DiscussWorldIssues - Socio-Economic Religion and Political Uncensored Debate - View Single Post - Kendoist, Kenshi, what to call practitioners.

**megasprut** · 09-21-2006, 12:16 AM

Just out of curiosity, who's gotten offended over this? I've never seen it brought up before.

I don't think it's really a matter of being offended. Both kendoka and kenshi seem to be acceptable in the English speaking kendo world. It would seem strange to me to use either of those terms in Japan though. I asked my wife (who is Japanese) what kind of person she thought the term "kendoka" would describe. She said it sounded like someone who had their own dojo and was carrying on a tradition (like the dojo had been passed on from father to son over a few generations). My wife doesn't actually do kendo though, so I should probably ask some of the sensei I practice with what they think.

Kenshi basically means "swordsman", which, however seriously I take kendo, I don't consider myself to be. I guess that's why I go with the "I practice kendo" approach as well.

09-21-2006, 12:16 AM	#25
megasprut Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 493 Senior Member	Just out of curiosity, who's gotten offended over this? I've never seen it brought up before. I don't think it's really a matter of being offended. Both kendoka and kenshi seem to be acceptable in the English speaking kendo world. It would seem strange to me to use either of those terms in Japan though. I asked my wife (who is Japanese) what kind of person she thought the term "kendoka" would describe. She said it sounded like someone who had their own dojo and was carrying on a tradition (like the dojo had been passed on from father to son over a few generations). My wife doesn't actually do kendo though, so I should probably ask some of the sensei I practice with what they think. Kenshi basically means "swordsman", which, however seriously I take kendo, I don't consider myself to be. I guess that's why I go with the "I practice kendo" approach as well.
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