Tsurugi Bashi Kendo Kai
University of Cambridge Kendo Society
Tsurugi Bashi:
Training sessions -
Training venues -
Committee -
Open days -
Joining the dojo -
Fees -
Borrowing armour -
Grading -
Dojo history -
Kendo videos and photos -
Mailing list.
Kendo:
Terminology -
Equipment -
Ranking -
Links.
This page was last updated on 2005-10-14 by Frank Stajano.
March 2005: University Championship team displaying their medals
Tsurugi Bashi is the Kendo Society of the University of Cambridge. Our dojo is virtual: we practice wherever we can find a suitable space. What makes us a dojo is the spirit and commitment of all our members past and present; it is represented by our flag, which we bring with us and hang on the wall wherever we train.
To simplify maintenance of the web site, the timetable of forthcoming sessions has been moved to its own page. See the legend below to identify venues.
The officers of the Society for the academic year 2005-2006 are:
The Chief Instructor of our dojo is Sergio Boffa (5-dan). He is no longer in Cambridge but comes back regularly to train with us, several times a year.
As described in this leaflet, our dojo will hold two open days on Wed 5 October 2005 and Fri 7 October 2005 from 19:00 to 21:00 (7-9 pm). The venue is St Luke's school, French's Road, Cambridge CB4 3JZ. These two events are open to everyone and are completely free.
You will see all the weapons and equipment used in kendo and you will witness both shinai-based free sparring and formal kata practice. You may just watch or, at your option, even try your hand at it. If you wish to try kendo, come in loose sport clothes (e.g. a tracksuit rather than tight jeans) and please clip your toenails. Practice is barefoot. We will lend you all the necessar equipment for the day.
Note that such open days tend to be very popular. You may leave early if you wish but please arrive punctually by 7 pm as doors will close shortly thereafter to avoid disruption.
If, after this, you intend to join the dojo, read on and pick up the application forms that the secretary will distribute at the open days.
We are a university society, founded and intended for Cambridge students, but we also welcome non-university members. Training is aimed at adults. The committee reserves the right to reject applications where appropriate.
Beginners need to attend a training course before they can safely join a kendo practice session; therefore we only admit new members a few times per year. The main intake is in October, at the start of the academic year. Depending on the number of applicants we sometimes also admit members at the start of the other two full terms, Lent (January) and Easter (April), but those who join then will have to put some extra effort into catching up with those who started in October. Consult the University's official page for the exact dates of terms. At the beginning of each academic year we hold one or two open days in which we allow total beginners to have a go. Do not miss that if you intend to join the dojo.
To comply with safety and insurance regulations, all members of our dojo must be over 18, must be current members of the British Kendo Association (or of a foreign IKF-affiliated federation that provides insurance cover while practicing in the UK) and, unless they already hold 1-kyu or above, must have attended our induction course (for 2005: 12-28 October, Wed and Fri, 7-9 pm). Pick up the appropriate forms from the dojo secretary at one of the two open days and return them completed, with the appropriate payment, by Wednesday 12 October. To simplify administration, auditing and refunds, we ask you to pay with two cheques, one to our dojo and one to the BKA: not one cheque for the total, not cash. You will find it strange but please do as we ask.
We shall not accept any new members for 2005 other than those who return their forms and payment to the dojo secretary Adam Jackson by Tue 11 October. No payment = no insurance = no practice. (Concession: actually, we shall still accept the last payments on Wed 12 October, since if you picked up your forms at the second open day it may otherwise be hard for you to meet the secretary again between then and Wed 12, but you must understand that in that case you will not be covered by insurance for that session and you will practice at your own risk.)
Kendo training can be demanding and may not suit everyone. In order to allow you to assess whether it is really for you, until the third session of the 6-session induction course you are allowed to change your mind and quit; we will then return you the cheque meant for Tsurugi Bashi, though the one for BKA membership will have already been sent off to guarantee your insurance cover and won't be refunded. If you have not cancelled by your third session (20 Oct 2005), there will be no further refunds.
We have a useful page of technical information for beginners. Once you join the dojo (or even before if you are keen), please study it.
Visiting kendoka are welcome to train with us, but please email our secretary in advance.
There are several components to your fees: the joining fee, the term fee and the BKA membership. New members pay all three. Existing members (including society officers) pay the last two. The BKA membership fee gives you insurance and is paid to the BKA, not to our dojo. The fees are independent of the number of sessions you attend in the corresponding period: the more you attend, the better value for money you get (as well, of course, as becoming more proficient in kendo). There are no discounts for partial attendance and there are no refunds except as specified below.
Please pay with two separate cheques: not with cash, not with one cumulative cheque. One cheque, payable to "University of Cambridge Kendo Society", to cover joining fee (if applicable) and term or year fee. Another cheque, payable to "British Kendo Association", to cover BKA fee.
The society is strictly non-profit-making. None of the instructors or officers receives any payment. Fees merely cover expenses such as insurance, rental of training halls and purchase of equipment.
Kendo armour is expensive to buy. Our dojo lends members their first armour at no charge for a few months, subject to availability. A deposit of 80 GBP is required, in the form of a cheque payable to "University of Cambridge Kendo Society". Please write "kendo armour deposit", your full name and address on the back of the cheque. At the end of every term you must return your armour to the pool. The cheque will be returned to you once you return the armour, or cashed in if you disappear (but you will still have to return the armour; when you do, part of your deposit will be returned).
The following term, if you still haven't bought your own, you will have the option to borrow a set of armour again, at the same conditions. There is no limit to the number of terms during which you may borrow armour from the dojo but, in case of scarcity, priority will be given to those who have attended most frequently in the previous term.
Grades from 1st kyu and above must be awarded by a national kendo federation recognized by the International Kendo Federation; in this country, this means the British Kendo Association. Grades up to and including 2nd kyu, instead, are awarded locally by the individual dojo.
The requirements for kyu grading at Tsurugi-Bashi have their own separate page.
See further down for general information on kendo ranking.
A collection of videos and photos from recent various dojo events and trainings can be found here.
A recently taken club photo.
There is also a page with pictures from other past events.
All members of the dojo must be on the mailing list in order to receive updates to the training schedule and on the various events of the society. Non-members with a strong interest in our dojo may also join. Ask Adam Jackson, the administrator of the list.
Kendo is, literally, the way of the sword. It is a modern martial art derived from the centuries-old swordsmanship tradition of the samurai. The All Japan Kendo Federation says:
Kendo is a way to discipline the human character through the application of the principles of the katana.
Why practice kendo? We quote again from the All Japan Kendo Federation:
The purpose of kendo is to mold the mind and body, to cultivate a vigorous spirit, and, through correct and rigid training, to strive for improvement in the art of kendo, to hold in esteem human courtesy and honour, to associate with others with sincerity, and to forever pursue the cultivation of oneself.
Thus one will be able to love one's country and society, to contribute to the development of culture, and to promote peace and prosperity among all peoples.
The terminology of kendo is, obviously enough, based on Japanese terms. A web search will return word lists of various degrees of usefulness and accuracy but the authoritative reference is the Japanese-English Dictionary of Kendo published in 2000 by the All Japan Kendo Federation. Hard to get hold of, but well worth obtaining if you are serious about kendo. To get you started, a brief word list is included in our page of information for beginners.
Kendo is practiced with a shinai (bamboo sword), which is a shock-absorbing weapon made of four slats of bamboo held together by leather fasteners, suitable for full-contact free sparring against an adversary wearing armour. Kendo is also practiced with a solid bokuto (wooden sword), shaped like a katana; this type of sword is used in the context of kata (forms), which are performed without armour. Repeated practice of the kata is important to master the techniques of kendo. Experienced high-ranking practitioners have such a great control of their techique that they can practice kata with real swords.
The aforementioned beginners' page has further information on the kendo swords and armour.
Like most kendoka, we have an interest in Japanese swords. We organized a seminar on Japanese swords and the proceedings are available for download here.
Modern kendo uses the dan-to-kyu grading system originally introduced by Kodokan Judo in the 19th century, with the difference that there is no external indication of one's grade such as a differently coloured belt. The kyu grades start from 6th (lowest) up to 1st and are followed by the dan grades, corresponding to "black belts" in other martial arts, from 1st (lowest) up to 8th.
There are restrictions on how soon one can attempt a grading after having passed the previous one. These requirements go up with the grade: you need to practice for at least one year between 1st dan and 2nd dan, two between 2nd and 3rd, three years between 3rd and 4th, and so on.
There is also a system of honorific titles known as sho-go which, in addition to one's technical level (mental elements included) as indicated by the dan grade, indicates one's level of achievement with respect to leadership and judgement as a kendoka. There are three levels: renshi (must be at least 6th dan), kyoshi (at least 7th dan) and hanshi (at least 8th dan). Hanshi swordsmen are the absolute highest level of authority in kendo.
