How to Wear Your Kendo Men: The Finer Points

Here are some details to keep in mind while wearing your men in kendo, including two different ways to tie your tenugui.
Standard dojo disclaimer: If your sensei tells you to do things a different way, please follow the instruction of your sensei.

[@The_Custos]

Eight years ago, but still helping people.

[@zorgitron]

Thanks for the clearly explained video. It's been almost 6 months since I've started, and I'm still having problems with tying my tenegui and it falls down in my eyes during training. Really, the tenegui is my worst enemy. I have my first shiai in a month so I don't want to embarrass myself. I'll try the bite-down-and-tie method next time.

[@PaulHBShin]

zorgitron You may also want to dampen the tenugui first. It makes it much easier to keep in place when it's damp.

[@JonDundas10]

+zorgitron When I first started kendo I too had this problem, so I can empathize! First of all, don't worry :) Second, continually practice tying the tenugui at home, and use this video and others as guides. The more you do it, the more you will discover about what works and what doesn't (as with anything in kendo of course). There is no real trick to it, just keep on doing your best, and use whatever method you are more comfortable with (but not cap style). Also Paul is right, dampening helps. Good luck!

[@daniellopezeverest]

Can you please explain how to tie the men hemo? Thank you I mean do you have to lace it up on the front face cage kind of like a shoe? Thank you

[@PaulHBShin]

The men-himo is attached to the men-gane using leather pieces known as chichigawa tozandoshop.com/products/leather-men-chichikawa?variant=34220909068421. There are two main styles of attaching. In the kanto style, the chichigawa attaches to the lower rung of the men-gane, usually the fourth from the bottom. In the kansai style, the chichigawa attaches to the top of the vertical men-gane. The kanto vs. kansai (east vs. west) distinction is a bit of a misnomer since there isn't a clear geographic distinction between where these styles are used. Here's a good video on the kanto style, which is arguably the more common of the two. kzbin.info/www/bejne/kGWzeadpfZuXi5I

[@monkeyzeetube]

Thanks Sensei..Please show us how to hold the men along with other stuff when lining up before the Mokuso. I could not find videos about it..Cheers

[@americanbystandard]

I saw some older masters doing the method 3(the hat method), because it covers up the ears and adds a bit more padding on the top of your head.

[@baesian4988]

When I tie my men it always loosens and no matter how hard I tighten it, it loosens in the next couple of minutes.

[@PaulHBShin]

You might want to watch my video about how to tie your dou-himo properly. In that video, I describe how there are two forms of a knot -- a strong form and a weak form. My guess is that you might be tying your men-himo in the weak form, which comes undone much more easily than the strong form of a knot.

[@SilentRio]

Thank you soo much sir!

[@animasicelana5468]

Kereeeeen

[@DedicatedSpirit8]

I'm 33 years old and I do not know how to tie a bow. Shame

[@benjaminlow5424]

Hi, I need your help. I noticed that your eyes are looking out of the grille below the monomi when your head is straight but your eyes look out of the monomi when you incline your neck forward. Is this the way it should be? I have this issue too but I feel that my neck is bent too much trying to look out of the monomi.

[@PaulHBShin]

Actually, if the men it fitted properly, you should be looking through the monomi when your head is straight. What you see in the video may just be a results of the angle of the camera placement for this video. When I'm doing keiko, I make sure to look through the monomi.

[@benjaminlow5424]

@@PaulHBShin thanks Paul, I thought as much. Good job on the videos - it really helps! :)

[@limrui6930]

Any advice to wearing men if I'm wearing glasses?

[@PaulHBShin]

There are glasses specially designed to be worn with men. But there's an issue with the glasses fogging up. Some just don't wear glasses at all, but most folks will wear contacts.

[@d2vid5]

I tie my men lower, because otherwise it slides down too much. My ears never hurt. Sometimes thoug, the men slides down a bit even if I tie it really low. Whats the problem there? Is my men too big? Thanks :)

[@PaulHBShin]

+d2vid5 Do you mean your men-himo slides down or your actual men slides down? You may want to get your sensei to take a look for you.

[@d2vid5]

+Paul Shin my actual men slides down. You know that space between the bars on men that is a bit wider than the others that youre supposed to look through? Its usually just beneath my eyes

[@PaulHBShin]

+d2vid5 Sounds like your men might be a bit too big for you. Better get your sensei to take a look. One option is to put some padding between the top of your head and the men-buton -- that can raise the monomi a little bit. The monomi is the part of the mengane that is a little wider than the others.

[@arnaldospicacciminervini5155]

Thanks, vey useful!

[@eugene.gootsu]

Dear Paul, thank you much for your useful videos. Can you please share the point of men back node. Sometimes it is hard to tie it freely. Thank you.

[@PaulHBShin]

+Evgenii Gutsu Do you mean you'd like to see a more detailed video about how to tie the knot?

[@eugene.gootsu]

+Paul Shin yes please, I think that would be really useful for me and others, because when you tie the knot behind your head it is quite complicated and should have a special way...

[@PaulHBShin]

+Evgenii Gutsu Hmm, it's a pretty straightfoward knot. Are you having trouble with it coming loose?

[@eugene.gootsu]

+Paul Shin just curious if exists any trick to loose it. in your videos you had shown how to make other knots besides men knot.

[@josephbevacqua9217]

what that white thing on your head on 1:19

[@PaulHBShin]

+Joseph Bevacqua That's called a tenugui or a men-towel.

[@josephbevacqua9217]

Paul Shin what tenugi do

[@bubblegumnipples1639]

Soaks up all your sweat so you can drink it later.

[@josephbevacqua9217]

BubbleGumNipples helmet

[@josephbevacqua9217]

how are you?

[@smallboto]

?