Kendo

From Kenjutsu to Kendo

The foundations of Kendo lie in Japanese kenjutsu-ryu, in which warriors and later budoka trained in sword techniques. During the Edo period, bamboo swords and protective equipment were developed and refined. This allowed practitioners to train with greater resistance and contact without using real swords.

Schools such as Hokushin Ittō-ryū contributed to the popularity of practice fights with shinai and protective equipment. During the Meiji period, efforts were made to standardize different sword traditions, including for police and educational purposes.

Name and postwar development

The Dai Nippon Butoku Kai was founded in 1895. In 1920, the name Kendo was used for the modern form of sword training that had previously been known, among other names, as gekken. After World War II, Kendo was temporarily banned from public life and education because of the militarization of budo. In 1952, the All Japan Kendo Federation was founded, and Kendo returned as a reformed, educational, and sporting discipline.

Kendo and historical swordsmanship

Kendo preserves elements of older sword traditions, but uses its own competition rules, protective equipment, pedagogical forms, and ranking system. The principles of historical kenjutsu are therefore studied in a modern and controlled context.

The relationship with bushidō is often mentioned in explanations of Kendo, but the meaning of bushidō changed over time and is not a simple, unchanged summary of samurai culture.

International organization

The International Kendo Federation was founded in 1970 as an international federation of national and regional organizations. The FIK promotes Kendo and the related disciplines Iaido and Jodo. The All Japan Kendo Federation serves as an important Japanese reference point for curricula, ranks, and kata; national federations implement rules and conduct examinations within their own structures.

Start safely

Many dojos offer introductory lessons where beginners can borrow a shinai and sometimes protective equipment. Personal bōgu is usually purchased only once the basics, fitness, and falling and safety procedures have been sufficiently developed. Train on a suitable floor and always follow the instructor’s directions.

Kendo as a discipline

The AJKF describes Kendo as a way of shaping one’s character by applying the principles of the sword. Within that framework, physical training, correct form, courage, courtesy, fair contact, and continuous self-development stand alongside competition results.

Related disciplines

Iaido focuses on drawing and handling the sword through set forms; Jodo uses the short staff in relation to sword techniques; Naginata-do uses the Japanese polearm. These disciplines can be offered organizationally alongside Kendo, but have their own weapons, kata, and training objectives.