Norwich Kendo Club

Kendo

Kendo developed from the Japanese art of Kenjutsu, using a bamboo sword ('shinai') to replace the metal sword. This allowed practioners of the art to freely practice without fear of injury or death.

Today's participants ('kendoka') wear armour padded armour ('bogu') covering:

Head / throat - protected by a stylised helmet or 'men' with a metal grille covering the face, padded flaps covering the shoulders, and leather strips covering the throat
Forearm / wrist / hands are protected by long padded gloves or 'kote'
The torso is protected by a breastplate or 'Do'
The waist area is protected by the 'tare'

The 'shinai' is represents the katana and is made up of four bamboo strips held together with leather fittings. A heavier wooden sword or 'bokuto' is used to practice kendo no kata and kendo techniques.

To score a point in kendo, a good cut must be delivered to well-defined targets (the top of the head, right wrist and the breastplate) using the upper third of the shinai. Thrusts to the throat may be made with the point of the shinai. The cut must be accompanied by the correct footwork and shout or 'ki-ai'. This is known as ki-ken-tai-ichi. Finally, zanshin or continuation of awareness, must be present and shown throughout the execution of the strike, and the kendoka must be ready to attack again.

At first kendo may seem loud, agressive and violent, but after trainig for a short time it soon becomes apparent that there's a lot more skill, control and physical fitness than first seen.

The Concept and Purpose of Kendo

The All Japan Kendo Federation published the The Concept and Purpose of Kendo in 1975 and is reporoduced here:

The concept of Kendo is to discipline the human character through the application of the principles of the Katana (sword).

The Purpose of Practicing Kendo

The purpose of practicing Kendo is:

To mold the mind and body,

To cultivate a vigorous spirit,

And through correct and rigid training,

To strive for improvement in the art of Kendo,

To hold in esteem human courtesy and honor,

To associate with others with sincerity,

And to forever pursue the cultivation of oneself.

This will make one be able:

To love his/her country and society,

To contribute to the development of culture

And to promote peace and prosperity among all peoples.

More information about kendo can be found at:

Seikukan Ken Dojo