Conclusion
In effect, Japan’s international contribution to the world through the spread of budo was to provide a blueprint, which although retaining essential elements, has evolved sometimes successfully, and sometimes not. The evolution is subtle in some cases, such as the aforementioned Korean adaptations in kumdo, and more explicit in others with the creation of hybrid arts hardly recognisable as having its roots in Japanese budo. Still, the extensive popularity and recognition of Japanese budo proves beyond any doubt that it has core elements of universal value to mankind, even if that form differs from region to region, and indeed time to time.

In short, kendo and budo in general has carved out a very significant niche in many different cultures. It has matured into something more than just ‘traditional’ Japanese culture, but has had to make some changes in the process in order to survive. Budo in Japan also has a history of change to fit the ideals and needs of the era in question.

Even though Japan has been instrumental in introducing the ideals of kendo to the rest of the world, with the ever-increasing competitive level of Korean kumdo coupled with initiatives for propagation, and the fringe elements that seek Olympic inclusion, the Japanese kendo world is starting to see the actual extent of kendo’s internationalisation, and the possible routes it could take in the future.

This is a cause of unease for many, especially the lack of reliable information indicating the true state of affairs. Is the internationalisation of budo/kendo Japan’s equivalent to Dr. Frankenstein and his creation, who came back to haunt him until both were destroyed? That may be too much of a dramatic analogy. Nevertheless, the objective of Japanese kendo at this stage should not be to seek to tame or control the ‘monster.’ Instead, Japan would be prudent to return to drastically pioneering kendo at home again, in the manner it was in the Meiji, Taisho, and early Showa periods. Japan has blessed the world with a wonderful blueprint. What the world needs now is a reliable role model to look up to and aspire to, which does not promote contradictions and double standards. Who will fill that role?

NOTES:

1. Imamura Yoshio (ed.), Nihon Budo Taikei, Dohosha Shuppan, 1982, pp. 100-111
2. For a detailed account of the use of sports by Japan’s fascist pre-war government see Irie Katsumi’s Nihon Fashizumu-ka no Taiiku Shiso, Fumaido Shuppan, 1986.
3. Thomas A. Green (ed.), Martial Arts of the World, ABC Clio, 2001, pp.295, 597
4. The KKA boasts 400,000 members compared to Japan with 1,288,000 members.
5. Although the pronunciation is different, both use the same characters “剣道”.
6. See http://members.at.infoseek.co.jp/koreawatcher/docs/kkahistory.htm
7. Dai Nihon Butokukai Enkaku Gen, Kaiho Vol. 2 No. 4, August 1919, pp. 101-103
(『大日本武徳開沿革　玄』、『会報』第二四号)
8. Kendo no Rekishi, All Japan Kendo Federation, 2003, pp. 605-607
(『剣道の歴史』全日本剣道連盟)
9. Seo Byung- Yoon, (Managing Director of the Korea Kumdo Association), “The Many Questions Regarding Kumdo and Kendo”, http://members.at.infoseek.co.jp/koreawatcher/docs/kumdowakendo.htm
10. See Sin Seung-Ho (Director of Collegiate Kumdo Federation) article “The Responsibilities of the New Generations of Kumdo Practitioners to Develop Kumdo”, http://members.at.infoseek.co.jp/koreawatcher/docs/community35.htm
11. For example, “Kankoku de sekai kendo renmei setsuritsu” (The Formation of The World Kumdo Association in Korea), Kendo Nippon Monthly (April 2002), Ski Journal, pp. 86-95, and more recently “Tokushu- Nihon kara sekai e” (Special Report- From Japan to the World), Kendo Nippon (November 2003), pp. 46-58
12. “Kankoku de sekai kendo renmei setsuritsu”, Kendo Nippon Monthly (April 2002), p. 86
13. The All Japan Kendo Federation has 1,288,000 registered kendo members and 72,000 iaido members (IKF document-March 2002) making it by far the largest kendo organisation in Japan and the world.
14. “Tokushu- Nihon kara sekai e”, Kendo Nippon (November 2003), pp. 46-47
15. Seo Byung- Yoon, Op. Cit.,
16. Quoted from “Kankoku de sekai kendo renmei setsuritsu”, Kendo Nippon Monthly (April 2002), Ski Journal, p. 88
17. Alexander Bennett, Hamish Robison, “Survey: Kendo and the Olympics”, Kendo World (Vol. 1 No.1), KW Publications, 2001- We conducted a survey through the internet to ascertain the attitudes of international kendoka towards the introduction of kendo into the world’s most prestigious sports tournament. In summary, our survey presents the opinions of 264 English speaking practitioners of either kendo or kumdo from 36 countries, of all experience levels, and of all rankings. We can justly assume that the results of the survey provide a reasonable and fair assessment of their opinions and experiences as related to kendo and the Olympics. We can also assume that this un-weighted self-selected sample provides a fair approximation of a random un-weighted sample survey of 264 respondents providing a precision level of 6% 95 times out of 100.
18. “Kankoku de sekai kendo renmei setsuritsu”, Kendo Nippon Monthly (April 2002), Ski Journal, p. 89
19. Bennett, Robison, Op. Cit.,
20. Abe Tetsushi, “Oshu kara mita kendo no kokusaika” (The Internationalisation of Kendo from the Perspective of Europe), Kendo Nippon Monthly (November 2003), Ski Journal, p. 53
21. See http://www.olympic.org/uk/organisation/ioc/members/bio_uk.asp?id=33
22. 徐廷學
23. http://www.joc.or.jp/olympic/charter/pdf/olympiccharter2002.pdfを参照のこと。
24. IKF statistics valid as of March 20 2002
25. Seo Byung- Yoon, Op. Cit.,
26. “Kankoku de sekai kendo renmei setsuritsu”, Kendo Nippon Monthly (April 2002), Ski Journal, p. 88
27. The Regulations of Kendo Shiai- The Subsidiary Rules of Kendo Shiai and Shinpan, (Revised March 23, 2003), International Kendo Federation
28. Fencing Rules 2000 Edition, United States Fencing Association,  http://www.usfencing.org/Forms/Rules99.pdf, p. 27
29. For example, see D. Matsumoto, “Judo ni okeru riidaashippu to kagaku no juyosei- karaa judo-gi no mondai” (The need for leadership and science in Judo- The problem of color Judogi-), Budogaku Kenkyuu Vol. 29, Nippon Budokan, 1997 pp. 44-63
30. See Olympic Charter, (July 2003) http://multimedia.olympic.org/pdf/en_report_122.pdf p. 9
31. T. Otsuka, Nihon Kendo no Rekishi (The History of Japanese Kendo), Madosha, 1995, pp. 195-243
32. Y. Sakagami “Kendo no kindaika to sono teiryu? Sanbon-shobu wo chushin ni” (The Modernisation of Kendo and the Undercurrents- A Look at the Significance of Sanbon-shobu), Sports Bunkaron Series 9, in T. Nakamura (ed.) Nihon Bunka no Dokujisei (The Identity of Japanese Culture), Sobun Kikaku, 1998, p. 178
33. See Eric Hobsbawm and Terence Ranger The Invention of tradition, Cambridge University Press, 1983
34. T. Otsuka, Nihon Kendo no Shiso, Madosha, 1995, p. 144
35. Ibid, p. 143
36. Ibid. p. 146
37. Ibid., p. 211
38. Bennett, Robison, Op.Cit.,
39. Bennett, Robison, Op.Cit.,
40. F. Murakami, M. Sakudo “A Study on the Internationalization of Kendo”, Osaka Research Journal of Budo Vol. 11. No. 1 March 2002, p. 35
41. S. Sekine, Zen Nihon Judo Renmei 50 Nen Shi 1949-1999, All Japan Judo Federation, p. 258
42. F. Murakami, M. Sakudo　Op. Cit., pp. 34-35