DiscussWorldIssues - Socio-Economic Religion and Political Uncensored Debate - View Single Post - Evolution of Kendo (split from what do you have on zekken?)

**chipkluchi** · 12-03-2005, 08:00 AM

Hi, guys. Haven't been around for a while. Sorry about that!

I know there's a lot of consternation about the future of kendo because so many Asian martial arts have been corrupted by their spread to the west. Sad but true. Karate and tae kwon do are in a mess, and judo/jujutsu isn't what it used to be, they have all lost some of their authenticity, and the biggest problem is that there are now competing organizations with different criterion for rank, etc. Suffice it to say that in these areas, many charlatans abound, the fighting spirits of the arts have been diluted.

For many, the fear that kendo may head this way is of glaring importance, and when folks start screwing around with the uniform, that's just an outward symbol. I have a little faith that kendo will remain true to itself, though. The reason for that is because judo, for example, is a grappling art, and every country has its grappling arts; therefore judo may take on the coloring of that country. With kendo, however, it is a very specific weapon and a very specific set of circumstances for using it. I don't think anyone anytime soon will start adding western sabre techniques to kendo!

Regardless, I think it's also important that kendo have ONE GOVERNING INTERNATIONAL BODY (sorry for screaming) and that we all adhere to its rules. Look what's happened to judo (another sport I play and love); there are four or five different orgs, and they don't agree on rules and ranks, and cetera.

Now, if the one intntn'l body - the ZNKR - says blue or white and that's it, I'm okay with that! An unspoken value of kendo is that unspoken value of the Japanese society, that special kind of conformity.

12-03-2005, 08:00 AM	#9
chipkluchi Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 398 Senior Member	Evolution of Kendo (split from what do you have on zekken?) Hi, guys. Haven't been around for a while. Sorry about that! I know there's a lot of consternation about the future of kendo because so many Asian martial arts have been corrupted by their spread to the west. Sad but true. Karate and tae kwon do are in a mess, and judo/jujutsu isn't what it used to be, they have all lost some of their authenticity, and the biggest problem is that there are now competing organizations with different criterion for rank, etc. Suffice it to say that in these areas, many charlatans abound, the fighting spirits of the arts have been diluted. For many, the fear that kendo may head this way is of glaring importance, and when folks start screwing around with the uniform, that's just an outward symbol. I have a little faith that kendo will remain true to itself, though. The reason for that is because judo, for example, is a grappling art, and every country has its grappling arts; therefore judo may take on the coloring of that country. With kendo, however, it is a very specific weapon and a very specific set of circumstances for using it. I don't think anyone anytime soon will start adding western sabre techniques to kendo! Regardless, I think it's also important that kendo have ONE GOVERNING INTERNATIONAL BODY (sorry for screaming) and that we all adhere to its rules. Look what's happened to judo (another sport I play and love); there are four or five different orgs, and they don't agree on rules and ranks, and cetera. Now, if the one intntn'l body - the ZNKR - says blue or white and that's it, I'm okay with that! An unspoken value of kendo is that unspoken value of the Japanese society, that special kind of conformity.
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