.jpg "Footwork check")
SHOGO (称号) in Japanese translates simply as “title” or “rank,” and the word can be used in many areas, for example formal titles of nobility, military ranks, scholarly ranks, etc, and informally in the sporting world, between friends, etc.
The use of the word that I will look at here is of-course that to do with the budo world, and specifically the usage promoted by the Dai Nippon Butokukai (1895-1946), and that continues today in one of its spiritual heirs, the Zen Nippon Kendo Renmei (All Japan kendo federation). Please note that the Butokukai information presented here relates to Kendo (variously called gekkiken and kenjutsu) but that eventually all arts under the Butokukai ended up using the system (kyudo, jukendo, et al).
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Practise may ingrain bad habits
From “Living with ambiguity” by Sydney J. Harris. Published by Nan’Un-Do
You probably know the chestnut about the stranger in New York, carrying a violin case, who stops an old lady on the street, and asks, “Can you tell me how to get to Carnegie Hall?” With a glance at his violin case, she replies, “Practise, practise, practise!”
One of the oldest maxims in the world is that “Practise makes perfect.” This, however, is a dangerous half-truth that has betrayed many novices in many fields of accomplishimnent.
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It’s kind of odd at times how all of us are connected. We all remember our first time walking into a dojo. The odd sights, the sounds, the feeling. Many of us probably didn’t know exactly how to react to it at first.
Starting kendo in the states was a culture shock several hours a week at a time for me. At first it was fascinating, then later frustrating Then I believe it became the glove which I preferred to wear. My sempai told me once when he was teaching kendo in the states, ‘’I have to teach Japanese common sense. It is the most difficult thing’’. I didn’t really know what he meant by that till I started my own club.
People without any sort of Japanese cultural influence can be in for a surprise when they first get into a dojo. As an instructor at that point, I had to try to teach that Japanese common sense and then explain it at times. Why is there no talking during class? Why must you run everywhere? Why does the equipment need to be in a line when we line up? Why must I hear a reply when I speak? What is with the pseudo-military attitude?
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While I was in Kyoto for work at the end of July, I ended up swinging by a historical site that is associated with Miyamoto Musashi: Ichijoji.
Four years after Sekigahara the young Musashi came to the capital. Here he is said to have challenged the Yoshioka school to a duel. Musashi defeated the head of the school, then his successor. The Yoshioka – being one of the most famous schools in the city – could not stand the shame of defeat and asked for a rematch. This time his opponent would be the new head of the school – and the 3rd of three brothers (Musashi having defeated his two elder brothers). Leaving nothing to chance, the supporters of the school selected an isolated area on the outskirts of the town and prepared an ambush. The ambush of-course did not go as the Yoshioka group expected and Musashi not only survived unhurt, but defeated the last of the Yoshioka brothers as well. The shame of this defeat damaged the schools reputation so much that the school was effectively destroyed.
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Often when an individual thinks of influential characters in kendo, more likely than not, that individual will think of Japanese kenshi like Mochida Moriji or Takano Sasaburo, or even present day heroes like Eiga or Miyazaki (rightfully so as these people have left a tremendous mark). However, few would think of an American named Dr Gordon Warner. Little information is readily available about Dr Warner and therefore his contributions go unnoticed for the most part. Dr Warner was a pioneer and is largely responsible for bridging the western world to Japanese kendo. In the following post I want to share what I discovered about Dr Warner and encourage those with personal knowledge to contribute below (and please correct any mistakes I may have made!).
As a young boy growing up in Southern California Dr Gordon Warner enjoyed watching chambara movies with his nisei friends, which at that time was very rare due to the absence of cultural understanding. Dr Warner often believed the people in the community thought he may have wandered into the theaters by mistake. It was this early exposure to Japanese culture that sparked his interest in Japanese history and eventually budo.
Dr Warner, a social studies major at the University of Southern California, was a large athletic man. Standing at 6′4″Dr Warner was on the varsity swim team. During this time he also decided to pursue judo and kendo at a local dojo. After graduating in June 1936, Dr Warner entered the United States Marine Corps as a 2nd lieutenant. It was during his time in basic training that Dr Warner met two officers Colonel Biddle (at the time a renowned fencer and foremost hand-to-hand combat instructor) and Captain Puller, who both encouraged him to continue studying budo, noting that kendoist were adept at parrying attacks during bayonet drills.
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It was only a matter of time before a kendo app came out for the iphone/ipod touch, and here it is: Air Kendo.
I bought it this morning for 115 yen and gave it a blast. It features the ability to practise men, kote, do (not tsuki) and hayasuburi simply by shaking your device. Its extremely simple and as such I’m not sure it deserves to be a paid app at all.
Anyway, its something that I’m sure kendo fans will buy (after all, I did!) and might be a laugh to use with your friends in the bar after kendo…. or even your sensei!
Here is a youtube video from the developer for you to decide if it is worth buying or not.
Mishima Yukio was a famous Japanese post-war author and playwright many of who’s famous works are available in English (as well as other languages). This is not the place to discuss some of the issues surrounding this controversial figure, but I do wish to briefly introduce one of this short stories that will be of interest to kendo people: KEN (剣).
The short story was published in 1963 (the film being released only a year later) and revolves around the story of the captain of a university kendo club – Kokubu – and his relationships with other members of the club, his family, women, and modern society in general.
Without giving too much away the theme is very Mishima-like, with emphasis on purity, youth, beauty, misunderstood youth, and alienation. It ends – as Mishima himself did – with suicide.
It is jam-packed with kendo scenes, all of which look all the more cool for being in black and white. Since it seems a real university club was used to shoot the kendo scenes its also valuable as a resource to show what kendo was like back in the early/mid 60’s.
At any rate, I realise that many people reading this post would have read the novel or perhaps have seen the movie but – after just re-watching it again – I thought it deserved a mention here. For those that haven’t seen/read it yet, then please check it out on Amazon. The short story can be found in English in the Acts of Worship collection, the DVD is – however – only available in Japanese.
Of-course, it’s possible that this post was just an excuse to share the cool poster-scan…!!
Among some of the top kendo manuals that are said to have had an impact on the development of modern kendo we have BUDO KYOSHI (1895), by Kumamoto (Keishicho Battotai), KENDO (1915) by Takano Sasaburo (the infamous Koto Shihan Gakko’s kendo teacher), and KENDO NO HATATSU (1912/1926) by Shimokawa (Budo Senmon Gakko’s head of the literary/arts dept.).
The table below is an interesting section from the earlier book of the three mentioned above. It shows a point scoring system for kendo. The translation is liberal, and the original is left for those with Japanese ability.
| Area struck | Description | Points |
| Men | A strong cut to shomen or yoko men | 10 |
| Men | Slightly weak, too deep, or otherwise imperfect men | 9 |
| Kote from jodan* | Fully out streched cut or hikiwaza | 8 |
| Kote from jodan* | A cut that is a little bit light | 7 |
| Do | A string cut to the left or right do or hiki do | 6 |
| Do | Slightly light cut or one that brushes the tare | 5 |
| Men tare | A strong 1 or 2 handed cut | 4 |
| Men tare | Slightly weak cut or one that glances off the mengane | 3 |
| Seigan kote# | Makikomi or slightly tapping cut | 2 |
| Seigan kote# | A light cut or one that strikes the fist stongly | 1 |
* Heiji(?) kote (兵字小手): Based on an article written by Nagao (近世・近代における剣術・剣道の変質過程に関する研究：面技の重視と技術の変容) this is a kote scored from jodan.
# Seigan kote (精眼小手): based on * above, I think its a safe guess that this refers kote scored from seigan/chudan kamae.
Its hard to know exactly how popular this scoring system was at the time (or if it was indeed even used), but it is fact that kendo competition in years gone by were sometimes fought for many points (the most on record was 12 – see 剣道を知る事典). Although discussion of the matter is purely academic, it is interesting to imagine how kendo could have developed had a point system as the above been enforced early in the 20th century. Anyway, just a piece of interesting kendo history for you to put in the knowledge bank!!
Kondo-sensei (Hachidan, Kyoshi) is one of Aichi Prefecture’s most well-repected kenshi. He often discusses kendo in terms of character building and its benefits to modern society. In this brief post, I have attempted to covey some of his feelings on these topics.
剣道とは、相手と気を合わせることを学ぶ第一歩である。そして人の心を大切にすることにより完成し、「武士道」は「もののあわれ」日本人特有の感情である。無常感である。思いやり、繊細、風流、風雅さなど。ここにいたって諸行無常という仏教の根本的思想やキリスト教の愛の精神と一致し、一種の宗教的境地まで達したのである。
人と会ったら挨拶する、何か教えを受けたら感謝する、集団の中ではお互いを思いやる、人として最低限必要な礼儀、心を重視した教育を実践致します。
近藤勁助 剣道教士八段
財団法人 全日本剣道道場連盟理事
愛知県剣道連盟参与
愛知県剣道道場連盟副会長
名古屋市剣道連盟居合道部相談役
As every kendoka knows, Busen (Budo Senmon Gakko) was – along with Tokyo Koto Shihan Gakko – the premier place for training kendoka before the war. It was run by the Butokukai and was based in the legendary Butokuden in Kyoto. People who graduated from here went on to train kenshi all over the country. The schools impact on modern kendo cannot be underestimated. During the post WW2 occupation the school was renamed and its martial arts practice banned.
The subject of this article is about the person who was said to be the last graduate from Busen – Furuya Fukunosuke hanshi. Furuya sensei was well known in the Kansai area and taught at a few different dojo, including my own one in central Osaka – Yoseikai. I managed to do keiko with him only a few times before his health deteriorate to the point where he could not practice. Even after that point he still came to the dojo and attended a couple of gasshuku, thus I luckily had the chance to learn something from him. unfortunately, at the relatively young age of 81, Furuya sensei died last December.
My sempai and sensei reacted sadly at his death – not only because of his young age nor due to his impact in the kendo of the area – but his passing is also hard evidence that the kendo world is changing for ever. Gone and going are the sensei who learned kendo at legendary places such as Busen. Can we live up to their legacy? Well, only time will tell.
My ardour, posture, and sword were cultivated by breaking through the opponents kamae during keiko (相手の剣を割っていく稽古で気勢、体勢、剣勢が養えた)
I am the last graduate from Busen. This was a special school aimed for people who wished to pursue kendo as a professional career. At that time, training there was completely different from normal dojo. First of all, everyone was treated as a beginner, and kendo was taught to you from the start, no matter if you were experienced or not.
Read More Post a comment (9)Founding of the Butokuden
in 1895 on the 1,100 year anniversary of the transferring of the Japanese capitol to Kyoto (Heian-kyo), and as part of the building of Heian-jingu, the Butokuden construction began. It was originally meant as a demonstration platform for the Butokukai. It was completed in 1899 on the north-west side of the Hein-jingu complex. If was then also designated as a school for training Martial Arts teachers (later it would become the Budo Senmon Gakko).
At that time it was said “in the east there is Kodokan (built 1884), and in the west the Butokuden” such was its place in the center of Japanese budo circles.
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The Japanese budo are upheld by many that practise them to be an aspect of traditional Japanese culture. That many budo have taken their current shape quite recently is not important, as many of the arts can easily be followed back to far earlier roots and can easily be shown to be heavily influenced by more “traditional” ideologies (sometimes even neo-traditional). When we – as non Japanese people (especially if we are living and studying these arts outside Japan) – take to seriously study these arts there is always the question of “how much of Japanese tradition do we adopt?”
This is an extremely complex subject (and one that i’ve touched on before) but I would like to take a very easy and uncomplicated example and look it it with the above question in mind:
Wearing an obi for kendo practise
Seems simple enough – almost nobody uses them, right? The odd iaido person will start using an obi for kendo practise because it feels more stable, or because they have one keiko after the other. I don’t think i’ve ever met a kendo practitioner outside Japan who started using them on their own steam (though i’m pretty certain they must exist). I have, however, noted that many older people use them here in Japan, and I have received (always positive) comments about the fact that I use an obi for kendo.
Why would we want to wear an obi anyway? There are a few reasons that I could write down here: increased stability for your back; it helps to keep your hakama/keikogi on straight; improves your posture; helps you concentrate on your tanden/hara areas and improves your breathing; etc etc.
There are of course reasons that people don’t like wearing them as well: they get a bit hot and uncomfy; they rub against the bone when moving; they seem complex to tie; etc etc.
So, do you need an obi? Thats completely up to yourself (of-course) and nobody will/can force you to use one. However, assuming that my opening statement is largely true – about studying budo as a part of a larger culture (kendo’s “Japaneseness” is unequivocable) – then perhaps the questions is not “do you need an obi?” but rather “why aren’t you wearing one?”
p.s. note that although I wear an obi I haven’t gone all the way to wearing a fundoshi. Yet.
p.p.s. and where does this fit into things?
Please be sure and check out kenshi247.net’s gallery and flickr pages (leave comments here or on flickr) as well as kenshi247.net moderated flickr group the Art of Kendo which features excellent photography from around the world (and features work from a few kenshi247.net regulars).
For those interested in photography we will have an introduction to kendo photography online soon.
Having just recently spent some time in Seoul at the end of last year (one month in October), I had a chance to join a wide range of different practices at various Dojo across the Capital. While I was in Korea I kept a regular blog of my trip, and decided to summarise my journey here for kenshi247.net, and share with fellow western Kenshi my experiences from the land of the morning calm.
In this article I hope to offer a description of the various types of Kumdo environments, the approaches used by Teachers there, and address common misconceptions about Korean Kendo. Please note that if I use any Korean terminology in this article it is purely out of respect and politeness for the Korean Dojo’s that I visited, a respect that Korean Kenshi also show for Japanese Kendoka when they visit Kendo Dojo’s.
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When I hear the word “musha shugyo” it conjures up images of warriors of old traipsing around the Japanese countryside in search of rivals to test their martial prowess. This is of-course the normal definition of the word and a mostly accurate one. The usual suspects used to illustrate this type of activity are Tsukahara Bokuden and Miyamoto Musashi.
In modern day Japanese it still holds that meaning above, but has also expanded to include any study activities (usually academic or in the arts) and with a locale of anywhere other than your immediate area (foreign countries included).
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My friend rolled up to keiko the other day and donned the brand new BAK (Boost Ability for Kendo) speciality underwear. The adverts have been appearing in the Japanese kendo mags for a couple of months now, as have an article or two, but its the first time i’ve gotten to see one and had some direct feedback. I won’t pass comment here (at least yet), so please read more.
It is engineered specifically for kendo by a professional (and ex-sports coach for the Japanese team) for kendo people. Check out the website for more pictures and detailed explanations. It is in Japanese but looking at the pictures you will get an idea:
Please have a look at the site and read the FAQ (that i’ve translated below) and let me know what you think.
BAK FAQ
Q. Is it possible to wear BAK in shiai?
A. As there is no supporter on the foot it should be possible to use the BAK in shiai without having to inform the shiai organisers.
Q. Is it better to wear the BAK under certain temperatures (seasons)?
A. You can use the BAK all year round without temperature/season limitation. Due to the materials its made with it will feel cool after keiko even in summer.
Q. Doesn’t it feel uncomfortable?
A. It will feel a little bit tight when you wear it but it should feel like you are nearly naked. Also, we have had a lot of feedback saying that it doesnt feel uncomfortable even during the summer.
Q. Is there a female version?
A. Basically the BAK can be used by both genders but we are currently doing research on a female specific version.
Q. Can you wash it in the washing machine?
A. Basically we would prefer you to hand wash it, but if you use a washing machine don’t soak it for a long time. Also, definitely do not put it in a dryer.
(有賀武子、８１歳。剣道かわら版 ２００８年１１月)
I found this poem while looking at the monthly distributed Kendo Kawaraban. Its a very interesting and fun poem about doing kendo as a youth. I feel it captures a certain spirit that many of us sometimes miss when studying kendo. The best thing about it is, of course, that it wasn’t written by a primary school kid, but by an 81 year old woman called Ariga Takeko.
Its very easy to read and understand in Japanese, but very difficult to translate the feeling into English. Anyway, in a departure from our normal content (but in line with our mission of having varied and interesting things) i’d like to share it, so here is my (bad, not so literal, and definitely unpoetic!) translation. Enjoy.
Youth
When I grow up
It’s going to be me V.S. mum!
My friend next to me
isn’t doing their suburi properly
me, I wont copy that.
A cool kenshi is cool
even when they lose.
When I hold my shinai
I feel just like a Samurai
holding his katana.
Ariga Takeko, 81. Poem taken from 2008 November edition of Kendo Kawaraban.
Recently I’ve had a few people telling me the same thing: I take it easy in ippon shoubu, and need to attack more. For most people who know me and how much I thoroughly hate losing, this might raise a chuckle. After all, how can I have produced the results I have to date by being lazy in ippon shoubu of all things? And one thing I love doing is the old barrage attack that overwhelms people into making mistakes.
So this got me thinking, what am I supposed to think about or do with advice like this? Inevitably, it’s when I am practicing with older people. Since coming to Japan I’ve heard it or it’s equivalent four times, and all from people who are either considerably older than me (ie a good twenty years) or from people watching my keiko with higher grades. Upon thinking about it I remember one consistent point between each keiko. I knew that if I moved, I was going to get hit, so instead of simply using my reach and speed (I’m always being encouraged to think past reach and speed), I tried to think around it and create a better or proper opportunity to allow me to attack freely. Weather I managed it or not is a different question, but the comments that came afterwards, from either the person I was practicing with or the busy body watching was that I should attack more against older people, or much higher grades.
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Shisei wo tadashi! Mokuso!
These “commands” should sound familiar to most Kendoka. Sometimes the order to straighten up isn’t included, just plain “mokuso.” According to my dictionary it simply means “meditation.” But what is it that we’re supposed to do before and after practice? The common explanation its for getting rid of your thoughts, clearing your mind, or/and emptying your mind. All this seems kind of difficult to perform, especially after the last jigeiko when adrenalin is rushing through your veins and there is a throbbing in your head. Still, you have to clear your mind and don’t think.
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