About Us

UR Kendo is a group created in 2003 to bring the practice of the Japanese martial art kendo and its sword styles to the UR campus. We are open to anyone and no previous martial arts experience or skill level is required. Our club also includes an iaido component. Melding the best of all the ancient samurai traditions it draws from, present day kendo seeks a balance between the sport and the martial art. The word kendo itself means "the way of the sword." It can be divided into three main components: the way of the body (the physical training of the body both on its own and wielding the sword), the way of the sword (learning the timing, execution, movement of the strike), and the way of the mind (the cultivation of correct mental attitudes such as focus, respect, patience, and perseverance, and other attitudes influenced by Zen Buddhist philosophy). A sparring match in Kendo consists of two participants wearing bogu (a modern version of protective samurai armor) attempting to hit their opponent on one of four specific strike spots: men (head), do (abdomen), kote (wrists) or tsuki (neck). Kendo today is practiced with either shinai (bamboo sword) or bokken/bokuto (wooden training sword). Sparring is done only with shinai. The way of the sword is not something one knows but something one is continually learning and always striving to grow physically, mentally, and spiritually closer to.