08/05/2026
I happened to find an article I read a long time ago about Kendo perspective. I want to share with you.
What good is kendo?
By Ron Fox
It was early morning May 23, 2014. I was practising at Mitsubishi’s Shiseikan dojo as part of a bit of kendo prior to a professional conference. As I was waiting in line for the next person to crush me, I noticed a familiar looking person practising in the next line with Hayashi Nobuo-sensei. Once practice finished, I realised it was Yamada Noboru-sensei and he had been a member of the Chicago kendo dojo about 30 years ago when he was stationed in Chicago, IL, USA. We reintroduced ourselves and I noticed how easily we slipped right back into the relationship we had 30 years ago. During that 30 years, I had only seen him once and had not practised with him at all. This got me thinking about the relationships we build with the people who share our love for kendo.
What is kendo anyway? Is it a sport? A martial art? All of the above? None of the above? For a martial art based on the sword it’s pretty odd. The tool we use for most of our practice bears very little resemblance in weight or shape to the katana. It’s too long, too light, too straight, too cylindrical.
Is it a sport? There certainly is a lot of competition these days. It’s also been said that the true test of one’s kendo practice is performance in shiai. I’m not satisfied by that, however. Let’s go back and look at what happens when we use the 1975 Concept and Purpose of Kendo as a definition of what kendo is, or at least what it is for. For people who believe kendo is a sport, and that performance in shiai is important, the Purpose and Concept of Kendo must seem a bit strange as well. Nowhere is competition mentioned, let alone the importance of winning, losing or even the grace with which one wins or loses.
“The concept of Kendo is to discipline the human character through the application of the principles of the Katana (sword).”
But again, the sword and shinai are very different animals. People who practice iai or a sword koryu would be more than happy to tell us that what we can do with the shinai is impossible with a katana. So what principles of the katana does it refer to?
Many years ago, I was privileged to be one of the U.S. representatives at the Foreign Kendo Leaders Seminar in Kitamoto. In the first half, I was lucky enough to have as the sensei in charge H8-dan Inoue Yoshihiko-sensei who wrote “the book on kata” and who would much later be so supportive of the efforts of the Kendo World team. One of the things he said I think bears on these questions. He said that when you face an opponent in kendo, it is critically important to establish a relationship and communication with that person. I believe this to mean that only through that communication with full body, mind and spirit, can you create and find the opportunity to strike.
The Purpose of Kendo has something to say about why this is important in the idea of what kendo is and what it is for:
The purpose of practicing Kendo is:
To strive for improvement in the art of Kendo
To hold in esteem human courtsy and honor,
To associate with others with sincerity.
To me this means that the relationships we establish, and the communication that we have as we practise our physical kendo can and should carry over into our relationships with our opponents, and others in daily life as well. I think this gives kendo a very special place in human activity. I know people who practise other disciplines and play sports at a very high level. Few of them experience the welcome that we have when they visit places at which other groups practice.
Consider this. I work at Michigan State University, a longtime basketball and recently an American football power. In 1998, when I worked at Osaka University, I was welcomed easily and naturally into the practice of the kendo dojo at Osaka University. Imagine what would happen if a Japanese athlete interested in football or basketball who played a couple of times a week visited MSU and asked the coach if they could work out with the team? Wouldn’t happen I guess.
My experience at Osaka University was not the only time I experienced a welcome of this sort, and I think I’m far from alone in this. So next time we say “onegai-shimasu” or “domo arigatou gozaimash*ta”, take a bit of time to reflect on how fortunate we are to have fallen into this wonderful community we have. At the next shiai sayonara party, hoist a drink with your former opponent and plan exchange visits to their dojo. Above all, “Promote peace and prosperity among all peoples.”
