The Japanese art of Kendo

Exploring martial arts Brisbane …

Kendo is the Japanese sport of sword fighting where the Shinai replaces the katana and bokken that feudal Japan was famous for. The Shinai is a flexible weapon made of lengths of bamboo lashed together. Practitioners wear protective armour to prevent injury from strikes to the head throat, upper body and arms.

The Shinai has no curvature like the bokken or the katana and also weighs far less. This allows Kendo practitioners to hit at lightning fast speed rather than cut.

Kendo is a very popular sport in Japan, Kendo evolved from the fighting art of Kenjutsu, which dates back to the 11th century and was the most important martial art of the Samurai.

The purpose of Kendo is (amongst other things) to mold the mind and body, to cultivate a vigorous spirit, and through correct and rigid training, to strive for improvement in the art. The purpose is not dissimilar to that of Aikido.

The basic rules of Kendo are fairly simple. The aim is to strike one of a handful of targets (head, throat, chest, wrist) with the Shinai before the opponent strikes. The strike must be delivered with correct form and power, such that the proper part of the Shinai makes contact with the target area and must be accompanied by your shouting the name of the point you were aiming for.

There are many more rules and protocols but here is an example of Kendo you might enjoy.