Kumdo Armour

In Kumdo armour is worn to protect the practitioner from injury, with protection being concentrated on the target areas and the groin. The current armour developed over time, with first the hands, then the chest, then the groin and finally the head being covered.

The Dobok (uniform) looks like this...

The complete set of HOGOO looks like this...

It is made up of the HO- MYUN which protects the head....

This is made of cotton, with an iron/ steel/ titanium face grill. A modern ho- myun can be equipped with removable liners to allow easier drying after use and re-inforcing around the ears to protect the eardrum. Note the neck guard to protect against the thrust to the throat.

Next is the GAP which protects the chest....

Traditionally the GAP is made of bamboo slats covered in laquer around the belly, with leather fittings, but cheaper sets of hogoo have a gap of fibreglass or plastic.

The hands and wrists are protected by the HO- WAN, which are padded over the knuckles and protect the wrist/ forarm with compressed/ quilted cotton wadding. The palms are traditionally made of smoked hide, though synthetics are used in cheaper sets.

The final component of the hogoo is the GAP- SANG, an apron again made of compressed/ quilted cotton, with five overlapping plates to allow movement. This is faithful to the Japanese kusazuri or protective skirt that was first seen in the types of samurai armour known as haramaki, (with eight sections in the skirt, allowing greater mobility) which replaced the great armour which had a more solid skirt (with four sections in the skirt, one for each facing) in the 14th and 15th centuries.