JQ Magazine: Book Review — ‘Kendo: Culture of the Sword’
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“Truly grasping Kendo might feel like learning Japanese—it’s a never-ending journey that feels overwhelming. But with persistence, the content will become easier to understand and quite enjoyable.” (University of California Press)
By Rashaad Jorden (Yamagata-ken, 2008-10) for JQ magazine. A former head of the JETAA Philadelphia Sub-Chapter, Rashaad is a graduate of Leeds Beckett University with a master’s degree in responsible tourism management. For more on his life abroad and enthusiasm for taiko drumming, visit his blog at www.gettingpounded.wordpress.com.
At pep rallies for my school’s sports clubs during my time on JET, I occasionally saw students decked in armor and masks while gripping swords. They were obviously members of the kendo club, but I had no idea what they actually did (other than participate in a martial art I knew nothing about). I was excited to start reading Kendo: Culture of the Sword so I could be properly introduced to the sport.
Written by Alexander C. Bennett, a New Zealander who has served as a professor at Kansai University and the coach of his country’s national kendo team, the book illustrates how kendo has evolved throughout the years from, among other things, a form of military training to a sport in which world championships are conducted every three years. More importantly, Kendo would teach me what happens in the sport.
Indeed, my initial expectations for the book were satisfied early when Bennett explained the “complex” rules and methods of kendo (even before mentioning the rules, he does us a gigantic favor by presenting the various names for Japanese swordmanship throughout the years—kenjutsu was actually the term long used to refer to the martial art). He also shines when he includes images of the sport’s equipment as well as a table detailing how you score a point. Bennett also provides fascinating information about the state of women in kendo: although there are references to women doing kendo that date back to early modern Japan, women only largely started practicing the sport after World War II (girls were traditionally taught naginata or kyūdō instead of kendo). In addition, even though women compete nationally and internationally in championship competitions, very few women hold positions of power in kendo education at a regional or national level.
But shortly into starting Kendo, I was reminded why the title includes the phrase Culture of the Sword. Bennett spends much of the book (well, the first official three chapters—the prologue and introduction explained what kendo and other Japanese martial arts are) educating readers on the rise of swordmanship in medieval Japan and the development of samurai culture in the country’s history. Being a university professor and a prominent figure in kendo, Bennett is certainly able to accumulate extensive information about the history of the sport, and he certainly isn’t shy about using it.
However, the comprehensive material the author uses to educate readers is a double-edged sword. Early highlights of Kendo include more tables that document information such as training exercises in budō (Japanese martial arts) and background about the first schools in Japan to teach swordsmanship. On the other hand, Kendo feels like a journey throughout all of Japanese history that can be overwhelming if you’re not a history buff. Bennett takes readers through eras of Japanese history—such as the Nanbokuchō and Heian periods—fraught with military conflict, which was necessary because “kendo’s lineage can be traced directly back to the warriors of old.” While any comprehensive account of Japan’s most popular martial art needs to contain plenty of information about its development (indeed, kenjutsu transitioned from an activity largely performed by samurai to one belonging to the entire nation), much of Kendo felt dry in the beginning. Serious brownie points to you if you can remember even a third of the major names and events mentioned in the chapters devoted to topics such as medieval warfare, elite swordsmen, and growth of kenjutsu.
Fortunately, the book picks up when Bennett focuses more on the modern martial art known as kendo (the sport’s techniques, ideals, equipment and training methodology were largely developed in the 20th century. In addition, the term kendo didn’t come into vogue until around that time). The latter chapters of Kendo go in detail about the sport’s various phases of evolution, such its utilization as a tool of the government to prepare young men for war; the period during which instruction of the kendo was prohibited in schools; and its rebirth. Finally, Bennett tackles the internationalization of kendo, a development that is actually threatening to some in Japan as they feel the country might lose a sense of leadership in the sport in addition to witnessing its dilution.
JETs reading the paragraphs devoted to Japanese concerns about the internationalization of kendo will certainly be reminded of what foreigners in Japan are constantly told: Regardless of how long you live in Japan and how well you speak Japanese, you will never become Japanese. Bennett uses his standing as someone with a foot each in the worlds of Japanese and international kendo to pass along his thoughts about the sport’s growth. Indeed, Bennett writes that many Japanese find the idea of kendo’s culture being adapted to suit the social and cultural environments of various countries as “undesirable.” And he quotes a high-ranking kendo official who stated, “Our responsibility is to further extend kendo’s role as a form of traditional Japanese culture, and to unpretentiously promote the true form of kendo internationally.”
Bennett also takes advantage of his standing in the sport to address questions raised in the kendo community. For one, is kendo really a sport? And if it is, what sort of sport? That the first question appeared is surprising as the answer seems obvious, but the responses were intriguing. In addition, Bennett brings up the subject of whether kendo should seek admittance into the Olympic Games. The heads of many sports not a part of the five-ringed circus want in, but Bennett makes a compelling case that the Olympics may not be best for kendo.
Truly grasping Kendo might feel like learning Japanese—it’s a never-ending journey that feels overwhelming. But with persistence, the content will become easier to understand and quite enjoyable. You’ll be fascinated by this quintessential Japanese sport.
To read an excerpt from Kendo, click here.
For more JQ magazine book reviews, click here.
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