My armor so far

[Greg F]

Last year I decided to get a cheap dou to go with my Zunari kobuto and today the stand arrived from Japan so I thought I'd show it before it goes in my gym/door.

Over time I will get the missing pieces to complete the armor but im happy for now considering the budget I'm dealing with. 

My iaito/ kenjutsu sensei gave me a nice kendo armor to display next to it too.

[uwe]

Hi Greg,

 

with a bit TLC it will turn out fine, I think 

The dō appears quite small. Or is it the perspective? 
Please note, as soon as you get the missing parts and put it finally together, be sure to cut the shoulder bar of the stand back to about 36cm. Those “standard stands” are often too large.....

Enjoy!

[Luc T]

hi Gregg, the menpo is a modern reproduction.  you better look for an old one, or an hanpo if you want to spend less money.

[Greg F]

Thanks very much for the replies gentlemen.

 

Hi Uwe thanks for the heads up about the shoulder bar length, I didnt know that.  Its aprox 10 cm too long.

The dou may be a little small but I was able to try it on just once and Im 5 feet 11 inches tall and 100 kg, although there wasnt much room to move and was definitely too short for me. 

Im looking forward to completeing it over time as I can afford parts. Just had a baby boy Friday night so budget is getting tighter haha.

 

Hi Luc I knew the Nodawa was repro but not sure about the menpo.  

I definitely plan to have the complete set antique.

I also hope to get an armor box to sit it on. 

Looking forward to showing it to my sensei when we meet at my gym for iaito this week. 

 

As you can see in the pic there is a small peice of laquer missing in the bottom right section of the mon that bothers me.

In the sale photo's it wasn't missing and the seller gave me partial refund as he couldnt find the peice. 

I presume its best left as is but if I should do anything to prevent and more laquer falling off in that section please let me know. I have some very good quality glues but I dont want to do anything I shouldn't do.

Regards 

[Bugyotsuji]

Probably not the 100% right thing to do, but I was given this tip, Greg.

 

Use a thin coat of matt (not gloss) black paint to cover and seal the area. You'll find that, as a first step, the gaping 'wound' will no longer draw the eye, and whatever restoration work is performed subsequently will not be compromised.

 

Once you get some Kote onto those shoulder pieces half of the problem with them will disappear. If you do cut them down as Uwe suggests, make sure they are smoothly rounded off so as not to cause damage where the kote will hang off them. 

[uwe]

Congratulation to the proud parents!!!

You are right though....he will definitely decrease your budget and the hobby might suffer (....but it’s worth) 

[Greg F]

Thanks Piers that makes sense I will think about doing that. I have matt black paint to use.

 

Thanks Uwe , its not easy with all the lockdowns and not being allowed to work but I will make it work.  

Weve had a 5 day lockdown here that started less than 2 hours after my son was born so atleast I've had extra cuddle time huh.

[Chishiki]

Hi Greg.  Keep in touch with your local collectors.  We can team up to help out.  Mark

[Greg F]

G'day Mark that's very nice thanks mate.

I enjoyed meeting you and the everyone in Boxhill and hope to catch up for another meeting when possible. 

 

[Winchester]

I am a very new collector and think this is awesome; great history. Thanks for sharing.

[Winchester]

I hope this is not in poor taste, I am just trying to learn. What does something like this cost? I know price is asked a lot, but I am only trying to understand. Kind regards,Brian

[Greg F]

Hi Brian  

I don't remember exactly but in total it was between $1200 and $1500 Australian dollars.

Ebay has plenty available but probably a good idea to get advice here before buying.

Cheers

[IanB]

Greg,  Further to Piers' tip, a black permanent marker pen is ideal for touching out scratches.

Ian Bottomley.

 

[Greg F]

Hi Ian,

I bought black and gold paint pens and filled it in and it looks much better now.

Thanks very much for your input its much appreciated. 

Ive just had to relocate my gym/dojo (2nd time in less than a year) and will be putting the armor up befor Fridays iai session. 

My sensei was kind enough to give me a nice kendo armor to display next to my armor. 

Regards 

Greg