What is Kendo?

Kendo is a Japanese martial art suitable for everyone regardless of gender, age and body shape.

The word Kendo means 'Way of the Sword'. Practitioners are called kendo-ka. Kendo-ka are the only students of a martial art who would actually 'cut' or hit opponents with a sword in full-on sparring and competition. In Japan, Kendo is practised by millions of people in schools, universities, businesses, the police and military. It is seen as a true heir to the traditions of the samurai.

Unlike the character played by Tom Cruise in the film The Last Samurai we do not hit people with wooden swords. In order to make sparring and competition safe we obviously don't use real swords either but an implement called shinai which is made from bamboo and leather. We also wear armour protecting the head, chest, hands & wrists and the abdomen. Only well-executed, precise cuts made to the defined target areas men (top of the head), kote (wrist) and do (either side of the chest) are awarded points. This endeavour sounds simple (and kendo has a much smaller number of techniques than other martial arts) but in the reality of sparring - when someone else wielding a 'sword' is trying to cut you - it is very hard to execute any technique quickly and cleanly. Shinai kendo is fast, dynamic and loud - a real challenge for your mind and body.’

Still, kendo is not about beating your opponent, it is about making progress in the art of kendo which can take a lifetime.

As a beginner you can expect around six months of training without armour. You will learn the basics of footwork, posture, ki-ai (showing your spirit by shouting) and cutting. You will practise these basics with other beginners and you will be allowed to cut seniors who are wearing armour. Many people find this period of training empowering. Shy characters learn how to move with confidence and how to make an opponent feel their presence. More outgoing people learn how to control their power and aggression.

Once you are in armour yourself, you will learn a lot more about your emotions. You will encounter fear, doubt, hesitation, anger and confusion. You will also learn to conquer them. Kendo can be at the same time a very rewarding and very humbling experience. After a relatively short time you will have the opportunity to fight anyone as kendo does not separate genders, grades or weight classes. This also means that you will fight people with much greater experience and skills than yourself. Each and every fight will be a learning experience.

In the previous paragraphs, we have put an emphasis on shinai kendo and the competitive side of things but this should not obscure the full picture of kendo. Other important forms of training include kata and bokuto keiko ho in which we use the wooden sword you can see in The Last Samurai. In these forms of training we do not wear armour at all because no one is going to be hit. Using the wooden sword bokuto in practising certain techniques (bokuto keiko ho) or 'choreographed' sequences of techniques (kata) reminds us of the roots of Kendo in swordsmanship. The bokuto helps us to improve our grip, our posture and our cutting on the physical side and our concentration and precision on the psychological side.

In spite of all its physicality, Kendo has a strong spiritual aspect which is expressed in the traditional courtesy we uphold (rei ho) and the meditation (mokuso) that frames every training session.

kendo armour

bamboo sword - shinai

wooden sword - bokuto (bokken)

Tanaka Satoru san demonstrating a men cut on Steve Bishop sensei.

meditation - mokuso