I'm sure many readers who saw the video advertisement for LET'S Kendo have been unable to get the phrases "You can wash your armor!" or "You don't wash your armor!" out of their heads."Musashibo Sword Wash" (http://bougu-kensen.com/）is a leader in the kendo equipment cleaning industry, having handled 750 cleaning requests and 1875 items in the past year. We spoke to Kensen's President Tsuyuki about what prompted him to start kendo equipment cleaning and his future plans. *Click here for more information on armor cleaning.

Profile

Tsuyuki Kanya, CEO of Daibutsu Co., Ltd. Founded Daibutsu Co., Ltd. in 1996. He is currently the CEO. Currently operating six "Daibutsu Cleaning" stores, mainly in Musashino City. Plans call for expansion to 10 stores by April 2018. With the mission of "increasing the number of kendo practitioners," he has launched "Musashibo Kensen," a specialized cleaning service for kendo equipment. He is applying the knowledge he gained at a clothing dry cleaning store to the cleaning of kendo equipment. Plans call for the development of a detergent specifically for kendo equipment within this year. He is a 7th-dan kendo instructor.

LET'S KENDO commercial

ーLET'S KENDOThe video advert that was shown was very impressive! 露木"First of all, I thought it was important to rememberI thought it might be a bit too silly, but it was well received (laughs). I'm happy that kids are imitating it." -UmI think many people learned about Kensen through video advertisements. 露木"We are making a sequel, so I hope you'll look forward to it."

What made me start cleaning kendo armor?

-Can you tell us about your background? 露木"After graduating from high school, I joined the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force. I was discharged in my early twenties and took over the family dry cleaning business. I continued kendo until I was about 24, but then took a break from it for 18 years." -Kendo18What was the reason for your year away? 露木"I mistakenly thought that speed and strength were everything in kendo.That's right. My child started kendo, so I decided to start it again.The emotional dynamics were very interesting.From there, I became addicted to kendo." ー"Daibutsu Cleaning"A clothing cleaning shop called6You have a number of stores. Is your main business clothing cleaning? 露木"That's right. We plan to expand to 10 stores by next month. Kensen is a business division run by me alone. I'm the only one who does the washing and shipping." Image source: Daibutsu Cleaning homepage (http://www.dai929.com/index.html） -So you run the company all by yourself, President Tsuyuki! That's surprising. 露木"Basically it's just me. I also have to think about promotion, so it's tough (laughs)." -Why did you start cleaning kendo equipment? 露木"There are quite a few people who quit kendo because their armor smells bad.I think.This is especially concerning when you're young because you want to be popular.It was frustrating to think that the important kendo population was declining because of this, so I decided to step up as someone with knowledge of washing.Let's make cleaning kendo equipment a part of our culture.I thought so." -I think that is very meaningful. What does it mean to "make cleaning kendo equipment a culture"? 露木"Previously,There was no concept of washing kendo equipmentThat's right."Washing is a given"That's the situation I want to create. If the armor is clean, you'll be able to concentrate on your practice. Your parents won't be put off by the smell. After I started practicing kendo again, my wife started pointing out to my son and me, "You guys stink!" (laughs). I work at a dry cleaner's, so I started washing the armor in my own way, through trial and error." -So it was your wife's comment that started it all. 露木"I was washing my own and my son's protective gear, and someone told me, 'You're a dry cleaner, you should get a job!' (laughs) I thought that was a good idea, so I started washing the protective gear of my acquaintances." Image source: Musashibo Kensen *Click here for armor cleaning!

Pride as a professional cleaner

-Will washing your kendo equipment cause any damage? 露木"As long as you don't scrub certain areas roughly, it won't be damaged. However, there will be some fading. The knowledge gained from cleaning comes in handy when it comes to reducing or eliminating fading. Even with something like detergent, there are many different types, so we have to devise different combinations. Amateurs can't do this." - Will washing kendo equipment help it last longer? 露木"There is a famous professor in the cleaning industry named Professor Mouri. He conducted an experiment with socks. He wanted to see which socks would develop holes first: socks worn every day, or socks worn every day and then washed. The answer was,Socks that you wear every day will get holes firstThat's what I thought." -Why is that? 露木"Sebum, sand, and dust get on the fibers, right? This dirt increases frictional resistance and damages the fibers. The more frequently you wash, the less dirt there is, and the less frictional resistance there is." -I see. So Professor Mouri's know-how is also being put to good use in cleaning armor! 露木"He's still alive. I still get advice from him.It is very difficult to prevent indigo from fading. We are accumulating know-how while borrowing the wisdom of Professor Mouri." -That's something that other companies can't imitate. 露木"When I'm worried about something, I want to ask an expert.We traveled around the country to visit indigo dyeing factories, including Bushu (Saitama), Enshu (Shizuoka), and Awa Indigo (Tokushima).There is a lot to learn, from the ingredients in indigo to the dyeing process." Image source: Musashibo Kensen -President Tsuyuki, you seem to be very enthusiastic about research. 露木"The raw materials may be the same, but the color of indigo dye can be completely different depending on where it's dyed. I couldn't help but wonder about this, so I went to see it for myself. The craftsmen found me annoying (laughs)." -Did you notice anything when talking with the indigo dye artisans? 露木"There seem to be some tricks to prevent the indigo from coming off,He said he didn't want to change the process or dyes more than necessary. We too,I realized that I need to work from the perspective of how to preserve the traditional Bushu indigo dyeing.' -If an amateur washes the armor, it seems like it will lose its original texture. Is it better not to wash your own kendo equipment? 露木"That's not true. However, you should be careful about how you wash it and the detergent you use.We are developing a detergent specifically for washing kendo equipment, and we would like to offer it to the general public someday.If you are concerned about color fading, we would appreciate it if you could have it cleaned at Kensen." *Kendo armor detergent sample currently under development

Future prospects

露木"Making cleaning kendo equipment a part of Japanese cultureThat's right. I think it's fine if you send it to a kendo aquarium, or if you wash it yourself. I want to make cleaning kendo equipment a common practice. And so, our activities have come to fruition,It would be my greatest joy to contribute to increasing the number of people practicing kendo.' —Thank you for today!

BUSHIZO's thoughts

I think it's wonderful that you want to contribute to the kendo industry by cleaning kendo equipment. I had a tendency to think that it was okay to hang out my kendo equipment outside to dry, but I realized that cleaning is a useful way to take good care of your armor and use it for a long time. Why not try Kensen, where you can have your kendo equipment cleaned by professional cleaner President Tsuyuki himself? Cleaning your armor is here!