Welcome to the University of Sydney Kendo Club
So what is Kendo?
Kendo is a martial art and a traditional culture from Japan. Deriving from the samurai it consists of education, art, fighting spirit, history and many others which can be pursued all throughout one’s life. Being an ancient Japanese traditional culture, Kendo is a way of living to strive and enhance one’s lifestyle, in order to become a better citizen of the world.
Who are we?
We are a sports club at the University of Sydney practising the martial art of Kendo. Our core values are captured in our proud club logo below.
The logo represents:
- Jacaranda flowers – symbolising the University of Sydney that we represent, and also our oath to pursue knowledge/wisdom.
- Katana – symbolising the origins of Kendo back to the Samurai, and our respect for history.
- Waves – symbolising the great ocean that surrounds Australia, representing our national identity.
Our teaching focuses on three components mentioned above:
Education
It is important that we are continually learning about ourselves and each other through our lives. There are many lessons that need to be learnt outside of the classroom. In Kendo we study our lifestyles, attitude, and social skills. This is done through the etiquettes of Kendo, respect for one another, and cultural virtues.
礼式 (Reishiki) – we begin training together with full respect for each other!
Fighting Spirit
As a traditional Japanese martial art, we train physically and often compete, which can be hard at times. There are multiple times in one’s life where they must fight (not physically!) for themselves, and at those times the most important thing to have is an unwavering strong spirit. However the “fight” is not aimed to overcome our opponents, but to fight the weakness in ourselves.
A typical Kendo match – we wear the ‘bogu’ (armour) and fight with a ‘shinai’ (bamboo sword). Using techniques develop over hundreds of years we respectfully fight to better ourselves as martial artists.
Art
Kendo is also an art form, not only must we overcome ourselves, it must be done beautifully in the correct way. This component separates Kendo from being a sport, where the focus is on the result. Both achieving the desired result whilst practicing in the correct manner, is when we first accept it as success in Kendo. This involves studying Japanese idealism in art, and history, such as physical posture and mental attitude.
‘Kata’ (form) practice – where we refine our techniques from the teachings handed down over so many generations.
Kendo as a way of life
In training we always strive to combine all three of these aspects, and try to make Kendo a way of life for us (budo).
Although we believe in correct and rigorous training in Kendo, our club is one big family and we all work together to be in harmony. We are also social club with monthly events such as cocktail parties, BBQs and after training dinners.
All in all – we are here to have fun! Everyone is welcome – no experience needed – come and try it out, learn something new, and make new friends!
Our friends in other countries – we are not alone!
Over time we have made some very good relationships with Kendo dojo/clubs around the world.
You can click here and find out more about these clubs in Hong Kong and Japan!