Kendo

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Kendō (剣道 The Way of the Sword) is the Japanese martial art of fencing. It is a highly physical sport, demanding a great deal of discipline, between two combatants, called kendōka (剣道家 "one who practices kendō") or kenshi (剣士 "swordsman" or "fencer"), using one (itto) or two (nito) bamboo swords, called shinai (竹刀), which represent the old two-handed samurai swords. Unlike western style fencing, kendō employs strikes with both the edge and tip of the shinai. A shinai should not be confused with a bokken (木剣), which is a sword carved from a single piece of wood. Bokken are only used when performing a kata. Likewise, kendō should not be mistaken for other stick-fighting martial arts, such as jōdō. It is a pure fencing sport and does not involve any kicking, punching or jumping.

Despite its physical nature and the use of weapons, it is a popular sport amongst both genders and across all age groups, with nearly 7 million practitioners in Japan alone and many more scattered world-wide.

Contents 1 The History of Kendō 2 The Concept and Purpose of Kendō 2.1 The Concept of Kendō 2.2 The Purpose of Kendō 3 The Basics of Kendō 3.1 Strikes 3.2 Controlling the centre-line 3.3 Ma-ai 3.4 Footwork 3.5 Competition 4 Kendō Equipment 4.1 Clothing and Protection 4.2 The Shinai 5 Grading 6 Kata 7 References

The History of Kendō

Kendō is based on traditional Japanese fighting forms, called bujutsu (武術 "the martial, or military, arts) which were developed to practice the most efficient forms of attack and counter attack in sword fighting. While these forms are no longer appropriate as sword fighting has become outdated, kendō has evolved these forms into a sport similar to fencing where points are allocated depending on where on the body you strike your opponent with a shinai.

The 12^th to 14^th centuries A.D. in Japan saw sword fighting emerge as the dominant fighting form. Skills and techniques were gradually honed and perfected and talented individuals were regarded as shishou (師匠 "master" or "teacher"). However, up until the beginning of the 15^th century A.D., disputes amongst the many teaching schools which had blossomed across the country resulted in many fatal fights between students, each convinced that their own shishou possessed the correct method.

Finally, the shishou themselves began to realise that the most successful sword fighters (in other words, those who survived the disputes) possessed a quality in addition to skill, which was the ability to remain calm under pressure. This led to the introduction of Zen as an integral part of the training, through ritual and philosophic thought, much like it has in many other martial arts.

The look and feel of modern kendō was developed during the 17^th century, with the introduction of the shinai and body-armour (bōgu 防具). The design of these was perfected in the 18^th century and remains in use to this day.

However, a government ban on swords, imposed in 1868, which ran for nearly 30 years, resulted in interest in kendō falling off, although when the ban was lifted, there was a resurgence in interest and it was included as a subject at junior high school (ages 12-15) in 1911. In 1933 the final material for the kata was finalised. This renewed interest in kendō continued until it was banned again, this time by the occupying forces in post-war Japan, and kendō was only reintroduced as a sport in 1957.

Whilst kendō originated as a form of sword fighting self-defence, it is now taught in both junior and senior high schools to develop self-discipline and is also included as part of the police-training program.

The Concept and Purpose of Kendō

The All Japan Kendō Federation (AJKF) published The Concept and Purpose of Kendō in 1975, which all students must take to heart.

The Concept of Kendō

Kendō is a way to discipline the human character through the application of the principles of the Katana (刀 "sword").

The Purpose of Kendō

• To develop the mind and body.
• To cultivate a vigorous spirit,
• And through correct and rigid training, to strive for improvement in the art of kendō.
• To hold in esteem human courtesy and honour.
• To associate with others with sincerity.
• And to forever pursue the cultivation of oneself.

This will make one able:

• To love his or her country and society;
• To contribute to the development of culture;
• To promote peace and prosperity among all peoples. ^[1]

The Basics of Kendō

The movements in kendō are a combination of foot movements and various rapid and well-timed cuts (or strikes) and thrusts aimed at specific points of your opponent's body - the head, the wrists, the throat and the sides of the body.

Kendō training and matches are noisy affairs in comparison to other martial arts or western fencing. This is because kendōka employ a loud cry, or kiai (気合 "fighting spirit"), to express their spirit, both while facing off against an opponent and when a strike is performed. At the same time as making a strike, the front foot is stamped on the floor, in a move called fumikomi-ashi (踏み込み足 "to stamp and go inside").

Strikes

Strikes are allowed only to be made against specified target areas, on the wrists (kote (小手) - the right may be struck at any time; the left one when raised); the top of the head (men 面); the upper left or right of the head (sayuu-men さゆう面 "left and right of the head" or yoko-men 横面 "beside the head") and the left or right of the torso (dō 胴). Often, the kiai at the moment of striking will indicate the desired target area. For example, a cry of "Men!" will accompany a strike to the head.

Thrusts (tsuki 推圧) are only allowed to the throat. However, since an incorrectly performed thrust could seriously injure the neck, thrusting techniques in free practice and competition are often restricted to senior dan graded kendōka and are forbidden at school level.

Kendō is not well suited for self-defence; on the contrary, it is a very aggressive martial art. There are no blocking techniques that are not counter-attacks in themselves. The basic premise is that you must be faster in attacking your opponent in order to defend yourself. Kendō is a full-contact martial art. Unlike other martial arts, such as karate, the strikes are not just marked, but are delivered with only a bare minimum of restraint. However, due to the protective equipment and training, injuries are rare; the most frequent being blisters on the soles of the feet. This is due to friction, as most movements are made by sliding the feet into position, rather than stepping into position.

Controlling the centre-line

However, one must not see a kendō match simply as two contestants swinging a bamboo sword at each other. In contrast, each match is very much a game of patience. Kendōka will spend a great deal of time sparring with the tips of their shinai, as the primary aim is to gain control of the centre-line between them. Launching an attack whilst not controlling this line automatically leaves the attacker exposed and vulnerable to a parry and counter strike.

Ma-ai

At the same time, the kendōka will be assessing, as well as positioning themselves at the outside of, their opponents' ma-ai (間合い "interval"). The issoku-itto-ma-ai is the reach of your opponent's sinai, should they take one step forward. This distance is generally somewhere just inside of where the tip of the two shinai cross, when facing each other, but differs from person to person, depending on the size of their step and reach of their shinai. This is why it is important to spend time assessing your opponent in a match. If this distance is too short or too long, your own attack will over- or undershoot, again leaving you vulnerable to a counter-strike.

Only when a kendōka knows he has control of the centre-line and the ma-ai is correct, will they launch a strike, normally over in seconds. If successful, a point is awarded and the kendōka begin sparring again, for the duration of the match, or until one has scored two points.

Footwork

Footwork (足捌き ashi sabaki) is, simply put, the most important aspect to the basics of kendō. It is what propels your body, and thus your shinai and how well you move your feet will determine not only when and how fast you can launch a strike, but also the speed, number, form and intensity of your strikes. It also determines what you are able, and in position, to do both before and after a strike.

The basic footwork in kendō always starts and ends with the feet in the same position. The feet are kept parallel to one another, facing forward, shoulder width apart, with the right foot leading. The heel of the left foot is always slightly raised.

There are distinct techniques for moving your feet, classified as follows:

• Suri-ashi - A sliding motion of the foot by which you move your foot from one position to another. The foot glides across the floor to a new position, rather than lifting from it. Almost all kendō foot movements employ this technique.

• Okuri-ashi - The most common foot movement used in kendō. It resembles a shuffling movement, where the foot closest to the direction you wish to move to is the first to move. For example, to advance, the right foot slides forward, as you push with the rear left foot. The move is completed by bringing the left foot forward to resume the original position they were in. Likewise, to retreat, the left foot moves first, followed by the right, back to their original stance. How quickly you bring your feet back into position determines how quickly you can be in position for the next movement.

• Ayumi-ashi - This is much the same as normal walking, in that the foot furthest from the direction you are heading moves first. This technique is used to quickly close in on an opponent who is keeping their distance from you.

• Hiraki-ashi - Much the same as okuri-ashi except you move diagonally relative to your opponent. Again, the foot closest to the direction moves first. The exception is if you move left-forwards (left foot moves first) or right-backwards (right foot moves first).

• Tsugi-ashi, or De-ashi - here, your back foot is brought forward alongside your front foot, before stepping out with your front foot. This increases the length of your step and thus your ma-ai.

• Fumikomi-ashi - This movement is used during a strike, during which time you yourself will enter your opponents' striking distance. However, it does not mean that the foot is raised intentionally, but keeps the same gliding motion of suri-ashi, and needs only to be lifted a fraction at the moment of striking, as the energy and motion of the strike will help induce the sound. It's purpose, together with the kiai is to unsettle your opponent and break their concentration.

Competition

In competition (shiai 試合), a point (yuko-datotsu) is only awarded when the attack has been made correctly and firmly to a target point, with what is called kikentaiichi (気剣体一) or "spirit, sword and body as one."

For an attack to be successful, the shinai must strike the specified target (kote, men or dō). The shinai's contact must occur simultaneously with the attacker's fumikomi-ashi and kiai. The kiai in particular, must display good spirit.

In addition, both the upper third of the shinai must make contact with the target and the direction of movement (hasuji) by the shinai must be correct. Finally, zanshin (残心), meaning "follow though", or more specifically, "continuation of awareness", must be displayed before, during and after the strike, and the kendōka must be in a position to attack again, having completed the strike.

Three shinpan (審判 "referee") usually govern a shiai, each equipped with a red and white flag, holding one in each hand. In order to signal a point, the shinpan raise the flag that corresponds in colour to the ribbon worn by the scoring kendōka. At least two of the shinpan need to agree for a point to be awarded.

The fights within a match continue from the start (hajime) until a point is scored, whereupon the contestants resume their starting position and await the signal (nihon me) to commence the next fight of the match. The first competitor to score two points wins the match.

Matches have a 5-minute time limit and if this is reached and only one competitor has a point, that competitor will win. Should the match end in a tie, a couple of options are available:

• The match may be declared a draw.
• The match may be extended (encho えんちょ) with the first competitor to score a point being declared the winner.
• The winner may be chosen by a majority decision (hantei 判定) of the shinpan. The shinpan indicate their choice of victor simultaneously, by show of flags.

Kendō Equipment

Clothing and Protection

Kendō body armour (bōgu 防具) is a deep blue in colour and is made from hard leather and bamboo. The various items that constitute the full bōgu are:

• Men, - a combination of a grilled, metal fencing mask, with flaps for protecting the head, face, throat and shoulders.
• Dō - a breastplate, which covers the torso and stomach.
• Kote - a pair of padded gloves, covering the hands and wrists.
• Tare - an apron, worn around the hips to protect the thighs and groin.

Under the bōgu, the kendōka wears a uniform (kendōgi 剣道着) consisting of a heavy cotton jacket (keikogi 稽古着) and a pair of pleated pantaloons or divided skirt (hakama 袴). A soft cloth (tenugui 手拭) which is often decorated with Japanese calligraphy and powerful mythical symbols, is wrapped around the head and worn under the men in order to absorb sweat, minimize chafing from the mask and act as additional protection against a head strike.

The Shinai

The shinai consists of four dried bamboo slats (take 竹), which are held together by three leather fittings - a handle (tsuka-gawa), a tip (saki-gawa) and a leather strap (nakayui). The latter is tied about one-third of the length from the tip of the exposed bamboo. It not only this holds the slats together, and also indicates the proper striking portion of the shinai.

The slats are secured by a small plastic plug (saki-gomu), which is inserted between the ends of the slats under the saki-gawa, and a small metal square (chigiri) inside the tsuka-gawa.

The maximum length of a shinai is 114cm at Junior High School level, 117cm for High School and 120cm for Adults. In the case of nito the longer shinai (大刀 daitō meaning " long sword") may not exceed 114cm, whilst the shorter of the two (小刀 shōto or "short sword") can have a maximum length of 62 cm.

Grading

As with all martial arts, there are numerous grades through which one advances, as the kendōka's skill and technical proficiency improves. However, there is no visible distinction between varying kendō grades, as all practitioners wear the same equipment, be they beginners or senior-dan campaigners.

The grades are split between the lower kyu and advanced dan grades. The kyu are numbered in reverse order, from six to one; ikkyu (first kyu) representing the grade just below first dan (sho-dan). Rokkyu (sixth kyu) is the lowest grade.

Hachi-dan (8^th dan) is the highest rank that can be attained through testing. Qualifying tournaments for the rank of 8^th dan are held twice a year, in Kyoto and Tokyo. It is an exceptional achievement to be awarded the 8^th dan, as the requirements are strict. Not only is participation limited to 7^th dan kendōka, over the age of 46, who have been 7^th dan for at least eight years, but the success rate per tournament is usually less than 1%.

Kata

A kata is a carefully worked out fixed set of movements in which the two kendōka wear no armour, but use wooden swords (bokken) or even real swords (iaito). One kendōka will portray the student (shidachi) and the other the teacher (uchidachi).

The uchidachi always begins the kata and is always the symbolic loser. There is no element of surprise in a kata and the sword never makes contact with the opponent. The true goal of the kata is not to conquer your opponent, but for the participants to work together as a team, in order to execute symbolic fight movements with precise timing and flow.

There are ten forms of kata in modern kendō and these contain all the existing attack and counter-attack techniques that exist, displayed in a set routine of very elegant and fluid combinations.

The 10 kata are:

• Ipponme
• Nihonme
• Sanbonme
• Yohonme
• Gohonme
• Ropponme
• Nanahonme
• Kodachi Ipponme
• Kodachi Nihonme
• Kodachi Sanbonme

The first 7 are performed with both partners using a long sword (daitō). The last 3 are performed with one partner using a daitō and the other using a short sword (shotō).

References

1. ↑ Sato, Noriaki (July 1995). Kendō Fundamentals. Tokyo, Japan: All Japan Kendō Federation

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