Incorporating Practical Muscle Training into Kendo Practice Muscle training (amongst other forms of cross-training) has struggled to become a regular part of kendo keiko. There is a traditional mindset that thinks you need only to work diligently at regular keiko, and also the thought that in kendo you do not Read More
Tozando proudly introduces the brandnew Kendo Shinai and let’s take a look at the new arrivals and see what sets them apart from the rest. First up we have the Tokuren. This shinai is unmistakeable with its completely straight and slim profile. Made from four dense staves of madake bamboo Read More
Student kenshi who changed the air in the kendo world Renewing youngest winner record that stood for half a century The 2014 All Japan Championship saw a finale that no one would have picked. It was Yuya Takenouch, 3rd year student at Tsukuba University, who stood above all. It was Read More
There are all kinds of sports in our world, but a big difference between kendo and other sports is its approach towards “manners”. Many people have the image that if you take up kendo you will learn good manners. Why is kendo so strict when it comes to enforcing etiquette? Read More
In order to win and achieve good results in sports, there are important areas other than physical abilities like strength and skill. Specifically, “concentration” and “intuition” play a key part. But unlike physical abilities, these are not measurable. How can we train ourselves in these areas? It is very important Read More
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
