News

  • O'Bon 2023

    Most Craftsmen and workshops will take a few days off from August 11th to August 16th, so all custom-made orders will be delayed accordingly.

    O'Bon 2023

    In Japan, the O'Bon festival is a yearly celebration that takes place during the summer. It combines Japanese tradition and Buddhist beliefs to honor the ancestral spirits. Over time, O'bon evolved into a family gathering holiday as the spirits of the deceased are believed to revisit the household altar every year at that time. On that occasion, family members meet to pay tribute to their ancestors by visiting and cleaning their graves. But O'bon with its traditional dance called "Bon Odori" is also a time of merriment and joy.

    Like every year, August 11th (Fri) is Mountain Day, a national holiday in Japan, which marks the beginning of some holidays for many Japanese, our craftsmen included. So, until August 16th (Wed), the majority of workshops will be closed, production time extended and we will not be able to provide quotations for custom-made items.
    All custom-made orders placed before and during this period will be delayed by about a week, but fear not, this will be automatically taken into account in the estimation of the shipping dates displayed on all products, as well as in your cart.

    See you soon on KuSakuraShop.com!

    (Picture by Guilhem Vellut)

  • Summer Special Offer

    10% OFF a product selection! (until August 30th, 2 pm JST)

    Summer special offer!

    It's already July, and with summer in full swing, it's becoming more difficult to keep up with training due to the rising temperatures. Nevertheless, we'll strive to practice and improve our skills. Around the world, Budo enthusiasts gather for summer seminars to train together and expand their knowledge.

    Despite the thick humidity, July is an exciting time in Japan. People join together to enjoy Matsuri festivals, where the night sky is illuminated by Hana-bi (Fireworks), and the streets are bustling with passersby. Children eagerly line up to order Kakigōri (shaved ice dessert) while everyone relishes the warmth of summer evenings.

    Speaking of festivals, one of July's highlights is the Tanabata festival, held on the evening of the seventh day. The "Star Festival" ("Hoshimatsuri"/"星祭り") celebrates the only day of the year when the two deities "Orihime" and "Hikoboshi" can meet since they are separated by the Milky Way for the rest of the year.

    For this discount, we will offer 10% OFF a product selection.
    We picked for you Dogi, Bags for your equipment, Belts, Oils, and more!

    This offer will be running for two months and will end on August 30th, at 2 pm Japan time.

    That's it for this time, enjoy the discounts, and see you very soon on KuSakuraShop!

  • Special Offer

    10% OFF a product selection! (until June 30th, 2 pm JST)

    10% OFF a product selection!

    Here we are in the middle of Spring, one of our favorite times of the year. Japanese families celebrated the "Golden Week" at the beginning of May, a week-long holiday where loved ones gather and people travel across the country. Vibrant Koinobori windsocks, shaped like carp, were displayed everywhere as a celebration of Children's Day (which falls on the last day of the Golden Week). The multicolored scenery is truly a feast for the eyes. These windsocks are a symbol of power and energy, inspiring us to adopt a courageous mindset and invigorating our spirits.

    Late-blooming cherry blossoms can still be seen in the north of the country, while here in Tokyo, we're already enjoying the beautiful hues of Wisteria in shades of purple, pink, and white. Most importantly, the weather is now becoming warmer and sunnier, making it a perfect time to head to the Dojo and practice martial arts. Though the Dojo can get crowded, it's always a thrilling experience to see practitioners from all over the world with different cultures and backgrounds, coming together to learn and improve their skills.

    And as we are mentioning the "Golden Week", we wanted to thank you again for your support during our last charity event. Your generosity is helping us to make a positive impact in the world and we are honored to be part of a community that cares about humanitarian causes. Thank you for joining us in making a difference.

    It's now time for our new discount, and we will offer 10% OFF a variety of products. Our selection includes Official Kodokan Belts, bags for your weapons, Tenugui (always handy after a good practice session at the dojo), Dogi and Hakama for your Kendo or Iaido training, Wooden Gift Box for your belts, and more products.

    Don't forget, this offer will be running for two months and will end on June 30th, at 2 pm Japan time.

    That's it for this time, enjoy the discounts, and see you very soon on KuSakuraShop!

  • Golden Week 2023

    KuSakuraShop will be closed from May 3rd to May 5th. Our website stays operational and accepts orders, but no shipping will occur during this period.

    Golden Week 2023

    In Japan, April 29th (Showa Day), May 3rd (Constitution Memorial Day), May 4th (Greenery Day), and May 5th (Children's Day) are national holidays.

    All suppliers, carriers, and partners will be closed or will maintain only limited service during the entire week.
    In order to avoid hundreds of orders piling up for Monday 8th, we will be working on May 1st and 2nd.

    Please also note that orders containing products that are order-made or out of stock might suffer a delay of about 2 weeks if their production/preparation time includes the Golden Week. This delay is taken into account by our system, and the date indicated at checkout stays accurate.

    As usual, our team will continue to answer emails at a slower pace and our website will stay fully operational.

    See you soon on KuSakurashop.com!

    (Picture by ucb)

  • Special Offer

    10% OFF all Judo/Kendo Bags & T-Shirts! (until April 27, 2 pm JST)

    10% OFF all Judo/Kendo Bags & T-Shirts!

    We are already in March, and Spring is upon us! We cannot wait for the cherry blossom season to begin, to admire the petals of cherry trees carried away by the wind, offering us beautiful landscapes all around the country.

    Our discount on all Black & Red Belts is now over, we hope you enjoyed it as it's now time for our new special offer!
    This time, we are offering 10% OFF all Judo/Kendo Bags & T-Shirts! All of our bags are perfect for conveying your equipment and will become your perfect companions for all your training sessions.
    Our Judo Bags will allow you to carry easily your Judogi and belts, and as we propose different sizes of bags regarding the model, you'll probably find the right one depending on your needs. Furthermore, you can embroider them with one-of-a-kind customization so don't hesitate to personalize them!
    And if you are a fellow Kendoka, you will find everything you need for the transportation of your Shinai or Bokken. We are offering traditional or modern style carry bags with several materials like cotton or synthetic leather, and even more options like shoulder straps or large pockets for accessories. All of these Shinai bags are fully made in Japan with as always, KuSakura's pledge of quality.

    This offer will be running for two months and will end on April 27th, at 2 pm Japan time.

    Also, we wanted to announce a slight change in the way we are managing our Charity events as they will now take place on special occasions throughout the year and last longer. So be ready for our next charity event which will arrive at the end of this discount! We hope you'll be there!

    That's it for this time, enjoy the discounts, and see you very soon on KuSakuraShop!

  • Beginning of the year Special Offer

    10% OFF all Black & Red Belts! (until March 1st, 2 pm JPT)

    10% OFF all Black & Red belts!

    Everyone here at KuSakuraShop wishes you a Happy New Year! We hope these upcoming months will be full of happiness! To all of our regular customers, thank you for being here with us, and if you're a new customer, welcome aboard!

    To begin on a great start, we are offering a 10% OFF discount on all Black & Red belts! You probably passed your last grade before the end of last year so it's time to treat yourself to a beautiful reward! Rediscover the different styles and finishes of our belts, designed for all kinds of competitors, always with KuSakuraShop's pledge to quality.

    This offer will be running for two months and will end on March 1st, at 2 pm Japan time.

    December report

    We just added two new products to our Kendo Line-up with two new Tsuba for your Shinai! The Leather Tsuba for Shinai, and the Plastic Tsuba for Shinai. If you are a fellow Kendoka, these products will surely be of interest!

    That's it for this time, enjoy the discounts, and we're glad to be here with you for 2023! See you very soon on KuSakuraShop!

  • 2022~2023 New Year's Holidays

    KuSakuraShop will be closed from December 29th and will resume operations on January 5th. There will be no order processing during this time but we'll keep answering your emails from home!

    Another year just passed, and here we are already at the dawn of 2023!

    As in past years, 2022 was busy for us!
    Despite an overall improvement in the situation, the COVID pandemic is still worrying, and we are faced at the same time with the war between Ukraine and Russia, leading to a human tragedy and a complicated international situation that unfortunately remains unresolved this day.

    It's now time for our team, partners, and craftsmen to take some well-deserved rest, we hope it will be the same for you. We don't know what 2023 will be made of but we will be there, by your side, alongside our Community.

    We will be closed from December 29th to January 4th. We will come back on January 5th (Thu).
    Customer support will be kept at a minimum pace, and we will make all our possible to answer you within 48h, but if your inquiries are not urgent, we recommend waiting for all activities to resume.

    Please note that all our manufacturing workshops and partners will also close on approximately the same dates.
    Consequently, all orders containing a product (made to order, out-of-stock products, etc.) for which the production time includes this holiday period will be delayed by approximately 10 days (But don't worry, the estimated shipping date provided at the checkout takes this holiday period automatically into account).

    All the KuSakuraShop team wishes you peace and a great holiday!

    We are looking forward to serving you again in 2023!

  • Year-end Special Offer

    10% OFF a product selection (until December 27th, 2 PM JPT)

    Year-end Special Offer - 10% OFF a product selection

    Here we are at the end of the year! In less than one month, we'll be in 2023!
    Our 'Green Friday Event' just ended and we collected more than ¥100,000 Yen that will be donated to 'Friends of the Earth Japan'. We would like to thank everyone who participated, we are very proud of our Community. Every donation makes a difference, and we hope that these donations will help them to make a change in the world, for the better.

    As the Black Friday event has ended, we can now resume our special offers, and this time, we are running a special 10% discount on a product selection including Judo, Karate, Kendo & Kyudo equipment!
    You'll find Dogi, accessories, goodies, bags, shinai, Hakama as well as Protective Equipment! Discover them all on the website, you'll certainly find something for you or your loved ones!

    Also, don't forget, the very last day allowing for deliveries before Christmas is December 15th! Check the visual calendar here and read more details here.

    Please note that this discount will end on December 27th, at 2 PM Japan Time, so be sure to don't miss it!

    Enjoy the discount, take good care of yourself, and we hope to see you very soon on KuSakuraShop.com.

  • Green Friday, Let's Give Back to the Environment!

    10% OFF everything & spontaneous donations to 'Friends of the Earth Japan'(until Nov 29th, 10 am JPT)

    Green Friday, Let's Give Back to the Environment!

    10% OFF everything & spontaneous donations to 'Friends of the Earth Japan'

    Dear Budoka,

    We, as humanity, have reached a decisive point, as Human activities have disrupted the climate: temperatures are rising, wildlife populations plummet by 69% in the last 50 years(1), 11.1 million hectares of tree cover have been lost in 2021(2), oceans are dying, an estimated 60 percent of the world's marine ecosystems have already been degraded or are being used unsustainably(3), and an estimated 21.6 million people annually were internally displaced by climate-related hazards worldwide in the past decade(4). Everyone is or will be impacted in the coming years, and worst is yet to come, so we need to act, fast!

    KuSakuraShop deeply respects the values of Budo as they are an integral part of our philosophy, a philosophy based on values such as self-improvement and mutual aid.
    With those principles in mind, we decided to organize a "Green Friday" for this event to be meaningful regarding the environmental crisis that we are experiencing! And thus, to make a difference, we chose to support Friends of the Earth Japan!

    About Friends of the Earth Japan

    'FoE Japan' is the Japanese branch of Friends of the Earth International, an international environmental NGO working on global environmental issues with 2 million supporters in 73 countries around the world.
    This NGO is working on various themes such as Just and Fair Development, Energy and Climate Justice, Forests and biodiversity, and is taking action on environmental issues such as unsustainable energy sources, and much more.
    Here are some examples of their actions:

    • researching and disseminating information about the reality of climate change and make policy proposals for climate justice to the Japanese government, corporations, and the international community
    • standing by the people who suffered from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant incident
    • monitoring development projects that cause damage and make policy recommendations to relevant authorities
    • proposing a transition in energy policy from the perspective of its impact on climate change
    • conducting research on the current state of forests in Japan and overseas, and make recommendations for the government and companies to eliminate the distribution of illegally logged wood and promote more sustainable use of wood
    • and more...

    In order to help Friends of the Earth, we decided to make a 10% OFF discount on everything on the website, and at the same time, we're giving you the opportunity to donate the discount back (or more) if you wish to support them!

    KuSakuraShop's customers know that our brand provides the highest quality equipment when it comes to Budo! All our products available in our shop will be discounted, and you will certainly find what you are looking for in Judo, Kendo, Iaido, Kyudo, or in Nippon Kenpo.

    How to donate?

    You will be able to make a donation to 'FoE Japan' during the checkout, right before validating your payment.
    By clicking on the checkbox "Support Friends of the Earth Japan" on the checkout page, you will have the choice to give 10%, 25%, 50%, or the amount of your choice (up to 100% of the value of your order). This donation will help 'FoE Japan' to thrive, raise all of our voices, and help to stop climate change!

    Donation Green Friday 2022

    The Climate crisis couldn't be more relevant than it is today, but we wish to make a difference, and we know we can make one together! In the past, we already made great actions together, the strength of our community no longer needs to be demonstrated! As we are now facing the biggest threat we have ever experienced, let's face it together!

    As we are finally getting out of the toughest time of the covid crisis, we wanted to try something new this time, by giving you the choice.
    In the past years, you have proven that you were with us, even without a big Black Friday discount policy, so we could donate to NGOs. This time, you get the discount, and YOU DECIDE what you donate.


    During last year's Black Friday Event, we made no discount but gave 15% to charities for all orders placed for a limited time and we reached more than 225,000 Yen cumulated! Make our community proud, let's do BETTER!

    KuSakura's community has always been present and important to us, we would like to thank you for your continuous support.

    This 'Green Friday' campaign will end on Tuesday, November 29th, at 10 am JPT.

    (1): WWF
    (2): Global Forest Watch
    (3): United Nations
    (4): Migration Data Portal

  • Get delivered before '22 Xmas

    Very last chance to be delivered before Christmas: December 15th. Check the visual calendar, or read more details here.

    Christmas is almost here and maybe some of you are already making your gift list before the big day comes. Even though KuSakuraShop provides the fastest service, we cannot perform miracles, and we thought that some of you may need the deadlines for orders to be delivered before December 25th.

    • Custom products (embroidered Belts/Dogi, etc.): Order before November 22nd and you will be delivered before Christmas (some products may have longer production time, please be careful when ordering).
    • In-stock products shipped via FedEx DHL or UPS: the last chance to get items with embroideries/engravings delivered before Christmas is December 15th.
    • Because of the covid situation and the Ukraine war, significant delays are to be expected with national postal services, so we do not guarantee delivery before Christmas for the standard shipping method (small package/Epacket). Please make sure to select express shipping at checkout. 

    We usually deliver in 4 days in Europe and North America. Our entire team will be focused on preparing your orders, and all orders for in-stock items placed on the 15th will ship on the 16th.

    • We'll be open until December 28th, then closed from the 29th to January 4th, for our winter holidays. And of course, email support will be slower but maintained the whole time.

    Finally, please understand that our carriers don't employ magical reindeer, and Santa Claus isn't working at customs. Hence, on-time order delivery cannot be guaranteed 100% so please don't wait until the last minute to order!

    Christmas Calendar 2022

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