Customer Testimonials

Testimonial by Stefan Korpel "One dark and rainy afternoon I visited Chiba Budougu to pick up a box of shinais for my kendo club in The Hague. Mr Suzuki saw me standing in his shop soaking wet, he looked at the dry card board box with shinais and then decided to drive me back to IBU in his mini van! I was impressed by this kind of friendly service! Later on I bought more shinais, I had my hakamas, gi’s and bogu embroidered and a pair of kote repalmed. Chiba Budougu always offered me high quality products and excellent service. I am more than happy to buy from them on line in the future." - Stefan Korpel, The Netherlands International Budo University Kendo Specialization Course Graduate   Testimonial by Rouslan Aloev "The Russian Kendo Federation has called on Chiba Budogu since 2002. We have bought many goods including full sets of armor, keiko-gi, hakama, children's equipment, shinai, accessories, and so forth. Chiba Budougu has also very kindly supported us with some donations of equipment, and supported us with their expertise and advice. Here in Russia it is quite difficult to acquire kendo equipment, therefore, having confidence in the good value of the equipment of Chiba Budogu, and their careful attention to the orders has been very instrumental in the smooth progress of our federation. I recommend Chiba Budogu for quality in all their products, and their outstanding service." - Rouslan Aloev, Russia President of the Russian Kendo Federation (est. 1989), 2 times to World Championships, 5 times to European Championships   Testimonial by D.J. Lortie Although I have been practicing Aikido for several years, I started training in Kendo and Judo when I entered the International Budo University as an exchange student in 1999.  I needed new equipment for Kendo and Judo that I could  continue to use in my main Budo, Aikido.   The staff at Chiba Budougu helped me choose the right gear. I bought a double weave Judo gi and a hand dyed Hakama for Kendo, both of which I still wear today. I also purchased a very inexpensive Kendo gi top which I passed on to a younger student at the end of my year.  Even though it might seem strange to some to buy both top and bottom of the line equipment in the same day, the experienced employees at Chiba Budougu assured me it I'd made the right choice." - D.J. Lortie, USA (Tokyo, Japan)   Testimonial by Bryan Peterson "With exceptional guidance from a good friend, I learned much about the hows and whys of investing in a good set of bogu. I met with the nice people at Chiba Budougu and learned about the steps necessary in making the bogu. All my questions were answered and I felt very much at ease in the store. I have visited numerous bogu shops in the Tokyo area, and can say with certainty that I felt by far the most comfortable and welcome at Chiba Budougu." "Now the proud owner of a new set of hand-crafted bogu, I have absolutely no regrets. I had been reluctant to invest so much money in something that would soon be battered about in the dojo, soaked with sweat and all the rest. It has held up well and I expect it to do so for many more years of training. I am especially happy that a good friend recommended Chiba Budougu to me and took the time to personally introduce me to the owner." - Bryan Peterson, USA Resident of Japan and Kendo practitioner for 12 years   Testimonial by Agnes LEE Suk-Ling "I visited Chiba Budougu some years ago during a trip to Japan.  I met Masami Suzuki, the bogu craftsman at Chiba Budogu.  He was really kind, and freely offered me advice and useful information about bogu.  I bought some shinai at first, their "Bushin" model, which are inexpensive, but of very good quality.  I have been using these shinai exclusively for my important shiai.  In years since, with their advice and design, I have had special order equipment made.  As a woman, with smaller measurements than a man, it has been nearly impossible to get regular-order equipment that fits properly.  The custom tailoring that CBG made for me, has made all the difference in good fit, comfort, and protection.  This is the traditional, quality, custom fit Japanese bogu that I have wanted but had been very elusive until I found their shop.  I will be ordering an entire new custom set from them from now on.  I certainly recommend Chiba Budogu to all my kendo friends." - Agnes LEE Suk-Ling, Hong Kong Secretary to the President, Hong Kong Kendo Association , HK Team Member to 12th WKC   Testimonial by Trevor Jones "I have used Chiba Budougu on several occasions, both "in shop" and via telephone/e-mail, on behalf of myself and others, and have always found the service excellent, the staff knowledgeable and helpful, and the quality of equipment very high and reasonably priced at any level, for experienced Kendo practitioners or those just starting out." - Trevor Jones, England (Okayama, Japan) Former UK Kendo team member and BKA Committee member for Iaido.   Testimonial by Greg Robinson "I have had the pleasure of dealing with Mr. Suzuki and the Chiba Budogu staff numerous times. I have purchased uniforms and equipment for other martial arts as well as Kendo. Their attention to detail and quality is superb and can only be matched by their commitment to customer satisfaction. I purchased bogu from Chiba Budogu about 1 year ago and it only has one major flaw as Sensei puts it 'Your kendo is losing to your bogu.'" - Greg Robinson, Canada (Nagoya, Japan) International Budo University Kendo Specialization Course Graduate, Kendo World Magazine Columnist   Testimonial by Kirby Smith "I've been practicing Kendo for 10 years, and started my relationship with Chiba Budougu when I attended the International Budo University in 1999. During that year I used Chiba Budougu as my sole supplier of kendo equipment, purchasing multiple shinai, a hakama and a set of hand stitched bogu." "I've been really impressed with the fit, quality and durability of my bogu over the years, and was delighted with the service I received from Chiba Budougu." - Kirby Smith, Australia Australian National Champion, Kendo World Championships participant 1997, 2000, 2003   Testimonial by Erdelyi Gabor "When I was a student at IBU in 1998, I bought all my kendo equipment, and had repairs and service done at Chiba Budogu. In 1998, I bought my best set of bogu from them. The quality is very high, the price was good, and they were very kind. My equipment is very comfortable, the materials good, and I continue to wear this bogu, and expect still a long life." - Erdelyi Gabor, Hungary 2-time Hungarian National Champion, European Champion, Kendo coach (Picture: Erdelyi Gabor, left, strikes men for ippon at the 1997 Worlds in Kyoto. Photo from Kendo Nippon magazine)   Testimonial by Andrew Tan I had read about the "Mine" bogu in Kendo World journal recently, and my curiosity led me to look into Chiba Budougu's website one day. Having decided on purchasing the Mine men, kote and tare, I got in touch with Michael Komoto, the customer service manager, to confirm the options and details. Their customer service is second-to-none, and we corresponded many, many times. Komoto-san has always been very prompt with his responses. I can honestly say that my kendo changed for the better since the day I put my Mine equipment on. I never knew that bogu could make such a significant difference! I discovered that the main philosophy behind the Mine is functionality that is, to provide protection but yet flexibility where it counts. It is abundantly clear to me that the materials used are all of high-quality, and that the workmanship is excellent. Additionally, given that it is custom made, the bogu fits perfectly. My posture and speed have since improved. I am a very happy customer indeed. - Andrew Tan, Australia President Sydney Kendo Club   Testimonial by David Pan Having always had problems buying clothing off-the-shelf, purchasing kendo equipment online has been a great source of anxiety for me. Chiba Budougu’s attention to detail has really put me at ease. Not only did they notice when I transposed some numbers in my measurements, the accurate placement of the mono-mi has provided me with a superbly fitting Men. My eye postion is actually lower than average for the length and width of my face; however, their care in asking for the proper measurements and expert crafting of my men adjusted for this perfectly. Now, I don't have to tuck my chin to see through the mono-mi. It has improved my comfort, posture, and as a result, my enjoyment and performance. The Mine has really changed the way I view bogu quality. My other bogu set is a premium 1.0-bu nagasashi from another Japanese company; however, I can honestly say that my 6 mm pitch Mine armor not only protects against, and absorbs the strikes better, it is also more flexible, comfortable, and molds to my body better. I will definitely be talking to Chiba Budougu when the rest of my bogu is ready for repair or replacement. -David Pan, USA Bellevue Kendo Club   Testimonial by Rachel Hahn-Morris In Spring 2004, I received my pair of custom-ordered Naginata kote from Chiba Budougu. Their attention to detail was phenomenal. With many years of budo study, and serving as a kendo instructor in a number of kendo clubs in London, I have seen a great amount of bogu, and expected something very average that would fit. However, I was happily surprised at both quality of the materials and craftsmanship. Even my kendo friends who have seen them since, ‘oo-ed and ah-ed,’ and declared they'd never seen anything like before. For example, the leather was so soft they felt more like expensive driving gloves. The precise stitching, well-formed shape, and the custom fit have made all the difference in my performance. One final touch, as a service, my name was stitched on, so everyone will know they belong to this proud owner. I would have no hesitation in recommending hand-crafted items from Chibabogu. I wish Chibabogu the very best in establishing themselves in the world market for bogu. Oh yes, I should add, this order was made from England, with the invaluable help of their English-speaking customer service department. -Rachel Hahn-Morris, UK WKC 2000 (Glasgow) British squad British (bronze & silver medals) European Team Bronze.   Testimonial by Evans Stamataky A few years ago, I purchased a top of the line bogu set manufactured in Korea. I made the purchase with the expectation that there might be some slight sizing differences, but that by adding some padding here or there would allow for sufficient adjustments. Worse than I expected, the men was loose along the sides of my head, and no amount of additional padding added could correct the problem. Also, the monomi position was not at the right level. The combination of these factors made the men uncomfortable to wear, and painful to receive strikes with. Having decided to purchase a new men, while in Japan, I took the opportunity to visit Chiba Budougu’s shop in Katsuura. Suzuki-san, their bogu-builder, volunteered that my men was still in good condition and that instead of purchasing a new one it would be possible to rebuild the men for correct fit. I decided to take the chance and try to salvage my men with the reconstruction. I've received my corrected men. They not only altered the men to fit my face perfectly, the workmanship was excellent and the cost was reasonable, certainly much less than buying a new men. I can now see out of the monomi without craning my neck, and receiving strikes is no longer painful. It is like I am wearing a completely different men. The entire transaction, from the time I left the men with Chiba Budougu, to when I received it by post to my residence in the US, took only a few weeks. My experience with Chiba Bogu was pleasant and went smoothly thanks to their extensive experience with custom service. The fact that they can conduct communications in English made the entire process possible without any fear of mis-communications. From now on, I’ll rely on Chiba Budougu for all my repairs. -Evans Stamataky, USA   Testimonial by Evgeny Andreev Practicing regularly, I’ve run into the same problem with kote that nearly everyone in the kendo community outside of Japan encounters: worn-out palms. Kote palm repair is not common outside of Japan, and so, with the eventual wearing out of the palms, we find we cannot use otherwise perfectly good kote. The choice is to try a less than perfect local repair, or send the kote to Japan at some expense for re-palming service. I decided to experiment and recently ordered a pair of the Hasegawa kote from Chiba Budougu. At first glimpse they look very unusual compared to the conventional kote I am used to seeing; however, upon using the kote I find that they perform exactly like ordinary kote. My recent experience during a seminar really bespeaks of the advantage of these kote: each day after the seminar I separated the removable palms and hung them to dry. While the others around me started each day with soaking wet palms, my kote were completely dry. In addition to being able to order replacement palms and simply zipping them in, this ability to dry the kote out for daily use is an immense advantage over conventional kote. I still use my old kote sets; however, I use my Hasegawa kote at each practice, especially in hot weather and for seminars. -Evgeny Andreev President Shiten Dojo Saint-Petersburg Russian National Team member