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Ideally, Kendoka should train with all three types of swords. It is particularly important as the student progresses that he or she gain some familiarity with the use of the katana, since handling it effectively is a very different matter from using the shinai. This conviction has led to the well-known saying in Japanese swordsmanship that Kendo and iaido form two wheels of the same cart—both are necessary to go anywhere.

Bogu

body armor

Kendo bogu was modeled on the battlefield armor of the feudal samurai. This armor was lightweight and flexible, compared to that worn by European knights, and this tradition has endured to influence modern Kendo's protective coverings.

Bogu today consists of four pieces of equipment: a face and head protector made of metal and fabric that serves as a modified helmet and is called a men, a lightweight chest protector called a do, a cotton hip protector, or tare, and a pair of mitts, or kote, to protect the Kendoka's hands and wrists. Clad in the sweeping training uniform of a hakama and keikogi and swathed in protective bogu, a kendo trainee cuts an exotic figure that is reminiscent of Japan's feudal tradition (and also seems to have influenced the futuristic costumes of Star Wars).