Indeed... I should never admit to being one of those SCA or wanabee types... Of course, back then I was ignorant and did not know kendo or other older sword arts even existed outside of Japan, China, etc... Good thing we didn't take any pictures. I was really shocked with that fifth link: "Well I sat down with my son and asked him if he would like to learn about swordplay. When he found out just what swordplay was his eyes lit up! I have training in martial arts and have been practicing sword techniques for years so I looked into 'Kendo' as a means for my son to learn. After learning of the high cost of 'Kendo' and the strict disipline it required I knew I would have to find an alternative." Uh, right.. I did the same thing and decided Kendo would be a good thing. The "high cost" for our bogu will still be far less than my semi-annual gaming PC upgrade, which I will avoid again this year (as my AMD64 box is still a powerhouse).