Equipment

Kendo equipment consists of the swords, uniform (dogi) and armor. There are two types of wooden swords used. First, the bokken or bokuto, a solid wood sword, is used for basics and forms practice (kata). Second, the shinai, is made up of four bamboo staves and a leather handle. The shinai is used for full contact sparring practice called jigeiko or jiyugeiko. The uniform or dogi consists of woven cotton top called a keikogi and pleated skirt-like trousers called a hakama. The armor or bogu consists of four pieces: the helmet (men), the body protector (do), the gloves (kote), and the hip and groin protector (tare). Modern Kendo armor design is fashioned after the Oyoroi of the Samurai.

Shinai Handle Nito Ryu Shinai
 
Kendo

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Kendo, the Way of the Sword is the art of Japanese Samurai swordsmanship. It is rooted in the traditions of Budo, the Martial Way. It is one of the most difficult Martial Arts and is both exhilarating and demanding to learn. Modern Kendo bears but faint resemblance to Kenjutsu and to its feudal origins of sword wielding samurai warriors which are today depicted in movies and television. Kendo, literally translated, "the way of the sword," cannot be traced to a single founder or given an exact founding date. The story of the rise of modern Kendo begins with the samurai and extends over the culture of several centuries.

History

Kendo is the art of Japanese fencing. "Ken", or tsurugi, is from the character meaning sword. The character for "Do", or michi, includes the meaning "way or path" which translates as "The way of the sword". A path in life which is followed through the training of kendo.
 
 
 
 
 
     
                     

Training

A Kendo practice is composed of many types of training. Each type has a different purpose for developing the Kendo student.

Kendo, like other martial arts, requires discipline and a dedication to training. A new student begins with learning the basics such as: etiquette (reigi), different postures and footwork, and how to properly swing a sword. The student progresses through a series of skills preparing them to begin training with armor (bogu).

Once a student begins to practice in armor, a practice may be composed of any or all of the following types of practice and this will depend upon what the instructor's focus is at a particular time:

  1. Kiri-Kaeshi: successively striking the left and right men, practice centering, distance, and proper cutting while building spirit and stamina.
  2. Waza-Geiko: technique practice in which the student learns to use the many techniques of Kendo with a receiving partner.
  3. Kakari-Geiko: short, intense, attack practice which teaches continuous alertness, the ability to attack no matter what has come before, as well as building spirit and stamina.
  4. Ji-Geiko: sparring practice where the kendoist has a chance to try all that he or she has learned with a resisting partner.
  5. Gokaku-Geiko: sparring practice between two kendoist of similar skill level.
  6. Hikitate-Geiko: sparring practice where a senior kendoist guides a junior kendoist through practice.
  7. Shiai-Geiko: competition matches which are judged on the basis of a person scoring valid cuts against an opponent.
Men or Head and Face Guard Kote or Wrist Guard-Sucks to get hit here! Kote Do or Chest Protector - Hurts like hell when they miss! Tare or Thigh Protector Tsuki!- Your Dead! You can fly too! It's got wings!