忍耐 + 掌握人生
My New Kote and Shinai
My throat was very dry in the early morning hours, but I was still planning to go to tonight's training in Pyrmont at that time... until this afternoon. Not only had I got a very dry sore throat, but a congested and runny nose as well. My eyes were watering and my ears were blocked. I just had to stay home to rest myself.
Although I cannot write about tonight's training, there is another thing I would like to write about. My new kote and shinai have arrived from Koei Budogu!
1.2bu 武聖 (#06-370)
As shown above, this is my new 1.2bu 武聖 kote from Koei Budogu.
I have tried the kote on and it is really comfortable. The wrist part of the kote allows me to rotate the shinai freely. The forearm section of the kote is so nicely and tightly stitched that I don't have to worry about receiving kote blows from hard-hitters. The knuckle parts are full of soft padding it feels so nice and safe.
I am looking forward to putting the new pair of kote on.
Above is a comparison of my new pair of kote from Koei Budogu (top), and my first and existing pair of 1.2bu kote from Tozando (below).
I will use both kote interchangeably from now on, so that both pairs of kote are given time to air and dry.
Kyoto Matake Shinai (Large-handle style) - 京都真竹(柄太型)
I have purchased two Kyoto matake shinai of the large-handle style as well. The first time I took a grip on the handle, my gosh, it was huge! Each of the four bamboo slats were super-sized. They were so thick.
I trained with the new shinai last Saturday. At first, the large grip felt pretty weird. However, after some time it felt really good. The balance was spot on. Also, using this shinai to cut kote was absolutely beautiful. It got the most wonderful, nice PAMMMM sound on the kote I have made!! Such music to the ears. Due to the size and thickness of the shinai, my men cuts also became very powerful. No more light and if-or-but men-ari. If my shinai landed on the men, you could see and hear that the cut made were definitely of ippon-quality.
Top: My favourite shinai used only at shiai. I first used it at the 2003 NSW State Championships and it won me my first podium position in a state Kendo event. It is still serving me extremely well at the moment. It got the best weight and balance.
Middle: My new Kyoto matake shinai. Excellent weight and balance. Note the huge slat and handle.
Bottom: Just another shinai I used at training. Nothing really special about it.
Although I cannot write about tonight's training, there is another thing I would like to write about. My new kote and shinai have arrived from Koei Budogu!
1.2bu 武聖 (#06-370)
As shown above, this is my new 1.2bu 武聖 kote from Koei Budogu.
I have tried the kote on and it is really comfortable. The wrist part of the kote allows me to rotate the shinai freely. The forearm section of the kote is so nicely and tightly stitched that I don't have to worry about receiving kote blows from hard-hitters. The knuckle parts are full of soft padding it feels so nice and safe.
I am looking forward to putting the new pair of kote on.
Above is a comparison of my new pair of kote from Koei Budogu (top), and my first and existing pair of 1.2bu kote from Tozando (below).
I will use both kote interchangeably from now on, so that both pairs of kote are given time to air and dry.
Kyoto Matake Shinai (Large-handle style) - 京都真竹(柄太型)
I have purchased two Kyoto matake shinai of the large-handle style as well. The first time I took a grip on the handle, my gosh, it was huge! Each of the four bamboo slats were super-sized. They were so thick.
I trained with the new shinai last Saturday. At first, the large grip felt pretty weird. However, after some time it felt really good. The balance was spot on. Also, using this shinai to cut kote was absolutely beautiful. It got the most wonderful, nice PAMMMM sound on the kote I have made!! Such music to the ears. Due to the size and thickness of the shinai, my men cuts also became very powerful. No more light and if-or-but men-ari. If my shinai landed on the men, you could see and hear that the cut made were definitely of ippon-quality.
Top: My favourite shinai used only at shiai. I first used it at the 2003 NSW State Championships and it won me my first podium position in a state Kendo event. It is still serving me extremely well at the moment. It got the best weight and balance.
Middle: My new Kyoto matake shinai. Excellent weight and balance. Note the huge slat and handle.
Bottom: Just another shinai I used at training. Nothing really special about it.
posted by Vivian Yung at
8:09 PM
Name: Vivian Yung
12 Comments:
Hi Viv:
I can't believe how thick the grip is on your new shinai O_o... I have enough trouble holding onto my dobori shinai with a nice slim 37 tsuka -_-V... But I guess if it's more comfortable and powerful for you then all the better ^^;;...
Didn't notice your new kote though O.o... I was pretty spaced out on saturday... it looks awesome.
By
Quoth the raven, at Tuesday, June 21, 2005 2:45:00 PM
Hope your corporate finance exam and your study are going well.
I knew it was going to be thick, but didn't expect the shinai to be that thick. It's really strange, but give me some time of getting use to and I think it will take my ippon to the next level. ^^ hopefully. =D
tehehe, I still haven't publicly use my kote yet. I was still using the old one on Saturday, coz I want to get used to the matake shinai first before having to get used to my new kote. But yeah, I can't wait to use the new kote.
By
Vivian Yung, at Tuesday, June 21, 2005 2:55:00 PM
Hey Vivian,
Wow..I like the new Kote..They look awesome. :) Thick shinai has better balance somehow. I personally use one regularly. Although, it feels weird when you stop using for a while and then come back to it again. Lol.....:) Get well soon!! Lol....I've got my cold last week! -.-
By
Scientive, at Tuesday, June 21, 2005 7:06:00 PM
Thanks Paul. ^_^
I hope I will recover fully soon too. I took a sickie today, went to the doctor and basically slept throughout the afternoon. It's getting better now. Hopefully by tomorrow morning, I will be feeling good and well again.
Out of interest, I did some measurements of the circumference of the shinai tsuka. The shiai and other normal shinai I use have a circumference of 10cm. For the matake shinai with large tsukagawa, it is 11.5cm in circumference. I can't believe the difference is so small yet it makes such a huge difference in the gripping.
By
Vivian Yung, at Tuesday, June 21, 2005 7:52:00 PM
Hi MMB!
I really like reading your blog ! Hehe - still a bit confused over some of the kendo terms but learning slowly! Get better soon :)
By
plautus, at Tuesday, June 21, 2005 8:24:00 PM
Hey Plautus!
It's really exciting to hear from a non-kendo player that you enjoy reading my blog.
There is a link to a Kendo Dictionary page in the Useful Links section on the right if you are confused with the terminology but want to find out what it is about.
Would you mind if I link my blog to yours?
By
Vivian Yung, at Tuesday, June 21, 2005 8:58:00 PM
Sure, go ahead! I've done the same too :)
By
plautus, at Wednesday, June 22, 2005 9:20:00 AM
Cool, thanks. I have linked your blog to mine. ^_^
By
Vivian Yung, at Wednesday, June 22, 2005 9:49:00 AM
Hi Viv,
Congrats on the new kote! They look beautiful.
Is your new extra-large shinai heavier than your old shinai?
Enjoy!
By
Occasional Blogger, at Wednesday, June 22, 2005 1:47:00 PM
I think my new extra large shinai is heavier than my other shinai. But when I used it last Saturday, it didn't seem heavier than the others, but I could definitely tell that my cuts were so much more powerful.
Unfortunately, I don't have a reliable small scale to tell me exactly how heavy the shinai is. I would love to find out.
By
Vivian Yung, at Wednesday, June 22, 2005 2:15:00 PM
Thanks ^^;;.. hardest exam tomorrow and then Japanese on friday which means....training tomorrow! Yay...and I'll try to make it for the bowling(?) thing on saturday lol.
I can't deal with thick tsuka since I already feel like my shinai will fly out of my hands (*cough* no tenouchi*cough*)
Hope you get well soon...
By
Quoth the raven, at Wednesday, June 22, 2005 8:34:00 PM
Cool. Good luck tomorrow. I like how you are so positive about your exams. ^_^
I shall see you on Saturday at Kendo and Disco Bowling!
By
Vivian Yung, at Wednesday, June 22, 2005 10:44:00 PM
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