WHAT IS KENDO?

Kendo, is the art of Japanese fencing. Ken or tsurugi is from the character meaning sword. The character for Do or michi includes the meaning way or path which translates as "The way of the sword is a  path in life which is followed through the training of kendo".

Origin of Kendo

Modern Kendo bears but faint resemblance to Kenjutsu and to its feudal origins of sword wielding samurai warriors which are today depicted in movies and television. Kendo, literally translated, the way of the sword, cannot be traced to a single founder or given an exact founding date. The story of the rise of modern Kendo begins with the samurai and extends over the culture of several centuries

History

Kendo, as it is played today, was developed about two hundred years ago, when the shinai, a bamboo sword, was devised to enable the safe and free practice of the ancient military art of sword.

During the 16th century, when Japan was in the period of successive and nation-wide civil wars, the techniques of sword manipulation were studied as a matter of life and death. Warriors were trained to brandish a sword as though it had been an extended part of their arms. Wooden swords were used more freely to study and practice the art of sword fighting. Eventually basic ways were selected for manipulating a sword to be called kata, fundamental forms of Kendo.

Under the warring environments there were many expert swordsmen, claiming originality in one way or the other to establish schools of their own, counting in number as many as 600 in history.
In the warring days it was, of course, their immediate object to kill their opponents. In doing so, Bushi warriors were taught to cause instant death without unnecessary agony to the slain. It was an etiquette in sword fighting.
Kata forms have continued to be most important in Kendo to master. But mere combinations of & kata forms are not sufficient to cover techniques required to meet all happenings in sword fighting. The free practice was then in need to encourage the development of shinai bamboo swords and protective gears for safeguard.
Today Kendo followers train themselves primarily by using bamboo swords and learn kata forms by using real or wooden swords.

Kendo Matches

Kendo you are trained to see things with your eyes, react instantly to happenings and make moment judgments with your mind. In a Kendo match you watch your opponent with you eyes, react quickly to his moves and grab chances for attack, as seen through your mind. The mind's eye is opened only by and through hard and long training, as in case of the Zen practice of austerities.
Some of the essential elements in Kendo matches are introduced below for you to realize the depth of philosophy aimed to uncover the traditional way of Bushi warriors.
It is an important objective in the practice of Kendo never to be off guard mentally in a Kendo match or whatever circumstances one may be placed in.

Kendo Practice

A Kendo practice is composed of many types of training. Each type has a different purpose for developing the Kendo student.

Kendo, like other martial arts requires discipline and a dedication to training. A new student begins with learning the basics such as: etiquette (reigi), different postures and footwork, and how to properly swing a sword. The student progresses through a series of skills preparing them to begin training with armor (bogu).

Once a student begins to practice in armor, a practice may be composed of any or all of the following types of practice and this will depend upon what the instructor's focus is at a particular time:

Kiri-Kaeshi:     successively striking the left and right men, practice centering, distance, and proper cutting while building spirit and stamina.
Waza-Geiko: technique practice in which the student learns to use the many techniques of  Kendo with a receiving partner.
Kakari-Geiko: short, intense, attack practice which teaches continuous alertness, the ability to attack no matter what has come before, as well as building spirit and stamina.
Ji-Geiko: sparring practice where the kendoist has a chance to try all that he or she has learned with a resisting partner.
Gokaku-Geiko:     sparring practice between two kendoist of similar skill level.
Hikitate-Geiko:     sparring practice where a senior kendoist guides a junior kendoist through practice.
Shiai-Geiko:     competition matches which are judged on the basis of a person scoring valid cuts against an opponent

Kendo Kata

Almost all martial arts have a set of kata. Kendo is no exception. Kata are pre-set sequences of motions which illustrate very deeply one or more aspects of the art. Repetitive practice of kata internalizes the lessons of the kata

Kendo kata are practiced with a solid wooden sword called a bokken. There are ten kendo kata specified by the All Japan Kendo Federation. Each kata studies a single set of concepts in a very pure setting allowing the practitioner to delve deeply into these concepts.

Kendo kata are practiced between two people, the Uchitachi and the Shidachi. In kendo kata, the Uchitachi attacks the Shidachi who in turn demonstrates a proper response to the attack. Seven of these kata are illustrations of the technique of the long sword against the long sword. The last three kata illustrate the short sword defending against attacks by the long sword.

Prior to the invention of the shinai and bogu, kata were the only way that kendoists could safely practice. Originally, the role of Uchitachi was taken by the teacher and the role of Shidachi by the student. This tradition carries over into modern Kendo kata in that the Uchitachi always sets the pace and distance at which the actions are performed

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