Kendo

Kendo, the “way of the sword,” is a traditional Japanese fencing art using a two-handed bamboo sword, rooted in samurai swordsmanship. As real combat waned post-1600s, kenjutsu evolved to foster discipline and character, aided by 18th-century innovations like the shinai (bamboo sword) and protective armor for safe, realistic practice. In kendo matches now, competitors target specific areas on the body, announcing each strike as they land it, with the first to score two points winning. Widely practiced in Japan, kendo is also gaining international popularity.

Women’s Kendo Instruction Handbook

Women’s Kendo Instruction Handbook

By Maeda Shinko
Translated by Matsuda Kazuyo

This book is a groundbreaking, comprehensive study of kendo as experienced and practised by women. It examines how women engage with kendo, how femininity intersects with martial practice, and how training methods can be adapted to the different stages of women’s lives. Through detailed sociological and historical analysis, it situates women kenshi within broader social contexts, covering themes such as personal life histories, the role of housewives in kendo, and how shifting social conditions influence identity and gender roles.

Beyond its social insights, the book offers practical guidance for sustaining long-term kendo practice, outlines the skills and responsibilities of effective instructors, and engages with contemporary gender-related debates in the kendo community. It also investigates health and injury issues faced by elite athletes and explores the spiritual and cultural principles underlying kendo. A particularly notable contribution is the author’s original research on menstruation and training, a rarely discussed subject in budo studies, presented with clarity and depth.

The author, Shinko Maeda, is an accomplished senior kendo instructor who competed nationally during high school, university and as a graduate, and later served as a professor and council member of the Japanese Academy of Budo. Originally published in Japanese in 2012, this expanded English edition provides additional notes and updates to support an international readership.

Overall, the book is widely considered an essential resource for understanding women’s kendo. It offers both theoretical and practical guidance that respects women’s physiological and psychological characteristics, supporting a rapidly growing global community of women kenshi.

AVAILABLE AT THE LINKS BELOW.
AVAILABLE FROM OTHER BOOK RETAILERS, TOO!

This link is for Amazon.com, but it can be purchased from most Amazon stores in print and Kindle formats.

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Contents

Photos

Preface

I. Kendo Nippon Special Features
Practice According to Age and Situation
Training Methods for Women by Age
Life-Career Background and Reality of Kendo for Housewives

II. “Kendo for Women” Articles
1. Should Women’s Kendo Be the Same as Men’s?
2. Kendo and Femininity
3. Women’s Kendo as a Lifelong Sport
4. Expected Female Instructor Role Model
5. Age-Appropriate Training and Practice
6. How to Continue Practising Kendo
7. Required Competence of the Instructors
8. Housewives’ Training Situation: Part 1
9. Housewives’ Training Situation: Part 2
10. It Is Important to Have a Good “Mind-Set”
11. Housewives’ Hopes and Realities
12. How to Learn and Pursue Kendo

III. Budo and Kendo Jidai Special Features
Kendo and Female Gender
Kendo and Male Gender
Women’s Kendo as Lifelong Physical Education

IV. Papers in University Journals
Sports Injuries and Illnesses in Top Athletes-Cases of Kanto and All Japan Women’s Kendo
University Championship Winners
The Spirituality and Culture of Kendo – Contemporary Kendo and Spirituality

Author Profile

Translator’s Note

List of Related Articles

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