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 these belts, the ties on the hakama are knotted in front. The loose ends, however, are tucked in along the sides of the tie tapes.
As a pleated garment, the hakama requires some care. It is not necessary to wash it after every practice. The loose nature of the garment prevents it from becoming too soiled during practice. After a session, hang it up to air. If necessary, the hakama should be washed by hand or on a gentle machine cycle and allowed to drip dry. Hang the hakama up and permit the legs to fall free. To preserve the crease of the pleats, you can clip them together with clothespins as the garment dries.
Folding the hakama for transport to or from practice or tournaments also requires some care to preserve the crisp lines of the uniform. The diagram shows the process of folding the hakama. You can also use special knots to tie it together, also illustrated on the next page.
Hakama folding
The keikogi is the quilted cotton top worn tucked into the hakama. When one is dressing, the top is donned first, and the hakama is drawn up over it. Keikogi are much like the quilted tops that judoka or aikidoka wear, although they have a pair of ties at about chest height on the right side to keep the keikogi neatly in place during practice. The heavy fabric of the top helps in protecting the torso (and particularly the upper arms) from stray blows during matches.
Hakama folding
Kendoka wear uniforms that are most often dyed a rich dark indigo blue. The distinctive blue keikogi in Kendo is said to be dyed with a special medicinal pigment known as aizome. The dye in the best of these garments tends to rub off on the skin, and is said to help promote healing when a student is bruised or cut during training. Hakama are also dark blue in color, although not dyed with the same substance.
Students, depending on the preferences of their instructors, are also free to wear other colors in training. All black training uniforms, all white uniforms (particularly for women in some dojo), as well as uniforms composed of a hakama of one color and a keikogi of another are also common. In modern times, children often wear an unbleached white keikogi with black cross-stitching, known as a shiromusashi.
The colors worn in Kendo, as in all the martial arts, are types of symbolic statements. The dark blue or black uniform colors are associated with the samurai's traditional role as representatives of social order. Dark blue is also associated with the god Fudo, the immovable. White is thought of as the color of purity and death. Combinations of dark and light are often thought to express the duality of in-yo (or yin and yang), a phenomenon traditionally thought to underlie all existence.
Kendo utilizes the kyu/dan system of ranking pioneered in judo and used in many martial arts systems today. Unlike many of these systems, Kendo does not use a system of colored belts to indicate rank. In Kendo, rank levels are demonstrated by performance. Beginners start at sixth kyu and move up in rank through the kyu levels five, four, three, two, and one. At this point, trainees are eligible for dan ranking, the point at which a black belt is awarded in other martial arts. Dan ranks proceed numerically up through tenth dan. At the fourth through sixth dan levels, an individual is entitled to the title renshi. At eighth through tenth dan, a Kendoka is given the honorary title of hanshi.
Individuals vary in the time it takes to advance in Kendo rank. Generally speaking, it will take from two to three years to advance through the beginner kyu levels. Standards vary from organization to organization, but there is also usually a mandatory time limit that must be spent in training before the next promotion. This is especially true of dan levels, where the amount of time spent in grade gets longer the higher the dan level. It is generally held that kyu examinations below first kyu may be held at individual dojo. For promotion to first kyu and above, however, the aspiring student is required to participate in a promotion shiai where Kendoka from a number of schools are tested by high-ranking instructors. This is to ensure that the rigorous technical standards of Kendo are adhered to.
training weapons
The use of a mock sword known as a shinai is what makes the art of Kendo possible. Japanese warriors traditionally trained with katana (the long sword) and a hardwood replica sword termed a bokken or bokuto.
Bokken or Bokuto
During the centuries when warriors actively pursued their calling, the process of learning swordsmanship was one that entailed an intense study of basic techniques
