Kendo

When you think of Japan, terms like sushi, geisha, ninja and of course samurai immediately come to mind. Samurai and their swords often appear in anime and manga. Originally they were just soldiers in the service of the emperor and the noble tribes, but with the rise of the shogunate and the establishment of a military aristocracy, the samurai rose to the ruling class. So samurai had a status similar to that of knights in Europe. Samurai in the original sense no longer exist, but the art of the sword and the attitude that goes with it have survived. Every samurai devoted himself to kendo. Kendo literally means "Way of the Sword". Today, kendo is a form of Japanese martial arts, a modern version of the original Japanese samurai sword fight.

The Kendo equipment consists of the traditional Hakama and Keiko-Gi clothing and a five-part armor (Bogu) that protects the relevant hit areas. Instead of a metal sword, a bamboo sword (shinai) is used, which absorbs most of the impact energy and minimizes the risk of injury thanks to its construction and flexibility.

Kendo is a full-contact martial art and is primarily practiced as a competitive sport. In tournament combat (Shiai), the two opponents fight for two points, with one point being gained only by correctly executing a hitting technique on a valid hitting area. In order to be able to hit the target correctly, you need to practice basic techniques and movement sequences over and over again. In this way, an intuitive reaction is trained and the ability to make decisions and attention is promoted. Kendo as a path not only pursues the techniques and tactics of sword fighting, but also the spiritual development of man. Above all, the practitioners should gain strength of character, determination and moral strength through Kendo.

Look forward with us to the Kendo department of the ATSV Erlangen. They are members of the Bavarian Kendo Federation (BKenV) and will explain to you on stage what kendo really is. In addition to an informative lecture, there are also exciting martial arts and a sample of their martial arts to marvel at.