“Become a legend” Sho Umegaya Responds as he Beats 4 in a row at the Final (2013 Gyokuryuki High School Games) The most interesting aspect of the Gyokuryuki Games is that it is held in the “fight until you lose” format. This means that no matter how much you are Read More
As mentioned in the past, the Japanese sword is designed with the purpose of “chopping”. This means that making the blade shaper and giving it more cutting ability becomes the most important thing. To make it cut better, you need to make the blade thin, but if it is too Read More
The youngest of all participants, post-war player reaches the top of Japan for the first time at age 21 In 1960, at the 8th edition of the All Japan Championship, a player in his 20s reached the top for the very first time, Up until then, all champion players were Read More
The sharp point of a Japanese katana is called the “kissaki”. It is sometimes also called the “boshi” – hat, but boshi can refer to the kissaki itself or the hamon (temper pattern) that spills onto the kissaki. Kissaki is used more often to avoid this confusion, it is also Read More
In a kendo match, in order to win against an opponent who is at a similar level to you, you need to prepare to pull out the moves you are good at, or have tactics that cause your opponent to lose focus so you can seize the upper hand. Here Read More
Japanese has a word “tsukuri-komi” which refers to the structure and style of the sword blade. In a previous article about the sword’s appearance, I mentioned that the tachi had a strong back-bend whereas the uchigatana had a strong bend at the edge. The angle of the bend, the thickness Read More
Not only in kendo, but in other areas of your life you may feel like your physical fitness has gotten weaker. But kendo is a martial art that can be practiced throughout your life. I will introduce some information that can allow you to enjoy kendo even from your 40s Read More
The Japanese sword is praised as “beauty in use”. Its appearance is so simple with no unnecessary features, but in fact it has many skills woven into one piece of work. When we look at those details, we are drawn further into the charm of the Japanese sword as we Read More
Every year in July the atmosphere of Kyoto reaches a fever pitch as the entire city prepares to hold Gion Matsuri – the biggest festival of the year and one that has been held annually for over a millennium. There is a connection between the world of Japanese swords and Read More
Innovative protection, through patented design What began with our Tornado-stitch Kote has now been developed into a full set of Kendo Bogu – the Shudo provides unmatched protection across all strike zones. Furthermore, thanks to our bogu expertise the set remains highly comfortable, breathable and easy to move in. What Read More
