Kendo (Japan), meaning 'Way of the Sword', is a modern Japanese martial art of swordsmanship, based on the traditional Japanese Kenjutsu. It is a physically and mentally challenging activity that combines the norms and values of martial arts with sports elements. This Japanese swordsmanship was developed in the 16th century to unite a large number 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 kendoka. Since 1975, the concept of Kendo has been expressed as follows: “the disciplining of human character through the application of the principles of Katana”. Kendo is therefore an exercise in self-discipline while Kenjutsu, on the other hand, is a real combat technique.
Kendo comes from the samurai tradition of feudal Japan and is therefore similar to related martial arts such as iaido and jodo. It is the modern sports variant of kenjutsu. Just like judo, karate, aikido, etc., kendo is part of budo . The sport is mainly practiced in Japan, the United States, Germany and France. Kendo has also become widely known outside Japan. Kendo has been practiced in the Netherlands for over 25 years and there are dojos in most major cities.
The sport of Kendo
Kendo is taught with 'swords' made of split bamboo, called shinai. The practitioner (kendoka) wears elaborate protective armor (bogu). Kenjutsu and 'kendo kata' use boken (wooden swords) and katana (steel swords). In modern kendo there are two types of attacks: strikes and thrusts. Blows 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. Punches should only be aimed at the throat; or on the top of the chest plate, as a defense, or to push the opponent away and then attack, for example, the head. Since an incorrectly placed punch to the throat can cause injuries, this technique is often not used at beginner level and is only introduced later.
In competitions, points are only awarded when attacks are executed well, controlled and determined. The attacker must also indicate with a (Japanese) shout (kiai) which part of the body he is attacking. For example, if the target is the opponent's head, the shout 'men' should be uttered. When attacking the wrist, 'kote' must be shouted. An attack against the torso is accompanied by 'do' and when hitting the opponent's throat, 'tsuki' must be shouted. The winner is the first to score two points (ippon).
The International Kendo Federation (IKF) was founded in 1970 and has members in 44 countries. World championships are held every 3 years.
