Bogu
防具
Protective gear in kendo made of four parts: the men helmet, kote gloves, do chest protector and tare hip guard. Valid strikes target three of them.
Quick Facts
Term typeEquipment and training aids
LanguageJapanese
Formnoun
Pronunciation[boh-goo]
Alternative Nameskendo protector
Readings and romanizations
Reading (kana)ぼうぐ
Hepburn romanizationbōgu
Word breakdown
防bōto defend
具gutool, gear
Definition
Bogu (防具) means “protective gear”: bo is to defend, gu a tool. In kendo it is gear of four parts: men, a helmet with a metal grille protecting the face, kote, long padded gloves protecting the forearm and wrist, do, a chest protector, and tare, a waist and groin protector with three thick vertical flaps. Bogu allows a full strike with the bamboo sword shinai. Valid kendo targets are men, the head, kote, the wrist, do, the side of the torso, and tsuki, a thrust to the throat, protected by the lower part of the helmet.