Kendo World No-15_Vol.4-3

Another year has gone already. Kendo World staff would like to wish the international kendo community a happy New Year and good luck for 2009. WKC Update Once again we are in the year of the World Kendo Championship. The 14th WKC scheduled to take place in August in Sao Paolo promises to be a spectacular affair. KW will be covering it in later editions, but for the meantime there are a few points worthy of mention at this early stage. China was officially admitted into the FIK in August 2008 along with Israel. Both countries have pre-registered for the WKC and we wish them well for their debut in Brazil. The Japanese team, determined to avert another upset, have taken both the men’s and women’s teams overseas for practise matches. The men went…

Practising kendo as a physical exercise and studying kendo as a form of keiko produces differing results in how practitioners perform and achieve. To gain an understanding of the concepts of keiko it is important that practitioners put all they have into training and that they be pushed to their limits by their seniors. In recent years I have been concerned that kendo practitioners are placing undue emphasis on competition results, and that winning is being put above all else. Many instructors focus on teaching competition strategies at the expense of other more important aspects of the art. Competition glory is fleeting and, for the vast majority of kendo practitioners, it will not influence the way they lead the rest of their lives. Kendo teaches us that it is more…

Maybe you have heard the old maxim “Kendoka never die, they just smell that way…” It’s never bothered me, but I am told that kendo smells. Actually, to uninitiated nostrils it must smell pretty bad. Why is that? Obviously we sweat a lot in kendo. Unfortunately for those around us, kendo’s protective equipment is not easily cleaned. We are advised to air our sweat-sodden bōgu in a well-ventilated dry area away from direct sunlight. That helps it last longer and alleviates the cold clammy sensation when putting it on the next day, but it does little to get rid of that characteristic ‘kendodour’. If you are ever given an opportunity to look at the bacteria in your bōgu under a microscope, don’t. It will put you off training. The inside of…

The Three Ki’s “基”“機”“気” OKUSHIMA YOSHIO (HANSHI 8-DAN) Translated by Alex Bennett- Kendo World would like to thank Okushima Sensei and Kendo Jidai Magazine for permission to translate and publish this article. Okushima Yoshio was born on January 3, 1937. After graduating from high school in Hiroshima he joined the Kyoto Prefectural Police Department in 1955 where he studied under Tanaka Kazuichi. After serving as the Shihan for Kyoto Police kendo, he retired from the force in 1996. Okushima Hanshi has competed in all of the major Japanese tournaments and is on the Board of Directors of the AJKF and Kyoto Kendo Federation. He is also the Shihan for Toray Shiga and Kyoto University . The last strike in an examination is critical I believe that a strike in kendo consists of the three types…

KNOWING YOUR OPPONENT’S STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES There are many books and articles that explain what seme is. It is the act of probing and pressurizing your opponent to find or force an opening. I believe that the most important aspect is to strike your opponent with shin-ki-ryoku-itchi (unification of mind, movement and technique). It is imperative that you hold this objective whenever you train. When training or in a match you must be able to recognise your opponent’s strong and weak points, and be prepared to take the fight to them instead of the other way around. Knowing his strengths and weaknesses means recognising his intentions and skill level. Without this insight it is difficult to deal with WHAT IS SHIN-KI-RYOKU? There is a distinct process in which the kendoka develops their shin-ki-ryoku…

Chiba Masashi Sensei is well-known throughout Japan as a jōdan fighter. He won the All Japan Kendo Championship three times and was runner-up twice, as well as placing highly in many other prestigious titles. He is currently Honourary Shihan for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and Hitotsubashi University. (KW would like to thank Chiba Sensei and Kendo Nippon Magazine for permission to publish this article.) It is important to be able to do your own kendo in shiai. In order to do this, you need the ability to take charge of the situation. This means that you have to know how to deal with the many different kinds of opponents you may encounter. Your opponent may be wily, strong, have good footwork or be particularly skilled at striking kote… You never know…