There are no facility fees for students, staff, and faculty at UNC as long as you have gym access.
For non-UNC affiliated members you may be asked to purchase gym access, pay a per diem charge, or possibly no charge depending on the facility we are in.
Other fees-
If you decide to continue to do kendo you may be asked to join our parent dojo: Triangle Kendo & Iaido (TKI).
TKI dues are set up to be as low as possible to allow people to do kendo at low cost. Currently TKI dues are:
Set up fee (non-refundable)- $20.00 this is a one time fee
Yearly membership-
- $24/year (adult)
- $12/year (under 18)
There are also Federation fees if you are interested in promotions or attending Federation events. We are part of the All US Kendo Federation (AUSKF) and in the sub region of the Southeastern US Kendo Federation (SEUSKF).
Equipment costs-
Pretty much everyone needs a shinai and eventually a bokuto, hakama and kendogi, and bogu plus things to carry them in.The first things to buy are a shinai (bamboo sword) and then a bokuto (wooden sword). These vary in cost from about 20-$25 a piece for entry general practice types of shinai to over $100 for specialized shinai. Bokuto (bokken) also are in that range based on the quality and type of wood.
Hakama and Kendogi are the uniform we wear. There is a great range of prices depending on type of material, dyeing process, place of origin. and craftsmanship.
Bogu is the armor. Bogu pricing for an entry level set is typically in the $250-350 price range on sale. We are fortunate to have 4 or 5 bogu sets we can loan students until they are able to purchase their own once they are allowed to wear bogu.
Other things to buy include such things as a bag to carry shinai and bokuto in, bag to carry bogu in, nafuda (name plate for bogu also called a zekken), specialized tsuba (hilt) fo rshinai or bokuto and a variety of other things.
