Kendo
Kendo is the Japanese style of fencing which was developed during the Meiji period of Japan (1868-1912), it was developed from the two-handed sword fighting a technique of the samurai. You will find today that kendo, meaning "way of the sword", is now practiced with shinai (bamboo swords), and the fighters will wear protective equipment that covers targeted areas: the wrists, head, and abdomen areas. The protective gear used is known as bogu, this consists of a men (the face mask), a do (the breastplate), kote (the fencing gloves), and ‘tare’, which is a kind of apron that protects the hips and stomach. Underneath this protective gear, the kendoka (that is the students of kendo) will wear a hakama, this is a wide split skirt that reaches the ankles.
In Kendo the weapon that is used is the shinai, (bamboo sword). This shinai is approx four feet in length, made from four very carefully formed bamboo slats that are bound together and form a hollow cylinder; it also has a cord that runs along
