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. [1]
Kendo is
a physically and mentally challenging activity that combines strong martial arts values with sport-like physical elements.
The concept and purpose of kendo
In 1975 the All Japan Kendo Federation (AJKF) developed then published the book, The Concept and Purpose of Kendo,[2] the outline of which is below, showing the concept and purpose of the art.
[edit]The concept of kendo
Kendo is a way to discipline the human character through the application of
the principles of the Katana.
[edit]The purpose of kendo
- 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.
- This will make one be able:
- To love his/her country and society.
- To contribute to the development of culture
- And to promote peace and prosperity among all peoples.
[edit]History
Since the earliest samurai government in Japan, during the Kamakura period (1185-1233), sword fencing, together with horse riding and archery, were the main martial pursuits of themilitary 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.
Kendō 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 (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 armour (bōgu) to "ken" training is attributed
to Naganuma Sirōzaemon Kunisato during the Shotoku Era (1711-1715). Naganuma developed the use of kendo-gu (bogu)
(protective equipment) and established a training method using the shinai. [3]
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 armour by adding a metal grill
to the men and thick cotton protective coverings to the kote. 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. [4] [5]
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 armour 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 むしん?), or "empty mind" are borrowed from Zen buddhism, are are considered essential for the attainment of high-level kendo. Fudōshin (不動心 ふどうしん?), 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 kendoka cannot be led astray by delusions of anger, doubt, fear, or surprise
arising from the opponent’s actions. Thus today it is possible to embark on a similar quest for spiritual enlightenment
as followed by thesamurai 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 kendo 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 Kyougi "Shinai Competition" and then as Kendo from 1952). [6] [7]
[edit]Equipment and clothing
| | Armour and clothing components |
Kendo is practiced wearing
traditional Japanese clothing and armour (防護 ぼうぐ?, bōgu), using one, or less commonly two shinai. The shinai is meant to represent a Katana, and is made up of four bamboo slats, which are held together by leather fittings. Kendoka also use wooden swords (木刀 ぼくとう?, bokutō) to practice kata. The footwork and the strikes in Kendo are very different from European fencing as the design and balance of the weapon is
significantly different. Kendo employs strikes involving both the edge and tip of the shinai. [8]
Protective
armour is worn to protect specified target areas on the head, arms and body. The head is protected by a stylised helmet (面 めん?, men) with a metal grill to protect the face and a hard leather flap to protect the throat. The
forearm, wrist, and hand are protected by long, thickly padded fabric gauntlets (小手 こて?, kote). The body is protected by a wooden breastplate(胴 どう?, dō) and three vertical fabric faulds (垂れ たれ?, tare). The clothing worn under the bōgu comprise a jacket (kendogi or keikogi) and a hakama, which is a skirt-like garment separated in the middle to form two wide trouser legs. A cotton towel (手拭い てぬぐい?, tenugui) is wrapped around the head, under the men, to absorb perspiration and provides
a base for the men to fit comfortably. Like some other martial arts, kendoka train and fight barefoot. [9]
[edit]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 きあい?), to express their fighting spirit when striking. Additionally, kendōka execute fumikomi-ashi (踏み込み足 ふみこみあし?), a stomp of the front foot, when making a strike. 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. [10] Modern kendo techniques comprise both strikes and thrusts. Strikes are only made towards specified target areas (打突-部位 だとつ-ぶい?, 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 (突きつき?, 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 kendoka.
Kendoka perform sonkyoafter combat. | Two kendoka in tsuba zeriai. | Kendo target points, ordatotsu-bui. | Two kendoka, one (left) is playing in nitō (two sword style) and the other (right)
is playing in ittō (one sword style). |
Once a kendoka begins practice
in armour, a practice session may include any or all of the following types of practice.
- Kiri-kaeshi (切-返し きり-かえし?): 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 わざ-げいこ?): waza or technique practice in which the student learns and refines that techniques of Kendo
with a receiving partner.
- Kakari-geiko (掛-稽古 かかり-げいこ?): short, intense, attack practice which teaches continuous alertness and readiness to attack, as well
as building spirit and stamina.
- Ji-geiko (地-稽古 じ-げい?): undirected practice where the kendoka tries all that has been learnt during practice against
an opponent.
- Gokaku-geiko (互角-稽古 ごかく-げいこ?): practice between two kendoka of similar skill level.
- Hikitate-geiko (引立-稽古 ひきたて-げいこ?): practice where a senior kendoka guides a junior through practice.
- Shiai-geiko (試合-稽古 しあい-げいこ?): competition practice which may also be judged.
[edit]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 and the United States. The "Kodansha Meibo" (a register of dan graded members of the All Japan Kendo Federation) shows that as of January 2003, there were 1.3 million registered dan graded kendoka in
Japan. The number of kendoka not yet graded to a dan level is not included: those kendoka would outnumber
considerably the dan graded players.
[edit]Competition
In competition (試合 しあい?, shiai), a point (有効-打突 ゆこ-だとつ?, yuko-datotsu) is only awarded, in principle, when the attack is made to a target area with Ki,
Ken, Tai-Ichi (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 kendoka must execute a spirited and convincing kiai in coordination 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 ざんしん?), or continuation of awareness, must be present and shown throughout the execution of the strike, and
the kendoka must be ready to attack again.
In competition, there are usually three referees (審判 しんぱん?, 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.
The first competitor to score two
points 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 ひきわけ?): The match is declared a draw.
- Enchō (延長 えんちょう?): The match is continued until either competitor scores a point.
- Hantei (判定 はんてい?): The victor is decided by the referees. The three referees vote for victor by each raising one of their
respective flags simultaneously. [11]
Technical achievement in kendo is measured by advancement in grade, rank or
level. The kyū (級 きゅう?) and dan (段 だん?) grading system is used to indicate one's proficiency in kendo. The dan levels are from
first-dan (初段 しょだん?, sho-dan) to tenth-dan (十 じゅうだん?, 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 いっきゅう?, ikkyū) being the grade immediately below first dan, and sixth kyu (六級 ろっきゅう?, rokkyū) being the lowest grade.
Eighth-dan (八段 はちだん?, 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 きゅうだん?, kyū-dan) and tenth-dan are no longer awarded, but ninth-dan kendoka 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.
There are no visible differences in
dress between kendo grades; those below dan-level may dress the same as those above dan-level. [12]
There are 10 Nihon Kendo Kata (日本剣道形 にほんけんどうかた?). These are performed with wooden swords (木刀 ぼくとう?, bokutō). 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-yo (形容 かたよ?) or ha-biki (刃引 はびき?), may be used for display of 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 こだち?) or shōtō (小刀 しょうとう?) style bokutō of around 55cm. During katapractice, the participants take the roles
of either uchidachi (打太刀 うちだち?), the teacher, or shidachi 仕太刀 (しだち?), the student. The uchidachimakes 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 kendo
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 kendo kata.
In 2003, the introduction of Bokuto Ni Yoru Kendo Kihon-waza Keiko-ho (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 kendoka up
to second dan (二 にだん?), but is very useful for all kendostudents. [13]
[edit]Outside Japan
- See also: Kendo around the world
The International Kendo Federation (FIK) was established in 1970 and in December 2006 admitted their 47th national or regional federation as an affiliate. [14] The World Kendo Championships have been held every three years since 1970.
