Kendo

Kendo
(剣道)

Two kendōka in tsuba zeriai[1]
Focus	Weaponry
Hardness	Semi-contact
Country of origin	Japan
Creator	Naganuma Sirōzaemon Kunisato (長沼 四郎左衛門 国郷), attributed
Parenthood	kenjutsu
Olympic sport	no
Official website	http://www.kendo-fik.org/

Kendo (剣道, kendō^?), meaning "Way of the Sword", is a modern Japanese martial art of sword-fighting based on traditional Japanese swordsmanship, or kenjutsu^[2]. Kendo is a physically and mentally challenging activity that combines strong martial arts values with sport-like physical elements.

Practitioners

Practitioners of kendo are called kendōka (剣道家^?), meaning "one who practices kendo", or occasionally kenshi (剣士^?), meaning "swordsman".

There are estimates that about six million people world-wide practice kendo, with approximately four million in Japan, one million in Korea, and more in Europe, North America, South America and other countries of Asia.

The "Kodansha Meibo" (a register of dan graded members of the All Japan Kendo Federation) shows that as of September 2007, there were 1.48 million registered dan graded kendōka in Japan. According to the survey conducted by the All Japan Kendo Federation, the number of active kendo practitioners in Japan is 477 thousand in which 290 thousand dan holders are included. From these figures, the All Japan Kendo Federation estimates that the number of "kendōka" in Japan is 1.66 million by adding the number of the registered dan holders and the active kendo practitioners without dan grade.^[3]

Concept and purpose

In 1975 the All Japan Kendo Federation (AJKF) developed then published "The Concept and Purpose of Kendo" which is reproduced below.^[4][5]

Concept

Kendo is a way to discipline the human character through the application of the principles of the katana.

Purpose

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.

Thus will one be able:

To love ones country and society;

To contribute to the development of culture;

And to promote peace and prosperity among all peoples.

History

Since the earliest samurai government in Japan, during the Kamakura period (1185-1333), sword fencing, together with horse riding and archery, were the main martial pursuits of the military clans. In this period kendo developed under the strong influence of Zen Buddhism. The samurai could equate the disregard for his own life in the heat of battle, which was considered necessary for victory in individual combat, to the Buddhist concept of the illusory nature of the distinction between life and death.

Kendo at an agricultural school in Japan around 1920

Those swordsmen established schools of kenjutsu (the ancestor of kendo) which continued for centuries and which form the basis of kendo practice today. The names of the schools reflect the essence of the originator's enlightenment. Thus the Ittō-ryū (Single sword school) indicates the founder's illumination that all possible cuts with the sword emanate from and are contained in one original essential cut. The Mutō-ryu (swordless school) expresses the comprehension of the originator Yamaoka Tesshu, that "There is no sword outside the mind". The Munen Musō-ryū (No intent, no preconception) similarly expresses the understanding that the essence of kenjutsu transcends the reflective thought process. The formal kendo exercises known as kata were developed several centuries ago as kenjutsu practice for warriors and are still studied today, albeit in a modified form.

The introduction of bamboo practice swords (shinai) and armor (bōgu) to sword training is attributed to Naganuma Sirōzaemon Kunisato during the Shotoku Era (1711-1715). Naganuma developed the use of bōgu and established a training method using the shinai.^[6]

In addition, the inscription on the gravestone of Yamada Heizaemon Mitsunori's (Ippūsai) (山田平左衛門光徳(一風斎)^?, 1638 – 1718) third son Naganuma Sirōzaemon Kunisato (長沼 四郎左衛門 国郷^?, 1688 - 1767), the 8th headmaster of the Kashima Shinden Jikishinkage-ryū Kenjutsu, states that his exploits included improving the bokuto and shinai, and refining the armor by adding a metal grill to the men (head piece) and thick cotton protective coverings to the kote (gauntlets). Kunisato inherited the tradition from his father Heizaemon in 1708, and the two of them worked hard together to improve the bogu until Heizaemon's death.^[6][7]

This is believed to be the foundation of modern kendo. Kendo began to make its modern appearance during the late 18th century. Use of the shinai and bōgu made it possible to deliver strikes and thrusts with full force but without injuring one's opponent. These advances, along with the development of set practice formats, set the foundations of modern kendo.

Concepts such as mushin (無心^?), or "empty mind", are borrowed from Zen Buddhism and are considered essential for the attainment of high-level kendo. Fudōshin (不動心^?), or "unmoving mind", is a conceptual attribute of the deity Fudo Myo-O, one of the five "Kings of Light" of Shingon Buddhism. Fudōshin, implies that the kendōka cannot be led astray by delusions of anger, doubt, fear, or surprise arising from the opponent’s actions, collectively called "the four kendo sicknesses" (四戒, shikai^?, lit. four admonitions)^[8]. Thus today it is possible to embark on a similar quest for spiritual enlightenment as followed by the samurai of old.

The Dai Nippon Butoku Kai was established in 1895 to solidify, promote, and standardise all martial disciplines and systems in Japan. The DNBK changed the name of gekiken (Kyūjitai: 擊劍; Shinjitai: 撃剣, "hitting sword") to kendō in 1920. Kendo (along with other martial arts) was banned in Japan in 1946 by the occupying powers. This was part of "the removal and exclusion from public life of militaristic and ultra nationalistic persons" in response to the wartime militarization of martial arts instruction in Japan. Kendo was allowed to return to the curriculum in 1950 (first as "shinai competition" (竹刀競技, shinai kyōgi^?) and then as kendo from 1952).^{[9] [10]}

The All Japan Kendo Federation (AJKF or ZNKR) was founded in 1952, immediately following the restoration of Japanese independence and the subsequent lift of the ban on martial arts in Japan.

The International Kendo Federation (FIK) was founded in 1970, it is an international federation of national and regional kendo associations and the world governing body for kendo. The FIK is a non-governmental organization, and its aim is to promote and popularize kendo, iaido and jodo.

The World Kendo Championships are an FIK event and have been held every three years since 1970.

Equipment and clothing

Kendo is practiced wearing a traditional Japanese style of clothing, protective armour (防具, bōgu^?) and using one or, less commonly, two shinai (竹刀^?).^[11]

A shinai.	Men	Dô	Tare
Kote	Armour and clothing components

Equipment

The shinai is meant to represent a Japanese sword (katana) and is made up of four bamboo slats, which are held together by leather fittings. A modern variation of a shinai with carbon fiber reinforced resin slats is also used.^[12]

Kendōka also use hard wooden swords (木刀, bokutō^?) to practice kata.^[13]

Kendo employs strikes involving both one edge and the tip of the shinai or bokutō.

Protective armor is worn to protect specified target areas on the head, arms and body. The head is protected by a stylized helmet, called men (面^?), with a metal grille (面金, men-gane^?) to protect the face, a series of hard leather and fabric flaps (突垂れ, tsuki-dare^?) to protect the throat, and padded fabric flaps (面垂れ, men-dare^?) to protect the side of the neck and shoulders. The forearms, wrists, and hands are protected by long, thickly padded fabric gloves called kote (小手^?). The torso is protected by a breastplate (胴, dō^?), while the waist and groin area is protected by the tare (垂れ^?), consisting of three thick vertical fabric flaps or faulds.

Clothing

The clothing worn under the bōgu comprise a jacket (kendogi or keikogi) and hakama, a garment separated in the middle to form two wide trouser legs.^[14]

A cotton towel (手拭い, tenugui^?) is wrapped around the head, under the men, to absorb perspiration and provide a base for the men to fit comfortably.

Modern practice

Kendo training is quite noisy in comparison to other martial arts or sports. This is because kendōka use a shout, or kiai (気合い^?), to express their fighting spirit when striking. Additionally, kendōka execute fumikomi-ashi (踏み込み足^?), an action similar to a stamp of the front foot, when making a strike.

Like some other martial arts, kendōka train and fight barefoot. Kendo is ideally practiced in a purpose-built dōjō, though standard sports halls and other venues are often used. An appropriate venue has a clean and well-sprung wooden floor, suitable for fumikomi-ashi.^[4]

Modern kendo techniques comprise both strikes and thrusts. Strikes are only made towards specified target areas (打突-部位, datotsu-bui^?) on the wrists, head, or body, all of which are protected by armour. The targets are men, sayu-men or yoko-men (upper left or right side of the men), the right kote at any time, the left kote when it is in a raised position, and the left or right side of the dō. Thrusts (突き, tsuki^?) are only allowed to the throat. However, since an incorrectly performed thrust could cause serious injury to the opponent's neck, thrusting techniques in free practice and competition are often restricted to senior dan graded kendōka.

Kendōka perform sonkyo after combat.

Two kendōka in tsuba zeriai.

Kendo target areas, or datotsu-bui.

Two kendōka, one (left) is playing in nitō (two sword style) and the other (right) is playing in ittō (one sword style).

Once a kendōka begins practice in armour, a practice session may include any or all of the following types of practice.

Kiri-kaeshi (切り返し^?)

Striking the left and right men target points in succession, practising centering, distance, and correct technique, while building spirit and stamina.

Waza-geiko (技稽古^?)

Waza or technique practice in which the student learns and refines that techniques of Kendo with a receiving partner.

Kakari-geiko (掛稽古^?)

Short, intense, attack practice which teaches continuous alertness and readiness to attack, as well as building spirit and stamina.

Ji-geiko (自稽古^?)

Undirected practice where the kendōka tries all that has been learnt during practice against an opponent.

Gokaku-geiko (互角稽古^?)

Practice between two kendōka of similar skill level.

Hikitate-geiko (引立稽古^?)

Practice where a senior kendōka guides a junior through practice.

Shiai-geiko (試合稽古^?)

Competition practice which may also be judged.

Competition

In competition (試合, shiai^?), a point (有効打突, yūkō-datotsu^?) is only awarded, in principle, when the attack is made to a target area with ki-ken-tai-itchi (気剣体一致^?), or "spirit, sword and body as one". For an attack to be successful, the shinai must strike the specified target soundly, the contact by the shinai must happen simultaneously with the attacker's front foot connecting with floor, and the kendōka must execute a spirited and convincing ki-ai (気合^?) in co-ordination with the strike. For a strike to be deemed sound, the point of contact must fall within the top third of the shinai, and the direction of movement of the shinai must be technically correct. Finally, zanshin (残心^?), or continuation of awareness, must be present and shown throughout the execution of the strike, and the kendōka must be ready to attack again.

In competition, there are usually three referees (審判, shinpan^?). Each referee holds a red flag and a white flag in opposing hands. To award a point, a referee raises the flag corresponding to the colour of the ribbon worn by the scoring competitor. Usually at least two referees must agree for a point to be awarded. The match continues until a pronouncement of the point that has been scored.

Kendo competitions are usually a three point match. The first competitor to score two points, therefore wins the match. If the time limit is reached and only one competitor has a point, that competitor wins.

In the case of a tie, there are several options:

• Hiki-wake (引き分け^?): The match is declared a draw.
• Enchō (延長^?): The match is continued until either competitor scores a point.
• Hantei (判定^?): The victor is decided by the referees. The three referees vote for victor by each raising one of their respective flags simultaneously.^[15]

Advancement

Grades

Technical achievement in kendo is measured by advancement in grade, rank or level. The kyū (級^?) and dan (段^?) grading system is used to indicate one's proficiency in modern kendo. The dan levels are from first-dan (初段, sho-dan^?) to tenth-dan (十段, jū-dan^?). There are usually six grades below first-dan, known as kyu. The kyu numbering is in reverse order, with first kyu (一級, ikkyū^?) being the grade immediately below first dan, and sixth kyu (六級, rokkyū^?) being the lowest grade. There are no visible differences in dress between kendo grades; those below dan-level may dress the same as those above dan-level.^[16]

Eighth-dan (八段, hachi-dan^?) is the highest dan grade attainable through a test of physical kendo skills. In the AJKF the grades of ninth-dan (九段, kyū-dan^?) and tenth-dan are no longer awarded, but ninth-dan kendōka are still active in Japanese kendo. International Kendo Federation grading rules allow national kendo organisations to establish a special committee to consider the award of those grades.

All candidates for examination face a panel of examiners. A larger, more qualified panel is usually assembled to assess the higher dan grades. Kendo examinations typically consist of a demonstration of the skill of the applicants and for some dan grades, also a written exam. The eighth-dan kendo exam is extremely difficult, with a reported pass rate of less than 1 percent.

Titles

Titles (称号, shōgō^?) can be earned in addition to the above dan grades by kendōka of a defined dan grade. These are renshi (錬士^?), kyōshi (教士^?), and hanshi (範士^?). The title is affixed to the front of the dan grade when said, for example renshi roku-dan (錬士六段^?). The qualifications for each title are below.

Kata

There are 10 Nihon Kendō Kata (日本剣道形^?). These are performed with wooden swords (木刀, bokutō or bokken^?). The kata include fundamental techniques of attacking and counter-attacking, and have useful practical application in general kendo. Occasionally, real swords or swords with a blunt edge, called kata-yō (形用^?) or ha-biki (刃引^?), may be used for display of kata.

Nihon Kendo Kata

Kata one through seven are performed with both partners using a daitō (大刀^?) or tachi (太刀^?) style bokutō of around 102 cm. Kata 8–10 are performed with one partner using a daitō and the other using a kodachi (小太刀^?) or shōtō (小刀^?) style bokutō of around 55 cm. During kata practice, the participants take the roles of either uchidachi (打太刀^?), the teacher, or shidachi (仕太刀^?), the student. The uchidachi makes the first move or attack in each kata. As this is a teaching role, the uchidachi is always the "losing" side, thus allowing the shidachi to learn and gain confidence.

Nihon Kendō Kata were drawn from representative kenjutsu schools and tend to be quite deep and advanced.

In some areas the regular training curriculum does not include Nihon Kendō Kata. In 2003, the All Japan Kendo Federation introduced Bokutō Ni Yoru Kendō Kihon-waza Keiko-hō (木刀による剣道基本技稽古法^?), a set of basic exercises using a bokuto, attempted to bridge this gap. This form of practice, is intended primarily for kendōka up to second dan (二段, ni-dan^?), but is very useful for all kendo students.^[17]

Outside Japan

The International Kendo Federation (FIK) was established in 1970 to provide a link between Japan and the developing international kendo community. It is an international federation of national and regional kendo associations and the world governing body for kendo. The FIK is a non-governmental organisation, and its aim is to promote and popularise kendo, iaido and jodo. Seventeen national or regional federations were the founding affiliates. The number of affiliated and recognised organisations has increased over the years to 50 affiliates by February 2009.

The World Kendo Championships are an FIK event and have been held every three years since 1970.

Comparisons with Western Fencing

Kendo and fencing, the two major international sword-based sports, are similar in many respects. The major similarities and differences are outlined here:

Footwork

Footwork is different as the two handed shinai demands that the body be made to face squarely forward. Therefore both feet point forward with the big toe of the left foot as far forward as the heel of the right and with about one foot length distance between them. In fencing the back foot angles out at 45 to 90 degrees and the forward foot is further ahead to enable balance and further reach with the lunge. The kendo footwork closely resembles that found in historical fencing manuals such as Joseph Swetnam and George Silver where a weapon was held in each hand therefore necessitating the body and both feet be turned squarely forward, and the heel of the right foot almost touching the big toe joint of the left, as in kendo.

Footwork similarities lie in the use of shuffle stepping to move forwards and backwards and the lunge being the primary means of scoring a point. The kendo lunge is somewhat shorter than that of fencing due to the squaring of the body and feet with the opponent. However, kendo requires a stomping step and a forward recovery from the lunge to score whereas fencing requires neither, the backwards recovery being prefered over forwards.

Guard Position

The primary guard position with the sword is very similar. The sword is held in a central position with the point extended out towards the opponent. In kendo the tip of the sword is kept slightly to the right of the opponent's tip so as to guard against cuts to the wrist. Fencing also has the tip slightly to the right of the opponent's.

See also

• All Japan Kendo Federation (AJKF; ZNKR or Zen Nippon Kendo Renmei)
• Budo Senmon Gakko
• Gendai budō modern Japanese martial arts
• Iaidō Sword drawing
• Jōdō A martial art using a short wooden staff, or stick
• Kendo around the world
• Kenjutsu Classical Japanese sword art
• Kirikaeshi A special exercise in kendo training
• Koryū Old style (Japanese) martial arts
• Kyūdō Japanese archery
• Naginata A martial art using a halberd like weapon
• Naginatajutsu Old style naginata
• Seitei Iaido
• Zen Nippon Kendo Renmei Iaido

Notes and references

External links

• All Japan Kendo Federation (AJKF) (Japanese)
• International Kendo Federation (FIK) (English)