Kendo
By International-kendo.com, Thu Dec 8th

http://www.international-kendo.com

Kendo, which literally means "way of the sword", is the Japaneseart of fencing. Kendo was created by the samurai during theKamakura period (1180-1230) so they could hone their skillswithout killing each other. It was originally grounded in ZenBuddhism. The teachings of kendo helped the samurai learn todisregard their own lives in the heat of battle. This is one ofthe main reasons it is considered the way of the sword.

Kendo was originally called kenjutsu however, as a result of theworld war, Japan had to change its name to kendo. It is alsoknown in some cultures (mainly korean) as kumdo. Kumdo isessentially kendo without the ettiquite and with differentterminology.

In kendo there are 4 basic targets, the goal being todisarm/kill your opponent in one hit. The basic targets are thehead (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 headopen immediatly after.

In kumdo the targets are the same. However, kenjutsu is more ofa "no rule/kill your enemy/not a sport" art.In kenjutsu, unlikekendo, 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 uponentering and leaving the dojo and must show respect to theirsempai (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 keikoagainst them and judge their skill. There there are 2 sets orrank: the Kyu (lower ranks) and the Dan (black belt). A kendokastarts at 1 Kyu and climbs up the kendo ladder to the 8 Danmark.

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