In Japanese Budo such as kendo, judo, kyudo, there are levels named “kyu” and “dan”. Each has its own characteristic, but many people wonder what the difference is between the two. Kyu is a word that describes the quality or the condition of objects as in “ikkyuhin”, “nikyuhin” and “sankyuhin” Read More
“Please tell us what motivated you to start Kendo.” This is a question that is asked at the Dan-grading. So what makes Kenshi who live abroad take up Kendo? One reason I have heard is that they want to learn the spirit of Japanese Bushido through Kendo. I am not Read More
Written by Tatsunari Tachibana, Yoshinkan 4-dan(Tozando) What is Aikido? This is a question I have numerous times asked the people at the various Dojo where I have the honor to instruct, yet every time I asked this question, I’m met with silence. Although it might seem to be simple to Read More
Written by Hayashi Takahiro, Kendo Kyoshi 7-dan(Tozando) Important points to take note of when taking the promotional examination Last time we spoke about the Shodan promotional exam, so this time we will talk a bit more in detail about how to approach the promotional exam. For this post, I have Read More
This time, I would like to talk about what I usually take extra care of while practicing Iaido up until now and while aiming for passing the promotional exam. To pass the promotional exam, besides putting in extra time for Keiko so that you can show the examiners your very Read More
Passing the Shodan examination The first real obstacle to anyone who starts Kendo is passing the Shodan examination, during which your most basic Kendo knowledge will be put to the test. Depending on where you are taking the examination, the actual contents of it might vary. However I believe that Read More
