Your Review of "Shiai to discipline the human character"

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Your Review of "Shiai to discipline the human character"

by Santiago B Tejada
(United States)

In you recent review of "Shiai to discipline the human character" in the section "Hit Vs. Cut" you made reference to "the importance of the direction of the blade". Here on this one I wonder why we have opted for making it more complicated by using shinai with rounded tsuka rather than an "oval" one.

It would appear to be one contradiction that, while shinai is to resemble a real sword, its tsuka sectional form does not have the same sectional form as the actual sword it represents. There are shinai with oval handle or tsuka in the market. We see them in many vendors’ websites.

Why fight what should be the natural way? An oval tsuka should apparently make it easier for a kendoka to maintain proper cut angle and for shimpan to have a lesser degree of difficulty to judge it.

Answer: Thank you for your post. That is a very good point. We all are familiar with the concept and purposes of kendo that International Kendo Federation (FIK) provides. That is why we make a great deal out of the direction of the blade (shinai).

I totally agree with you about the oval tsuka. It makes things easier for competitors and shimpan. It will also help beginners to grasp the idea of “katana” way better than a shinai with a round tsuka. It really helps to learn a good kendo. As a learning tool, the oval tsuka is very useful.

But it is not the main issue. The issue is the attitude and vision of the competitors. People tend to go after points so it does not matter if the tsuka is round or oval, people are just trying to HIT the targets.

For example, hira-uchi (strikes with the side of the shinai) is a big problem in kendo. This happens especially when a kendoist try to hit a kote or a do. Especially debana-kote is hard to tell if one is using the blade properly or not. Any do strikes can be very hard to see the angle of the blade.

These strikes can be hira-uchi with any shinai. It is up to the user of shinai. That is why it is very important for kendo practitioners and shimpan to recognise the importance of the angle of the blade and the concept and purposes of kendo.

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Mar 26, 2009
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Oval vs. Regular Shaped Tsuka Shinai
by: John M.

It's a question that sometimes arises, I believe among kendo-ka outside of Japan.

The short answer is that a shinai is very different in almost all respects to a katana; so it's just not the handle (tsuka).

But the interesting thing, when I do Iaido and pick-up my iai-to or kendo when I use my shinai it never enters my mind that I'm dealing with something different. Of course, in Kendo we treat the shinai in the same manner as a Japanese sword, respect, comportment, etc.

As to insuring that the tsuru (string) is up and correct for a valid strike, make sure tsuru is facing down in sageto or taito so when you do nuketo and take chudan no kamae the tsuru will always face up correctly.

Officiating seminars teach us to make sure the tsuru is facing up when a strike is attempted so officials are quite proficient in detecting this. But in my mind, shinai and sword are one.

Kendo-Guide.Com: Thank you for your comment. I started iai under the instruction of Alex Bennett in New Zealand. Of course, there are some different between iaido and kendo. However, as long as we do the right things in kendo, it is not that hard to learn iaido.

I really recommend that kendoists do iaido if they have an opportunity. It makes us understand both kendo and iaido better.

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Mar 26, 2009
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Submitted by: John M.

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It's a question that sometimes arises, I believe among kendo-ka outside of Japan. The short answer is that a shinai is very different in almost all respects to a katana; so it's just not the handle (tsuka). But the interesting thing, when I do Iaido and pick-up my iai-to or kendo when I use my shinai it never enters my mind that I'm dealing with something different. Of course, in Kendo we treat the shinai in the same manner as a Japanese sword, respect, comportment, etc. As to insuring that the tsuru (string) is up and correct for a valid strike, make sure tsuru is facing down in sageto or taito so when you do nuketo and take chudan no kamae the tsuru will always face up correctly. Officiating seminars teach us to make sure the tsuru is facing up when a strike is attempted so officials are quite proficient in detecting this. But in my mind, shinai and sword are one. <Strong>Kendo-Guide.Com:</strong> Thank you for your comment. I started iai under the instruction of Alex Bennett in New Zealand. Of course, there are some different between iaido and kendo. However, as long as we do the right things in kendo, it is not that hard to learn iaido. I really recommend that kendoists do iaido if they have an opportunity. It makes us understand both kendo and iaido better.

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Your Review of "Shiai to discipline the human character"