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Showing posts from October, 2017

Kendo – The Way of the Sword By Chris Williams

Kendo – The Way of the Sword By Chris Williams  (2013) When I set out to write a piece for this paper on the sword-fighting martial art of Kendo, I had no idea just how challenging it would be, to not only try and capture the true essence of the sport using only paper and pen, but to do so in a seriously short amount of time (I’m writing this the day before it’s due – something many students could relate to). Note this isn’t code for a Wikipedia cut-in-paste. First, a little history: The modern form of Kendo has been distilled from many forms of Japanese sword-based martial arts, known collectively as kenjutsu, and underpinned by the teachings of Zen Buddhism. In 11th century feudal Japan, sword-fighting was the realm of the military man, along with horse riding and archery. While it’s largely accepted that the earliest form of kenjutsu were established during this time, the art truly flourished during the 1600’s; right up until the modernisation of Japan in the 19th century.