Kendo Kata #1

[Andrew Green]

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From one of the comments:

These two hanshi are 2 of 5 ever 10 dan senseis.
First hanshi is Goro Saimura..looks like he's from fukuoka..instructor at various places including waseda uni. Second is Moriji Mochida, from gunma.

 

[Andrew Green]

#2

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#3

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#4

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#5

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#6

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#7

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Kodachi Kata #1

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Kodachi Kata #2

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Kodachi Kata #3

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[Swordlady]

Interesting old video footage, but it isn't Kendo. Possibly another koryu (other than YSKR)?

Can someone else identify this sword style?

 

[Andrew Green]

It's Kendo. I learnt pretty much the exact same kata.

 

[MSUTKD]

It is Kendo.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Nice footage. Think I have one of these clips archived somewhere, didn't know there were more.

 

[Lisa]

They make it look so easy. The flow is beautiful.

 

[Swordlady]

Ah...my mistake. So this is what kendo looked like before shinai and bogu were used. They had very good control over their swords.

 

[Andrew Green]

No, this is still done, still looks like that. That is Kendo, and I imagine these gentlemen spent much time in bogu and with shinias as well. But anyone thats spent time in Kendo has learnt kata, when I trained we practiced kata with Bokken though, largely because they where cheaper and safer. The folks that had been doing it for a long time all had steel to practice with.

 

[Andrew Green]

A more recent Demo:;

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and Another older version:

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[Bob Hubbard]

I saw a demo about 10 years ago at a local mall, was supposed to be Kendo, but they did at least 1 demo with steel, and what appeared to be samurai armour. Was some group from Toronto if I remember right (which I may not, it's been a long time).

 

[pgsmith]

So this is what kendo looked like before shinai and bogu were used.

I think I can clear up the confusion Jennifer. Kendo consists of shiai, matches, with shinai and bogu. It also consists of many different training exercises done with shinai or bokken. It also consists of ten kata, performed with bokken in the lower ranks, and special iaito or shinken in the upper ranks. The kata are what is in these videos. Since the kata are not used in competition, most of the non-kendo public does not know much about them.

Was some group from Toronto if I remember right

That's entirely possible Bob, since Toronto has the Japanese Canadian Cultural Center. They practice kendo and iaido there, with some very senior Japanese instructors. Some of the old sword schools (koryu) still have armored techniques. Here is a video taken at a demonstration in Japan showing some of the armored techniques of the Yagyu Shingan Ryu ...

 

[Bob Hubbard]

V. cool. Thank you

 

[Swordlady]

I think I can clear up the confusion Jennifer. Kendo consists of shiai, matches, with shinai and bogu. It also consists of many different training exercises done with shinai or bokken. It also consists of ten kata, performed with bokken in the lower ranks, and special iaito or shinken in the upper ranks. The kata are what is in these videos. Since the kata are not used in competition, most of the non-kendo public does not know much about them.

Ah...okay. I kinda figured that the practioners in the videoclips were high-ranked in their art. Thanks for clarifying.

 

[Sukerkin]

Oh if only I wasn't stuck with dial-up! Some Kendo done with non-shinai would be a joy to see.

The Kendo that I have seen in real life, to me, does not much resemble sword-work and I would be delighted to watch skilled practitioners of the art show me how erroneous that untutored opinion is.

That sounded critical of Kendo, for which I apologise as it was not what I meant.

I'll try again. It would be nice to see the levels to which Kendo can be taken when it transcends the 'sport' aspects and gets towards the point where you can see the sword-art roots showing through.

 

[xMarishltenx]

Andrew, the first video you posted. They're the 6 basic strikes right? I've done them. But IS it Kendo? I'm really not familiar with kendo kata at all, does it differ that much from bujutsu, kenjutsu etc? Or are the 6 basic strikes present in all sword arts?

 

[Andrew Green]

Andrew, the first video you posted. They're the 6 basic strikes right? I've done them. But IS it Kendo? I'm really not familiar with kendo kata at all, does it differ that much from bujutsu, kenjutsu etc? Or are the 6 basic strikes present in all sword arts?

I'm not sure what you are looking at. The first video only has two strikes, one per person. It is definately Kendo, just not the "visible" part.

 

[xMarishltenx]

A more recent Demo:;

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This one. My computer's being a pain in the butt so I've seen snippets of the video. It looks as if it's mainly men, kote, and do cuts they are making, which are part of the 6 basic strikes we do (although I've never done the one where he stabs to the opponents face/neck in the 6 basic strikes).

I guess it is kendo, there's no reason not to be.

 

[Andrew Green]

Ok, those are the 10 kata of Kendo, one after another. Not sure which 6 basic strikes you are talking about.

The Kata are not bound by the sparring rules of Kendo, but there is a thrust to the throat allowed in sparring, "Tsuki" but I believe that one is not allowed until Shodan.

 

[xMarishltenx]

ok the 6 baic strikes I was referring to involves men, kote, do (not sure of the terminology from here on) knee, neck (kesa), and neck horizontal.

Yes, the tsuki. I've heard about it not being allowed until shodan. One of my training peers (he's a black belt at our school, bujutsu) went to a kendo tournament and wasn't allowed to get points for doing tsuki. Even though he's perfect at his technqiue. But no, he wasn't a shodan in kendo.