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W H A T E X A C T L Y I S K E N D O ?
W H Y P R A C T I C E K E N D O ? Kendo has been practiced for different reasons throughout the various stages in its development, depending on the prevailing social attitudes of the day. While we will all have our own personal reasons for taking up Kendo, the current aim of Kendo is to form a rounded human being, incorporating physical, spiritual, and social development through vigorous keiko (practice). In Japan there are over four million people practicing kendo today with this purpose in mind.
R E M E M B E R !
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D o j oHome K e n d o |
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Kendo, the Way of the Sword is not just one of Japan's oldest martial arts,
but the one most closely associated with the Samurai. Kendo has evolved from the
deadly form of swordsmanship that we have seen immortalized in the action movies
of Akira Kurosawa, into a popular and highly competitive sport enjoyed by thousands
of men and women worldwide
Kendo is a Japanese style of fencing derived during the Meiji period in Japan
(1868-1912), from the two-handed sword fighting techniques of the samurai. Today kendo,
which means "way of the sword", is practiced with shinai (bamboo swords), and fighters
wear protective equipment covering the target areas: the head, wrists, and abdomen. The
bogu (protective gear) consists of a men (face mask), a do (breastplate), kote (fencing gloves),
and the tare, a kind of apron to protect the stomach and hips. Under the protective gear, kendoka
(students of kendo) wear a hakama, or wide split skirt, reaching the ankles.
The weapon
used in Kendo is the shinai, or bamboo sword. The shinai is approximately
four feet in length and is made of four carefully formed bamboo
slats bound together to form hollow cylinder. A cord runs along
the length of the shinai. To make a valid cut a player must strike
his opponent with the side opposite the cord. In addition the point
must be struck with the top third of the shina.
In modern kendo strikes are executed on a previously determined
target in order to be awarded points, so kendo can be easily regarded as of a modern sport. It is important, however, to
retain the true spirit of kendo during keiko, a spirit which has survived through centuries of unbroken tradition. The
original motto of kendo was "Victory means survival, defeat means death." Although it would be silly to take this saying
literally in today's day and age, we must go into practice with the spirit behind this motto in mind.
To excel in Kendo, you must be serious from the time you enter the Dojo until the time you leave. When practicing Kendo,
you must do so wholeheartedly. During practice, you must concentrate and focus on what you are doing. This includes
seemingly simple things such as etiquette and warm up exercises.
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