Striking mind, body and spirit with Kendo

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Chia performs a kote (wrist) strike demonstration.

MIRI: Fans of Japanese manga like Kurogane, Musashi no Ken and Bamboo Blade will realise that these comics share something in common — they focus on the martial art of Kendo.

Kendo, a direct translation of the Japanese words which loosely mean ‘way of the sword’ is a modern Japanese martial art descended from traditional kenjutsu (swordsmanship) techniques.

“Enjoying the comics and learning every detail of the martial art is nothing like getting a hands-on experience yourself,” Miri Kendo Club trainer Alex Chia told The Borneo Post in an interview recently.

“Since 2009 when I first started classes here for Kendo enthusiasts, there have been many inquiring about the martial art out of curiosity. However, as they learn more about it, they often drawn back.

“Many thought that once they enrol into the class, they could start swinging shinai, or bamboo practice swords around like a pro, but the reality is otherwise,” he said.

Basic footwork training is important in maintaining balance during more advanced training.

During the old days, kenjutsu was practiced by Japanese warriors preparing for war or for self-defence. In times of peace, instead of facing a naked blade, swordsmen resorted to more peaceful methods of honing their skills.

“Shinai and armour (bôgu) were all part and parcel of gear that included face masks and shoulders protectors (men), torso protectors (Do), hand and forearm protectors (Kote) and groin and leg protectors (Tare) introduced by Naganuma Shirôzaemon Kunisato during the Shotoku Era (1711-1715),” Chia explained.

Naganuma was said to be the pioneer in developing the protective gear and equipment used by practitioners in order to safely practice Kendo.

Determination, perseverance, and self-discipline are utmost important values Kendo requires in every kendô-ka (Kendo practitioner) as it is a physically and mentally challenging sport.

“I can assure that it is certainly not as adventurous for beginners as they expect, because they must endure months of training to perfect their basic footwork, correct body posture, method of striking with the shinai and of course, learning and understand the principle of Kendo. For fast learners, they may only need between three to six months,” Chia explained.

Chia (fourth right) says trainees need to have strong determination and perseverance in order to complete the training and exams that could take decades to complete.

Thereafter, he said, they could proceed to the next level — wearing complete bogu in training.

“Wearing bogu that weighs about 5kg while mastering Yuko-datotsu (method of striking) at the same time while maintain the correct body posture and foot work will take practitioners least two months to adapt to this level,” he said.

Yuko-datotsu is defined as the accurate strike made onto predetermined datotsu-bui (strike zones of scoring) of the opponent with a shinai.

“To score points, practitioners must use the right part of the sword to strike the correct zones with the right posture as they let out kiai — a spirited, rallying cry.

The right part of the shinai is defined as the top third of the ‘blade’, between the kensen (tip) and the nakayui (leather band of the shinai).

“In summary, to achieve yuko-datotsu, there are five elements that must included in the execution of a definitive strike — kamaeru (posture), semeru (controlling centre), toraeru (opportunity), utsu (hit) and zanshin (mental and physical alertness).

“Kendo-ka who can truly embrace these elements will spiritually and physically feel like they are striking with a proper sword,” he said.

Of course, like other sports, Kendo-ka will be technically measured by advancement in Kyu and Dan grading system.

The Kyu numbering is in reverse order (from eight to one), with eighth kyu being the lowest grade and first kyu being the highest grade followed by first dan to eighth dan.

“The eighth dan is the highest dan grade attainable through a test of physical kendo skills,” said Chia, who is currently at second dan grade.

Kendo-ka could take kyu examination almost every year, provided they are ready, however the dan examination is a different story.

“Kendo-ka are qualified as first dan once they pass the kyu-1 exam, and to qualify for the second dan, one must have at least one year of training after receiving first dan. To qualify for the third dan exam, they must have at least three years of training after received third dan and the time added up as it goes up the level. It could take at least 40 years for Kendo-ka to reach eighth-dan.”

“Currently, our Kendo-ka would have to travel all the way to Kuala Lumpur to take the exam organised under the Malaysia Kendo Association, and panel judges from Japan will assess them.

The Malaysia Kendo Association was founded in early 1970 by Toshima Masao who was the former Japanese Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports as a contribution under the Japanese Overseas Cooperation Volunteer (JOCV) programme.

Malaysia officially joined the International Kendo Federation founded in 1970, and since then, has participated in all World Kendo Championships.

“We do hope that one day, when we manage to raise enough funds, we will be able to send our students to Japan, where Kendo was born.

Whether out of curiosity or for self-defence, Chia reiterated that the perks of practising Kendo was that it could greatly improve one’s reflexes as well as correct one’s body posture.

“Like other martial arts, Kendo not only hones one’s alertness and discipline. It contributes a lot in shaping one’s personality and confidence both physically and mentally,” he concluded.