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Funny you should mention Kendo... I just got back from a practice earlier this evening.. Here are a few details, off the top of my head.. The Dogi top is almost always deep blue. On occasion, it is white, and children wear a particular white and grey quilted pattern. Sleeves fall a bit lower on the elbow. There is no color to the lapel or seams, as that is a convention of the Korean pugilistic arts (taekwondo etc.) The Shoulder guards of the men need to be larger( Shinai strikes hurt) The men is secured by cords known as Himo. Himo, which also secure the Do(chestplate) are almost always a dark blue in colour, as anyone who wears a white dogi will quickly discover. The Do covers more of the upper chest. Kote are looser around the wrists. this helps to lessen the impact. The waist protector, or Tare, needs larger flaps( I don't know the specific term) that overlap, and cords that pass underneath the central flap. The Hakama definitely needs more of a "skirtlike" feeling, with better defined pleats. Hakama often follow the color scheme for the Kendo top. Black is sometimes used, and will pass for animation purposes. Footware is resricted to specific accoutrements that assist in movement. Very seldom are both feet covered. Almost never are they covered entirely, with the exception of elderly or injured practitioners. The weapon used in bogu practice is a shinai, which is 38 or 39 shaku in length (36 shaku for children). It is made from four sheaves of bamboo( or synthetic carbon surrogates) bound together. Well, this enough to keep you busy for a while. Good beginning, though! A good site to check out for specific arms and armour related questions is www.http://swordforum.com