Kendo: A summary


Kendo, which literally means "way of the sword", is the Japanese art of fencing. Kendo was created by the samurai during the Kamakura period (1180-1230) so they could hone their skills without killing each other. It was originally grounded in Zen Buddhism. The teachings of kendo helped the samurai learn to disregard their own lives in the heat of battle. This is one of the main reasons it is considered the way of the sword.

Kendo was originally called kenjutsu however, as a result of the world war, Japan had to change its name to kendo. It is also known in some cultures (mainly korean) as kumdo. Kumdo is essentially kendo without the ettiquite and with different terminology.

In kendo there are 4 basic targets, the goal being to disarm/kill your opponent in one hit. The basic targets are the head (men), hand (kote), stomach (do), and finally, the throat (tsuki). There are combinations of the hits, one example being "kote-men", in which you "cut off" their hand and cut their head open immediatly after.

In kumdo the targets are the same. However, kenjutsu is more of a "no rule/kill your enemy/not a sport" art.In kenjutsu, unlike kendo, it is not uncommon to "spar" with 4 or 5 people at a time.

Ettiquete is a very big part of kendo; kendoka must bow upon entering and leaving the dojo and must show respect to their sempai (older students including sensei).

Kendo, unlike other martial arts, has no external signs of rank. In order to know what rank another kendoka is, you must keiko against them and judge their skill. There there are 2 sets or rank: the Kyu (lower ranks) and the Dan (black belt). A kendoka starts at 1 Kyu and climbs up the kendo ladder to the 8 Dan mark.

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