Kendo – The Sword’s Path
Kendo is a martial art of Japanese origin and means ‘sword path’, which to lay people may seem similar to fencing, but to practicers the differences are profound and complex. In Kendo the bamboo swords (shinai) and armor are used to protect the head, belly and arms. In its origin, Kendo did not use bamboo and protections, as it was created from the combat techniques of the samurai (who used traditional swords) in the period of feudal Japan and over time the sport has been modernizing. The fight consists of handling the sword and hitting the opponent on specific points. In addition to the lessons of fighting, the kendocas learn about respect and discipline, lessons that are present in everyday Japanese life. Respect is maintained among all, also to clothing, the Dojo (training place), nature and everything around it.
In Brazil there are records of about 1000 kendocas, despite this number not being accurate since many people practice without being registered, in Japan about 1.2 million and in the world 2 million practitioners. The Kendo arrived in Brazil together with the first immigrants who already practiced it and their descendants, initially only among them in the interior of the state of São Paulo and later the practice was spread and took greater proportions as the creation of several training centers in many Brazilian states. The following video was recorded at Celso Ramos Colony, in the city of Frei Rogério – SC and relates about the day-to-day training, some fights and the clothing used for the practice of the martial art.
References
KOBAYASHI, Luiz. Kendo no Brasil – panorama da pesquisa e um breve histórico. Centro de Estudos Nipo-Brasileiros, 2008. Disponível em: <https://cenb.org.br/articles/display/137>. Acesso em: 17 mai. 2020.
SATO, Aline Oshiro. A História do Kendo no Brasil. Japas no Brasil, 2018. Disponível em: <https://japasnobrasil.com.br/a-historia-do-kendo-no-brasil/>. Acesso em: 16 mai. 2020.
