by Eric Skier

Opinions Oct. 04, 2011 - 06:43AM JST ( 35 )

TOKYO —

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 honor,
to associate with others with sincerity,
and to forever pursue the cultivation of oneself.
Thus will one be able to love his country and society,
to contribute to the development of culture,
and to promote peace and prosperity among all people. 

After about a year of practicing kendo, I started to feel a sense of déjà vu. At first I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I soon realized that kendo was treated like a “religion” by many of the people in my dojo. Now before I am a branded a blasphemer, please allow me to explain.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I was raised Catholic – Sunday school, parochial schools, you name it. And while it wasn’t necessarily “fun,” I now see the many benefits my upbringing in the church had on me. In addition to the obvious focus on the messages in the Bible and the teachings of Jesus, there was the sense of community and the routine of attending mass on Sundays as a family. This was then followed by the “breaking of the fast” with a nice brunch – again as a family. Of course, we were always dressed in our Sunday best, with our hair combed nicely, etc. Church was also a focal point for the community with bingo, bake sells, community outreach programs, and the aforementioned Sunday school often taught by volunteers from the parish. There is more, but for this article, I think you get the point.

Now for the comparison to kendo, as it is often practiced in Japan. To start with, there are the words at the start of this article. This is the Kendo Creed and in my mind, the message it carries is similar to what one would find in the New Testament. In particular, the values mentioned—“courtesy,” “honor,” “sincerity,” “peace,” “love of country,” and “prosperity”—are all ones that were stressed at one time or another by priests in the various sermons I listened to growing up.

Further, as I became closer to and made friends with the other members of my dojo, I was hearing more often than not that kendo was indeed a family affair. A common story was a father, mother, or both had grown up practicing kendo, “strayed,” but after marrying and having children, had decided to return and “share the word” with their own children. And as anyone who practices a martial art or sport will tell you, the need for consistency is one of the most important challenges to overcome. Just practicing once in a while is not quite a “sin” but it is frowned upon and realistically speaking there is probably no better way to get injured than to practice all out after a month or two away from a dojo. As such, it is a given to attend practice once or more a week.

So, the family will come to the dojo and if the mother or father is 4-dan or higher, it is highly likely that they will be called upon to help teach the children – including their own. While the parents are attending to improve their own kendo, they are also teaching the next generation. A metaphor for Sunday school if there ever was one, no? Even if the parents aren’t teaching, they will be in the respectful position of an “okaasama” or “otousama” and all of the children will be expected to be on their best behavior.

After practice, it won’t be unusual for the family to go out for a meal or join other families to break their fast. Kendo even has “retreats” or “gasshuku” where all of the various families will work together in planning the weekend getaway as well as participate actively. The “gasshuku” are often held in the summer when school is out and attended if at all possible.

But in all of the similarities between kendo and religion, I see one obvious difference: the lack of a god. A visit to many a dojo and one will find a Shinto shrine and/or a Hinomaru flag on a wall, and there is always the Zen aspect of any of the martial arts in the acts of meditation and reflection before and after practice. In fact, you will also observe some practitioners bowing to the dojo (a sign of respect one shows when entering or leaving) and their gear as an acknowledgement/thank you for the protection being afforded during practice. This aspect of animism, as far as I can tell, is about as close as one will get to the notion of a god in this “religion” of kendo.

As such, you will see an obvious lack of effort to convert anyone, or argument over whose god is the “real and only one,” and so forth. To be honest and speaking for myself, the creed and the implementation of it in the practice of kendo is a welcome approach to the instillation of various values into the members of society who decide to take it up. Does the absence of belief in a higher being preclude it from being an official religion – sure, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t deserve acknowledgment for the good it brings into this world of ours.

Thanks for reading. お疲れ様でした.

P.S. Putting my money where my mouth is, i.e. sharing my “religion” with my family, my sons have recently started practicing kendo. They attend a dojo with my wife and practice together. I am happy to say that they are enjoying themselves and look forward to going to “church” every week.

Author Infomation

Eric Skier

Eric M Skier has been living in Japan for 20 years. For 14 of those, he has been practicing kendo and is currently 5-dan. He is also the coach of a kendo club at a university in western Tokyo, where is an associate professor.