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Folding Keikogi

Bogu

Selecting bogu or armor is even more baffling. The choice of styles, qualities, and brands is enormous as is the price range. You can buy hand-stitched, machine-stitched, even machine-stitched to look like hand-stitched bogu. Dou are available with traditional bamboo dou plates covered in leather and lacquer or made from synthetic material. So you need to think long and hard about what quality bogu you need and how much you are prepared to pay for it.

The two main types of bogu are hand-stitched and machine-stitched. The former is vastly more expensive and a top class handmade bogu may take several years to make and equates to the price of a new car. Both hand-stitched and machine-stitched armor is classified by the closeness of the stitching. Machine stitching normally comes in.24 inches (6mm),.16 inch (4mm) or .12 inch (3mm) whereas hand stitching uses the traditional Japanese measures of bu and rin and ranges from 1bu through 1bu 2rin to 1bu 5rin to 2bu.

The more space between stitches the lower the price, so.24 inches (6mm) bogu is less expensive than.12 inch (3mm) and likewise 2bu is less expensive than 1bu. It is worth bearing in mind that loose stitched bogu needs to be thick, because it works by absorbing impact. Tight stitching deflects, so it is as much a case of personal preference as to which is best. A new type of 2bu hand-stitched armor is enjoying a boom at the moment as it is soft and light.