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KENDO
Japanese Fencing
Kendo's
origins lie in training for battle. But swords (especially Japanese
ones!) make realistic sparring decidedly unhealthy; wooden swords
(bokken, pictured above) are only slightly safer. During
a long era of peace from 1638 to 1868 training degenerated
into elaborate formal exercises. Then, in the 1750s, the shinai,
a flexible bundle of bamboo staves, was perfected, along with
light armor. Realistic sparring became possible for the first
time, but the government prohibited matches among schools. That
changed with the Meiji Restoration of 1868, and the sport developed
quickly thereafter. Modern kendo, as it came to be called,
is thus a little over a century old. Go HERE
for a glossary of kendo terms [Japanese font needed to view properly.]
As of October 2008 there are kendo clubs at JMU in Harrisonburg and (hopefully!) at W&L.
The one that met in Waynesboro is defunct.
Contact Mike Smitka for updates on venue at MSmitka@wlu.edu
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