Members of the University of Wisconsin Kendo Club regularly engage in sparring with hefty wooden sticks in the name of enjoyment and discipline.
Founded in 1989 by kendo professor Minoru Kiyota, the Kendo Club consists of students, professors and staff members who work together to practice and promote martial-arts discipline.
Students of traditional kendo first learn the basic postures and footwork before training with wooden swords, helmets, body protectors and gloves.
Once properly trained, students follow focused practices and a set of kata, or a pre-set sequence of motions. According to the Kendo America website, students use a solid wooden sword called a bokken or bokuto for basic practicing. They use a shinai, a sword composed of bamboo staves, during full-contact sparring practice.
A typical meeting of UW’s Kendo Club begins with a physically demanding practice followed by one-on-one competitions among members.
The club also travels to two or three tournaments a year held in places such as Chicago and Detroit.
Last September, UW Kendo Club member Travis Strongach took third place in the beginner’s division at the Midwest Kendo Federation Tournament in Chicago.
Members identified several reasons for enduring frequent arduous practices to participate in the disciplined art of fencing.
Jihun Jung, a UW student from Korea, said he enjoys practicing kendo in the United States because it allows him to experience the different styles of kendo available. He said variations of the ancient art are brought together, shared and experienced in one room.
Technique sharing during meetings allows for friendships among members.
Jeff Hsueh, president of the Kendo Club and a graduate student at UW, explained that besides bonding at practices and tournaments, members frequently have dinner together.
When asked why he switched from karate to kendo, UW graduate student Masayuki Hirukawa simply smiled. “Because kendo is sometimes much more dangerous,” he said.
Not only the danger, but also the aerobic workout appeals to UW anthropology professor J. Mark Kenoyer.
The club members must possess both physical and mental determination in every practice. Kenoyer joked, “You can whack up people but not hurt anybody.”
Not just a sport about physical risks, kendo also has many mental benefits.
“Kendo is a calming form of meditation,” Kenoyer said.
UW sophomore and aspiring Kendo Club member Phillip Hansen is currently enrolled in a kendo class. He described how the instructor emphasized mushin, the elimination of self and ego in a competition, and explained how reacting to the opponent is one’s primary focus. Hansen said he enjoys the discipline.
“It focuses very much on the here and now,” Hansen said. “Discipline is critical, but you can’t think too much or you lose.”
