George Breeden Blog 13

Elements of Kendo

Kendo is a relatively modern term used to refer to the art of Japanese swordsmanship. It can be translated by separating it in to its two fundamental parts of Ken or “sword,” and Do or “the way of.” Thus Kendo can be understood as “the way of the sword.” (Pilgrim 136) Such an encompassing term creates a notion that the art of Japanese swordsmanship is a simple unified practice. However this is certainly not the case. The art of the sword can be understood as being: “…composed of three elements.” (Hazard 625) The first of these elements being Kenjutsu or what is now referred to as Kendo. This first element is similar to the western notion of fencing, because it involves competitive swordplay using mock weapons and armor. (Hazard 625) Undeniably this is the most easily recognized aspect of Japanese sword practice in the modern day, and commonly it is considered to be the only form of practice still observed. In reality it would be a mistake to assume that competitive sword play is the only important element of Japanese swordsmanship. The second element that comprises the art of the sword is known as Kata or “form.” The element of Kata focuses on the mastery of technique, and involves the use of a true steel blade. Kata can be performed alone or with a partner, and it involves the repetition of certain movements in order to train the muscles of the practitioner to accept such motion as a fluid impulse. (Hazard 625) Kata is truly important because it creates a sort of natural connection between the swordsman and the steel blade that he is holding. This connection is only further developed in the third element of swordsmanship. Iai or “the art of drawing the sword” is the element that focuses on the simple drawing of the blade to cleanly slice. (Hazard 625) Perhaps the most obscure of all of the elements, because it does not contain any sort of immediately competitive nature, Iai is more a practice of metal discipline in contrast to the physical elements of Kenjutsu and Kata. When all three of these elements are synthesized they can be understood as representing the different aspects of swordsmanship. Kenjutsu or Kendo can be seen representing the showmanship of the sword, Kata speaks to the physical motion of the sword, and lastly Iai represents the mental motion of the sword. Together these three representations are the true “way of the sword.” For this reason, instead of referring to Kendo as representing the modern conception of fencing, for the sake of this exploration of its relationship with dance, it makes sense to observe Kendo as referring to an art that holds the significance of all three of its elements.