Japanese

"KENDO"

One of traditional Japanese sports, "KENDO" is competed by using a bamboo sword called "shinai" with a protective armour-like clothing. Before wearing the protective gear, a player wears an upper-wear that is dyed in Japanese indigo blue and wide pants called "hakama". Then they put other equipment on the face, body, elbow and hand, in order to protect their body from the opponent's attack. As a fundamental rule, a contestant of "KENDO" matches on the boarding floor made with a square or rectangle shape of either 9 or 11 meters.
The match is limited for 5 minutes and is usually decided on the best of three bouts.
The fundamental fencing touches are cuts to the face, hands and body and stabs to the throat.

KENDO traces it's orgin in the appearance of a Japanese sword called "katana". By the beginning of Heian (794-1185) period, cavalry tribes have already made use of katana in their battles. Since then, by the end of Kamakura (1192-1334) period, katana began to be used among samurais, and the manufacturing technique of katana made a remarkable progress. The latter part of Muromachi (1335-1573) period saw appearance of many schools of fencing, and correspondingly katana's production technique was further developed to produce a very high-grade weapon. During the Edo period (1603-1867),
along with arrival of more peaceful times, the fencing's ideology transformed from samurai's means to battle to a sport fostering one's character. By the middle of Edo period, specific fencing tools were developed, and the fencing lesson using a bamboo sword became established while matches at school spread quickly. Finally, the sport is given the name of KENDO and established as a military arts based on samurai's spirits in the beginning of Taisho period (1912-1925). Thus established, it is said that KENDO begins and ends with
a bow of courtesy, and KENDO is a sport where strong respect is paid toward courtesy.
That is to say, it is considered as a way of courtesy to expresses respect and maintain a high regard to one's opponents, behave rightly based on own conscience, and expressing
a conscientious review of one's inner self. Meanwhile, one builds a favorable character through practicing the way of KENDO in real life situations, learning it both mentally and physically.

KENDO is widely loved by children and adults not unlike any other martial arts. If there is KENDO school near by your house, listen carefully so that you may catch children's spirited calls of "MEN! (MASK in English)" followed by the sound of hitting shinai.