The Japanese places significance on Kendo sticks and they even have some ceremonial activities in keeping Kendo sticks clean. When not in use, Kendo sticks ought to be ideally placed against the wall, deal with pointed downwards. Make positive to constantly check for splinters (in particular if you are making use of the bamboo kind) to prevent injuries and scratches. If you are not utilizing your Kendo sticks, make certain that you maintain it in a secure and secure location to prevent injuries to other. Most kendo sticks measure to up to 47 inches long. Synthetic kendo sticks are ideal for beginners.
There are also synthetic kendo sticks made from carbon fiber. Kendo sticks are generally made from bamboo, wrapped by leather for a strong grip. As in fencing, the Kendo stick is utilized to aggressively strike the opponent in unique parts of the body. Kendo is a sport similar to fencing, but the Kendo stick is not pointed or sharp in any way. It is not surprising then that the bushi took a liking to iai, where real swords were used.The Kendo stick (or Shinai in Japanese) is a tool specifically used for the Japanese martial arts Kendo. In kenjutsu, training was done mainly with a bokuto or a shinai. In a time without war, there were increasingly less occasions to draw the sword. Since iai is strongly about reacting to sudden changes and problems, when the opportunities to sit in seiza increased, it was obvious that iai from seiza would be developed. At this time, it is likely that seiza was also becoming customary in the life of the bushi, and under these circumstances, iai techniques from seiza were considered. In MJER, seiza was added by the 9th headmaster around 1732. Seiza became the normal way to sit in Japan around the Genroku (1688-1704) and Kyouhou (1716-1736) eras, beginning in the cities and spreading into the countryside, without difference for gender or age. Iai hiza, iai goshi and tate hiza are all similar ways of sitting, that came due to the wearing of armor, as it is not possible to sit straight when wearing greaves etc. Incidentally, in the iai scrolls, there are many writings on topics not directly related to iai techniques: about sageo, Finger placement on the daisho (katana handling), walking / travelling at night, interacting with people / fighting at night, preparations for the night watch. Within the techniques of iai, there are many jujutsu-like techniques, e.g. The kata of iai were based on the different places and circumstances of the everyday life, so that in any situation, prompt reaction was possible in order to protect one’s body or control the enemy.
It is then not hard to imagine that this had an effect of various bujutsu. In this society, the bushi mainly became city dwellers, with a life revolving around indoors activities. In the Edo era, war had disappeared by the time of the 4th shogun Ietsuna (1641-1680) and peace and order were achieved. A peaceful era (Edo era) required a change in the bujutsu, going from batto in outdoor battles, to being able to react to sudden incidents indoors. It is possible to say that the technical change from batto to iai was deeply related to needing sword-drawing techniques while sitting.
Furthermore, the sword used was not short like a wakizashi, but mainly a long katana. It is most likely that the batto techniques were performed standing. Batto was created by the necessity for sword-drawing techniques in battle. The origins of batto are unclear, but in, the founder of batto is said to be Hayashizaki Jinsuke Minamoto Shigenobu. From the middle of the Muromachi era onwards, only the uchigatana was used. When katana first came to be used in battle, it is reasonable to think that drawing techniques were also developed.īefore the Muromachi era, the swords were usually tachi, but at the beginning of the Muromachi era, the uchigatana or the koshigatana (elongated tanto) was added to the obi. Interestingly, the author never uses the word "samurai", preferring "bushi", nor the suffix "do". It is interesting, although the sources are rather hard to find or read. Here are some short translations from the above article. Academic paper: Tetsuya WADA, The formation of iai and its technical vicissitudes, Research of Budo, 14-1 (1981), p.