8 basic types of Mune classified by material
Among the four parts of Kendo Bogu, the Do is often the most overlooked. Generally, a properly sized Do can meet the requirements for various situations, including daily practice, grading and competitions. However, for those practitioners who emphasize the aesthetic aspect of their protective gear, selecting a premium Do has become the most challenging step. This is because the kendo market outside Japan generally lacks comprehensive information and promotion regarding Do craftsmanship. Below, I will give a general introduction to various types of Mune.
Fig. 1 Synthetic Kurozan Mune (upper left), soft cow leather Mune (upper right),
Orizashi Mune (lower left) and clarino Mune (lower right)
According to the main materials, we can categorise the Mune into the following eight categories:
Synthetic Kurozan Mune: Due to the limited production of genuine Kurozan leather, this kind of Mune is often referred to as Kurozan Mune. The main body of the synthetic Kurozan Mune is made of machine-stamped hard cow leather. The material will show a uniform machine-made texture. It is characterized by its low cost and high durability, which makes it the most popular Mune category over the world.
Cotton Mune: Considering the sweat-absorbing properties of cotton, most cotton Mune are made by covering a layer of cotton on top of synthetic Kurozan leather. Its surface is softer than general Kurozan Mune and has better consistency with other parts of the Bogu.
Orizashi Mune: Broadly speaking, the concept of Orizashi does not specify the type of fabric used, but here it specifically refers to fabrics made of Sashiko Kiji (the same applies to other articles on this site). Orizashi Mune has a texture similar to Kendogi, offering excellent wear resistance and natural colour. Cotton and Orizashi Mune often use Aizome fabrics.
Synthetic leather Mune/Clarino Mune: Also known as synthetic deerskin Mune. Clarino Mune is soft, lightweight, and cost-effective. With the decline in deerskin production, clarino Mune serves as an excellent alternative.
Soft cow leather Mune: This type of Mune uses black cow leather (the origin is not limited to China, Korea or Japan) to achieve an effect similar to deerskin. Compared with clarino Mune, it has a stronger texture and is usually coloured by premium Aizome. Soft cow leather Mune has now become the mainstream alternative to deerskin in Japan and South Korea.
Kurozan Mune: Strictly speaking, this material specifically refers to the black cow leather produced in Himeji, Japan. Known for its excellent craftsmanship and texture, it is widely used in various clothing and luggage products. However, due to the high cost, Kurozan Mune is actually very rare on the market. The main difference between Kurozan Mune and synthetic products is its handmade texture (although non-experts can't always tell the difference). Currently, there are many factories in Japan that provide imitation products that are highly similar to real Kurozan Mune.
Deerskin Mune: Deerskin is the most highly regarded leather material in traditional kendo products. Although it is difficult to prove that deerskin Mune are functionally superior to soft cow leather or clarino Mune, its price remains high due to lower productivity and more complex process requirements.
Other Mune: In some special Mune models, non-traditional materials such as mackerel skin, ostrich skin, crocodile skin may be used. These materials are rare and they can be considered special versions of the aforementioned categories of Mune.
Different catagories of Mune kazari and Shokou
Similar to Men, Kote and Tare, the Do Mune is mainly composed of three parts: the core material, the outer shell, and the pattern. The above classification mainly explains the differences in the outer materials of the Mune, while the most significant part that determines the appearance attributes of the Mune are Mune kazari and Shokou. To be brief, the basic process for crafting a finished Mune involves presenting a specific craft pattern on the Mune panel through stamping, decorative string sewing (machine-stitched or hand-stitched) or embedding. Unlike Dodai, which have stricter production requirements (plastic Dodai require precision stamping dies, bamboo Dodai require specific raw materials and craftsmanship, leading to their rare production outside Japan or South Korea), the production of Mune kazari and Shokou belong to the scope of tailoring (excluding the manufacture of pre-patterned synthetic Kurozan Mune). Consequently, many bogu OEMs or distributors also offer services for crafting custom Mune kazari and Shokou.
Fig. 2 Souzashi Pattern (left) and all-panel Namichidori Pattern (right) on soft cow leather Mune
Mune patterns (including Mune kazari and Shokou) are a design concept with a high degree of freedom, and there is no clear classification on these patterns yet. However, by observing the types of Mune kazari and Shokou types that different bogu retailers can provide, we can find some frequently occurring keywords. By combining existing patterns (or completely original designs), it’s easy to obtain a Do with customized Mune. It should be noted that usually, Mune kazari refers specifically to a pattern sewn with decorative threads, while Shokou refers to a repeating pattern on a Mune panel within or outside the area enclosed by these decorative threads. Mune kazari typically has a thicker pattern outline, while Shokou allows for higher resolution or more precise pitches.
All-panel/betazashi: prodcue a repeating pattern (such as the most famous Namichidori) evenly on the entire Mune panel. If the Mune panel is covered with cross stitch pitches (called Gobanzashi in Japanese) or Nanamezashi pitches, it is generally called Souzashi. Souzashi is also commonly considered to be a type of Shokou.
Full-frame Kumo: Use decorative threads to form an enveloping pattern on the Mune panel (usually covering the entire Mune panel), and the filling part in the middle can be covered with stitch pitches or complex patterns embroidered with decorative threads (Shokou). Common full-frame patterns include Hongumo S, Kantogumo, Ranun, and Sankaimatsu.
Half-frame Kumo: Use decorative threads to form smaller patterns on the bottom of the Mune panel. The upper part of the Mune panel can still retain the Souzashi pattern or other customized patterns, while the bottm can be filled with Shokou as appropriate. Common half-frame patterns include Onigumo, S-noji, Kabuto, Cho, and Suzaku.
Shokou: It includes all classifications of Souzashi (whether it is located above, outside or surrounded by the Mune kazari), and all repeated embroidery patterns (such as Bishamon, Houka, Asanoha, etc.). The Shokou can appear in a small or half-frame form with a smaller Mune kazari pattern, or it can occupy most or even all of the space on the Mune panel.
Painting embroidery: Currently, you can embroider your favorite custom patterns on the Mune panel through CNC machine embroidery or hand sewing. With decorative threads of different colors and different decorative materials, theoretically there is no limitation in the design.
3D pattern: The texture of the 3D pattern is produced through special technology. The common process is to change the shape of the core material and shell through stamping, beating, etc., and then fix the decorative threads to form a 3D texture. This manufacturing process is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and costly.
Cases of Mune selection for reference
When choosing a Mune, it is often challenging to gain a comprehensive understanding of the Mune materials and types of Mune kazari offered by a certain manufacturer through product brochures or electronic catalogues, as compiling such information would represent a significant workload for any catalogue maker. However, we can usually find the style of Mune we desire by examining samples of finished products and giving clear instructions to the manufacturer. Unlike Dodai, the functional attributes of Mune are not as obvious. The following suggestions for choosing Mune will be based more on budget considerations:
For most Mune kazari patterns, synthetic Kurozan Mune/Orizashi Mune can satisfy your need. They are cost-effective and durable (with ordinary plastic Do/Yamato Do, the price of the a finished Do is about 100-200 pounds) so you won’t hesitate much when upgrading your Do in the future.
Clarino Mune is currently uncommon in European and American countries, but its texture with same Mune kazari pattern is superior to that of the above two Mune materials. Considering that its cost is relatively close to that of synthetic Kurozan Mune/Orizashi Mune (or 30-50% higher depending on the materials used), it is also a reliable option.
Deerskin Mune is expensive and may not provide extra practical value. In most cases, soft cow leather can be considered as an alternative. The price of purchasing a deerskin Mune from a Japanese bogu shop is about 400 pounds or even higher, while the cost of soft cow leather is only half of that of deerskin.
Real Kurozan Mune is currently scarce in productivity. However, synthetic Kurozan Mune with a better texture can better replicate the texture of real Kurozan, and the cost is relatively reasonable, usually not exceeding that of soft cow leather.
Most ordinary Mune kazari styles do not require elaborate craftsmanship. Except for custom patterns that require separate molding, they basically do not require high expenditures. For some special dawns or patterns (such as Asanoha or 3D Namichidori) and rare materials (such as Same Shokou), additional costs will be required. These changes often do not require as much investment as upgrading the chest protector material, and can be chosen based on personal needs.
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