Getting Started

For those that would like to start kendo, whether experienced or not, please contact our instructor Campbell Sensei at instructor@matsukai.org 

To begin kendo practice all you need is a Shinai (bamboo sword) and an comforable excercising outfit. 

For purchasing a Shinai, please visit our link page for store information.

After you have been practicing for a while you will want to buy an uniform. Top piece (keiko-gi) and bottoms piece (hakama).  However, we strongly suggest individuals to wait for Sensei’s comment about the time of purchase.

Terminology

HOW TO COUNT

Japanese		Romanji	Pronounciation	Translation
一	いち	ichi	ee-chi	one
二	に	ni	nee	two
三	さん	san	san	three
四	し・よん	shi/yon	she/yon	four
五	ご	go	go	five
六	ろく	roku	roh-koo	six
七	しち・なな	shichi/nana	she-chi/nana	seven
八	はち	hachi	hah-chee	eight
九	く・きゅう	ku/kyuu	ku/kyu	nine
十	じゅう	juu	joo	ten
二十	にじゅう	ni juu	nee joo	twenty
三十	さんじゅう	san juu	san joo	thirty
四十	よんじゅう	yon juu	yon juu	forty
五十	ごじゅう	go juu	go joo	fifty
六十	ろくじゅう	roku juu	roh-koo joo	sixty
七十	ななじゅう	nana juu	nana joo	seventy
八十	はちじゅう	hachi juu	hah-chee joo	eighty
九十	きゅうじゅう	kyuu juu	kyu joo	ninety
百	ひゃく	hyaku	heeyah-koo	hundred
回	-かい	-kai	-kai	-times/repetitions

::Note:: For kai, it is added at end of a number. During warm up (Taiso), the leader (Toban) will anounce the type of cut and then the number of repetitions. For example: “Men. Hyaku-kai”, which means to cut men a hundred times.

The following are some common counts

三十回	さんじゅうかい	san juu kai		thirty times
五十回	ごじゅうかい	go juu kai		fifty times
百回	ひゃくかい	hyaku kai		a hundred times

FOOTWORK

Japanese		Romanji	Pronounciation	Translation	Action
後ろ	うしろ	ushiro	oo-shi-ro	Rear, back	Move backwards
前	まえ	mae	ma-eh	Front	Move forward
右	みぎ	migi	mee-gi	Right	Move to the right
左	ひだり	hidari	hee-da-ree	Left	Move to the left
横	よこ	yoko	yo-ko	side	Move sideways
すり足	すりあし	suri ashi	sue-ri aa-she	Fast feet	In standard footstance, push off with your hind leg and both legs travel in parallel direction
歩み足	あゆみあし	ayumi ashi	aa-you-mi aa-she	Walking feet	Walk
ばか足	ばかあし	baka ashi	baka aa-she	crazy feet	Do the grapevine

PRACTICE AND COMMANDS

Japanese		Romanji	Pronounciation	Translation	Action
お願いします	おねがいします	onegaishimasu	on-neh-guy-shi-muss	Please(teach me)	bow 15~30 degree to your practice partner
	どうも ありがとうございました	domo arigatou gozaimashita	doh-moh-ah-ree-ga-tou-go-zai-ma-shi-ta	Thank you very much	bow 15~30 degree to your practice partner
始め	はじめ	hajime	ha-gee-meh	Start	begin the practice that’s announced
止め	やめ	yame	yah-meh	Stop	finish the practice that your involved in
	ゆっくり	yukkuri	yook-koo-ree	slowly	Go slowly
速く	はやく	hayaku	hi-ya-koo	quickly	Do it quickly
遅い	おそい	osoi	oh-so-i	slow	You’re too slow, go faster

 Kamae: standce (often time refered as standard starting stance.)

There are several types of kamae in kendo:

1. Chudan no Kamae: A standce with the right heel allinged with the left toe. An illustration to this would be standing on rail tracs. Sword held slightly out from the gut (about 1 fist distance), the extension line of its tip pointed towards your opponent’s face or throat. If there is no opponent directly in front of you, imagine that your have an opponent at your own height standing in the same posture, connecting at tip to tip distance. This is the basic ready position, and the name is sometimes shortened to simply kamae.
2. Jodan no Kame: Jodan no kamae (sometimes abbreviated to simply “jodan”) is an aggressive posture. There are two versions - right and left.
3. Migi (right) Jodan no Kame: the same footwork as chudan no kamae, but the sword is raised over your head; the left hand is approximately one fist-width away from the forehead and 45 degrees above and forward. The sword is held straight backward about 45 dgrees from vertical.
4. Hidari (left) Jodan no Kamae: as in jodan no kamae, but with the left foot forward. The sword is still held slightly backward at 45 degrees from vertical with your left hand in center but the tip of your sword is to your right approximently 45 degrees.
5. Hasso no Kamae: footwork as in Hidari Jodan; Hold the sword so that the tsuba is at the level of your mouth and about a fist-width to the right. Your left hand should be in the center of your body and your arms should be as if you have eggs in your armpits - neither too close (you will break the eggs) nor too open (you will drop the eggs on the floor). The ha (edge) of your sword should be toward your opponent.
6. Gedan no Kamae: as in chudan no kamae, but the sword is lowered to around your knees and rotated slightly. This posture is considered an agressive stance and portrays to your opponent an attitude that says something along the lines of, “come on, attack, just try me”.
7. Waki no Kamae: right feet take one step backwards to form 90 degree with the left feet, hide the sword behind you so that your opponent doesnt see the sword on either side, sword edge pointing down. This kamae can be used when your katana is broken (but still able to fight) and you still want the opponent to fear you.

Kou-tai: rotate / change partners

Han-tai: reverse / the opposite way (change the direction of current activity to the opposite side.) 

::Note::
Onegaishimasu is a action to request someone partner to practice with you. Your attitude should be sincere and willing to learn and share. 

Domo Arigatou Gozaimashita is the past/polite tense of Arigatou Gozaimasu. It literally means - thank you. However, it can also be interpreted as forgiveness. There will be situations that one of you will make mistakes during the practice. By saying “Domo Arigatou Gozaimasu” you not only thank the person, but also imply that ‘I forgive you for what you have done wrong’.

TYPES OF CUTS

Japanese		Romanji	Pronounciation	Translation	Action
	きりおし	kirioshi	ki-ri-o-she	to cut	Cut!!
	おおきご　きりおし	ookigo kirioshi	o-ki-go ki-ri-o-she	big cut	Big cut!!
面	めん	men	men	the face	straight cut to the head
横面	よこめん	yokomen	yoko-men	side of the face	a diagnal cut (usually 45 degree) to the side of the head
小手	こて	kote	kow-tae	cut the wrist	a straight cut to the wrist by shifting your right feet to your opponent’s left
ど	ど	do	dow	cut to the waist	yoko men cut down to the waist
突き	つき	tsuki	zu-ki	thrust	a thrust to the throat
早すぶり	はや　すぶり	haya suburi	haya-sue-boo-lee	fast cuts?	4 step back and forward men cuts

TYPES OF PARRIES

Japanese		Romanji	Pronounciation	Translation	Action
はらい	はらい	harai	ha-rai	deflection on the left side	step to the left (adjust your distance with your opponent), rotate your blade slightly counter clockwise (so that the blade is pointing to the right), simply rise the sword foward instead of pulling back (if so, kote is open), key point is to capture your opponent’s sword with monouchi (tip to the kissaki), the deflecting action is done by shifting your hip instead of fighting with your arm strength, you capture your opponent’s sword by matching up his/her timing (think of inviting them to cut), cut your target after you destroyed their technique, the power of cutting generates when you snap your right leg back to proper standing position.
おじ	おじ	oji	o-ji	deflection on the right side	step to the right side (adjust your distance with your opponent), rotate your blade slightly clockwise (so that the blade is pointing to the left), simply rise the sword foward instead of pulling back (if so, kote is open), key point is to capture your opponent’s sword with monouchi (tip to the kissaki), the deflecting action is done by shifting your hip instead of fighting with your arm stength, you capture your oppnent’s sword by matching up his/her timing (think if inviting them to cut), cut your target after you destroyed their technique, the power of cutting generates when you snap your left leg back to proper standing position.
抜き	ぬき	nuki	noo-ki	trap your opponent(to take away from)	make an opening for your opponent (invite them), wait untill the commited fully to their blow, simply remove the target from them (rising hand for kote adjust your distance if necessary for kote, men, do), cut your target after you traped them.

EXERCISES

Taiso, onegaishimasu!

Warm-up stretches. Usually involves running, jumping, and various stretches. Whatever other stretches are done, Achilles stretches will always be done. Calf muscle and Achilles tendon injuries are among the more common injuries suffered by kendoka.

 

Furi-kaburi kirioshi (or Sho-men)

mai/ushiro, hyaku-kai! Furi-kaburi means to make a straight cut, raising the sword back and cutting into the head of your opponent. Mai means “forward”, ushiro means “backward”, so for this exercise you make one cut while moving forward, one cut while backing up. Hyaku means “one hundred”, so this exercise involves 100 cuts. Every few weeks sensei will spring “go-hyaku-kai” (five hundred repetitions) on us.

Kirikaeshi - the foundation practice of Kendo

One person attacks while another receives. The Motodatchi (receiver) is usually asenior student in armour, or a junior student blocking with their shinai. The attacker makes a straight cut, tai-atari (something of a body-check), then cuts to the right side of the head, left, right, left, right, left, right, left, right, straight cut, tai-atari. The attacker then launches into another round of cutting to the right side of the head, left, right, left, right, left, right, left, right, straight cut and run past the defender. In two breaths. Whew!

Uchikomi-keiko continuous attacking practice (beginner) - Motodatchi calls out targets and the attacker strikes as correctly as possible.

Kagari-keiko continuous attacking practice (intermediate) - Motodatchi simply presents an opening and the attacker strikes or the attacker attacks whatever they feel is open.

I-uchi-keiko continuous attacking practice (advanced) - Both partners attack continuously, each trying their best to make a clear, correct, sharp strike on their partner.

EQUIPMENT

Bogu (Armour)

	do:	torso plating, made of either plastic or leather covered bamboo. Sometimes a mon, or family crest, will be displayed.
	kote:	gauntlets. The hands are covered by thick padding, while the forearms are protected by stiff fabric.
	men:	helmet. A tenagui (literally, “hand towel”) is worn under the men to keep sweat from dripping into the kendokas eyes.
	tare:	a kind of stiff fabric skirt to protect the wearer’s hips and groin. The tare is made of five panels, and the center panel is often covered with a zekken, displaying the wearer’s name and school.

 Shinai (Bamboo sword)

To be continued…