Ballarat Kendo Club

Since its inception in 1987, the Ballarat Kendo Club and its members have achieved many things at local, state, national, and international levels.

Kendo is the martial art of Japanese fencing, developed from traditional techniques of Japanese swordsmanship known as kenjutsu. Since 1975 the goal of Kendo has been stated by the All Japan Kendo Federation as “to discipline the human character through the application of the principles of the katana (the Japanese standard two-handed sword)”. Taught using “swords” made of split bamboo (shinai) and extensive protective armour (Bogu), practitioners are called kendoka or “kenshi”. Kendoka means one who practises kendo, with Kenshi meaning swordsman.

Kendoka also use bokuto (wooden katana) to practise set forms known as kata. On formal occasions, real swords or metal swords with a blunt edge, called habiki, can be used.

Iaido is a sword-based Japanese martial art that trains the motions associated with drawing a katana from its sheath, striking an opponent, removing blood from the blade, and then re-sheathing the katana with smooth, controlled movement. Modern day exponents typically use iaito (blunt edge) instead of shinken (sharp edge) at least in beginning stages of study.