Kendo
From Karate, Kungfu, Wrestling, Mixed Fighting Information Source
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'Kendo,' which means "way of the sword"," is the martial art of Japanese fencing. It developed from traditional techniques of Japanese swordsmanship known as Kenjutsu.
It is a form of Japanese swordsmanship, developed in the 16th century to unify a large number of different techniques. According to the All Japan Kendo Federation the concept of Kendo has been stated as "to discipline the human character through the application of the principles of the Katana". Kendo is therefore self-discipline while Kenjutsu is the actual techniques of fighting.
Taught using "swords" made of split bamboo called shinai and extensive protective armour called bogu, practitioners are called kendoka.
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History
After the Meiji Restoration in 1868, the Samurai class was dissolved and the wearing of swords was prohibited. As a result, many Samurai lost their jobs and Kenjutsu declined dramatically. Thereafter, the Seinan Conflict which occurred in the 10th Year of the Meiji Era (1877) was an unsuccessful resistance movement of Samurai against the Central Government that seemed to give an indication that Kenjutsu’s recovery resides mainly on the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. In the 28th Year of the Meiji Era (1829), the Dai-Nippon Butoku-Kai was established as the national organization to promote Bujutsu including Kenjutsu. At around the same time in 1899, “Bushido” was published in English which was considered a compilation of Samurai’s thoughts and philosophy.
In 1912, the Dai-Nippon Teikoku Kendo Kata (later renamed to Nippon Kendo Kata) was established using the word Kendo. The establishment of the Kendo Kata provided for the unification of many schools to enable them to pass on to later generations the techniques and spirit of the Japanese sword, and to remedy improper use of hands which had been caused by bamboo sword training and to correct inaccurate strikes which were not at the right angle to the opponent. It was thought that the Shinai (bamboo sword) was to be treated as an alternative of the Japanese sword. And, in 1919, Nishikubo Hiromichi consolidated the original objectives of Bu (or in other words Samurai) under the names of Budo and Kendo since they conformed to them.
After the Second World War, Kendo was suspended for a while under the Occupation of the Allied Forces. In 1952, however, when the All Japan Kendo Federation was established and Kendo was revived. Kendo presently plays an important role in school education and is also popular among the young and old, men and women alike. Several million Kendo practitioners of all ages enjoy participating in regular sessions of Keiko (Kendo training).
Equipment
The equipment used for Kendo practice are the bamboo sword (Shinai) and a set of protective armor called Bogu. The protective equipment consists of four different parts: Men is the helmet which protects the face, throat, top and sides of the head; Do is similar to a breastplate and covers the chest and stomach; Tare is the waist protector; and finally, Kote are like gauntlets and protect the hands and wrists.
Shinai
A shinai (Japanese: 竹刀) is a practice sword used primarily in Kendo. It is a practice sword invented in the mid 16th century, so people would have a relatively non-lethal way to practice with the sword.
It is constructed of 4 pieces of split bamboo or the take. The tip of the shinai is covered in leather (tsuka-gawa); the four staves are held apart by a t-shaped piece of rubber (saki-gomu). The staves are held together at the opposite end by a long leather handle. The handle is round rather than oval like a real katana. A leather lace tied in a complicated knot about a third of the way from the tip keeps the staves from spreading too far apart. A string runs down one stave -it signifies the dull edge, or back of the sword.
The split construction allows the staves to both flex and compress against each other, absorbing much of the energy of the blow. Attacks which miss the armour cause bruises; nothing more. Poorly maintained shinai can be dangerous - bamboo shinai must be checked and sanded regularly to avoid splinters, and oiled or waxed to help prevent drying out and subsequent breakage. In the modern times, many people prefer to use shinais that are made with carbon fiber materials that because they last long and have a low maintenance quality.
Bogu
The Bogu (防具, Bōgu?), special protective armor in the kendo and naginata martial arts, consists of:
- Men: helmet
- Do: trunk protector
- Kote: hand and forearm protector
- Tare: hip protector
- Sune-ate: shin protectors worn only by naginata practitioners
The helmet is called a men. An oval steel cage protects the face and a throat guard extends down from the cage. Padding for the top of the head, ears and shoulders are attached to the cage. the traditional men paading was made from horese hair, but the modern bogu is paddedd with a thick felt. The target provided by the men is the top of the head. A cotton towel called a tenugui is worn under the men for comfort and to soak up the sweat. Sometimes the tenugui is printed with a design, which consists of kanji, mythical animals or a traditional Japanese ink print, and given as souvenirs.
The tare protects the hip and groin is also made from felt and cloth. Usually the tare will have the kendoka's name and dojo affiliation displayed (this is a requirement for tournament competition) on the main flap via an embroidered cover called a zekken. There is no legal target on the tare.
Overlapping the tare is the chest protector, called the do. It is constructed of from bamboo staves, covered in leather and lacquered. Thhis equipment protects the entire front of the chest, and extends around the sides to protect from roughly the hip bone to the first couple of ribs. The abdominal portion of the do is the "do" target. The portion covering the heart (called the mune) becomes a legal "tsuki" target in certain positions.
The kote protect the hands and wrists. In this way, the forehand is covered in heavy padding with a leather exterior. The portion of the kote covering the wrists is constructed like the men padding. From afar, the kote looks like a pair of boxing gloves crossed with medieval gauntlets.
Bokken
Bokken (木剣, "wooden sword") is the Japanese term in kenjutsu for a katana shaped out of wood. Used to train samurai in feudal Japan, it is now used as a training weapon in various Japanese sword arts. Some other martial arts (and all pedants) call it a bokuto (木刀, "wooden sword"). This training sword can be made to replicate a wakizashi or a tanto.
These should not be confused with shinai, the bamboo sword used in kendo.
It should also be noted that a suburito is a bokken designed for suburi. Suburi which literally means "bare cutting", are solo cutting exercises. Suburito are thicker and heavier than normal bokken so that you have to develop either good technique, strong muscles or both to wield one. Their weight does however tend to make them poorly balanced, consequently they are not used for paired practise.
Competition
Many people practice kendo with little or no tournament experience because many believe that it is not the end of Kendo. Many sensei discourage focusing on tournaments, and specifically discourage the degrading technique to a tournament-oriented style.
However, competitions still exists around the world in celebration of the virtue of sportmanship taught by kendo
A shiai or a match is held in a square area from 9 to 11 metres a side. A match is adjudicated by a referee (shimpan) and two corner judges. Scoring is best two of three points, similar to traditional karate. Matches are usually 5 minutes long for men, 3 minutes for women and juniors. If the score is tied at the end of regulation time, sudden-death overtime periods (ensho) are held.
Kendo Grading System
The grading system in kendo is strongly organised and have pretty consistent nine dan system of ranking. In order to elevate to higher dan, you must perform in fron of a committee cmposed of six people ranked fifth dan or higher. It is also follows that higher the dan rank aspired the higher the rank of the judging committee.
Kyu ("coloured belts") are given to children as incentives, but not usually adults. If kyu are given, they may start at tenth or more usually sixth and advance up to first. Dan then start at first and advance up to nine. No outward indication of rank is usually worn, although some federations give small coloured patches to sew on the shoulder for kids. A Shodan (the firts kyu rank) can be accomplished in 2 or 3 years for a persistent and reasonably talented person.
Kata
The present-day Nihon Kendo Kata is derived from an earlier nationalized and standardized set of forms called the Dai Nihon Teikoku Kendo Kata, which were established in 1912. These basic forms includes attacking and counter attacking techniques. These katas are usually performed with a bokken, but on occasional events real swords or fake-swords (habiki' or kata-yo) may be used to demonstrate katas.
The first seven kata are performed in pairs. Roles of either uchidachi (teacher) and a shidachi (student) must be taken up, and using a kodachi for the former and a bokken for the latter. The teahcer is always on the losing side allowing the student to win. This type of teaching allows balance in learning the kata both from the uchidachi and the shidachi.
Nihon Kendo Kata is a combnation of representative kenjutsu schools and tend to be quite deep and advanced. In some kendo schools the regular training curriculum does not include nihon kendo kata.
The introduction to the use of bokken in training called Bokuto Ni Yoru Kendo Kihon-waza Keiko-ho was started in 2003. This was done to close the space between the use of bokken and shinai in executing the Nihon Kendo Kata. This training regiment is intended primarily for a kendoka possessing a title of nidan (2 dan).
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