UChicago Kendo

Philosophy of Kendo

Kendo is a Japanese form of fencing with two-handed bamboo swords, originally developed as a safe form of sword training for samurai.

Kendo means literally ‘the way of the sword’, and has its origin in the martial art developed by the samurai in battlefield combat and in duels. It refers to a way of life shaped by the discipline cultivated through its practice, a discipline that produces perseverance, alertness and concentration. Above all, it requires great introspection, or looking into oneself. When samurai face each other, fear inevitably arises. But from where does this fear come? From the opponent? From the oncoming sword thrust? No – fear arises within oneself. To conquer an opponent, one must first conquer oneself. The ultimate objective of kendo is to internalize challenges. This is the essence of kendo.

Conquering the ego produces mushin – a Buddhist term most commonly used in Zen. Mushin refers to an altered state of consciousness, a state of mind which distinguishes kendo from sport. Of course, sportsmen must conquer fear, and those in the creative arts also experience an altered state of consciousness. But mushin in kendo requires meditation based upon Buddhist philosophy. This is what makes kendo unique. Kendo is not just an art of self-defense – it is designed to create a new human configuration. See Kendo: Its Philosophy, History, and Means to Personal Growth, by Minoru Kiyota.

History of Kendo

Kendo is arguably one of the oldest martial arts. The origins of kendo are in the Heian period of Japanese history, roughly 940 CE. It was about this period when sophisticated sword techniques which were specially designed for the Japanese foot soldier, and which utilised light-weight protective body armour, began to appear. These techniques were developed, refined and tried and tested on the battlefield. This was the period when the sword techniques used today began to develop. Kendo began to change.

After the Japanese Civil War, only police were allowed to wear and use swords in public. Kendo was only practiced in the dojo. The All Japan Kendo Association was founded in 1912 and formalised methods of teaching in schools throughout Japan were established in 1936. Kendo, which had been banned during the war years, re-emerged in 1952, stressing the importance of healthy living and a sports approach and philosophy based on its long history.

Modern Kendo

As of 1989, some seven million people practiced Kendo in Japan. No longer limited to Japan alone, Kendo is now popular all over the world and Kendo players in many countries continue to grow in numbers. Kendo is practiced by people from all walks of life. There is no restriction on who can participate. Age, sex or indeed disability need not be a barrier. Modern Kendo involves players trying to strike targets on designated areas of their opponent's body with a bamboo practice sword (shinai). These targets are protected by lightweight body armour (bogu).Strikes and thrusts with the shinai form the kendoka's personal attack (shikake) and defence (oji) techniques (waza) which are directed at the opponent's target areas. Strikes are restricted to three areas of the body: the top and left and right sides of the head (men), the forearms (kote), and the torso (do).Thrusts are usually permitted only to the throat (tsuki). All strikes can be delivered forwards or backwards.

It should be noted that these target areas were chosen purposely as the most difficult areas on the body to strike. It is not enough for your shinai to just hit the opponent; strikes or thrusts can only be considered correct if the attacks are executed properly, to the exact target area, with controlled kiai (voice-spirit) and demonstrating zanshin (awareness). A good analogy is scoring a hole in one at golf and then having the score disallowed because your swing was incorrect.