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<\/figure>\n\nKend\u014d stems directly from samurai combat fencing, which dates back to the 11th century. Its different schools had developed until the mid-19th century, when a ban on carrying swords by samurai was introduced. In the early 17th century protective armour and practice swords were gradually added to the training, which allowed to make full sword strikes in bloodless duels. The use of practice swords, at first made of wood and later of bamboo, as well as solid protective gear modelled on samurai armour, enabled a more dynamic practice and sparring fights. The rules of training introduced over time gradually limited the acceptable target area for strikes and eliminated dangerous techniques threating the fighters\u2019 safety. These rules introduced in the past laid foundations for what we know today as kend\u014d. <\/p>\n\n
To this day kend\u014d is appreciated not only because of its history and educational value, but also because of its injury-free character and clear combat rules. In kend\u014d attacks are allowed only onto a specific target area of the opponent\u2019s body, covered by protective gear, i.e. strikes against the head, forearms and torso and thrusts to the throat. For an attack to be valid (ippon), it has to meet certain criteria. It is part of the ki-ken-tai-ichi concept, meaning \u2018the unity of mind, sword and body\u2019, according to which a strike should be made with a specific part of the sword and with the right force, body movement and an accompanying shout. In addtion, after an action a competitor should stay alert and ready for further fight. Only then can an attack be considered effective. Accidental attacks are not treated as valid. That is why in kend\u014d it is important to strive for perfection through exhausting training and arduous repetition of exercises aimed at correcting even the smallest mistakes. Discipline, stamina and effort put into the process contribute to personal growth and improved inner strength of practitioners. <\/p>\n\n
Today kend\u014d is a sport widely practiced on all continents, supervised by the International Kend\u014d Federation and the relevant continental federations. In its homeland, Japan, there are approximately 2 million practitioners. In Poland the number of competitors is 500 registered in 26 clubs. Globally, there are ca. 5 million kend\u014d practitioners. Thanks to the great popularity of Japanese culture and pop culture, the number of kend\u014d enthusiasts is growing each year. <\/p>\n\n
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<\/figure>Today kend\u014d is a sport widely practiced on all continents, supervised by the International Kend\u014d Federation and the relevant continental federations. In its homeland, Japan, there are approximately 2 million practitioners. In Poland the number of competitors is 500 registered in 26 clubs. Globally, there are ca. 5 million kend\u014d practitioners. Thanks to the great popularity of Japanese culture and pop culture, the number of kend\u014d enthusiasts is growing each year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kend\u014d is extremely popular all over the world because of its rich history and pedagogical value. Due to the growing popularity of Japanese culture, kend\u014d is becoming more and more popular as well. Now we can only wait and see if the number of its enthusiasts will be higher than of other bud\u014d martial arts. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n
Moya Matcha partnered in European Kendo Women\u2019s Cup on 15th of February in Warsaw. Article was written in the cooperation with Polish Kendo Organization, host of the tournament. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Very few people realise that matcha has a lot in common with samurai culture, and thus also with kend\u014d. From around the 13th century, samurai used a matcha tea drink as a remedy for improved concentration and endurance, which, drunk before a duel, was supposed to have a positive impact on its outcome. What is […]","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18225,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[745],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-83046","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n