- Is your keiko demanding more than your bogu can give?
- Need a bogu that you can rely on, no matter what?
- Do you want to face every strike without fear or hesitation?
High-quality materials - inside and out
Designing a superior kendo bogu begins inside the futon. The Shudo's core material is made from large amounts Japanese cotton, stuffed to form a dense and highly protective futon. In key areas like the head of the kote deer hair is used to provide the highest impact absorption. All of this is covered in thick cotton sheets that have been traditionally dyed with aizome indigo. It is from this superior foundation that we built our most protective bogu.
By using the best materials in the bogu's construction not only is a high performance in keiko achieved, but comfort for the practitioner as well. The bogu is made to fit to your body, moulding to your shape through use. Orizashi cotton finishing and cotton stuffing results in a bogu that not only looks luxurious, but feels a joy to wear aswell.
The experience of the practitioner is the prioritised through this armours materials and design. Both working together to provide unbeatable protection alongside freedom of movement.
Built upon tradition - designed to excel
The shudo takes the traditional aspects of the bogu craft as its foundation, but features unique designs to achieve a higher level of performance. Its tornado-stitch pattern works in concert with the core materials to absorb powerful strikes.
So what is exactly the tornado-stitch®?
This special type of stitching, featuring thick bands of padding, can absorb powerful strikes painlessly. The bands are orientated obliquely across the strike zones for maximum effectiveness, perpendicular to the lines where you get struck. Both the design and function of this futon are registered trademarks - Patent No. 5835363 and No. 5923840. This is protection and expertise you can find nowhere else, but at Tozando.
The design of the bogu is so intuitively designed that Sensei can use the bands on the futon as guidelines for their students - reinforcing their learning during keiko whilst providing complete protection against painful strikes.
Years of research and experimentation resulted in a futon that we were proud of enough to patent. These specific designs are unavailable anywhere else.
Originally released as a set of Kote in 2016, the tornado-stitch futon has a reliable reputation in Japan as the superior for motodachi bogu. Fukumoto Shuji - former vice-chairman of the All Japan Kendo Federation - has endorsed the design, in particular its applications in teaching students as a Sensei and Motodachi.
Here are some of reviews we received from customers who actually purchased and wear Tornado-stitched Kendo Bogu.
"The futon part of tornado stitch kote is so well padded and protective, (in fact it is the most well padded kote that I have ever used) yet there is hardly any sacrifice on kote wrist movement so it didn't even need any break in." - Taek Yang, Australia
" I had a similar model from another company but it wasn't protective at all. Then I bought this and it is exactly as described and it protects my forearm very good. I should have got this in the first place." - Felix, Spain
" I saw these originally advertised in Kendo Jidai and the futon design stood out. The futon completely absorbs the impact and provides more protection without being overly thick." - S. Walker, Canada
