Tama Budogu operates in Kokubunji, Tokyo. Until now, the martial arts equipment manufacturer has had almost no brick-and-mortar stores or online sales, resulting in many complaints that "even if you want it, you can't buy it." All of the products are handmade by President Adachi. They are unmistakably Made in Japan products. Apparently, he makes everything himself, right down to cutting the bamboo.

This time, we asked President Adachi, a former member of Nihon University's Kendo Club, to tell us about the inspiration behind creating this unique product and explain the product to us!

Click here for Tama Budogu products!

What led to starting a kendo equipment store?

Adachi"I was originally an office worker at a securities company. Then, I started a business with two friends, selling martial arts equipment. We were doing well, but then I was betrayed by someone I trusted, and I ended up with tens of millions of yen in debt and had to close the store. It was frustrating.

But I love kendo, and even now I still make a little bit of kendo-related products."We don't have the financial resources to make kendo armor, so what we make is basically small items. We make each item by hand, focusing on products that large kendo manufacturers wouldn't be keen on."

-You can really feel President Adachi's love for kendo. It's amazing that such handmade products can be sold at such low prices!

Adachi"If people don't buy it, there's no point (laughs). We aim for prices that are affordable."

-What kind of thoughts go into creating your products?

Adachi"I want to increase the number of people who start kendo from kindergarten. My aim is to increase the base of the kendo population.It seems that many children practice kendo until they reach junior high school, but then quit. This is just one example, but when we were children, we couldn't wear the black belt until we achieved first dan. Nowadays, you can wear the black belt from elementary school, so I think there is less joy in achieving first dan. In judo, you only get a black belt once you achieve first dan. Kendo too needs some kind of mechanism to make children aspire to achieve the black belt as soon as possible. I think it would be fine to have red or blue belts until elementary school. I think these kinds of initiatives should be led by martial arts equipment stores."

The secret story behind the development of kendo equipment

Soft Kendo Equipment

-What was the concept behind creating Soft Kendo equipment?

Adachi"The number of people doing kendo is declining. It would be no fun to make kindergarteners just do Suburi.Unless it becomes more of a game-like experience, where hitting your opponent is fun, I don't think people will even have a chance to realize how fun kendo is.I looked into it recently and found that there are very few people who have attained the first dan level. This is a serious problem."

-The concept of increasing the number of people starting from kindergarten is interesting!

Adachi"I made the design cute and the colors pop. There is baseball and softball, so I thought it would be nice if there was a softer version of kendo as well.

I do it all myself.I do all the sewing myself, and I even cut the bamboo myself.I thought about using a plastic body, but it would have looked cheaply made."

-You make it from bamboo! That's amazing...

Adachi"I have a friend who owns a bamboo grove in Chichibu, and he's willing to give it to me at a low price (laughs). Some people buy this product as a Shichi-Go-San gift. I think it would also make a great gift."　

The secret story behind the development of Shikoro

Adachi"Thrusting is scary, isn't it? There are kendo practitioners who have been hit in the carotid artery and become partially paralyzed. We felt that something had to be done about this, and so we created the 錞.

At the time, other martial arts equipment stores were considering making larger tsukitare.This would prevent the thrust from deflecting to the side and hitting the neck. Therefore, we created a product that can also protect the neck in addition to the thrust.'

-Thrusting is scary... I didn't know there was a product like this!

Adachi"ZincWhen wearing it, you will no longer be afraid of being stabbed. You will no longer back down because of fear.In short, your sword style changes. We often hear from people that they can now strike with their hips.'

Kotegata

Adachi"I made some tekko (hand guards) and took them to my former teacher at Ikubunkan High School, Oka Kenjiro. He told me, 'Adachi, you shouldn't make things like this! Kendo is bound to hurt. It's bound to smell. If it weren't for that, it wouldn't be kendo.' The armor that Oka used was hand-stitched and thick. Old-fashioned armor was highly protective, so it didn't hurt. It was made with only deer hair as the core material, which provided cushioning."

-The pain was different from what it is now.

Adachi"Currently popular products contain cotton, so as they are beaten, they lose their cushioning properties.It really hurts when you get hit. Because they're mass-produced with a sewing machine, the pain you feel when you get hit is completely different.

I think it's a shame that the number of kendo practitioners is declining because of things like pain and smell."

-Where does the name "tekou" come from?

Adachi"Have you heard of tekko? You see the ones men wear on their hands in period dramas and the like? I made this with that in mind. I also used to teach kendo to children, and when a child would swing their sword up and hit the kote, it would really hurt. I thought this was no good, so I made these tekko 40 years ago. They've been selling ever since. They're one of our best-selling products.

The key point is that it not only protects the tube part, but also the back of the hand."

- Tama Budogu is competing in a niche in the kendo world. It's an interesting company that doesn't make armor! It's not just a product idea, but it's impressive that they're working hard to spread safe and secure kendo. I'll be sure to support Tama Budogu, which makes handmade products, in the future. Thank you for today!

interviewer

BUSHIZO

Click here for Tama Budogu products!

Announcement from BUSHIZO

New articles, new product information, and special offersWe will deliver this to you via email newsletter.
If you register as a new user, you can use BUSHIZO.Receive 1,000 yen worth of points!
Registration will take just 3 minutes. If you would like to register, we would appreciate it if you would do so.