00:00 [Music]
00:07 Kendo is a martial art that trains one to fight using bamboo swords called shinai.
00:16 Its roots date back about 300 years,
00:22 when samurai began using shinai to safely practice sword techniques.
00:28 In the days of the samurai, martial training focused on spirit,
00:32 cultivating vigor, drive and determination.
00:35 Kendo continues this tradition,
00:37 with its stress on developing character and self-discipline.
00:41 Kendo aims to cultivate the spirit and techniques of swordsmanship
00:47 that were developed for use in actual combat.
00:49 Today, of course, we don't train to fight with real swords.
00:55 Instead, the purpose of our training is to allow us to remain calm,
00:59 even under the pressure of any attack.
01:02 So, kendo is both a martial art and a spiritual path.
01:06 In a kendo competition, points are scored by striking certain spots on the opponent's body.
01:15 The head,
01:16 the wrist,
01:18 the sides
01:24 and the throat.
01:25 Only these difficult areas are valid targets.
01:28 In addition, your strike must make contact with the top quarter of the shinai
01:38 in order to score a point.
01:40 One of the training methods is to practice kata, or individual techniques.
01:52 This fundamental exercise is done with metal practice swords heavier than the bamboo shinai.
01:56 Mastery of techniques is not enough to win a kendo match.
02:03 The art is much deeper than this.
02:05 Hitting your target is just the start.
02:12 The difficult part is to strike with the full and vigorous spirit we call kisei.
02:17 "Fight!"
02:18 In kendo, you must express this strong spirit of kisei as you attack your opponent.
02:28 If a strike isn't delivered with kisei, it doesn't count as a valid hit.
02:33 The judges also look at how you follow up each strike.
02:37 You must always quickly turn to face your opponent, shinai at the ready,
02:41 never letting your guard down or exposing any weakness.
02:45 This unbroken awareness is known as zanshin.
02:48 As a sport, kendo has formal competitions.
02:55 You'll often see the judges award no points even when a strike connects.
03:02 This is because strikes must be performed with the correct spirit to score.
03:12 The judges take the whole movement into account
03:14 and only award points when it fully expresses both kisei and zanshin.
03:19 Also extremely important in kendo is the relationship between teacher and student.
03:33 In training, the student learns the techniques by being allowed to strike the teacher.
03:40 "Fight!"
03:41 This method of teaching is only possible with a deep sense of mutual respect.
03:51 After the session, the student bows to express gratitude to the teacher.
04:06 The teacher then bows in appreciation of the student's efforts.
04:09 As an art passed down from one generation to the next,
04:15 kendo teaches us to respect our teachers as well as to respect their teaching.
04:20 Treasuring the traditional methods, kendo practitioners come to feel a duty to preserve them.
04:28 "Hajime!"
04:32 "Hajime!"
04:33 The spirit of the sword lives on in each fresh generation to take the path of kendo.
04:43 "Hajime!"
04:45 "Hajime!"
04:46 "Hajime!"
04:48 "Hajime!"
04:50 The sword lives on in each fresh generation to take the path of kendo.
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