Kendo, which means "the way of the sword" was developed
in the 17th century and is based on kenjutsu (traditional Japanese
swordsmanship). However, kendo as it is practiced today is neither
a fighting art nor a pure sport. The most experienced devotees of
modern kendo consider it to be primarily a system of spiritual discipline
which has certain inherent characteristics which allow its use in
physical education, sport contests, athletic training, or as a recreational
activity. Kendo is very popular in Japan and is the most senior and
respected modern martial art in Japan. It owes its present standardized
form not to one person but to the collective experiences and skills
of both classical warriors and common citizens.
Kendoists wear protective equipment, i.e., a mask, a chest protector,
and two hand and lower arm guards. They use a bamboo training sword
called a shinai, which is a hollow cylinder made of four shafts
of split bamboo bound together. Training is based on a variety of
movements of attack and defense with care taken for proper stance,
footwork, strikes, thrusts, feints, and parries. The International
Kendo Federation, founded in 1970, oversees international kendo
tournaments.
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