British Pathé have finally released their archive on youtube including some kendo videos for us enthusiasts to wonder at (they had been available on their own website and in lower quality for a few years now). The vids span the years from WW1 up until 1974 and are an extremely valuable source for those interested […]
The following is a translation of a collection of things to be careful about during keiko by Takano Shigeyoshi entitled “Keiko kokoro tokushu.” It is a mostly random collection of kendo hints – things to be careful of, things to do, things not to do, comments about waza, etc. Some of the content is a […]
Note that this bogu set is now no longer in production. To see more bogu like this please visit the All Japan Budogu website directly. I very rarely do reviews of equipment on this site… and, in fact, this is actually the first bogu review I’ve ever done. The reason why I’m doing one now […]
Takano Shigeyoshi: A very brief bio Takano Shigeyoshi was born in Mito in 1877 (family name Chigusa). When he was 14 he enrolled in Tobukan and began to study kendo under Ozawa Torakichi. His father, himself a renowned swordsman, died the same year and Shigeyoshi ended up being looked after by the dojo. Eventually he […]
One of the busiest times of the year for my high school kendo club is in March due to the amount of university invitational shiai we attend. These types of shiai are when university kendo clubs invite a number of high school kendo clubs to come to their university for a day of kendo. These […]
Last week I published an article on Kirikaeshi. When I posted the link on facebook I jokingly asked the question: “I love kirikaeshi… what about you?” I got a bunch of replies, but the one that immediately struck me was from Ralf in Germany: “Depends on the motodachi.” I strongly agree with Ralf’s opinion. Rather […]
Awesome 15 min kendo documentary from 1984 discovered on youtube today that needs sharing!!!
Over the last few weeks I’ve been super busy, both with keiko (as usual) and also researching/planning/writing the next kenshi 24/7 publication(s). Feeling guilty about neglecting this website (!!), I’ve decided to post an entire chapter from our last publication: KENDO TOKUHON (the kendo reader). If you haven’t picked it up yet, the full book […]
Though a little bit chilly, yesterday was a beautiful day here in central Osaka. Arriving a little bit earlier than usual for keiko I decided to take a wander through the oldest shrine in the prefecture – Sumiyoshi Taisha. The budokan we are based at is right next to it… it’s so close in fact, […]
The following is a translation of three very short pieces by Sakuma Saburo hanshi on the subject of gradings. Obviously there is some overlap between the articles. I don’t know about you, but I personally hate gradings and need all the advice I can get !! Things to be careful about in gradings 1. Improve […]