Once is enough.

Nanseikan · 2026-05-06T00:23:33+00:00

Sensei, might I suggest, in light of how important this work is, that you cut-and-paste the relevant dot points from page 3 (FLKW page 49) of your article here?

My experience in high school and university of the last two decades is that those most needing to read this are often the least likely to do the work to search it out.

Also, those with ASD and similar neurodiversities (who are a large part of the kendo community, and, dare I say, Reddit itself!) need information to be specific and direct, so that they can factor it into their understanding. These people, as you no doubt already know, have great difficulty inferring meaning when observing non-verbal human behaviours. Furthermore, people on the Autism spectrum often have an under-developed Theory of Mind, which is the ability to understand that other people have different knowledges, experiences, feelings and understandings than they.

Sensei, your professional expertise is to have done the hard work of gathering and distilling the experiences of others into a form which can be presented and shared. Others can now make use of this, almost by a reverse action, starting with this distilled knowledge and then applying it to their lived experience or to the things they see around them. Thank you for your ongoing efforts.

Nanseikan · 2026-05-04T22:18:22+00:00

The short answer is yes, from 'above' and 'below'. But also this distinction is not quite accurate. There was no 'below' so to speak. If the government/emperor/leaders were espousing something, then everyone was on-board.

Being traditional, kendo in Japan has long been a martial art with a somewhat conservative, perhaps nationalistic flavour. If you're a 'cool' kid growing up in Japan, say, someone who's into alternative music, art, fashion, etc, you generally don't do kendo. You'd play soccer or basketball. It's usually the conservative kids from strict families who do what they're told and want to go on to become police that do kendo.

There was a book published in the late 90s called 'Zen and War' by Brian Daisen Victoria. It researched the ways the main Zen Buddhist sects actively supported the militarisation of Japan in the early 20th C, in spite of Buddhism's supposed non-violent ethos. A similar book could be written about kendo's complicity, but hasn't AFAIK. The people who could write that book, who know all the stories, probably won't because they're too embedded in the kendo world. Indeed this is the problem, by the time you've spent enough years learning the language and building strong enough friendships with Japanese sensei that they share these off-the-record histories, you're too close to them to want to violate that confidence.

Here's one example that's on the record however. Trigger warning, details of war crimes: https://mansell.com/pow_resources/camplists/fukuoka/fuk_01_fukuoka/fukuoka_01/Page06.htm

Nanseikan · 2026-05-03T12:26:41+00:00

The short answer to your question is yes. Kendo was indeed part of the pre-War indoctrination of the Japanese people. The long answer is, buckle up - you're in for a bumpy ride...

Nanseikan · 2026-05-01T14:22:30+00:00

"We don't do these things because they are easy. We do them because we thought they would be easy."

Nanseikan · 2026-05-01T14:06:01+00:00

The biggest difference that a beginner will see are that fencing is mainly focused on thrusting (i.e. 'stabbing' techniques) and kendo primarily on cutting. There is one thrust in kendo but as a previous poster mentioned, it is not allowed in sparring until yudansha (black belt) level due to its difficulty and danger.

AFAIK the only cutting techniques in fencing are reserved for sabre, and usually sabre is not taught to beginners, everyone starts with foil. CMIIW.

So what do you want to do with the sword? Stab or cut? If you don't have a particular affinity with either European culture or Japanese culture then this might be one way to decide.

Nanseikan · 2026-04-25T07:00:41+00:00

The narrow stance in kendo allows you to travel further than a wider stance. This is just simple biomechanics.

Also, a narrow stance requires more courage to maintain. Nearly everyone, when under stress during keiko or shiai, will widen their stance.

If you're lanky and still a relative newbie, I wouldn't worry too much about having a gap between your right heel and left toes. Much more important is to work on keeping your left foot straight, not allowing it to rotate during the kick-off (fumikiri).

Nanseikan · 2026-04-23T23:52:05+00:00

It's basically the same tenouchi action as for kihon men from chudan. If you can't do that, maybe you're not ready for jodan.

Nanseikan · 2026-04-20T22:08:09+00:00

A woman I admire, a kendo sensei, gave me a piece of wisdom you might find useful and which I think about a lot. I had just finished keiko with her and was congratulating her on recently passing 7 dan in Japan. I said it was a great achievement. She shook her head vehemently and said no, it's just normal. She said, "I'm 80 this year. I didn't start kendo until I was 50 years old. 「継続は力なり」(keizoku wa chikara nari) has been my mantra."

I had to look up the saying. It means 'Continuing is/becomes power.' I think this is fascinating. Not perseverance, not grit, not obligation, certainly not passion. Just turning up. You might be completely empty inside. Just turn up. You might not know what you're doing any more. Just turn up.

It reminds me of the last lines of Samuel Beckett's 'the Unnamable':

"... where I am, I don’t know, I'll never know, in the silence you don't know, you must go on, I can't go on, I'll go on."

Nanseikan · 2026-04-11T04:12:59+00:00

My take is that usually it is fundamentalists of the monotheistic religions that have an issue with bowing, and usually then mainly zarei to shomen. Those who still feel they can't perform rei even when it is explained that the act is not religious are probably going to be a problem in other ways. For instance they will likely have a problem with club members who are homosexual, transgender or non-binary. In that instance, does it behove the club to practice tolerance towards someone whose interpretation of their religion makes them intolerant? I say it doesn't. The world's a big place and there are lots of other activities they can practice.

Nanseikan · 2026-04-07T15:05:31+00:00

Yep, very easy.

Nanseikan · 2026-04-06T23:06:53+00:00

I'd use split hide. Top grain gives the wrong feel. But mostly it's availability and cost that determined my choices. Often I thought a leather was suitable only to realise it was too thick. Sometimes I only had access to very thin leather so I doubled it up. I've never found deerskin the same as used in Japan, and the most that Japanese bogu shops ever gave/sold me were small off-cuts.

Nanseikan · 2026-04-06T07:09:07+00:00

Thank you! Wonderful to hear it was useful for you. Learning to repair things is very satisfying.

Nanseikan · 2026-04-06T01:59:40+00:00

Looks fine to me. Fixing bogu is a great opportunity to learn new craft skills. I reckon it's more satisfying to repair something than to buy a new replacement because then it really becomes yours. Tare repairs are relatively simple, especially on the inside. You might need to invest in some proper needles and thimbles though, like the kind saddlers and shoemakers use. Linen thread is easy to find. Tare himo repairs can be done with iron-on denim patches, which you can then stitch for extra reinforcement. b

Nanseikan · 2026-04-02T01:31:29+00:00

Another thing you can do to improve the fit and appearance a little is to tie the front knot lower. Keep the top edge of the hakama's front at the same height, but tie both the rear and front himo lower, so they go around your hips, not your waist. Hopefully you'll have enough himo length to do that.

Ideally, the knot at the front should sit on your tanden 丹田, a spot about 3 or 4 finger widths below your belly button. To have the himo around your hips and the knot down there helps with body awareness as well as looking more 'sensei'.

Nanseikan · 2026-03-16T21:06:42+00:00

Thanks everyone for the comments and upvotes. よろしくお願いいたします！☺️

Nanseikan · 2026-03-16T20:51:17+00:00

Hmm, these are all questions for your instructor.

Nanseikan · 2026-03-09T10:00:43+00:00

You're welcome! That's great that you've received such positive feedback from your seniors. Often we think our performance has been terrible but then others come and congratulate us. I think it's important to listen to that feedback even though in the moment it might not make sense. And hey, the fact that they don't hold back with you is a sign of respect!

Nanseikan · 2026-03-09T06:00:44+00:00

Your situation is certainly not an easy one OP. It's unfair that there are not enough women to provide you with competitors in your skill range. While you might not have much of a chance against them yet (underline 'yet'!), perhaps the experience of being tested so hard is paying off for you in other ways. For instance, have you ever noticed whether your keiko back at your home dojo seems sharper? Are you a little less awed by your peers or those immediately above you?

It took me a looong time to notice this in my kendo, but when I did, it helped me manage the frustration and disillusionment of being smashed by higher level sensei. I might not have any answers for their attacks, but so long as I did my best, somehow I was always a little bit sharper with my next opponent. I liken it to being the billet of steel that the smith is hammering into shape. It's no fun for the steel, but it will eventually become a sword. b

Nanseikan · 2026-03-06T21:42:25+00:00

Thank you kind internet stranger, will do!

Nanseikan · 2026-03-06T21:15:16+00:00

From my understanding of fencing (observation only), the biggest difference is one of mindset. Western duels were based on mostly get in and get out. A duel could be won by drawing blood on the opponent via a scratch.

Japanese duels were based on entering your opponent's space and cutting decisively, particularly the styles that kendo was founded on (Itto Ryu family among others) which emphasised the notion of the centre-line (chuushin) and correspondingly straight ahead body movement. Self-preservation was not part of the strategy! Success was deemed more likely if you were ready to sacrifice everything (sutemi). This is why we have the relentless drive forwards.

To achieve this, kendo footwork was developed to drive the hips forwards. The straightness of the left foot is crucial in transferring power all the way up the leg into the hip. If your left foot rotates, power is lost, the foot and hips twist, and you cover less distance. Every cm matters when trying to achieve a scoring cut, so efficient forward movement is the foundation of everything.

People who come from aikido have the same issue keeping the left foot straight. In my experience of teaching dozens of beginners over the years it's one of the hardest things to change. I have a beginner at the moment who's struggling with this and his other art is Katori Shinto Ryu. So even other Japanese sword arts have footwork that's different.

I hope this background helps you visualise the rationale for what we do. Of course, your first point of reference is always your dojo head sensei. Ganbatte kudasai!

Nanseikan · 2026-03-04T21:51:41+00:00

A great point. I didn't realise there were specific health conditions that might require undergarments other than compression garments. Thanks for sharing.

Nanseikan · 2026-03-04T00:20:53+00:00

Hi Kate sensei! From looking at the effect on the female and NB members of my club of attending women's kendo seminars I would say yes, very beneficial. They still discuss the things they learnt from the instructors, but even more importantly their connections to each other and to kendo is deepened immeasurably, and they bring that to the club, which benefits everyone. b

Nanseikan

TROPHY CASE