Current Beginners Class
April 4th to May 30th 2008

All beginners classes are Friday evenings 6:30 - 7:30 in the main gym at the Conestoga Rec Center in Beaverton.

CLUB NEWS &
UPCOMING EVENTS

05.17.2008
Bellevue Junior Taikai
The 18th Annual Bellevue Junior Kendo Championships will take place on Saturday, May 17th at the Highland Community Center, starting at 9:30am.

The individual eliminations will be either league or round-robin, so each competitor is guaranteed at least two matches. The team event is a five-member team of juniors age (15 yrs. and under). The 16-18 year olds will participate in the individuals. If there are enough entries in the 16-18 division, there will be a 3 member team event.

The cost is $15, which includes lunch. The signup deadline is April 27th.

Map to Highland Community Center

Welcome to Obukan Kendo Club


As Chief Instructor it is my privilege to welcome you to the Obukan Kendo Club. I hope that you will find kendo enjoyable as well as challenging and that you will practice it for many years to come. We are fortunate to have many talented and friendly members at Obukan who look forward to seeing you at practice as do I.

Best regards and Welcome,

John Hancock
5 Dan Kendo, 3 Dan Iaido
Chief Instructor, Obukan Kendo Club

What Is Kendo? | Frequently Asked Questions | Kendo Etiquette
Basic Kendo Vocabulary | Dojo Kun



What Is Kendo?


The Concept of Kendo

The concept of Kendo is to discipline the human character through the applied study of the katana or Japanese sword.

The Purpose of Practicing Kendo

To mold the mind and body,
To cultivate a vigorous spirit,
And through correct and rigid training,
To strive for improvement in the art of Kendo,
To hold in esteem human courtesy and honor,
To associate with others with sincerity,
And to forever pursue the cultivation of oneself.
Thus will one be able
To love his country and society,
To contribute to development of culture,
And to promote peace and prosperity among all peoples.

Kendo, the art of Japanese swordsmanship, has a long and rich history. Japanese arms and armor have long been influenced by those of China. Japanese swords were originally not the curved swords we see today but were flat straight swords of a very primitive construction used for thrusts and simple strikes.

The Japanese swords seen today appeared around the year 940, are single-edged and have a slight curve. Until these two-handed swords were created, battles centered on mounted warriors protected by heavy armor wielding their swords in their right hands.

Around the year 1600, the type of battles changed to foot soldiers wearing light armor and techniques using a sword held with both hands appeared. This change dates back to the middle of the Heian period (around the year 940 AD) when sophisticated techniques especially designed for the new Japanese sword, now made with a curve and a more complex constructed blade, began to appear and were tested on the battlefield during a number of civil wars. This was the period when techniques of Japanese swordsmanship, as we know it today, began to emerge.

During the fifteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth centuries somewhere around six hundred separate styles of swordsmanship were created. Many of these styles have been handed down to this day as classical Japanese martial arts. A logical theory to unify the techniques of each of these schools was created developed as an important cultural facet of the educational training of the samurai. This theory of techniques, combined with Confucianism, formed bushido (the philosophy of how a samurai should live and act).

Kendo, the art of Japanese swordsmanship, is a way of life designed to contribute to self development through training in the guiding principles underlying the art of the sword. Through rigorous training in Kendo, the student strengthens his or her body and mind, develops a strong spirit, learns to treat people properly, to value truth, to be sincere, to always strive for self-development, love society and country, and contribute to the peace and prosperity of humanity.

Since old-fashioned training with real steel swords and hardwood swords caused so many unnecessary injuries and deaths, bamboo practice swords were created around 1710.

Around 1740, inspired by Japanese armor, sword masters improvised chest and head protectors as well as heavy gloves. As can be imagined, the original bamboo practice swords and protectors were quite primitive and of simple construction. Over the centuries, these were refined into the attractive and practical kendo equipment seen today.

In modern Kendo, there are two types of attacks: strikes and thrusts. Strikes are allowed to only three points on the body-the top of the head, the right and left sides of the waist and the forearms. Thrusts are usually permitted only to the throat. Unlike western fencing where two opponents show each other only their sides, in Kendo the opponents stand face to face and these four target areas were chosen because they are the most difficult. In competitive matches, it is not enough for your bamboo sword to just touch the opponent; points are awarded only when the attacks are done properly to the exact target with good control and a yell or Kiai. The first person to win two points wins the match.

As of 1989, some seven million people practiced Kendo in Japan, including 1.3 million who have been awarded a rank in the art. Kendo is enjoyed by 213,000 practitioners abroad.

Kendo is an important part of the Japanese school system's physical education program. There are some extracurricular clubs at the elementary school level. At the junior high school and high school levels, kendo is practiced as a regular physical education class activity and is an optional extracurricular club activity education course elective at the university level. Almost every university throughout Japan has a Kendo club or team which interested students may choose to join as an extracurricular activity. Recent statistics show that an increasing number of women are earning ranks in the sport.

Popular abroad, the International Kendo Federation (IKF) membership is organized as follows:

European Zone

Asia Zone

America Zone

An international championship has been held once every three years since 1970.

The WORLD KENDO CHAMPIONSHIPS


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Kendo Matches

In Kendo you are trained to see things with your eyes, react instantly to happenings and make judgments with your mind. In a Kendo match you watch your opponent with your eyes, react quickly to his moves and grab chances for attack, as seen through your mind. The mind's eye is opened only by and through hard and long training, as in the case of the Zen practice of austerities.

Some of the essential elements in Kendo matches are introduced below to illustrate the depth of kendo philosophy. These fundamentals are aimed at uncovering the essence of kendo in the traditional Way of the Bushi warriors.


Postures

Whatever postures you may take against your opponent, none of them would guard you, unless backed by your determined spirit. A kendo match is ultimately decided by the difference in mental power between you and the opponent.


Kiai

In kendo, to be full of kiai means to be full of spirits, from the crown of the head down to the tips of your toes. It is not to strain the abdomen but to have your whole strength naturally concentrated in the abdomen. It is not to yell at your opponent without effect but to have your strength and mind in complete harmony and unison.


Theory and Practice

All theories in kendo are of little value unless accompanied by the art of the sword. Though it is important to be well informed on the theoretical elements of kendo, it is more important to master kendo skills (waza).


"Ma-Ai" Distance and Timing

Literally meaning "distance between", Ma-Ai, in kendo, refers to distance (1) and timing (2).

  1. Each kendo player has his own "Ma-Ai" or preferred distance from his opponent for offensive or defensive actions. The Ma-Ai advantage is held by holding the opponent at one's preferred distance and keeping out of his preferred distance. You are taught to be far from your opponent and to have your opponent close to you.
  2. The same idea is applied time wise in kendo actions. "Ma" instead of "Ma-Ai" is more commonly used to describe the timing in kendo. It is to catch the opponent off guard and out of alertness. Or it is to take advantage of the weakness of the human mind, as may be momentarily exposed by the opponent. Again "Ma" is to seek for timely gaps in your and your opponents actions. An old saying in kendo says 'That your opponent may cut you on the skin but you should not lose that very moment to cut him to the bone'.
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Offense and Defense

A complete harmony and coordination of physical movements and mental reactions in kendo is obtained only through hard training. Any offensive move must be accompanied by defensive measures in momentary readiness and a defensive posture must be ready to turn offensive at any instant - to attack the opponent as a flash of sparks. Similarly, there are many well versed secret teachings in kendo, which represent high principles to be adopted into life.

"Clear Mirror-Still Water"
indicates a state of mind never to miss any move or happening.

"Water and the Moon"
is used to refer to a height achieved in kendo practice which indicates a complete and natural harmony of the mind and body. These and other kendo sayings are often used to describe or control conduct in life.

Off Guard
More often beginners are found off guard in mind, in posture or in action while in a kendo match. It is an important objective, in the practice of kendo, to never be off guard mentally during a match or in any circumstance one may be placed in. To be off guard in posture or in action is attributed to a lack of training. It may also be traced to incomplete training in keeping the mind always alert.

Continued Readiness
An intended strike very often does not produce the desired result, requiring a next step to be taken immediately. A kendo match is a series of actions, offensive and defensive, requiring uninterrupted concentration of mind. It does not mean, however, to attack the opponent halfway in order to save your strength. On the contrary each attempt must be made with all your might and to be as aggressive in each following action as possible. Indeed kendo is a continued training of the mind and it is not possible to learn it verbally. The philosophy of kendo is attained only by and through the body. It is a life long course of training, often extending into the later life, as many practitioners in their 70's and 80's demonstrate today.

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Kendo Etiquette

Because Kendo is literally built upon centuries of tradition, manners and etiquette (reiho) are extremely important and are similar worldwide in any Kendo Dojo.

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Basic Kendo Vocabulary

This list gives most of the basic japanese terms used in kendo. Remember you are not expected to speak Japanese to learn Kendo, just become familiar with key words. The ones you need to memorize will be the ones you want to learn. And if you have any questions regarding meaning or pronounciation just ask any sensei:

Before Practice During Practice Counting

Dojo Kun

The Dojo Kun are recited loudly and clearly at the conclusion of every Obukan practice session so that the club members can reflect upon kendo's guiding principles.

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Frequently Asked Questions


How do I get started?
 We strongly encourage you to visit a Friday or Sunday practice first, so that you can understand what the environment of a kendo class is like, and to see if the physical demands suit you. Then, sign up for the next beginner's class. Classes are limited to approximately 25 persons at a time, and we cannot allow walk-ins once the class starts - if you miss the first class, you will have to wait for the next class to begin 8-12 weeks later.

The Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation Department (THPRD) sponsors our beginners class at the Conestoga Gym in Beaverton, and you may sign up through their website at http://www.thprd.org/.

In-district users pay a $16.00 registration fee to the THPRD, please bring your proof of payment and registration to the first class. At the first class meeting, an additional $40.00  is due to the Obukan Kendo Club, this fee covers the class and your bamboo practice sword (shinai).

Out of district users must pay a $49.00 out-of-district registration fee to the THPRD, please bring your proof of payment and registration to the first class. As with in-district users, at the first class meeting an additional $40.00  is due to the Obukan Kendo Club, this fee covers the class and your bamboo practice sword (shinai).

Do I have to purchase a keikogi and hakama (the blue clothing) right away?
 No. It is important, however, that you wear comfortable workout type clothing so you can move freely and easily. Most people purchase their keikogi and hakama after several months of practice, when Sensei advises them that it's the right time to do so.
Please do not purchase a shinai or wear a hakama or keikogi to the beginner's classes. In the case of hakama and keikogi, you will not need them until sometime after you complete the class and join the Kendo Club (sensei will tell you when you are ready) . For shinai, you need to have a shinai of proper size and we will fit it for you at the first class. A shinai that has been modified or not properly taken care of can be dangerous and will not be allowed in class.

Are beginning classes for all ages?
Yes. All ages are welcome and encouraged. In fact, we have many families doing Kendo together. Extremely young children (through age 7) will require pre-approval from the Chief Instructor.

What about women or girls?
Many of the top Kendo practitioners are women. That's perhaps one of the most enjoyable aspects of kendo in that men and women of all ages and abilities can practice together and learn from each other.

How soon can I practice in armor (bogu)?
 That depends entirely on how hard you practice. If you're like most people, you can expect to spend anywhere from 4-8 months working on "basics." During this time, you'll be progressing from beginners drills and footwork on your own to more advanced strikes delivered to other more senior club members (sempai). You will also be watched carefully by the Sensei (instructors) who will determine when it is appropriate for you to transition into bogu.

Why can't I put it on right away?
This is as much for your safety as it is for the safety of others. Kendo is truly a lifelong pursuit when done properly and one must master the basics. The basics in this case include not only wearing the armor, but learning to deliver and receive strikes safely and with appropriate force.

Are there monthly or annual dues?
Yes. If you have graduated from the beginner class and would like to continue practicing, you will need to pay dues monthly. You will also need to join the the Pacific Northwest Kendo Federation and the All United States Kendo Federation.

Obukan Fee Schedule as of Jan 2008
Adults (18 yrs and up) $35.00/month
Juniors (through 17 yrs) $25.00/month
Families (2 or more) $60.00/month

AUSKF/PNKF Dues as of Jan 2008
Adult Kyu and Yudansha (18 yrs and up)
AUSKF Dues $40.00/year
PNKF Dues $30.00/year
Junior Kyu and Yudansha (through 17 yrs)
AUSKF Dues $25.00/year
PNKF Dues $15.00/year

Download Membership Application/Renewal Form

Checks and the liability waiver form can be mailed to:
Obukan Kendo Club
4130 SW 117th Ave. Suite 246
Beaverton, OR 97005-8999


Why do I need to join the PNKF and AUSKF?
 Membership in the Pacific Northwest Kendo Federation (PNKF) and the All United States Kendo Federation (AUSKF) provides insurance coverage and allows participation in seminars, taikai (competition) and shinsa (promotion testing for rank). It also supports organized efforts to further promote Kendo.

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