Kendo
剣道Kendo is Japanese fencing with the bamboo shinai in bogu armor. A point comes just from a clean hit to four target areas under FIK rules.
Quick Facts
JapanCharacter & Origin
Training
Who It Suits
Organisation & Competition
What the style is built from
Editorial rating on a 0–3 scale, based on how much room each area gets in ordinary training.
Comparisons
Catalogs & Databases for Kendo
About Kendo
Kendo is Japanese fencing with the bamboo sword shinai in bogu protective armor. The International Kendo Federation (FIK) traces its direct origin to the eighteenth century, when kenjutsu schools introduced the shinai, protectors and an iron mask. In the nineteenth century full-contact gekiken bouts followed. Sources differ on the year from which the name kendo has been used (1911, 1912 or 1920). Kendo has no founder, it developed gradually.
Read more
The FIK rules recognize four target areas: men, kote, do and tsuki to the throat. A point, yuko-datotsu, is an accurate hit with fighting spirit, in the correct posture, with the correct part of the shinai and with readiness after the hit (zanshin). Training also includes the Nippon Kendo Kata with seven forms of the long sword and three forms of the short sword. An FIK bout lasts five minutes and is usually fought to three points, and whoever gets two wins. The chief referee and two assistants decide. Grades are divided into kyu and dan, and kendo has no belts. The FIK directive sets the age of 13 for 1st dan and 65 for 9th dan, and the exams include kata and, up to 5th dan, a written test. After the ban in 1946 kendo returned, and in 1952 the All Japan Kendo Federation was founded. The FIK has existed since 1970, holds the world championships every three years and since 2006 has been a recognized federation within GAISF. In Japan budo has been compulsory in junior high schools since 2012.
History
The International Kendo Federation (FIK) gives as the direct origin of modern kendo the training introduced in the Shotoku era (1711–1715) by Naganuma Shirozaemon Kunisato of the Jiki-shinkage-ryu school: protective equipment and the bamboo shinai. According to FIK, Nakanishi Chuzo of the Itto-ryu school added the iron men mask and bamboo armour in the Horeki era (1751–1764), and these spread quickly among the schools. In the 1820s, Chiba Shusaku introduced full-contact gekiken fights, and his dojo Genbukan divided bamboo-sword training into 68 techniques. In 1876 the government banned former samurai from wearing swords and kenjutsu declined, reviving after the Seinan rebellion (1877) mainly in the Tokyo police. In 1895 the Dai Nippon Butokukai was formed. According to the All Japan Kendo Federation, the word kendo was first officially used in 1912, and in 1919 kenjutsu and gekken were collectively renamed kendo. In 1912 the Nippon Kendo Kata was also created, completed in 1933. After Japan's defeat in 1945 kendo was banned. In 1950 it returned as shinai competition, in 1952 under its own name, and on 14 October 1952 the All Japan Kendo Federation was founded. The FIK followed in 1970.
Technique
The FIK rules (Regulations of Kendo Shiai and Shinpan, 2006, revised 2017) recognize four target areas: men (shomen and sayu-men above the temples), kote (the right and left forearm), do (the right and left side of the trunk) and tsuki, a thrust to the throat. A point, yuko-datotsu, is according to Article 12 an accurate hit on a designated area delivered with fighting spirit, in the correct posture, with the correct part of the shinai at the correct angle (hasuji) and followed by zanshin, that is, continued readiness after the hit. Mere contact therefore does not establish a point. The hit should land with the front side of the upper third of the shinai (monouchi), which corresponds to the edge of the sword. Tsuki aims at the throat alone and in free practice as well as in competition it is often limited to holders of higher dan grades, because a badly directed thrust can seriously injure the neck. The rules also penalize offenses. Two hansoku under Article 17 give the opponent a point, and graver offenses under Articles 15 and 16 lead to exclusion (taijo) and the opponent receives two points.
Training
Kendo is practiced barefoot, and a hit is accompanied by a stamp (fumikomi-ashi) and a shout (kiai). In 2003 the All Japan Kendo Federation introduced a set of basic exercises with the wooden sword bokuto. Alongside work with the shinai, training includes the Nippon Kendo Kata. It consists of the tachi-no-kata with seven forms and the kodachi-no-kata with three forms, and for dan exams it is practiced from the 1st level. An MRI study of twenty university kendo practitioners, ten men and ten women (Iwamoto et al., J Musculoskelet Neuronal Interact 2025), found a larger cross-section of the Achilles tendon in the left leg than in the right, found no relation to jumping performance, and the authors link the difference to the movement load on the left leg in kendo. We have not found an independent description of the structure of a lesson, the usual training frequency, or the time after which a beginner first practices in armor.
Ranks and progression
Kendo distinguishes student grades kyu and master grades dan, and has no belts. Under the FIK directive (Standard Guideline for Dan/Kyu Examination) each organization sets its own kyu exams, and the usual order runs from 6th to 1st kyu. For dan the directive sets minimum intervals: 1st dan requires 1st kyu and age 13, 2nd dan one year after 1st dan, and the further grades two, three, four, five and six years after the previous one up to 7th dan. For 8th dan ten years after 7th dan and age 46 are needed, for 9th dan age 65. From age 60 shorter intervals apply between 6th and 8th dan. Sources differ on the minimum age for 1st dan, giving 13 or 14 years, and according to Korean sources Korea requires 14 years and for 8th dan 48 years. The exam for 1st to 5th dan has a practical part (jitsugi), the Nippon Kendo Kata and a written test, for 6th and 7th dan jitsugi and kata. From 1st dan three to seven forms of the tachi-no-kata are performed, and from 4th dan three forms of the kodachi-no-kata in addition. The exam for 8th dan and above is set by each organization. The All Japan Kendo Federation has not awarded 9th and 10th dan since 1952. Alongside dan there are the titles renshi (from 6th dan), kyoshi (renshi and 7th dan) and hanshi (kyoshi and 8th dan), and the FIK directive does not contain them.
Who it suits
The FIK guidelines envisage practitioners from childhood to old age: 1st dan can be taken from age 13 and 9th dan from age 65. The FIK rules (2023) divide shinai by age into the categories of junior high school grades 1 and 2, university, and adult, and set a minimum weight separately for women and men. Junior high school pupils (aged 12–15) have a shinai of up to 114 cm, at least 440 g for boys and 400 g for girls. In Japan, since April 2012 budo has been a compulsory part of physical education in the 1st and 2nd year of junior high school for boys and girls alike, and according to the Japan Society schools choose among judo, kendo and sumo. Japanese sources state that elementary and junior high school pupils, by agreement, do not score with one-handed techniques. Takizawa Kozo hanshi writes in a text from 1978 that after the war tsuki was found too dangerous for this age and younger and was banned in matches. The FIK rules contain no age ban on tsuki. In a survey of 143 Japanese university kendo practitioners (Kimura et al., Keio J Med 2026), women reported injuries 4.9 times more often than men. We found no figure for the share of women among kendo practitioners, no study of injuries in children, and no para category of the FIK.
Competition
Competitions follow the FIK rules (Regulations of Kendo Shiai and Shinpan). Under the 2006 version with the 2017 revision, a standard bout lasts five minutes, the extension (encho) three minutes, and in the extension whoever scores a point first wins. A bout is usually fought to three points and whoever gets two wins. The panel of referees consists of the chief referee shushin and two fukushin, who hold a red and a white flag, and a point counts when at least two of them agree. Use of unauthorized equipment means loss of the bout and two points for the opponent. The version of 26 July 2023 explicitly prohibits substances on the WADA list. In Japan the length of a bout depends on age: two minutes for elementary school pupils, three minutes for junior high school and four minutes from high school upward. The finals of major tournaments such as the All Japan Championship have lasted ten minutes since 2007. The FIK has held the world championships every three years since 1970, and the first took place in Tokyo’s Nippon Budokan hall.
Gear
The bogu armor consists of the men mask, the kote gloves, the do trunk protector and the tare apron. Beneath it one wears the keikogi jacket, the hakama trouser-skirt and, under the mask, the tenugui cloth. The supplementary FIK rules of 2023 require that the side guards of the men protect the shoulder joints and that the kote protect at least half of the forearm. The do is traditionally made of lacquered bamboo, cheaper versions of lacquered paper fiber or molded plastic. The shinai must be shorter than 114 cm for junior high school, 117 cm for high school and 120 cm for university and adults. The minimum weight is 440, 480 and 510 g for men and 400, 420 and 440 g for women. The age of the mask matters. A study of impacts on a sensor-equipped mannequin (Ta et al., Cureus 2024, 10 kendo practitioners, over 4,000 strikes) found that wider stitching of the men (8–9 mm) and polyurethane padding absorb impact more effectively than denser stitching and cotton. A follow-up study (Wong et al., Cureus 2026, 7 kendo practitioners) measured 22 to 32.8% lower energy absorption in masks older than five years. We have not found the weight of the complete armor or the prices of equipment in the sources.
Philosophy
The All Japan Kendo Federation formulated the concept of kendo in 1975: kendo is a way to discipline the human character by applying the principles of the sword. The text on the purpose of practice, dated 20 March 1975, speaks of shaping mind and body, cultivating a vigorous spirit, esteeming courtesy and honour, associating with others with sincerity, and lifelong self-improvement. It adds that kendo should also lead to love of country and society, a contribution to culture and the promotion of peace among nations. The Principles for the Guidance of Kendo Instruction, which the federation dates 14 March 2007, lead teachers to teach shinai handling by the principles of the real sword and to understand kendo as a way to the unity of mind, spirit and technique (shin-ki-ryoku-itchi). They stress etiquette (reiho), respect for the partner even in competition and mutual improvement (koken-chiai). According to them, kendo is a lifelong path walked by different generations together. Britannica notes that after the unification of Japan around 1600 samurai lost opportunities to fight and practised swordsmanship for discipline, patience and character.
Styles and schools
Kendo has no styles in the traditional sense. The All Japan Kendo Federation oversees three paths, kendo, iaido and jodo, and awards dan grades and titles in them. The International Kendo Federation FIK, founded in 1970, supports the same three arts worldwide. Iaido is the art of rapid sword drawing, based on techniques of the Muromachi period (1333–1573). The federation describes it with kendo as two sides of one coin. In 1969 it created seven standardised forms of seitei iaido, in 1980 three were added and in 1999 two more, and today there are twelve. Jodo is the art of the 128 cm jo staff, in which one partner uses a sword and the other the staff. It has belonged to the federation since 1956, and its forms were set in 1968. In competition one may also fight with two swords (nito), and the FIK rules have a special table of shinai dimensions for it. The Nippon Kendo Kata was created in 1912 on the commission of the Dai Nippon Butokukai and combined the techniques of various traditional schools into a single form. This is how kendo differs from the old kenjutsu schools, which arose from the Warring States period to the early Edo period, each with its own techniques.
Today
Kendo today is covered by the International Kendo Federation (FIK), founded in 1970. Since April 2006 it has been the recognized world federation of kendo within GAISF. Besides kendo it also promotes iaido and jodo, and the All Japan Kendo Federation holds, in addition to kendo tournaments, the All Japan Iaido Taikai and the All Japan Jodo Taikai. Several studies exist on load. A retrospective survey of 143 Japanese university kendo practitioners (Kimura et al., Keio J Med 2026, an average of 12.9 years of practice) found an annual injury prevalence of 43%, and for people with a BMI of at least 25 injuries were 3.7 times more frequent. A review on heat stress (Shishido and Kagawa, J Funct Morphol Kinesiol 2024) reports a high incidence of heat stroke in kendo and a missing guideline for training in the heat. A case report from 2026 (Sugasawa et al.) describes a woman around 50 who developed an aneurysm of the external jugular vein after a tsuki hit to the throat, removed by surgery. A study of 80 former university kendo practitioners (Abe et al., Am J Hum Biol 2024) found no difference in handgrip between the present and the university measurement. We have not found a study on the fitness benefit of kendo or a source on the transfer of training into self-defense.
In culture
Kendo has a firm place in school. According to the Japan Society, budo became a subject in secondary schools by 1918, was removed from schools under the American occupation and returned only in the fifties. The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls kendo a very popular school sport that develops body and mind, and recalls that the swordsmanship of the samurai also included moral and Zen training. According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, anime and films helped the popularity of kendo, among them Musashi no Ken, Demon Slayer and The Last Samurai. The manga Musashi no Ken, about a boy who wants to become a kendo master, won the 29th Shogakukan Manga Award. Christopher Yang, a kendo pioneer in the USA, began kendo according to the Tokyo government after seeing this series on television as a boy. The manga Bamboo Blade follows a girls' kendo club at a high school and its teacher.
Did you know
The four-slat bamboo shinai (yotsu-wari) arose at the end of the Edo period and was more durable than the earlier shinai in a cloth sleeve. The torso protector do of tanned leather hardened with lacquer comes from the same time. According to Britannica, the attacker must call out the name of the struck area together with the strike. After the war the terminology changed during the revival of kendo, and expressions such as slash or cut fell out of use. Kendo was a demonstration sport at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 1964. The first world championship was held in 1970 at the Nippon Budokan with 17 countries and regions, and according to the FIK women's competitions were added in 1997. Japan, per the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, won every discipline in championship history up to 2003. In March 2023, 2 027 257 dan holders in kendo were registered in Japan, of them 609 731 women. In May 2015 the FIK had 57 member countries and regions.
Styles & Branches
Frequently asked questions
What is kendo?
According to the All Japan Kendo Federation, kendo is a budo in which practitioners in protective armor strike with a bamboo sword called a shinai and develop mind, body and character. Britannica defines it as traditional Japanese fencing derived from the combat methods of the samurai, and the name means the way of the sword.
What is kenjutsu?
Kenjutsu is Japanese swordsmanship whose schools arose from the Warring States period to the early Edo period. Kendo developed from its training with protective armor and a bamboo sword, and the word kendo was first officially used in 1912.
What is iaido?
Iaido is the art of drawing the sword quickly, based on techniques from the Muromachi period (1333–1573). Under the All Japan Kendo Federation it has twelve standardized forms of seitei iaido and, since 1966, its own Japanese championship.
What are the rules of kendo?
There are four target areas: the head (men), the forearm (kote), the side of the torso (do) and a thrust to the throat (tsuki). A point is awarded only for an accurate strike delivered with fighting spirit, with the correct part of the shinai and followed by continued alertness (zanshin). A match lasts five minutes, the first to score two points wins, and three referees decide.
What are the ranks in kendo?
Kendo has student grades called kyu and master ranks called dan, and no belts. Under the FIK guideline, 1st dan can be earned from age 13, minimum intervals of one to six years apply between further dan ranks, and 8th dan requires ten years after 7th dan and age 46. Besides dan ranks there are the titles renshi, kyoshi and hanshi.
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.