Continued: How to care for your kendo gloves

This is the fifth in a series of interviews with Mr. Tsuyuki Mikiya, president of Musashibo "Kensen," a cleaning service specializing in kendo armor.

Last time, we asked you about how to care for your kendo gloves, and this is a continuation of that.

Precautions when drying

Tsuyuki: " Also, that's right. When you dry leather with heat, the wet parts of the leather will shrink rapidly.

Once that happens, anything that has shriveled up due to the heat will never recover.

The handle (of the glove the customer brought) looked like something a child would own, so I asked him, "What did you do?" and he said, "It was wet, so I dried it with a hair dryer."

If you expose it to too much hot air, it will get too tight. It might be good if you want to shrink it, though.

Deerskin has a spongy texture, and once this spongy texture hardens, it cannot be restored to its original shape.

No matter how much oil or oiling agent you add, it won't go back to normal. Hot air is a big no-no. It's okay for fabric, but when it comes to leather, hot air is a big no-no."

--Will it never spread again?

Tsuyuki: " That's right. Once it shrinks, it won't expand again, so just use normal wind. As long as the wind is the same temperature as the air, it'll be fine."

Storage method is important

--Sometimes after using it four or five times, the smell comes back. In that case, should I wash it again myself?

Tsuyuki: " You can wash it, but how was it stored?"

--How do you store it? Ah... I leave it in my armor bag...

Tsuyuki: " The main reason for odor is that sweat itself doesn't smell, but if it is left as water, an odor will develop.

So, after practice, be sure to dry it outside, in the shade, or in a well-ventilated place, so that moisture can evaporate before bacteria can develop."

Tsuyuki: " In the old dojos, they would often hang things up to dry, right? I think that's the best.

I think it makes a lot of sense to leave it somewhere that's well ventilated and not inside an armor bag.

In the old dojos, everyone was hanging out at the top, and I think that kind of thing makes sense after all."

--There's a string that you can hook onto the inside of the torso, is that for that purpose?

Tsuyuki: " That's right. There's a string that you put through the mask... I don't use it anymore though..."

Tsuyuki: " Also, there's the smell and mold.

Mold is quite common among many people, but as long as there is air flowing, mold is less likely to grow no matter how many nutrients there are.

Mold spores are floating around here too.

So, it pops up somewhere, and if it stays still and the temperature and humidity are just right, and the wind is still, it will grow roots and multiply rapidly.

However, if there is even a gentle breeze, the mold spores cannot survive in that place or take root.

So, if there is wind, mold won't grow anymore. Of course, it also removes moisture."

Tsuyuki: " When wearing a jersey kendo uniform, you practice with water on your body, so the smell starts to come out quickly.

In the same way, after using the gloves several times, when they can no longer absorb moisture, they start to smell."

──Does that mean the market is saturated?

Tsuyuki: " Exactly. When it gets saturated, it starts to smell.

So, if you dry it thoroughly, it will be less likely to produce an odor."

Old armor doesn't smell

Tsuyuki: " That being said, the old hand-made armor doesn't smell bad, or rather, it doesn't smell at all. They all have the same smell.

There are some old hand-sewn armor pieces here, like the one in the middle, that don't smell. They don't really have that sweaty smell that's so common in kendo."

──Oh really?

Tsuyuki: " The cotton inside is packed tightly, so I guess that's why it absorbs sweat so well.

And it seems to spit out again before it gets full.

So, old, thick, hand-stitched armor doesn't have much of a smell. It has the same smell, the smell of indigo, leather, and cotton.

Even if it's extremely dirty, it doesn't seem to smell much."

──Does that mean the amount of core material is different from now?

Tsuyuki: Yes, it's different. And also, the amount of cotton wool.

I think what's happening is that when it can no longer absorb water, the closer it becomes to water, the more likely it is that an odor will occur.

So, dehydrate for one minute. Wrap a towel around it."

--Is the towel inside to prevent it from losing its shape?

Tsuyuki: " It's about removing the moisture as quickly as possible. The reason we put a towel inside is so that the towel can absorb the moisture not only from the outside, but also from the inside. Then it takes about another minute to dehydrate.

Come to think of it, you washed it yourself the other day.

It's washable, that's for sure. It's polyester, after all. It's woven, though."

──Ah, that's all made of jersey material.

Tsuyuki: " These woven cotton items are quite vulnerable to friction. They can withstand being hit, but they are vulnerable to rubbing.

It might be okay to twist something like Clarino, as it's surprisingly stronger than deerskin.

But as I touch it like this, it's getting softer and softer. It's getting moist."

──Then, once it dries, you hit it like before.

Tsuyuki: " Just by hitting it or massaging it myself like this, it becomes really soft.

It almost feels like you're holding a bamboo sword with your bare hands. It wraps around you so snugly, it feels great."

How you store your equipment after practice is also important

This time, as a sequel to the last time, we were given an explanation on how to care for the gloves.

Click here for the explanatory video → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpE9fdiL3tE (second half)

When caring for your kote, in addition to how you wash and dry them, how you store them after practice is also important.

It's surprising that older gauntlets don't smell as bad as modern ones.

It seems that many of the things people did and used in the past, such as hanging things up in high places for storage, were actually quite logical.

Next time, we will explain how to care for the mask, which is the last step left.

Please look forward to it!!