Category: Budo Articles

Eiga Naoki winning the 2000 All Japan Championship

Memorable Kendo Matches 12: The Beginning of a New Era – Naoki Eiga (2000 All Japan Championship)

The Last All Japan Championship of the 20th Century It was his 9th challenge at the All Japan Championship when Naoki Eiga won his first title. This was the longest it took for someone to win in that competition, equal to Kiyonori Nishikawa. He participated in the All Japan Championship Read More

Photo of Miyazaki Masahiro winning All Japan Kendo Championship in 1990

Memorable Kendo Matches 11: Masahiro Miyazaki (1990 All Nippon Championship)

A 20s Winner for the First Time in 10 Years With Transformation in the All Jappan Championship, The Miyazaki Era begins From 1984, there was a participation restriction to the All Japan Championship of “Those holding 6th dan and above). This reflected the opinions of those holding higher dan, who Read More

Image of Japanese Sword Hi groove

Bohi – grooves in Japanese swords

The ‘hi’ is the Japanese name for the groove (also known as a fuller) that runs up the length of the blade. Its original purpose was to make the sword lighter and more resistant to bending. As time went on, decorative factors as well as practical ones were added as Read More

Memorable Kendo Matches 10: Kenji Ikeda (1958-60 Gyokuryuki High School Games)

Memorable Kendo Matches 10: Kenji Ikeda (1958-60 Gyokuryuki High School Games)

The star player in 3 back-to-back Gyokuryuki Titles finishes it off with a 4-man sweep in the final 3 back-to-back wins gained huge publicity back then, and its glory still lives on today While kendo was banned during and after WWII, the Gyokuryuki Games (which had a different name back Read More

Illustration of Kendo Henka Waza

Henka Technique in Kendo Part 2

Point of Caution in Applying Henka Trying out the henka moves introduced here straight away in matches will probably not work out well. There is a saying: practice like it’s a match, and play the match like it’s practice. When you use an untrained skill in a match, it will Read More

Image of Japanese sword tang, Nakago

The Nakago of the Japanese Sword: Invisible in the shaft but a valuable point of appreciating the Japanese Sword

There is a line that runs between the blade’s edge area and the ridge area. Between this line and the bottom of the blade (the area hidden inside the sheath) is called nakago (tang). The nakago is shaped by a particular form of filing, before the signature of the sword Read More

Illustration of Kendo Henka Waza

Henka Technique in Kendo Part 1

Kendo is a martial art that developed during the Edo period Until then people trained with wooden swords, but that changed to the shinai and they began wearing protective gear. And gradually rules were put in place to establish what has continued until today. Many techniques have been developed ruing Read More

Iaido demonstration at All Nippon Student Iaido Taikai

Japan University Iaido League

In America, the College Football league is hugely popular. Michigan University boasted an average of 100,000 spectators per match in 2017. In English, rugby is famous as a university sport. Japanese universities are also known for their sporting achievements, and that is the same with martial arts. When it comes Read More

Image of Japanese sword hamon pattern

The Hamon of the Japanese Sword – An Artistic Pattern That Reveals the Aesthetic Sense of The Swordsmith

Even those seeing a Japanese sword for the first time are captivated by the vividness of the hamon (blade pattern). The hamon refers to the part that is tempered with extra heat, so it is actual proof that the sword went through the tempering process. The swordsmiths could simply stretch Read More

Takachiho High School Kendo Club at Gyokuryuki Taikai

Memorable Kendo Matches 9: Yuichi Kono (1987 Gyokuryuki High School Games)

Victorious in Historical High School Kendo Rivalry In 1986, PL Gakuen (Osaka) won the Gyokuryuki boys with fine performances from 2nd grader Takahiro Nabeyama. They were seeking back to back titles the following year with Nabeyama as their key player. Facing PL in the final was Takachiho (Miyazaki), who had Read More