How to effectively wear my men helmet?

I enjoyed my time during bogu with the club for at least 1-2 years now. Today, the sensei mentioned that the All Japan Kendo Federation have enacted guidelines for strict wearing of bogu, including the men helmet for safety reasons.


He mentioned that the himo should be worn in a way that make a V (or triangle) and not messy with the himo straightened up.

To demonstrate that the way I wore my men helmet is wrong (based on what I mentioned), he grabbed it and lifted it up to show that the way I wore it wasn't safe.

I also think that I need to change up the way I tie my himo from the back of my head. Sensei also mentioned that it should be in the middle and not too high or low.

Is there a way to check if the himo is worn around my men properly? I'm thinking that I use my two fingers to check, but it's hard to see if I'm wearing the men.

Answer: Thank you for your message and question. He lifted up your men to show it was unsafe, correct? And your men came off? Or Got loose very easily? Then the himo is crossed at the back your head too high.

It should not come off as you can easily guess. You don’t want to have the himo crossed at the neck. It is too low.

So I would say that the himo should be crossed at your eye height. That is where I aim to tie my himo at the back of my head.

If you feel insecure when lifting the men up, then the himo is tightened too high.

Hope this helps!

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