DiscussWorldIssues - Socio-Economic Religion and Political Uncensored Debate - View Single Post - New to Kendo, Has Kendo been over romanticized by Hollywood? What is it really like?

**curcercanty** · 09-09-2010, 06:45 AM

I remember also that one episode of the Gung Ho TV series (about Japanese managers trying having culture clashes with their American workers after having been convinced to buy out a decrepit car factory that was going to shut down) where two of the Japanese managers were practicing kendo and the "winner" was the nastier manager that no one liked (I think I remember he used the shinai to sweep the nice manager's legs).

I'm sure that program rings a bell with me, waqs that in the 80's? I'm off to wikipedia for the info.

Hollywood romaticizes/dramatizes everything, that's it's business. 2 hours of repetitive exercise is really only of pleasure to those taking part and even then they'd argue there's a lot of suffering in the process. Really you have to go, see a lesson, feel enthused then go and take part, get past all the beginner's stuff, get into the armour, suffer the indignity of being bottom of the heap for a few months until the next beginner gets into armour. Then you need to keep coming back week in, week out whilst dealing with the setbacks and lack of progress, the injuries that crop up time and again, the days when you really can't be arsed to go to practice but you force yourself because you're letting the other members of the club down if you selfishly don't go. And after failing gradings and still going back for more practice even when every time you face someone you have no idea how to hit them, and they're beginners in bogu for the first time and you're still not progressing and you suck big time you'll realize there really isn't anything romantic about it.

Of course it can be fun and a lot of people like it, a lot of people let it own their soul, some let it borrow their soul for a short period until they become bored or lose commitment and some folk return to it years later or keep coming back to the dojo saying I'm going to start again next month [and the next and then the next]. I wonder which one will pslug be?

09-09-2010, 06:45 AM	#12
curcercanty Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 459 Senior Member	I remember also that one episode of the Gung Ho TV series (about Japanese managers trying having culture clashes with their American workers after having been convinced to buy out a decrepit car factory that was going to shut down) where two of the Japanese managers were practicing kendo and the "winner" was the nastier manager that no one liked (I think I remember he used the shinai to sweep the nice manager's legs). I'm sure that program rings a bell with me, waqs that in the 80's? I'm off to wikipedia for the info. Hollywood romaticizes/dramatizes everything, that's it's business. 2 hours of repetitive exercise is really only of pleasure to those taking part and even then they'd argue there's a lot of suffering in the process. Really you have to go, see a lesson, feel enthused then go and take part, get past all the beginner's stuff, get into the armour, suffer the indignity of being bottom of the heap for a few months until the next beginner gets into armour. Then you need to keep coming back week in, week out whilst dealing with the setbacks and lack of progress, the injuries that crop up time and again, the days when you really can't be arsed to go to practice but you force yourself because you're letting the other members of the club down if you selfishly don't go. And after failing gradings and still going back for more practice even when every time you face someone you have no idea how to hit them, and they're beginners in bogu for the first time and you're still not progressing and you suck big time you'll realize there really isn't anything romantic about it. Of course it can be fun and a lot of people like it, a lot of people let it own their soul, some let it borrow their soul for a short period until they become bored or lose commitment and some folk return to it years later or keep coming back to the dojo saying I'm going to start again next month [and the next and then the next]. I wonder which one will pslug be?
	Quote