The Great Kendo Contradiction
What is it that Japan can and should do from now? Barely a century has passed since the Butokukai was formed in 1895 and budo was systematically propagated in Japan. In fact, it wasn�ft until 1918 thanks in large part to the efforts of Nishikubo Hiromichi that the term �ebudo�f was denoted as the official term for the martial arts instead of �ebujutsu�f, thereby stressing the character building attributes as opposed to the combative or competitive aspects.(32)

Since the Bakumatsu era, many aspects of the martial arts were in a state of constant flux, and adaptations were made to fine-tune it in order to suit the needs of the day. It is no exaggeration to say, using Hobsbawm�fs term, that a �enew tradition�f was being persistently developed in Japan before budo was ever exported.(33) There were numerous reinterpretations and refining of the rules for competition, ranks, reviews of techniques, and motivations for training and teaching. Kendo has often found itself torn between conflicting definitions. The cause of this is what Otsuka Tadayoshi calls the �gduel structure�h (“ñ�d�\‘¢)�@of kendo, or the inconsistency between ideals of the katana versus shinai.(34)

In short, the principle of �ebutoku�f(•�“¿) or martial virtue espoused by the Butokukai encouraged the adept to use the shinai as a sword in order to attain a state of transcendence over issues of life and death, and also to instil a sense of affinity with the bushi and their ethos known as Bushido. Given such considerations, it was deemed preposterous to celebrate the scoring of a point on an opponent, and do flashy unnatural moves with the shinai that could never be successfully accomplished with a real sword. In effect, the seriousness of the endeavour based on the principles of that most Japanese of weapons, the katana, was precisely what was needed to encourage the perceived ideal character qualities of people of the time.

To encourage these qualities, matches were conducted at the Butokukai where competitors were given scores based on their attacking, posture, attitude, and spirit i.e. those who were deemed to be upholding the principles of the katana scored highly. This system of scoring continued for eight years until 1927 when a unified definition for criteria to judge a valid point was devised by the Butokukai. �gA valid strike (yuko-datotsu) will be when the attack is conducted in full spirit, and the technique is executed with the proper blade angle (hasuji), while maintaining correct posture.�h  (35)

In 1929, against the wishes of numerous kendo leaders, the first of three Emperor tournaments (Tenran-jiai) were held in Kyoto to decide the number-one fencer in Japan. To many, this would spell the demise of kendo, regardless of the honour involved in performing before the Emperor himself. This event saw for the first time a time limit on each bout of five minutes, which encouraged the �ecowardly�f behaviour of some exponents who after scoring first, would sit on that one point until time was up without putting up much of a fight. Nevertheless this provided the catalyst for many more similar tournaments in other sectors of the kendo world up until war loomed.

Wartime kendo called for realism. The shinai was shortened to that of a real sword, as was the tsuka (handle) of the shinai to encourage true cutting action rather than relying on leverage. Also, terminology was changed to �ecut�f (kiru) and �ejab�f (tsuku) rather than �estrike�f, and matches were decided by ippon-shobu (first valid cut i.e. representing true mortal combat). Adepts fought to kill.

A valid cut was redefined then as being one made �gwith emphasis placed on vigorous attacking, the cut or thrust must be accurate and conducted with the spirit of true combat. Particular importance is to be placed on posture and attitude.�h(36)

After the initial prohibition of budo enforced by GHQ in the aftermath of Japan�fs defeat for several years, kendo was eventually reinstated for educational purposes. Various changes were made, but the definition of a valid strike/cut (yuko-datotsu) remained almost the same as the pre-war explanation, and even now is relatively unchanged and abstract in nature.

Having said that, it is the relative romanticism in completing the process of scoring that elusive perfect strike that is so attractive to kendo enthusiasts around the world. But it is also the cause for much confusion. As Otsuka Tadayoshi points out, the emphasis still placed on �gideals of the katana�h has stymied the development of the �gideals of the shinai.�h In other words, there are many aspects of kendo that are nebulous to say the least, and there are calls for complete revision of the current kendo rules and regulations. Although a number of amendments have been made to the rules of kendo in the post-war period some commentators call for debate on what constitutes a valid strike to make it more rational and easier to understand, and conducive to the actual implement being used, a shinai, and the natural progression of the art as a logical modern sport.

Regardless of whether one agrees with this logic, there is much uncertainty in what is expected of the kendoka. That is to say, there exist contradictions in what is considered �estrong kendo�f, and what constitutes �ecorrect kendo�f.(37) Put simply, strong kendo wins matches, but is often sneaky, relies on trickery, can be cowardly, and often pushes the rules to the limit. So-called �ecorrect kendo�f conducted in the true spirit of fair-play is honest, straight, usually executed with big textbook cuts, and stringently adheres to the rules. It may not win, but it is aesthetically pleasing, and shows the admirable trait that the adept is more concerned with developing the self rather than being preoccupied with matters of winning or losing, or being hit. Ideally being strong by being correct is what most kendoka aspire to, but reality dictates that the majority of kendoka are caught in the spectrum somewhere between the two.

This tendency is also very evident in countries outside Japan. From my experience with international kendo, I have trained in dojo which concentrate entirely on �ecorrect kendo�f. Every strike is big, straight and powerful. These exponents are, for the most part, completely oblivious to finer techniques such as well-timed debana-kote as they roll through like bulldozers. They very rarely participate in kendo competitions.

On the other hand there are also dojo which concentrate purely on techniques to win at shiai. I would class this type as a minority at this stage, but certainly growing in recent years. This is obvious by the increasing competitiveness seen at the World Kendo Championships every three years. Nevertheless the general attitude toward shiai by non-Japanese kendoka is expressed in the graph below.(38)

I attribute negation of the supremacy of competition to the missionary efforts of Japanese kendoka who have conscientiously propagated �ecorrect kendo�f as an historical and important Japanese cultural tradition, emphasizing the value of executing large, powerful (but not too forceful), straight techniques with total conviction. In other words, the remnants of pre-war katana kendo. Nevertheless, as kendo matures outside Japan, these attitudes are starting to change. I perceive three main reasons for this.

Firstly, as I have already mentioned, kendo is considered a minority sport in most countries. Each local federation requires financial assistance from government sport trusts and foundations to enable them to publicise the activity to attract more members. Kendo also has to compete with hoards of other minority sports for limited funds. Therefore, the most reliable way to gage the merit of funding is through favourable competition results. The prospect of funding is also another motivation for wishing to belong to an organisation recognised by GAISF, and is an issue that I believe the IKF should prioritise without delay.

Secondly, the rapidly increasing presence of Korean kumdo dojang are providing many countries with a different style which is characteristically more dynamic than Japanese kendo, and openly advocates a competition oriented form. That is not to say that aspects of etiquette, character building, and metaphysical aspects are not an important part of kumdo. However, kumdo tends to openly place more value competition and commercialisation. Kumdo will undoubtedly gain more international momentum in the event their national team defeats the Japanese at the World Championships. Many predict this is not far away.

Thirdly, non-Japanese kendoka are becoming acutely aware and frustrated with the blatant contradictions in what they are being taught as �ecorrect kendo�f by Japanese instructors, and the actual status quo in Japan. Japanese kendo, despite all romantic ideals to the contrary is now very much an activity where winning, often at any cost, is the most important thing. An individual�fs entire career can be decided by one point that they scored in one match at junior high school. Regardless of an awareness of what is �ecorrect�f, like most things in modern society, performance and innovation is a matter of survival, not only for the competitor, but also the coach, and in some cases the entire institution. The persuasiveness of argument for �ecorrect kendo�f is greatly diminished, as is trust, when the very advocators of this ideal resort to other means in order to gain victory in competition. However, this is the reality of kendo in Japan. The issue that must be addressed is how to come to grips with these seemingly opposing ideals.

Very few people outside of Japan would deny that shiai is not an important aspect of one�fs overall kendo training. Again, this is evident in the replies to survey results in the pie chart.(39) However, there are many in Japan and around the world who advocate that although shiai is important, it must not become the sole objective. Therein lays the greatest fear of kendo becoming an Olympic sport, the ultimate achievement for any athletic activity.

Some kendo authorities suggest that to solve this dilemma of sport kendo and correct kendo, two types of kendo should be popularised. One would be traditional Œ•“¹ which upheld the �etrue way�f based on the principles of the sword. The other would be KENDO, a mixture of Japanese and Western ideals in which sporting aspects would be encouraged. The ultimate destination for KENDO would be Olympic participation. These are the terms in which judo (JUDO) is often referred to.(41) However, to most non-Japanese kendoka, this would seem an extremely condescending and hypocritical stance. Before labelling a new kind of kendo with Roman letters to solve the dilemma of sports versus tradition, there are many issues which have to be properly debated and brought to a consensus first. At this crucial stage of kendo�fs development, such an initiative would be a superficial and be neglecting the wider issues. What then are those wider issues? For example;

1. Is kendo in Japan in its current state satisfactory to kendoka? (I.e. competition rules, yuko-datotsu criteria, grading criteria etc.)
2. Has kendo evolved to suit the modern era for people with modern needs? (E.g. Why are fewer people taking up kendo in Japan? What are the main social problems facing youth today, and how could kendo possible help contribute to rectifying them?)
3. Is kendo truly helping people develop body and spirit as the relatively recent Concept of Kendo promises?
4. If not, what changes can be made to help achieve these goals?
5. Are there any outdated traditions, rituals, or modes of thought that should be reviewed or even scrapped entirely in order to make way for new traditions?
6. What are the essential elements (traditional, cultural, metaphysical and physical) that must be maintained at all costs?
7. Are these elements being maintained now any way?

Considering the cultural differences, these are precisely the issues that kendoka outside Japan have had to ask themselves for it to work in their respective countries. In this respect, Japan could very well learn from the kendo minnows of the world.

The ever-increasing popularity of kumdo in Korea and the push of kumdo overseas as a traditional form of Korean culture in recent years, and the formation of the WKA has been a most timely development for Japanese kendo and budo. It has opened the way for much needed self-reflection in the Japanese kendo world by providing the potential spectre of Olympism.

As the extent of Japanese budo�fs international propagation has exceeded the wildest expectations of Japanese nationalists and humanists alike, now is not the time to try and force-feed Japan-centric values on the rest of the world. The �emissionary�f phase budo�fs international propagation has served its purpose. It is true that many countries still lack highly ranked leaders are barely breaking in to a second generational structure as opposed to the luxury of three generations in Japan where younger practitioners have the luxury of many highly experienced sensei and sempai to look up to.(42) Indeed, there is still a distinct lack of human resources and literature to aid in the deeper understanding of kendo/budo ideals outside Japan. In this respect the value of contact with highly ranked Japanese instructors who are dispatched to teach by the IKF cannot be understated, even though they can be financially debilitating for small federations. Nevertheless, now there are growing numbers of experienced non-Japanese budoka who, through much trial and error, and a certain amount of confusion have managed to adapt what was originally Japanese into something workable in their own communities. It goes without saying that when Japanese budo is transplanted in another country or society, with another language, and another set of cultural values, it has to adapt to suit that particular cultural climate. Not to do so would have the same results as planting a cactus in a rain forest, or putting a fresh-water fish in the ocean.

Commonsense dictates that each country is different, and the needs of each society�fs people differ greatly. Thus, even though many aspects of Japanese culture will remain obvious and clearly visible in say a kendo club in the Middle East, there will undoubtedly be many aspects that will be changed out of necessity for it to be of use to the locals and survive into the future. A very simple example would be zarei. It would be unthinkable to perform zarei to another person in say an Islamic country such as Iran, where this ritual already exists as the ultimate expression of deference to Allah. There must be a change made, but the essence of showing respect to one�fs opponent or the like does not necessarily have to be omitted. In fact, such budo ideals as respect, cooperation, and so on are considered to be absolutely essential even if the form it takes is different.