[numinertyuesk]

After reading some of the posts around I noticed that it seems the general public is not very kendo friendly (or indeed respectful of any real martial arts).
Nor does gross misrepresentation in the media help.

Although not directly kendo related, look at the photo under the American Heritage Dictionary (1983) entry for Judo:
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h4...tionary001.jpg

What peeves do you have of the general public's perceptions of and attitude towards kendo, iaido, jodo and naginatado (and others)?
What can we do to help the situation?

[Lotyqnag]

I think that for the most part, the perception of Kendo by non-practicing Kendoists will pretty much remain the same, which is to say mostly unknown. Certainly the internet has helped in bringing awareness to Kendo, but by and large, at least in the West, it still appears to be a highly niche area. Perhaps the best we can do to promote Kendo and other JSAs is to be a reprehensives to others by our behavior.

-Kendo Forum Hijinks not withstanding.

[haudraufwienix]

REPRESENTITIVES.....not reprehensives .
LOL

[Mr Andrews]

Most people find martial arts childish. Thats until you demonstrate it on them.
I was talking to a friend after practice one day and I was trying to explain what kendo was. I said Japanese fencing. He didn't seem to bothered, that was until I showed him my bokuto...
In hindsight it was a bad idea because he ran off and tried to attack someone with it.

[Wrasialat]

Most people find martial arts childish. Thats until you demonstrate it on them.
I was talking to a friend after practice one day and I was trying to explain what kendo was. I said Japanese fencing. He didn't seem to bothered, that was until I showed him my bokuto...
In hindsight it was a bad idea because he ran off and tried to attack someone with it.

they just pretend to be interested to play with your bokuto lol

[PilotVertolet]

they just pretend to be interested to play with your bokuto lol

haha, no really. He was getting ideas.

[Markdogas]

What can we do to help the situation?

well, getting a haircut would be a nice start...

[Xiciljed]

To some it seems to be a quasi-religion.
To me it seems like a smelly and painful occupation practiced by people who (in Japan at least) are generally conservative and old. What can I do to address my own perceptions?

[aaaaaaaabbbby]

I think we're fighting an uphill battle to combat ignorance about martial arts. There are so many false images out there that no matter what we show the public they simply won't accept it. Every action movie that shows outrageous martial arts stunts feeds the McDojos and makes us look boring.

Society as a whole wants sensationalism and good honest martial arts are too down to earth and "sedate". We don't jump around because it's impractical. We don't clash swords and make sparks fly because you would ruin your weapon. We don't kick to the head because you'd get punched in the boys for your trouble

I think we have to accept that most people are going to look at us as a bunch of lunatics and get a good laugh out of us. We teach those that want to learn and brush off the rest. I'm not saying you shouldn't invite them out to watch or show them what we do but don't let it bother you when they revert to "movie mode" and start whipping your shinai or bokken around. Just duck and wait for them to get tired, or better yet DON'T LET THEM TOUCH YOUR GEAR!!! Your moms porcelin figures will thank you.

[pumpineemob]

if the type of kendo these "passerbys" happen to see is "shit" then i think it's not too obsurd for them to laugh and let their ignorence take over, but if it's in the case of two hachidan sensei doing kendo with each other or say two kendshi who do relatively straight, fast, or whatever the word you want to use for "impressive" type of kendo then. ..I've never seen anyone who despite their ignorance of the art or just doesn't care for kendo make a laughing matter or mockery out of that sort. my point being even if you don't know something, you can still sense the feeling of "dignity", "respects" in its practioners. ..so if people want to laugh maybe we should ask ourselves, is it in my attutide or the way i do it that's making them laugh.

i don't care for making the public more aware of kendo

p.s. speaking of ignorance, it isn't just in the blatant on lookers that i've witness various degree of lack of knowledge, often time I see it in kendo practioners. for some reason there is a huge illusion between the kendo they think they do and they kendo they like to boast about doing.

[gusunsuth]

p.s. speaking of ignorance, it isn't just in the blatant on lookers that i've witness various degree of lack of knowledge, often time I see it in kendo practioners. for some reason there is a huge illusion between the kendo they think they do and they kendo they like to boast about doing.

I think this is mainly due to the anonimity of forums such as this. If no one can see you you feel braver. Some people are just trolls too.

[neerewed]

I think this is mainly due to the anonimity of forums such as this. If no one can see you you feel braver. Some people are just trolls too.

That's right.
On the internet I look like This.

I real life I look more like this

[Fksxneng]

even here in korea, lotsa people when they hear that i do kendo, giggle and ask if i can kill someone with a chopstick...apparently something like that was stated many years ago on television here in korea.

[9wQlZkIj]

That's right.
On the internet I look like This.

I real life I look more like this

You wish you looked like Godzilla....I'd say more like this

[Ikhqgvas]

I like my instructors stance on this issue:

don't talk about it. It takes too much energy to try and explain things to people who aren't willing to dive into it themselves.

[JonnTEN]

To some it seems to be a quasi-religion.
To me it seems like a smelly and painful occupation practiced by people who (in Japan at least) are generally conservative and old. What can I do to address my own perceptions?

lol doesn't anyone in this modern world of ours bring deodorants, and a towel with them??

yeah it is quite hard to explain what kendo is to western people well mostly...

its better to stay quiet than waste your time explaining when they still wont understand in the end... i say give em a first hand experience or let em watch in the dojo... action speaks louder than words

[AdobebePhoto]

I like my instructors stance on this issue:

don't talk about it. It takes too much energy to try and explain things to people who aren't willing to dive into it themselves.

Yes, that's what I usually do as well. Only the more promising/interested people get a thorough introduction. The other mostly don't want to hear anything about it anyway because they can't understand why people would hit each other with sticks and enjoy it... So they get the "it's like fencing, a Japanese martial art".

[pesty4077]

Well so far when I describe it losely as "beating people over the head with bamboo swords" people don't really wonder anymore bcause I usually start off with saying I do karate, which already makes people step back and stare at me funny.

They think I'm some sort if violent little devil or something. Karate seems to have an even worse image than Kendo because of all those MMAers who call what they're doing "Karate" but lack all the philosphy behind it. For me in both Karate and Kendo, the philosphy came first and then the physical passion for each art but try to explain that to someone who isn't interested... they're always very good at the art of rolling the eyes....

I agree with whomever said that the best thing we can do is set an example in everyday life. And by that I do not mean rob old ladies with a bokkuto

[TudareWQT]

Some people I know still think that what I do is karate. Others think I like to dress up and run around pretending to be a ninja.

I've given up trying to explain it to people who clearly aren't interested. At least Japanese people know what kendo is, and if they're of a certain age they understand when I explain iaido as 'battojutsu' (thanks to - ugh - Rurouni Kenshin). It's pretty niche even in Japan though.

The rest of the time... 'Japanese fencing' usually does the trick. I think we have to come to terms with the fact that most people (including many documentary makers and journalists) just don't care enough to get the facts right - especially when the facts appear to be more dry and boring than Hollywood flash.

[G8whlTAe]

yeah I think that is the key point, Oroshi. Kendo is not as flashy and glamorous as people think it is by watching Kill Bill and stuff like that. I was watching the Eiga - one single strike World Championship bit with the really long overtime in the final match with my better half and all I got to hear was "man this is boring, nothing is happening".

Cause when I say "Japanese Swordfighting" they immediatly think of Kill Bill and the likes but when I say then that those movies are fake and have nothing to do with real kendo, people get dissapointed and lose interest. I guess for a non-kendoka Kendo is just really boring. For us every match is exciting to watch. We see so much more. Footwork, Zanchin, kikentai ichi all those things. I mean I'm glued to the screen with every match I watch, and I watch it over and over again so I don't miss any details but that's because I do Kendo and I know all the many difficult things that are part of it.

For a regular viewer, all they notice is the occasional men strike, and then they wonder why it hasn't a scored point.

I guess, astetically, for the general public, big flashy blade dances like in Kill Bill are simply more exciting. Once you dive into the philosophy of what Kendo actually is, you lose the attention of a lot of people so even documentary makers generally don't bother. My Sensei and two of his best students were on a dutch TV show last summer to sort of show what Kendo was and eventhough I thought they did a very good job, I heard from non-Martial Artists who had watched it, that they still thought it was very confusing and very different to what they had imagined "japanese swordfighting" to be like.

In a way, I'm kind of happy that it's so detached from the general public, because it sort of weeds out those wanna be ninja kids who want to just learn how to be a samurai so they can smack each other on the heads with shinai in the back yard. On the other hand, before I started Karate and didn't know much about Martial Arts in general, I didn't even know Kendo existed, eventhough I grew up with Samurai stories. Just somehow I never came across Kendo being mentioned anyone while growing up which is a shame because it makes me so happy now and I wish I could have started much, much earlier.

I think the best thing is to organize open days at local dojos and advertise in other MA schools or like our local Iaido dojo, hang up posters at the local chinese restaurant xD It worked cause it got my attention