Complete Kendo. John J. Donohue

      PART ONE

      GROUND

      In the Book of Five Rings, the famous swordsman Miyamoto Musashi begins his reflections with a consideration of basics. He discusses how the masters of all trades are those who take the time to learn the basic things: a devotion to fundamentals is a hallmark of mastery. They are people intimately familiar with even the tiniest details of their callings. Today, in an age obsessed with speed and immediate gratification, a more measured, careful approach to mastery is sometimes difficult to understand. Nonetheless, the experience of generations of swordsmen bears Musashi's contention out. While we all aspire to mastery, it is appropriate to begin with first things first.

      The study of the Way of the Sword opens a number of new worlds to the trainee: new ways of doing things, new customs, new surroundings. Any worthwhile learning experience is one that is not only challenging and rewarding, but also a bit confusing. Therefore, as the novice Kendoka begins study, a bit of explanation and orientation may be in order.

      1. Sword and Spirit

      The sword is a living thing. Although a product of man's technical precocity, it is far more than just a tool, a fusion of carbon and metals hammered and shaped into utilitarian form. A sword is a conduit of power. It pulses with the psychic energy of its wielder, and takes on the nuances of that individual. It transforms the holder, investing the swordsman with a form of force that is the result of some occult melding of body and blade. The Japanese tell tales of swords that sing in their scabbards to warn their owners of danger, of blades forged by evil men that do evil deeds, of other swords, created by beneficent smiths, whose razor edges would not cut a leaf innocently borne to them by wind or water. The sword augments our strengths, it magnifies our faults. It is an implement of discipline, a symbol of courage, a tangible representation of justice.

      The human fascination with the sword transcends cultural boundaries and time. The magic of Excalibur and the failed quest of Arthur are as compelling now as they ever were. A new generation of children respond viscerally to the power and danger of the Force and light sabers. It is the skill of a master fencer (and true love) that rescues the Princess Bride. Watch the eyes of any child as a sword is drawn from its sheath. What you will see there expresses the power of the sword far more powerfully than any prose: the recognition of beauty, danger, and potential embodied in a gleaming, elementally cruel form.

      To attempt to come to grips with the sword in all its implications is to explore peril, fear, and wonder in a fundamental way. The sword is a physical entity whose utilization demands an intense discharge of psychic energy. At the same time that it enhances our power, it also makes us vulnerable to others similarly armed. Because it is a weapon, it confronts us with the terror of mortality and considerations of moral action, often making the linkage between the two painfully real and present.

      The sword, as a Yagyu swordsman once said, can both give life and take life. To take up training in the sword, then, is to confront life itself.

      2. The Way of the Sword

      Over centuries, Japanese warriors, or bushi, reflected on and refined the use of weapons. While armed with a variety of fighting tools—the bow, the spear, the halberd known as naginata—over time, the professional class of feudal fighters known as samurai developed a special affinity for the sword.

      When a samurai boy reached the age of five, he underwent a special ceremony. Standing on a go board, the child was presented with a replica sword, henceforth to be carried as a symbol of his status and his duty.

      Of course, for fully adult samurai, the sword was more than a symbol. It was a tangible source of power—the back-country clans of military retainers had literally hacked their way to political primacy in Japan. Their fascination with the weapon had a practical dimension, since it was by skill in military arts such as kenjutsu (swordsmanship) that a samurai served his master, provided for his family, and preserved his life (when possible).

      Over the years, as a practical need for sword arts faded, the Japanese nonetheless persisted in training. This was because they felt that the pursuit of excellence in technique, the focus needed in matters of life and death, and the discipline required of the trainee had the potential to help the individual transcend questions of protection and lead to a type of spiritual illumination. Even as the feudal era passed away and the Japanese were confronted with the promise and peril inherent in the modern era, they sought to preserve the warrior's training. What evolved were any number of martial disciplines centering on different weapons and many that used the suffix do (way) to stress the spiritual element in training.

      Budo

      Kendo (the Way of the Sword) is the modern martial art that perhaps lies closest to this intent. It is an activity demanding great energy and skill and a fidelity to hard training. Yet it is also a pursuit of spiritual calm in the midst of a duel's heat, of the beauty embedded in flawless technique, and of the humility required in the pursuit of self-perfection. As such, it is emblematic not only of the unique experience of the Japanese, but also of the universal human propensity to create beauty out of the most unexpected materials.

      3. Equipment

      Kendoka use the following equipment in their study: a practice uniform, a split bamboo foil for engagement matches, a wooden sword for forms practice, and a four-piece set of armor for protection.

      the uniform

      Students of Kendo wear a distinctive uniform that echoes the garb of the feudal samurai who pioneered the art of the sword. Unlike the gi worn by karateka and judoka, the uniform worn by Kendo trainees consists of the pleated split skirt known as a hakama and a heavy cotton top referred to as a keikogi. The effect of the long, swirling hakama is to impart a certain grace and dignity to Kendoka as they train. In addition, this piece of apparel is meant to convey some inner meaning.

      Kendoka in uniform in jodan no kamae

      The hakama was part of the formal wear of Japanese warriors. By wearing it, Kendo students underscore the link their training creates between the present and the long tradition of the martial arts in Japan. The hakama has seven pleats in it, and each pleat is said to stand for one of the Confucian virtues a warrior was to possess: jin or benevolence, gi or honor, rei or courtesy, chi or wisdom, shin or sincerity, chu or loyalty, and koh or piety. It is knotted in the front and, as with many martial arts, this knot is placed near the hara, the physical center of balance in the human body as well as the reputed center for the generation of ki, a type of physical/psychic energy.

      The hakama is a bit more complex to wear than the pants of a gi. In the first place, there is a right way and wrong way to put one on. You should always put your left leg in first when donning a hakama. When taking it off, you should remove your right leg first. Novice swordsmen who tend to think that this is taking an attention to detail a little too far should know that it is not uncommon during tournaments where students are seeking promotion to have judges observe them dressing in order to check on this aspect of the management of the hakama.

      Once you have stepped into the hakama, bring the front panel up to your waist. Bring the strings on either side around to the back. Then pass them around to the front, crisscrossing them, and then back again. They should then be tied behind you. Then raise the back panel, fitting the high, stiff portion of the hakama known as the koshita into the small of your back and above the knot created by the front panel ties. The back ties are shorter. Weave them through the secured front ties on either side of your hips, bring them around to the front, and tie them. There is a variety of knots that can be used in tying the hakama. These different styles of knots convey different meanings regarding a student's affiliation to a dojo or martial art style. In many Kendo dojo however, the knot is simply a square knot. It is formed in much the same way as the knot used to tie the obi, or belt, in karate or judo. As with