Get to know us. Your friendly local student club. – HY Kendo EN

What is kendo?

The Concept of Kendo

The concept of kendo is to discipline the human character through the application of the principles of the katana (sword).

Kendo is a Japanese martial art that involves using bamboo swords (shinai) and protective armor (bogu) to engage in simulated sword fights. It emphasizes discipline, respect, and the development of one’s character through rigorous training and adherence to traditional techniques.

The purpose of Kendo extends beyond physical combat skills. It aims to cultivate a practitioner’s character, focusing on discipline, respect, mental fortitude, and self-improvement. Kendo practitioners strive for continuous self-improvement, aiming to achieve harmony between mind, body, and spirit through dedicated training and adherence to the principles of Kendo. Additionally, Kendo fosters camaraderie among practitioners and contributes to the preservation of Japanese cultural heritage.

Kendo got its current form in the 20th century, when the sport also began to spread to other parts of the world. Kendo has been practiced in Finland since 1986. Kendo is a technical sport that also improves fitness, body control and concentration.

simple, efficient, keywords, / link to trusted and established external wepage, EKF, IKF, FKA… link to posts

What is HY Kendo ? – date of creation, bit of history… Our goals and rules (link) – asa-geiko style , breakfast, student-friendly blablabla

How does the club work? –

general training + basic course / competition / other events / being part of the student union and unisport.

training and training fee, payment and enrollement -link to suomisport / link to basic course / link

Google translate of original page, can be used, adapted and so on:

Kendo is a modern budo sport that has its roots in the Japanese swordsmanship tradition.

PRACTISING
Practicing kendo includes three areas:
practicing with others, taking placement tests and competing.
Normal kendo exercises consist of a warm-up, various technique and attack exercises and a free match (ji-keiko). In a free match, both sides can try and apply the techniques learned in training to make a hit worth a point (ippo). Kendo training also includes katas. They are pre-determined sets of movements to be performed with a partner.

LEVEL EXAMINATIONS
Kendo uses the dan and kyu values familiar from other budo sports. The purpose of the system is to create intermediate goals for training and to unify kendo teaching. In Finland, a beginner advances from the 6th kyu to the 1st kyu, after which we advance in ascending order of dan values. Dan and kyu grades are achieved by participating in level exams.

COMPETITION
You can participate in the competition first as a spectator or an administrator, then as a competitor and finally as a judge. Competing is not mandatory, but usually once enthusiasts have tried it, they find it a good way to develop their skills and try out the learned techniques in real situations. Individual and team matches are played in kendo. There are two competitors and three judges on the field at a time. Matches end at two points or until the Match Time (3-5 minutes) is filled.

MORE INFORMATION
Wikipedia article on kendo
Helsinki kendo club Ki-Ken-Tai-Icchi’s article about kendo training
Oulu kendo club Hokufu’s kendo glossary
Homepage of the Central Federation of Finnish Kendo Clubs
Frequently asked questions

All posts linked to the the clubs organization:

• Guess what we did?! We built a competitive Regional Kendo League in Finland.
• The University of Helsinki Kendo club updated its rules in 2007
• Yhdistyksen säännöt Helsingin Yliopiston Kendoseura – 2007
• Helsingin Yliopiston Kendoseura säänot