What do you get when you mix fencing, a sword, and a little Japanese influence? Don’t know? Welcome to the world of Kendo.
“I got involved in Kendo at the activities fair this fall,” said Laura Conley ’07. “I wanted to do something active, but something that wouldn’t require previous experience. I pretty much signed up on a whim, not really knowing what I was getting into. I found the whole sport really intimidating. It was especially hard to make myself kiai, or yell, during practice.”
Kendo is Japanese style fencing that evolved from traditional Japanese sword fighting. The word Kendo translates roughly into “the way of the sword.” An unfamiliar sport to many in the Wesleyan community, Kendo has gained popularity since its introduction at Wesleyan in 2000.
“I came to Wesleyan a formerly mediocre high school football player, and decided I’d turn to the club fair to find a new and fun way to get some regular physical activity during college,” said John Rushing ’08. “I knew I might be interested in martial arts of some kind, but what drew me to Kendo in particular was its beauty and ceremonial nature. Matches and practices are precise rituals—it’s almost a religious experience. The art of Kendo, like many martial arts, teaches one not only to fight, but to respect others and better oneself morally and spiritually in the process. It doesn’t require me to be particularly big, strong, or flexible, and it provides me with a spiritual ritual unique to our sport, which teaches respect, discipline and patience among other things.”
A traditional Kendo match can last anywhere from forty seconds to more than ten minutes. The object of the match is very similar to that of traditional fencing—to strike one’s opponent on the head, wrist, throat, or across the abdomen with one’s own sword. The Kendo swords that Wes Kendo uses are called shinai. They are made from four long bamboo slates bound together.
Unlike traditional fencing, the helmets used are thicker for Kendo because the head is a target. Padded gauntlets and lacquered bamboo chest plates are also required attire. The most dangerous aspect about this sport is the attack point at the throat. Only high-ranked Kendo players are allowed to attack here because novices are not skilled enough to not injure their opponents. It stands to reason that this sport is not for the weak of heart.
“I’ve done Kendo for nine years,” said Gian Ishino ’07. “My family, being Japanese, forced me into it. I stopped because I said that the sticks that you get hit with hurt me, but that was just an excuse to quit. Now that I’m older, I really appreciate Kendo. It’s just like playing with sticks when you were a little kid, except they made it into a sport/martial art, Plus it doesn’t hurt.”
Though the team has seen much success in competition and has managed to keep active for the past five years, as a sports club there are still many things, such as equipment, that Wes Kendo would like to improve.
“The club was started about five years ago by three students from Japan,” said Galen Sjostrom ’06, Wes Kendo co-chair. “Most of the club’s equipment was donated, believe it or not, by the Tokyo Police Department’s venerable Kendo team. We are presently in the process of replacing certain items that either are too small, or are beginning to show their age.”
Wes Kendo is making do and currently gearing up this semester for competition. Although there is no formal league, Wes competes against Yale, Harvard, George Washington, and West Point.
“During the spring we attend as many inter-collegiate tournaments as we can—in the past, Wesleyan’s team ranked quite highly,” Sjostrom said. “At last year’s Harvard tournament, Ishino placed fourth out of more than a hundred fencers in the individuals tournament.”
Leave a Reply