Plethora of Federations
Recent articles in the leading kendo journals in the world outline kumdo federation developments in Korea, especially the formation of the World Kumdo Association (WKA) and the prospect of kendo becoming an Olympic sport.(11) In the 2000 Kendo World Championships in Santa Clara, and more recently in Glasgow (2003) this prospect was debated to a certain extent by the IKF as the 27^th of October 2001 saw a ceremony in Korea to celebrate the inauguration of the World Kumdo Association, a self-acclaimed rival to the IKF. There were reputedly representatives from thirty countries in attendance. This newly formed entity is currently moving to amass as many affiliates as possible, and openly states inclusion in the �eOlympic Family�f as one of its main objectives.

The mother organisation behind the formation was the Korean Kumdo Federation (KKF), which combined forces with a number of other groups to create the WKA. Before delving into the details surrounding this new federation, it is necessary to clarify the state of Korea�fs hordes of kumdo organisations.

The International Kendo Federation (IKF- �‘�ÛŒ•“¹˜A–¿) was formed in 1970 at a meeting in Tokyo attended by 17 countries and regions with the aim of cultivating goodwill through the international propagation of kendo (iaido, jodo). The IKF is responsible for holding the World Kendo Championships every three years, international seminars, assistance in developing federation infrastructure in kendo developing countries, and information exchange.

The Korean affiliate for the IKF is the Korean Kumdo Association (KKA�|‘åŠØŒ•“¹‰ï), not the Korean Kumdo Federation (KKF�|ŠØ�‘Œ•“¹˜A–¿). They are entirely different rival organisations. In addition to these two groups there is also the World Haedong Kumdo Federation�iWHKF�|�¢ŠEŠC“ŒŒ•“¹˜A–¿�j, which although propagates an art it calls kumdo it is in fact very similar in nature to iaido, and utilises a two-handed sword to conduct kata. Furthermore, the WHKF reportedly has approximately 100,000 members, which makes it a significant force not taken lightly by the KKA. As far as the Korean government is concerned, they are unable to interfere in any way to help reconcile differences, as kumdo is considered no more than a recreational activity. (12)

The KKA relies heavily in its publicity through publications to maintain its prominent position, and are going to great efforts to promote kumdo as an art that utilises bogu and shinai, completely different to what the World Haedong Kumdo Federation is engaged in. There are many offshoots and variations of these federations to be found in Korea itself, and various places around the world. The large number of kumdo associations is a cause of great confusion.

Of course, Japan also has its share of organisational rivalry and confusion, although to a much smaller scale. For example, the Dai Nippon Butokukai (Great Japan Society for Martial Virtue- my trans.), Nihon Kendo Kyokai (Japan Kendo Society- my trans.) and a variant form of kendo at the Nippon Budokan is the Ikkenkai Haga Dojo. They engage in a very physical pre-war style of kendo, which is noticeably different to the style of kendo encouraged by the All Japan Kendo Federation. There are also a number of separate iaido federations.

Nevertheless, all rival organisations in Japan to the AJKF are very small and hardly visible. The AJKF prohibits anyone from simultaneously belonging to and holding grades from the AJKF and other rival organisations. This had the immediate effect of strangle holding the activities of other groups.(13)

The AJKF is the only kendo organisation recognised by the government sanctioned Japan Amateur Sports Association (“ú–{‘̈狦‰ï). They are also affiliated with the Japan Olympic Committee, although are not rated highly by the JOC.(14) In other words, the AJKF is publicly recognised as being the representative of kendo in Japan. In order to be able to participate in the All Japan Kendo Championships and the prestigious National Sports Festival (Kokutai), and the World Championships, the Japanese competitor must be a registered member of the AJKF.

The AJKF equivalent in Korea is the government acknowledged Korean Kumdo Association. They are also afforded the same rights as their Japanese counterparts to participate in the Korean National Sports Meet. Members of this federation are afforded other benefits through being governmentally recognised, such as opportunities to progress through to high school or university on the basis of good competition results, and also some of the top-ranked kumdo practitioners are employed by local governments to teach full time as professionals. They also oversee kumdo which is taught as a compulsory subject at the police academies. Any members of the many other non-recognised organisations are not afforded these same opportunities. However, it seems that many kumdo practitioners in Korea are unaware of the reasons for such disparity, and the KKA reportedly receives many protests at this unequal treatment. (15)

The Olympic Proposal
The Korean kumdo specialist magazine Kumdo World published a special 8-page feature covering the World Kumdo Association formation ceremony and festivities, including interviews with all the leading figures in the WKA hierarchy. The following is a portion of what was written about the event:

�gThe Korean Kumdo Federation (KKF) conducted a ceremony to mark the foundation of the World Kumdo Association on October 27th (2001). With the extensive internationalisation of kumdo, the second most popular Korean martial art, learning from the taekwondo experience, thirteen of the existing eighty or so feuding domestic kumdo organisations decided to join forces to create the WKA. The government sanctioned KKA has received much criticism for following the lead of the Japanese, and being affiliated with the International Kendo Federation (IKF), which is an organisation made by Japanese for Japanese kendo. Until now, kumdo has failed to find a place in the Asian Games and the Olympic Games. To these ends, the KKF, propagator of Korean style kumdo announced that they were aspiring to be accepted as an Olympic event, and to spread kumdo internationally.�h (16)

What does this have to do with the status quo of kendo in Japan? At present, the Japan-based International Kendo Federation is the �erecognised�f international body for overseeing the development and maintenance of kendo throughout the world, being recognised by itself as such. So far, the IKF has showed little interest in becoming affiliated with the Olympic movement. However, there have been voices from within the hierarchy of the federation who state otherwise. I clearly recall a speech given at the closing ceremony of the 2000 Kendo World Championships at Santa Clara in which a Taiwanese official of the IKF expressed his opinion that kendo should strive to become an Olympic sport �gto spread the goodness as far and as wide as possible.�h However, the general opinion of the IKF officials, and most Japan-centric kendo enthusiasts around the world is to keep kendo out of the Olympics.

To test this theory, a total of 264 people from 36 countries answered a Kendo World questionnaire, which was conducted over the Internet. The majority of respondents indicated that they were opposed to kendo becoming an Olympic sport, however, almost 30 percent were in favour.(17)

In Korea, the KKA is concerned with what the WKA is advocating in their views to internationalise kumdo, but at the same time the KKA also agrees that kumdo/kendo should become an Olympic event. In fact, the Managing Director of the KKA was quoted as saying �gKumdo/kendo in countries outside of Japan will never achieve a big following unless it becomes an Olympic sport. It should be developed and made accessible to all people by making appeals to the wonderful attributes to be gained from kendo. Kendo should be for all people all around the world. In Korea and Taiwan, even though there is a certain amount of understanding of the art, it is still difficult to popularise. Representative organisations from other countries, in actuality are no bigger than �eclubs�f.�h (18)

In this sense, even though becoming an official Olympic event is generally opposed by kendo enthusiasts, becoming affiliated with the IOC through belonging to a recognised organisation such as General Association of Sports Federations (GAISF) evidently seems attractive to many small kendo federations around the world. This is because of the greatly increased possibilities for receiving financial finding. In regards to the Olympic issue we also investigated the financial possibilities of becoming affiliated to the IOC. The following chart shows the extent of opinion regarding whether becoming affiliated to the IOC would be financially beneficial for kendo in their country. (19)

Here, the majority of respondents clearly see the financial advantages of Olympic affiliation. This very point was raised at the recent Glasgow World Kendo Championships where a number of European federations expressed their desire to become affiliated with GAISF in order to increase the standing and status of kendo in that country, and also make them eligible for governmentally funded financial aid. Without such financial assistance, the propagation of kendo in each country is very difficult.(20) Naturally, kendo has a cultural base in Japan, and is recognised widely throughout the country as traditional Japanese culture even by people who do not participate. Comparatively speaking, raising the profile of kendo and raising funds for propagation and mere survival is not as big an issue in Japan as it is for the rest of the world�fs kendo federations.

The Process of Induction into the �eOlympic Family�f
This Olympic ripple, which has appeared on the otherwise calm and Japan-centric kendo pond has the potential to develop into a wave of far-reaching consequences to the international kendo community, and Japan. It will more than likely be exasperated by issues of nationalism highlighted by a turbulent history of less than amicable relations between Japan and Korea. As I have already shown, it is true that many Koreans consider kumdo as traditional Korean culture. Naturally, the Japanese also claim kendo as their �eunique�f culture, and a gift to the many kendo aficionados around the world. Other nationalities are not so concerned with issues of suzerainty, but will probably eventually be coerced into taking sides one way or another as the situation gets out of hand. In fact this is already evident to a certain extent now.

Having said that let me review the facts of this recent development in the kendo world that is starting to cause concern. The WKA was formed in October 2001 as a rival organisation to the IKF. The WKA is seen to be recruiting individual clubs and federations on an international scale. The WKA is politically ambitious, and is open about its ambitions of Olympic inclusion. The WKA states clearly that it has no qualms about changing the style and content of kendo to gain the much-coveted status of becoming an Olympic event, like its predecessor taekwondo.

Its first aim is to become affiliated as an IF (International Federation) with an IOC recognised association such as the aforementioned General Association of Sports Federations (GAISF). GAISF, founded in 1967, groups together the International Sports Federations and various associations with the aim of defending worldwide sport, becoming better informed and making themselves known, and cooperating and coordinating their activities. GAISF, along with other IOC affiliated groups such as the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF), the Association of International Winter Sports Federations (AIWF), and the Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations (ARISF) look after the interests of its affiliated sports federations. Belonging to one of these IOC recognised groups doesn�ft mean that the sport in question automatically becomes an Olympic sport, but it does mean inclusion in the Olympic movement. They are considered the �eofficial�f international representatives (IF) of whatever sport they act for, and are allowed to vie for admission as an official Olympic sport. There are a number of martial arts organisations already affiliated with GAISF such as judo, aikido, karate, jujutsu, taekwondo, wrestling, fencing, sambo, and more recently wushu, which is scheduled as a demonstration sport in the Beijing Olympics of 2008.

How feasible are the WKA�fs aspirations? Interestingly, from my research I have found that even though the WKA does have very powerful officials, it does not have the membership to pose as a serious contender to become a member of GAISF yet. To become a GIASF recognised International Federation (IF) requires exposure to intense scrutiny, and needs to be approved at numerous board meetings. Korea has had a successful history of using political weight and know-how to influence sporting decisions in the past. We see examples of Korean success in the Chairman elections of the International Judo Federation, and co-hosting the FIFA 2002 World Cup with Japan. A significant strength that the WKA possesses is its ties with officials connected with taekwondo�fs successful entry into the Olympics. Of particular importance in this development was the nine-times elected President of GAISF, Korean Dr. Un Yong Kim, who is also President of the World Taekwondo Federation, and has recently been re-elected as Vice President of the IOC.(21) Incidentally, the president of the WKA is Jung Hak Seo who was the first Vice President of the International Kendo Federation when it was formed in 1970.(22) Thus, with such a network at their disposal, the WKA certainly has a number of political advantages to advance their objectives.

Nevertheless, to become a sport contested at the Olympics, certain criteria must be met as outlined in the Olympic Charter:

�gTo be included in the programme of the Olympic Games, an Olympic sport must conform to the following criteria:
1.1.1 Only sports widely practised by men in at least seventy-five counties and on four continents, and by women in at least forty countries and three continents, may be included in the programme of the Games of the Olympiad.�h (23)

From what I can ascertain, the WKA does not come anywhere near reaching these figures. The WKA as of November 2003 claims to have approximately 30 international affiliates. Of those, I have only been able to confirm branches in Korea, USA, Taiwan, Canada, Russia, and the UK. Furthermore, information on actual registered members is impossible to ascertain. However, it is fair to assume that the WKA is absolutely no match for the forty-four IKF affiliates (420,404 members not including Japan), and the thirty-eight countries that are seeking affiliation (817 registered members.)(24)

For the WKA in its current state to become affiliated with GAISF would require large-scale fabrication of figures, and some remarkable political manoeuvring, or both. Nonetheless, if through some means the WKA were to become affiliated with GAISF, even if membership is significantly less than that of the IKF, they will be recognised by the IOC as the world�fs representative kendo organisation. If they then decide to adapt the current form of kendo to fit the requirements of the Olympics, they would be well within their rights, and the IKF would be virtually powerless to stop them promoting a hybrid version as �ekendo�f, or �ekumdo�f as the case may be.

Judging from the aforementioned political situation in the Korean kumdo world, it is difficult to imagine that the thirteen organisations that make up the WKA are doing the same style of �gkumdo�h. Furthermore, it seems that some of the WKA officials are not kumdo practitioners but taekwondo.(25) This begs the question, exactly what kind of kumdo/kendo do they intend to popularise around the world? One of the officials of the WKA also mentioned the possibility of introducing electronic scoring equipment along the lines of that utilised in Western fencing matches.

�gWe intend to introduce electronic armour to assist in umpiring. We also intend to make kicks valid for scoring points, and also an accumulative point system to encourage positive and successive attacking. We are looking at ways to make it more interesting.�h(26)

For kendo traditionalists, the act of adapting kendo to suit the requirements of the IOC is the most worrying factor. Indeed, the WKA proposition to use electricity to �eaccurately�f score points, as is done in fencing is almost unthinkable in a conventional sense. Kendo points are based on the technique having been executed with ki-ken-tai-itchi (‹CŒ•‘̈ê’v) and meeting a number of other stringent (often nebulous) requirements that are not obvious to the untrained eye.

According to the official IKF Kendo Shiai and Shinpan Regulations a valid strike (yuko-datotsu) must consist of the following elements;

�gSECTION 2- Article 17. Yuko-datotsu is defined as the accurate striking or thrusting made onto Datotsu-bui of the opponent�fs Kendo-gu with Shinai at its Datotsu-bu in high spirits and correct posture, being followed by Zanshin.�h (27)

The rules for scoring a point in fencing are as follows;

�gAt epee the target includes the whole of the fencer�fs body including his clothing and equipment. Thus any point which arrives counts as touch whatever part of the body (trunk, limbs, or head), the clothing or the equipment it touches�cOnly the indications of the electrical recording apparatus can be taken in to consideration for judging the materiality of touches. In no circumstances can the Referee declare a competitor to be touched unless the touch has been properly registered by the apparatus.�h(28)

Obviously, a mere touch with the blade on the target in kendo is not sufficient according to the current rules. Even though it looks to be connecting, often the attack is not deemed valid in kendo because some of the aforementioned criteria are not met. This aspect of kendo makes it very difficult to follow for people who are not versed in the ways of ki-ken-tai-itchi, and all the elements that have to be present in a strike to make it valid. (Actually, this is a constant point of confusion even for seasoned kendo exponents.)

One important aspect of any Olympic sport is its accessibility to spectators who do not actually participate in the sport. If kendo were to become an Olympic sport, issues such as the difficulty in judging or understanding ippon would have to be overcome with rule changes. One of the foreseeable changes would be the simplification of what constitutes or is judged as a point. Hence, it the WKA�fs idea to use electrical devices such as those used in fencing, which would undoubtedly aid in its �efollowability�f, at least on a superficial level. This, to most kendoists, would be totally inappropriate as such things as striking correct target areas with ki-ken-tai-itchi �i‹CŒ•‘̈ê’v�jfrom correct ma-ai �iŠÔ�‡�jwith the correct part of the shinai maintaining correct hasuji (�n‹Ø) with sae (�á) on impact, followed with zanshin (Žc�S) and so on, contain the essence of what kendo is, and should be retained even if this means casual observers have absolutely no idea of what is going on. Thus, it would be close to impossible for kendo in its current form to become an official Olympic sport.

However, if enough changes were made to its current form, what would be the consequences? Although one can only speculate, it is probable that under such circumstances many newcomers would be attracted to the Olympic version. For good or for bad, the Olympics are the most prestigious sporting event in the world, and many athletes in a number of sports have been financially set up for life through Olympic success. Many lament the apparent loss of budo virtues such as respect, modesty, and general courtesy in judo since it became washed away in the tide of �eOlympism�f, and the fervour to win at all costs to get the gold. Even the Olympics itself is not what it used to be. It states in the first section of the Olympic Charter;

�gModern Olympism was conceived by Pierre le Coubertin, on whose initiative the International Athletic Congress of Paris was held in June 1894�c.Olympism is a philosophy of life , exalting and combining in a balanced whole, the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy found in effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles.�h(30)

It is widely recognised that the so-called Olympic Family is really the Olympic industry using sports as a vehicle to create billions of dollars of revenue. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as people want drama in their lives, and the spectacular sporting stage of �edo or die�f antics offered us by the Olympics fulfils these needs. Why shouldn�ft the athletes who dedicate their lives to their sport profit, and sponsors who make it possible reap the benefits? In many ways, although the target of much criticism in the last decade, the Olympic movement must be commended for their amazing ability to keep with the times, and to a great extent influencing the times.

However, regardless of the controversy surrounding the ethical fortitude of the Olympic movement, what would kendo gain from becoming an Olympic sport? Again, we must rely on pure speculation to answer this question, and it would seem that the perceived benefits I have outlined such as more exposure, more revenue, and more prestige could very well be offset with negative factors such as diminished importance of kendo�fs own perceived �etraditional�f ideals as winning became not everything, but the only thing. Who cares about how nice a person you are when you have an Olympic medal draped around your neck, and a massive endorsement check in the mail from a corporate sponsor? It is difficult to know what the far-reaching implications would be. But, it seems apparent that the time has come for the kendo world to reassess its motives and what it holds dearest in its kendo ideals.

The IKF claims to be �ga non-political and friendly organization and its purpose is to propagate and develop kendo (including iaido and jodo) internationally and to foster the mutual trust and friendship among the affiliates.�h If it wants to do this successfully, it might even want to consider becoming a member of GAISF, so that at least then it has the power to decide its own fate, and the fate of kendo as we know it now, before a hybrid version is able to usurp that privilege.

If kendo were to become an Olympic sport as desired by the WKA, many things would have to be changed, which it is thought would detract from kendo's perceived essence. Much of this paranoia stems from the example of judo�fs inclusion into the Olympics. The ideals of Kano Jigoro, the founder of Kodokan Judo have for the most part taken the back seat in recent years where winning the gold medal rather than developing body, character, and sociability has earned the scorn of many traditionalists.

We see incidents of doping, money for winning, cheating (suspicious dogi), point system instead of clean ippon which is seen to advantage brute strength over technique, unbridled emotional outbursts in victory or defeat when the essence of budo is said to be to control emotion and show respect, death threats (by Japanese) to international referees who are perceived to have made flawed judgments, raucous crowds of the kind seen at football matches, and so on. Also, the recent introduction of blue judo-gi was seen as spitting in the face of Japanese tradition, although very few Japanese exponents could offer much more of a persuasive argument than �gwhite traditionally signifies purity in Japan.�h

What resulted from this furore was a clear demonstration that, although the suzerain country for judo, the Japanese authorities were completely unable to express convincing opinions on the international stage when it counted(31) , be it through linguistic deficiency, lack of political clout, or perhaps even confusion about their own so-called traditional values. What compounds matters for many is the fact that not only Japan is unable live up to the Kano legacy and demonstrate political savoir-faire, the same could also be said out on the mat where it is no longer surprising for Japan�fs top judoka to be defeated with relative ease. All of this has prompted judo authorities to instigate the �eJudo Renaissance�f in Japan in an attempt to go back to basics and reconsider Kano Jigoro�fs humanistic and educational ideals.

With judo looked upon as an example of the overwhelming negative power of internationalisation, kendoka appear to be very wary of too much international propagation, and especially want to avoid any contact with Olympism. There is a stigma attached which is deep-rooted, and in my opinion has certain legitimate grounding. Having said that, the current form of kendo is not really that old anyway, and a very similar debate was raging a few centuries ago about the introduction of such ghastly apparatus as shinai and bogu. This, it was argued would completely corrupt the real kenjutsu into some ridiculous form of senseless stick fighting. Cultural evolution is not necessarily a bad thing. It can be stopped if necessary, as long as the main motives are not sentimental longings for "the way it was in the good old days." When faced with issues like this, it offers an important opportunity to reassess the whole point of doing kendo in the first place.