it�s very blue! The indigo dye will run like crazy for the first few weeks, particularly on hand made bougu, so bear this in mind when handling and storingit. Secondly, the Bougu may have sections tacked together with thread to hold it in place. This will most likely be in the Tare and the Kote. If your Tare has thread between the main panels simply pull them apart carefully and snip with a pair of scissors. The same applies to any plastic or paper wrapping that might be tacked onto the palm of the kote. Just pull gently and cut the loose threads. These will be fairly evident and easy enough to get rid of, however it�s important to know about as I spent my first lesson as a beginner with my Tare tacked together as I didn�t realize!
Generally
Men: The Men is more than likely (along with the Kote) going to be the part of your armour that takes the most hits. As a result it is quite a sturdy piece of kit and breakages are very rare on the men. In 6 years I�ve never had any problem with mine, that�s a machine stitched 3m. However common issues with the Men can be wearing down of the inside of the wings (or Men-dare) by the neck. You�ll probably notice that the first few weeks of wearing the men will make your neck quite sore, unless you make sure that you spread the men-dare when you are putting it on.
Kote: Expect the kote to be your number one candidate for damage. Don�t forget that even the most expensive high quality Kote will take a whole load of punishment. You should always expect Kote to die a painful agonising death by keiko. It�s the part of the bougu that takes the most movement and contact. Not only from your partners strikes but also your own constant movement of the wrists and hands and resistance/ friction from the shinai. On average I find that most kote last (if well looked after) 2-3 years. 4-5 if used properly and well maintained (washed). Holes in the palm will be the first most obvious sign of damage, followed by the knuckle section peeling away on the edges and tearing by the braided stitching on the top. There are two main reasons to Kote damage, firstly that the lack of airing out or washing breeds mould and fungus inside the kote that literally makes it rot and fall apart. Secondly the sizing. It may sound silly but in fact a lot of Kote damage is down to the simple fact that the kote are too small for the person�s hand. I find this especially being a westerner and having large hands. You can tell a Japanese armourer the size, and they will literally make it to that exact size of the hand, and not take into account extra room for movement. I have to measure my palm and then add a little extra to each side to compensate for this.
Do: The two main types of Do are Yamato synthetic fibre or Bamboo. Most likely yours will be Yamato. Either way it makes little difference with regard to damage as Do are the most sturdy and reliable parts of a Bougu. I�ve never had any problems at all with Do, both my Yamato (when I was a beginner) and my Bamboo ones. Apart from general scratches during keiko it�s very rare that your have any other problems.
Tare: Much like the Do, damage from Keiko is very limited. It�s very unlikely that your Tare will develop any problems. However one thing to remember is the Tare Himo. Over time these will get worn and tattered, eventually if the holes get too big or it starts to tear you will need to replace this. Out of 6 years I�ve only had to replace my Tare Himo once, and that was only recently.
How to break in your Bougu/Storage
Men: It�s a good idea to try and soften up the men-dare as much as possible. This is most likely the one part of the men that will cause the most irritation when new. You can do this by simply pulling on the men-dare and twisting them around the front of the men continuously for 5-10 minutes. Also try pulling down on the men-dare by twisting and pulling flat towards the floor, away from the men. When storing the Men you can tie your men Himo round the front of the men to keep the men-dare drawn tight around the men-gane (metal bars). This will keep the men in a good position and will soften it up and help it retain a good shape when you untie it and put it on.
Kote: Unless expensive, kote will give you a lot of aggravation and discomfort when new. As a result it�s important to soften them up as much as possible, especially around the wrist area where the knuckle pad (kobushi/kotegashira) meets the forearm protector. This joint at the wrist I find often rubs my skin and gives quite bad blisters when new. To break in your kote hold the kobushi in one hand and the forearm in the other and rotate them both in opposite directions. Repeat thisfor a few minutes, changing direction every now and then. Also grab the thumb and pull back as far as possible, hold for awhile, release and repeat. Take the underside (palm) by the fingertips and pull back as far as possible, hold, release, then repeat. These simple exercises will loosen up your kote and make wearing them a little more bearable. When Storing Kote for travelling you can either place them inside the men or put them together in between the Do and the Men.
Do and Tare: There�s very little that your need to do to these. Gibbo has covered the correct storage methods in his article �how to tie Do and Tare�, if you tie and store Do and Tare like this you will soften them up fine for everyday practice.
Maintenance:
Since the Do and Tare pretty much take car of themselves we�re only going to look at Men and Kote.
Men: Always air your men out thoroughly. As I mentioned earlier Men and Kote are the two main places where fungus and mould will grow in your bougu after practice, in the moist and enclosed spaces. It�s imperative that you keep this aired out and clean to make it last. If you notice sweat marks from salt wash them off with a hand towel soaked in warm water. If mould becomes apparent use an old toothbrush in soapy water to scrub at the build up. If you leave your men in your bag all week in-between practices not only will it be damp and unpleasant for next weeks keiko, it will also cultivate mould and start to rot. Try to keep an eye out for dirt build up, it�s easy to forget and I have done myself in the past. If you keep an eye on this then you will greatly increase the lifespan of your bougu. You can also retouch the rim around the men-gane, with a marker pen if you are poor (hello Gones) or with proper black liquor.
Kote: As with men, it�s vital to keep these aired out and dry. Be sure to take them out of your bougu bag and leave them to dry palms facing up as this will help air get into the glove. Kote retain the most moisture as the inside of the gloves remain enclosed and are less likely to get direct access to the air. As with Men watch for salt build up from sweat and wipe away with a damp towel. One method of washing kote is to place them in a bath or deep sink full of warm water and standard washing detergent. Leave to soak and then work the detergent into the material. Remove from the water and be sure to squeeze out the kote padding around the knuckles to get rid of all the excess water. Then try towel drying before leaving out to dry. You can also put kote in the washing machine, I�ve never tried this myself but probably will soon. Gibbo has, it would be best to ask him in person how he found it. Obviously don�t put anything else in the machine with the kote and put on a low temperature setting. On Kendo world it was suggested that you wrap the kote in an old towel and tie with some string or a ribbon should you decide to put yours in the washing machine, as this protects the kote futon (padding). It�s important to dry them out thoroughly and watch for any shrinkage. Another useful tip that I�ve heard from Gibbo is using moisturizer on the palms once they have hardened from sweat. Something like cocoa butter (gaaaaaay) would work well to soften it up and keep the deer skin palms supple. This prevents the palm from becoming hard and tearing. There are also generic leather/suede care products on the market that can be used for this. Whatever you do be sure not to spray your kote with an antibacterial air freshener such as febreeze. Febreeze does not like leather or suede, and if you use this product on them it will do damage to the material and could seriously affect your kote. The palms should prove less problematic if the material is a faux (fake) suede.
So that pretty much finishes it, with a little care and attention you can keep your Bougu in good condition for a longtime.
My current Bougu (that I've had for about 6 years) is a 3mm machine stitched set. The Kote normally last 2 -5 years (I've changed mine twice in the 6 years). As for the other parts they have been fine.
There�s no reason why this machine stitched set won�t last another 6 years. I use this bougu for everyday keiko and my hand stitched set for seminars, gradings, and shiai.
Jon Fitzgerald (edited by Gibbo)
