Kendo (Japan), which means ‘Way of the Sword,’ is a modern Japanese martial art of sword fighting, based on the traditional Japanese Kenjutsu. It is a physically and mentally challenging activity that combines the values and principles of martial arts with sporting elements. This Japanese sword art was developed in the 16th century to unify a wide range of different techniques.
Modern Kendo
However, modern Kendo was only developed in the second half of the 20th century. A practitioner of the sport is called a kendoka. Since 1975, the concept of Kendo has been expressed as follows: “the discipline of the human character through the application of the principles of the Katana.” Kendo is therefore an exercise in self-discipline, whereas Kenjutsu is a genuine combat technique.
Kendo originates from the samuari tradition of feudal Japan and is thus similar to related martial arts such as iaido and jodo. It is the modern sporting variant of kenjutsu. Like judo, karate, aikido, etc., kendo belongs to budo. The sport is especially practiced in Japan, the United States, Germany, and France. Kendo has also gained great recognition outside Japan. In the Netherlands, kendo has been practiced for over 25 years, and most major cities have a dojo.
The Sport of Kendo
Kendo is taught using ‘swords’ made of split bamboo, called shinai. The practitioner (kendoka) wears extensive protective armor (Bogu). In kenjutsu and ‘kendo kata,’ wooden swords (bokken) and steel swords (katana) are used. In modern kendo, there are two types of attacks: strikes and thrusts. Strikes are only allowed on certain parts of the body: the top and temples of the head, the right and left sides of the body, and the forearms. Thrusts may only be aimed at the throat; or at the top of the chest plate, as a form of defense, or to push the opponent away before attacking, for example, the head. Since a wrongly placed thrust to the throat can cause injury, this technique is often not applied at the beginner level and is introduced later.
In competitions, points are only awarded when attacks are executed correctly, controlled, and decisively. The attacker must also indicate which body part they are attacking with a (Japanese) shout (kiai). For example, if the target is the opponent’s head, the shout ‘men’ must be made. For an attack on the wrist, ‘kote’ must be called. An attack on the torso is accompanied by ‘do,’ and a thrust to the opponent’s throat must be called ‘tsuki.’ The winner is the one who first scores two points (ippon).
The International Kendo Federation (IKF) was founded in 1970 and has members in 44 countries. World championships are held every three years.
