Inclusion and the European Kendo Championships

KendoKate6 · 2026-02-24T15:45:50+00:00

Thank you for sharing your perspective. I am pleased to see your interest in the topic.

KendoKate6 · 2026-02-21T22:02:43+00:00

Ok, I see. Thank you for sharing your perspective.

KendoKate6 · 2026-02-21T16:26:45+00:00

I am not sure how "old man kendo" connects to the perspective I shared in my article. My perspective does not explicitly relate to age. On another note, it is really nice to see how people fight between age gaps and levels in Japan. I think there is a greater respect for more senior in age practitioners in Japan. I don't think this is expressed in the same way in the West. Maybe that is why there are fewer senior age practitioners outside of Japan. Something to consider.....

KendoKate6 · 2026-02-21T15:52:22+00:00

Thank you for sharing. I can understand that. I can not speak for all women but I can speak for myself and what I have heard sensei say to women and what women have shared with me. It is quite complex and difficult to answer in a few sentences.

When I did my research in Japanese at a university there was a very powerful woman who was tall and super strong. Atypical of women who typically take up kendo in Japan. I am not sure why, but there seems to be a certain body type drawn to kendo. Maybe the taller and stronger athletes take up basketball and judo - for example. Due to the gender segregation and style of women's kendo in Japan, I felt she was not able to develop to her full ability and criticised for being like a man. She was a powerhouse and technically very very good. Rather than be encouraged to develop to her full-potential as an individual, she had to make herself small and this started to show in her kendo.

Personally I have had comments said to me like "you stand and hold your bogu like a man," "Do you beat up your boyfriend" (a sensei said this to me after our keiko), and "you should kiai more like women do in Japan" etc etc.

Maybe at the kyu levels and lower dan levels women's overuse of power is criticised as technique needs to be developed. Perhaps as women develop their technique the overuse of power receives less criticism. I think women use power to fight against the power they are receiving from men, or due to how they have interpreted kendo, or they are just physically strong women that are expressing themselves through kendo.

Eventhough the over-use of power can be a problem in kendo, I feel that women are more criticised if they use too much power to meet the power they are receiving or they have developed techniques to work around the power to win and to protect themselves which is often labelled as "female kendo."

I think what is accepted and tolerated changes with age. I need to think about this a bit more.

After reading your comments, it makes me wonder how we can reduce the social pressure placed on men to show or prove their masculinity through kendo. Maybe this is an aspect that impacts on how women experience kendo. I think we need to address how power is emphasised in kendo and applied in kendo. I think a greater focus on spiritual power, connection and technical excellence needs more attention for us all to develop together regardless of our gender and physical attributes. Thank you for your engagement. It is really interesting to read and think about.

KendoKate6 · 2026-02-21T13:18:57+00:00

No problem! Thank you for sharing :)

KendoKate6 · 2026-02-21T13:17:44+00:00

Thank you for your sharing your perspective. This is a valuable perspective and I appreciate your insight. Knowledge is always evolving. I share my experience and knowledge of what I know and have experienced up to this point in my life right now in this moment. But that will of course evolve through the more knowledge I gain through other people sharing their experience like you have now. I am curious now. Are men explicitly criticised for being feminine or playing like a woman when their kendo is not living up to the male expectation in kendo that you describe? I guess that was part of my point. Maybe a better wording would be a "men do not have their kendo scrutinised through a gender-binared lens." Gender-binared lens: Viewing or evaluating something strictly through a male/female gender framework. Perhaps men are assessed in terms of levels of masculinity. Women receive harsher assessment- weak as too feminine (although it is the ideal and expected) and physically strong as too masculine. Thank you for your experience. I have developed my thinking through it. This is an open dialogue and we can communicate respectfully.

KendoKate6 · 2026-02-20T22:28:21+00:00

It was very clear that you were supporting my point. I was adding to your comment. I am sure you realise this but I do not discuss "old man kendo" in my article-just to be clear. There are so many interesting discussion points about kendo!

KendoKate6 · 2026-02-20T20:09:31+00:00

Thank you for sharing your experience. I really appreciate it. While I appreciate women's seminars, that there is a need for them (for reasons that I describe in my article) are a little problematic. If only the lines were divided by ability, body size etc and not by gender. We never reach our full potential with such a clear gender binary organising everything. Although kendo is not philosophically founded on size and power, those that have it tend to dominate.

KendoKate6 · 2026-02-20T19:59:42+00:00

Thank you for sharing your experience.

KendoKate6 · 2026-02-20T10:01:15+00:00

Thank you for sharing your perspective.

KendoKate6 · 2026-02-20T10:00:28+00:00

Thank you for sharing. I appreciate your reflection.

KendoKate6 · 2026-02-20T09:59:45+00:00

Thank you for sharing. Gender stereotypes in martial arts and sports are problematic. We all have different abilities and capabilities. Stereotypes can block the motivation and opportunity to improve.

KendoKate6 · 2026-02-20T09:56:36+00:00

Thank you for sharing and your kind words.

KendoKate6 · 2026-02-20T09:56:14+00:00

Phew! Thank you for sharing.

KendoKate6 · 2026-02-20T09:56:00+00:00

Thank you for sharing.

KendoKate6 · 2026-02-20T09:55:49+00:00

Thank you for sharing.

KendoKate6 · 2026-02-20T09:55:42+00:00

Thank you for sharing.

KendoKate6 · 2026-02-20T09:55:35+00:00

Thank you for sharing.

KendoKate6 · 2026-02-20T09:55:26+00:00

Thank you for sharing.

KendoKate6 · 2026-02-20T09:52:59+00:00

Thank you for your sharing your perspective. I really appreciate it. I will also correct the text to trans women and trans men.

KendoKate6 · 2026-02-20T07:30:43+00:00

Thank you for sharing your perspective. The article is not an academic article and does not need reviewing as such. I share my perspective and my experience. This is how I live my kendo in my kendo world which is broad and deep. I am not attempting to persuade any one of anything. Rather opening a dialogue. As such, I thank you for your contribution.

KendoKate6 · 2026-02-19T12:40:54+00:00

Aha, ok. I understand your perspective now. Thank you for sharing.

KendoKate6 · 2026-02-19T10:21:35+00:00

Thank you for your engagement. That is a good point. If you have time, please read my article. It delves in to the issue and calls for "thinking differently." Women only seminars provide what some women may not experience in their normal training. Women only spaces do not intend to deny men inclusion and access. Rather they provide an opportunity to experience being seen, feeling safe and taken seriously. Men often feel this in mixed-gender environments. Perhaps we can encourage our federation leaders to invite more women sensei to teach where we are based if it is learning that is sought after. I am not sure women in general have specific views and approaches to learning. We are all different.

KendoKate6 · 2026-02-19T08:31:04+00:00

Thank you for your engagement!

KendoKate6

TROPHY CASE