I’m sure many of you would sit silently and meditate with your eyes closed both before and after practice. Some groups call it mokuso (silent thinking), some meiso (closed-eye thinking), or seiza (simply, sitting). When you join the dojo, the instructor will tell you the meaning and how to do Read More
What comes to mind when you think about synthetic Kendo gi and hakama? They are fairly light, but the colours are dull, and they don’t look dignified. Even though they’re light, you still sweat a lot and the fabric sticks to your skin. They are supposed to be easy to Read More
The core muscles are very important not only in Budo but in many sports, and training your core muscles has many benefits. In this edition I will introduce some ways of training your core muscles, including ways that are effective for Budo. The core muscles (Japanese taikan) broadly refers to Read More
After I started working at Tozando, there were many times I was found myself thinking I would like to learn more about Kendo. Not only learning for the sake of the work, but also be able to observe; what does Kendo have that attracts people? What kind of people do Read More
Women’s Tournament 20 teams were split into 4 blocks and played group matches, and the top team from each block advanced to the semi-finals. Out of 4 teams in the semi-final, 4 teams were Panasonic ES teams. The only other team was NTT Japan West B, who won the championship Read More
The final of the men’s competition saw defending champion Panasonic EcoSolutions (ES) Head Office A going for back-to-back titles against NTT Japan West A, hunting for their first championship win. Panasonic ES claimed the taisho match and took the game into the daihyo decider. Panasonic ES won the daihyo match Read More
Noting the points raised in the last blog post, in this second edition I will go over how to improve through kakari keiko and write it down with a real match in mind and how each move occurs in order. I encourage you to read it while picturing your own Read More
One type of training that all kenshi go through is kakari training. This is a toughest training, and many players feel like “I don’t want to do this”. But there is a reason why everyone goes through such tiring practice sessions. If you engage with kakari practice diligently, you will Read More
In Japan, various patterns involving the mythical creature of the dragon have been used since ancient times. In particular coiled dragons known as “Danryu” have been prized as patterns on items like plates and vases for the nobility since long ago. It is said dragons possess a mysterious power and Read More
Miyamoto Musashi is well known for “Nitoryu” (double-sword style) and the founder of his own school “Niten-ichi-ryu”. With Nitoryu, you attack with swords in your right and left hands. Generally, in you stronger hand you hold a tachiI (large sword) and in your weaker hand a dagger. Originally the Japanese Read More
