ti qundo

http://www.amazon.com/Quality-Super-KEIRYO-Machine-Stitched/dp/B000N3XPHO

that's about the best deal your going to find without a service like EBAY. The entire set is about $600.

It doesen't really matter wether it's practised inside or outside (generally it's practised inside), as long as you get the proper floor. The place where you practise kendo is called a dojo (道場); doujou roughly means "place of the way" since modern Japanese martial arts are usually called "do" (道; way), the place wher it's practised is the "place of the way".

I use 50wt. Motor oil. A good "rule of thumb" is: ANYtime you purchase (new) ANYthing metal, SOAK it in oil 3 days to 2 weeks to PERMEATE the material in question. I've been oiling metal items for 35 years now, so I can say, from personal experience, "It works for me".

HOWEVER, if you are wanting to preserve AN ANTIQUE: DON'T DO IT! -Get an opinion from an antique dealer as you may actually depreciate it's value.

Footnote: DO NOT SOAK THE HANDLE.

Kendo uses, I believe, the same belt grading system common throughout Japan. Like in Judo and Karate at the black belt level there are "Dan" grades.

Pretty much the same grading system used in Judo and Karate (10th to 1st kyu and 1st to 10th Dan*), the only real difference is that in kendo usually there's no difference in belt colour or anything like that, there's no way one can tell the difference between a begginer and an experienced kendoka just looking at the clothes.

*Nowadays, 8th Dan is the highest rank possible in kendo, since there are no more 9th or 10th Dan holders alive.

Kendou, having been adopted into English (Kendo), refers to the sport of swordsmanship. However, looking at the kanji individually, it can be translated as "way of the sword."

Kendo roots lie in mediaeval Japanese fencing (called kenjutsu). As the sword was considered the symbol of the samurai class, kenjutsu tradition was a major cultural aspect of Japan. When the Meiji Revolution took place, teaching arts of war became illegal and martial arts had to turn to a more philosophical approach. This transformation changed the martial arts from "jutsu" (術; technique, art) to "do" (道; way) and became official in 1895. Kendo, as known today, is a standardized form of kenjutsu with focus in the phylosophical aspect of swordmanship instead of focusing on defeating enemies.

'Kup' are the ranks for the color belts under the rank of black belt in Korean martial arts. There are generally 10 to 12 kup levels. White is the lowest kup and brown belt is usually 1st kup.

well not in bradford but there is one in brighouse which i attend. just type in do shin ken yu kai in google XD. we practice once a week on friday from 8.30pm to 10.30pm at brighouse high school.

Wales

It depends on where you live, there are also lots of websites that sell both clothing (armor and uniform) and weapons (shinai, bokuto, etc.). Either way, if you're planning on beginning kendo, you should ask your teacher where to buy the kendo gear.

That's not something you can learn with words. If you want to learn how to use your katana you need to look into the fighting styles. Kenjutsu is the one you want because it teaches you what to do in a real life situation. Now the hard part is finding a place that teaches it locally. If you cant find any try looking for kendo, iaijustsu, or battojutsu. Kendo is a competition sport, iaijutsu and battojutsu are both meant to teach you how to draw your katana and attack in a quick motion.

Kumdo and Kendo are virtually the same martial art with some minor differences. Generally, Kumdo is considered a Korean variant of Kendo and Korean martial artists even participate in the Kendo World Cups. It's argued wether Kumdo developed from ancient Korean swordmanship or simply imported from Japanese Kendo, but in general, both are considered one and the same.