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Brief History of Kendo

samurai history, yabusameYabusame: Bow and Arrow on Hourse

Before we talk about the benefits of kendo, I want you to know about a bit of kendo history. If you know go ahead and skip this part.

But without know kendo history, it is hard to grasp the benefits of kendo.

Kendo is the way of the sword. It is derived from samurai swordsmanship. Kendo was a part of samurai training system.

Why Do We Use bamboo swords and armour?

Samurai on Horse

Samurai used to train with wooden swords or bokuto. Needless to say, they often hurt themselves during training or even they killed their training partner because of the training with bokuto.

And the bamboo sword was invented. Apparently Kamiizumi Isenokami Nobutsuna invented the first shinai-like training stick called hikihada in the early 16th century. It was made by bamboo like modern shinai but with more pieces and wrapped with leather.

Bogu (modern armour) was not invented until the late 18th century. Bogu was not common back then and many kenjutsu schools did not use bogu either.

The purpose was the same. With bamboo swords and these bogu, they could train kenjutsu very hard without hurting or killing their training partners.

Now kenjutsu remains in Iaido (the way of drawing sword) and a training method of kenjutsu turned into kendo.

Yet kendo is still the way of the sword

Many people think that kendo is dangerous and vicious. That reaction is normal for people who see kendo first time. Two people shouting and hitting each other with bamboo sticks. Who does not think it is not vicious!

A part of this site's missions is to resolve this misunderstanding. We must tell other people that kendo is not brutal.

Benefits of Kendo

Even though kendo was a part of the training of kenjutsu, it was and still is the way of the sword. Kendo carries the principles of samurai swordsmanship as stated in the Concept of Kendo.

That is the beauty of kendo.

How the heck do we better ourselves through samurai swordsmanship when we don't carry any swords around, you might want to ask.

What is the point of learning kendo? What is the beauty of kendo?

Following are some benefits of kendo:

  • By actually training with others we train our body and mental state of our mind and learn samurai swordsmanship. What a great benefit!

Kendo and Health certainly go well together.

  • kendo does not require big muscles. Kendo does not choose us. It does not matter if you are small, tall, big or small. Size does not matter!

Yes. Kendo is a good exercise for your physical health, and also samurai swordsmanship or philosophy is quite helpful to our daily life.

You may have heard about Gorin no Sho: The Book of Five Rings by Musashi Miyamoto. People still read the book even now and world-wide.

That is one example that samurai philosophies can still be applied to our life.

It is up to us how we interpret the philosophies and how we apply them to our daily life. Doesn't that fascinate you??

Kendo is not about hitting. It is about being hit and learning your weaknesses. It may sound strange to you now but you will know what I am talking about once you get there :)

Share the Benefits of Kendo
You Experienced!

Your anger problem is gone? Your posture is improved? Share your story, experiences or some good stories you heard form your friends about the benefits of kendo. Let the world seethe beauty of kendo!

What Other Visitors Have Said

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...

why I want to do kendo 
Kendo helped me to manage my anger problem. It also strengthens my body and mind.I want learn more advance moves.

how Kendo change my life. 
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Kendo places proper attitudes into subconcious to make proper reactions 
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Why apreciate Life? 
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Kendo, my way of saying "if someone throws a punch, take it and move on." 
I'm a 15 year-old Native American who’s been training in the Japanese sword style since 2005. When I first started I had actually asked my cousin who is …

Kendo and Paragliding 
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Kendo increased my courage 
I was a social anxiety person. I'm feeling awkward when I need to talk in front of the class and talking to the people I haven't met before, even introducing …

How kendo helped change my life. Not rated yet
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Before I started kendo I was weak and I used to get angry very quick. And I even used to get bullied. I didn't stand up for myself. When I used to …

KENDO helped me to be a better person Not rated yet
I have been practicing kendo for about 8 years now and I love it.  It has become a part of my every days life now.  It helps me focus, release …

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I've had quite a few benefits to Kendo, but I'll just list the most important ones. Kendo has allowed me to adjust to my new home very quickly by finding …

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Kendo helps me to concentrate on the present things. This is the benefit I've gotten from learning kendo. Kendo-Guide.Com: Thank you for …

Kendo helped me to focus on my energy Not rated yet
I have been practicing Kendo for the last 3 years. It's an excellent sport, as well as an excellent way of life; at list this is how I see it. I practice …

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