Kumdo
검도Korean sport fencing with a bamboo sword, adopted from Japan under Japanese influence. It has its own terminology and domestic rules, and at world championships follows FIK rules.
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South KoreaCharacter & 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.
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About Kumdo
Kumdo is the Korean form of sport fencing with the bamboo sword. It came to Korea from Japan: from 1895 cadets of the police academy trained in gekiken under Japanese advisers, in 1904 and 1906 fencing penetrated schools and the army, and under Japanese administration it became a compulsory school subject in 1939. After liberation Dae Han Kum Sa was formed in 1948, the predecessor of today’s Korea Kumdo Association. According to Oda Yoshiko (2015), Korea derives kumdo from the hwarang-do of the Silla era and Japan derives kendo from bushido. We have not been able to document a direct continuity with an older domestic fencing tradition.
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Fencers attack with the bamboo sword jukdo to the head, wrist and waist and with a thrust to the throat. A point counts only with the simultaneous unity of kiai, correct use of the sword and movement of the body, in Korean gigeomche. Kumdo uses Korean terminology, and instead of the Japanese zanshin, jon-shim is used. Under the Korean rules an individual bout is fought to three partial points, whoever gets two wins, in a regular time of five minutes. Practice is barefoot in hogu protective armor, which beginners add after roughly two months. The grades are 9 kyu and 9 dan, 1st dan from age 14 under the Korean exam regulations. The Korea Kumdo Association is a member of the International Kendo Federation, and at the world championships bouts follow the international rules. In 2006 the South Korean team won the first team title outside Japan. Kumdo differs from kendo in terminology, domestic rules, clothing and support for an Olympic program, which the Japanese federation does not share.
History
Bamboo-sword fencing developed in Korea from Japanese developments. The bamboo sword and armour were introduced in Japan in the Shotoku era (1711–1716) by Naganuma Shirozaemon Kunisato of the Jikishinkage-ryu school. The sporting form of fencing reached Korea with Japanese influence: after the Kabo reforms of 1894, from 1895 cadets of the Korean police academy had to train in gekiken (in Korean kyokgom) under Japanese advisers. This was the introduction of fencing in the police, not the origin of an independent art. The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture gives 1896 as the beginning of the spread of Japanese kendo, when the Gyeongmucheong police office and an army school adopted fencing. In 1904 and 1906 fencing reached Korean schools and the army. Under Japanese administration after the annexation of 1910, kendo was taught at Korean schools and in 1939 became a compulsory subject. After liberation, a kumdo tournament of the Seoul police was held in 1947 and the first nationwide police tournament in 1950. Sources state that on 20 May 1948 about a hundred masters met at the Changdeokgung palace and founded Dae Han Kum Sa, the predecessor of today's Korea Kumdo Association, which was officially launched in 1953. The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture places the founding of Daehan Geomsahoe on 3 June 1948. In 1956 kumdo returned to the National Sports Festival after a twenty-year break.
How it differs
According to the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture, kumdo and Japanese kendo have the same target areas, the head, the wrist and the waist by a strike and the throat by a thrust, and the same match of three partial points, in which the winner is the one who first gets two. The Korea Kumdo Association has been a member of the International Kendo Federation (FIK) since 1970, which had 64 member countries and regions as of July 2024, and world championships are fought under common rules. The difference is mainly in teaching. According to the Korea Herald, to advance in the geup and dan grades kumdo practitioners must practise the Korean forms Bonguk Geombeop and Joseon Sebeop, and this is what distinguishes kumdo from kendo. Haidong gumdo must be distinguished from kumdo. A US Army article describes it as a sword art focused on fighting several attackers instead of one-on-one duels, with emphasis on forms and precise sword handling. A scholarly article about Mexican practitioners (Orozco Calderón, 2016) calls its style circular and flowing and explains the name haidong as the sun rising over the eastern sea, i.e. Korea.
Technique
The valid target areas are the head (men), the wrist (kote), the waist (do) and a thrust to the throat (tsuki). A point counts only when the attack is accompanied simultaneously by kiai, correct use of the sword and correct movement of the body. The Korean term for this unity of spirit, sword and body is gigeomche, the counterpart of the Japanese ki-ken-tai-ichi. Korean sources state that the attacker shouts the name of the target or a sound at the hit, for example “meori” for the head, “sonmok” for the wrist, “heori” for the waist and “jjireum” for the thrust. Descriptions of kumdo further state that it stresses quick short attacks, whereas kendo stresses rather one decisive strike.
Training
The Korea Kumdo Association (Daehan Kumdo Hoe) states that a beginner masters the basics within three months of joining and may wear the protective armour hogu, and that with an average of one hour of practice a day, 1st dan can be obtained in roughly a year. The association's teacher guidelines require thorough teaching of behaviour, etiquette, putting on the dogi and putting on the hogu before technique. The association divides practice into nine areas, from basic practice (gibon yeonseup) through hogyeok yeonseup and buchugi yeonseup to match practice (sihap yeonseup), warm-up with stretching and instructions for the dojang.
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The foundation is five sword stances, jungdan-se (middle), sangdan-se (upper), hadan-se (lower), eokkae-kal (sword on the shoulder) and heori-kal (sword at the hip), and four ways of footwork, botong geotgi, mireo geotgi, beollyeo geotgi and ieo geotgi. Strike practice progresses from swinging in the air (huri-gi) through striking in three, two and one beat to quick strikes with a step forward and back, and the association recommends slow practice in front of a mirror. Continuous practice yeongyeok begins with a strike to the head, followed by four strikes alternately left and right to the head when advancing and five when retreating. The basic distance ilgeok-ilto is where the sword tips in the middle guard overlap by about 10 centimetres. The association's examination regulations (26th amendment of 30 September 2026) set a practical examination, the Korean forms bonguk geombeop, the kata kendo no hon and, from 1st to 4th dan, written parts as well. Kendo no hon is examined at 1st kyu in daedo 1 to 3, at 1st dan daedo 1 to 5, at 2nd dan daedo 1 to 7 and from 3rd dan daedo 7 and sodo 3, and the International Kendo Federation FIK in its model of 2012 requires 7 tachi forms and 3 kodachi forms for 4th to 7th dan. The association also states that the Joseon Sebeop set, first described in the Wubeizhi by Mao Yuanyi, has 24 stances, of which it has so far standardised 8. A study of 20 elementary school pupils in Seoul (Korean Journal of the Elementary Physical Education, 2012) compared a twelve-week programme of kumdo alone and kumdo with strength training, and found a greater rise in muscle strength and endurance in the strength-training group, while the authors themselves note limited generalisability.
Ranks and progression
Kumdo has 9 kyu grades, counted down from 9th to 1st, and 9 dan grades. The lowest kyu grade depends on the beginner's age: 9th kyu up to 12, 7th kyu from 12 to 15, 5th kyu from 15. Kyu grades are awarded on behalf of the association by the regional association chairman, dan grades directly by the Korea Kumdo Association. Its examination regulations (amendment of 16 July 2025) set age 13 for 1st dan, no age limit for 2nd dan and 16 for 3rd dan. 8th dan needs 10 years after 7th dan and age 46, as at the International Kendo Federation, 9th dan a further 10 years after 8th dan and age 65.
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Only a member who has belonged to an association establishment for at least 6 months may sit the dan examination in a regional association. For the central examination, a candidate must complete at least two association-designated seminars in the last four years. Recognised schools and dojang may hold their own 1st and 2nd dan examinations on the recommendation of a head instructor with 6th or 8th dan respectively. There are also children's dan regulations: a child's 1st dan is gained at ages 9 to 13, 6 months after 1st kyu, and at 13 is recognised as a regular 1st dan. From 5th dan the titles yeonsa, gyosa and beomsa are awarded, corresponding to the Japanese renshi, kyoshi and hanshi. The Korea Kumdo Association is a member of the International Kendo Federation (FIK), and other member organisations, such as the American AUSKF, also recognise its grades.
Competition
Under the Korean rules an individual bout is fought to three partial points and whoever gets two wins. The usual time is five minutes, and in a tie a three-minute extension to the first point follows. The contest area has a side of 9–11 m with a margin of at least 1.5 m. In team matches individuals compete in a predetermined order, and in a tie a bout of representatives decides. Referees hold blue flags instead of red ones. We have not been able to trace the official text of the rules of the Korea Kumdo Association. The dissertation of Oda Yoshiko (2015) states that the Korean domestic rules arose as a translation of the international ones, but replaced the names of the target areas and the referees’ commands with Korean ones. They also differ in the clothing of competitors and referees and in the approach to fouls, and each revision moved them further from the international text. At the FIK world championships the international rules apply. At the 13th world championships in Taipei in December 2006, the South Korean men’s team defeated the USA in the final and won the first team title outside Japan.
Gear
The bamboo sword jukdo has a length of 120 cm for adults and a minimum weight of 510 g for men and 420 g for women. It consists of four bamboo slats with a leather hilt, and in official competition only a bamboo sword may be used. The protective armor hogu includes a helmet protecting the head and throat, a chest protector, a protector of the hips and groin and padded gloves, and a mouthguard is recommended. A cross-sectional study of 400 Japanese kendo practitioners (a medRxiv preprint) reports mouth injuries in 44.8% of respondents, while three of them (0.8%) wore a mouthguard. Beginners first practice in clothing alone, the hogu armor follows after about three months of basic training, per the association. Practice and competition are barefoot. The Korean white dogi has black vertical stripes on the trousers, and Korean national teams wear white keikogi with black trim at national tournaments.
Philosophy
A dispute surrounds the origin of kumdo. The dissertation of Oda Yoshiko (2015) on the clash of Japanese kendo and Korean kumdo describes that Japan derives kendo from bushido, whereas Korea derives kumdo from the hwarang-do of the era of the Silla kingdom. The author also states that Korean sources date the use of the word kumdo to approximately 1910. She finds no documented source for this and links it with the annexation of Korea by Japan in the same year. After independence, according to Oda Yoshiko, Korea replaced the Japanese concept of zanshin with the Korean jon-shim. The author links this with resistance to Japanese kendo, in which martial ideals were associated with militarism. We have not been able to document a direct continuity of today’s kumdo with an older domestic fencing tradition.
Today
The Korea Kumdo Association (Daehan Kumdo Hoe) is a member of the International Kendo Federation (FIK), founded in 1970. According to available descriptions, many American kumdo clubs affiliate with overseas branches of the Korean association, not with the American FIK member organization (AUSKF). According to Oda Yoshiko (2015), Korean kumdo seeks inclusion among the Olympic sports and professionalization, whereas the Zen Nippon Kendo Renmei insists on amateurism. The Korea Kumdo Association thus supports an Olympic program, unlike most FIK members including Japan. Sources also mention the World Kumdo Association, formed around 2001 by merging thirteen smaller organizations, which criticizes the Korean association and wants to compete with the FIK. The Korean grading regulations include the separate Korean forms bonguk geombeop and Joseon Sebeop. Kumdo is not to be confused with haidong gumdo. The Taekwondo Preschool website states that it was created by Kim Jeong-ho and Na Hanil, that Kim opened the first dojang in Anyang in July 1982, and that it is a different style focused on Korean martial techniques, not on sport competition.
Did you know
According to the Korea Herald, kumdo means the way of the sword. The ninth dan cannot be obtained by examination and is awarded after consultation of the holders of the 8th dan. The form Bonguk Geombeop has 33 movements and according to tradition was created by hwarang warriors of the Silla kingdom. Bonguk geombeop is among the 24 martial arts in the manual Muye Dobo Tongji compiled under King Jeongjo. According to the Korea Herald, the form Joseon Sebeop is mentioned in a Chinese book of 1621 on Asian military tactics and, unlike Bonguk Geombeop, is practised with a real sword. The Korean team was second at the world championships in Sapporo in 1979 and third in São Paulo in 1982. At the 13th world championships in Taipei in December 2006, South Korea beat the USA 2:0 in the team final and, according to the Taipei Times, Japan for the first time in the tournament's history did not win the title. Captain Kim Jeong-guk scored the deciding strike to the head. The world championships were held in Korea in September 2018 in Incheon, with Japan first and Korea second in the men's team event.
Frequently asked questions
What is kumdo?
Kumdo is the Korean form of bamboo sword fencing. According to the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture, it is a contest between two competitors in protective armor (hogu) who strike or thrust with a bamboo sword at designated target areas of the opponent. The name translates as the way of the sword.
What is the difference between kumdo and kendo?
Target areas and scoring are the same in kumdo and kendo, and common FIK rules apply at world championships. According to the Korea Herald, kumdo differs from kendo by the Korean forms Bonguk Geombeop and Joseon Sebeop, which are required for advancing in grades. Korean domestic rules also use Korean names and commands.
Who governs kumdo?
In Korea, kumdo is governed by the Korea Kumdo Association (Daehan Kumdo Hoe), founded on 20 November 1953 according to the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture. Since 1970 it has been a member of the International Kendo Federation (FIK), based in Tokyo.
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.