Beginners' Terminology
Kendo is a traditional Japanese martial art. Therefore, we use
Japanese terms for most of the techniques and to express the ideas
of Kendo, in the same way that French terms are used in ballet or
European fencing. The following are the terms you will hear in
beginners' class and that you should learn as soon as possible.
|
| |
| Kendo |
the way of the sword (ken = sword, do = way) |
| kenshi |
a Kendoist |
| dojo |
training hall; a place for learning Kendo techniques, disciplines and patterns of behavior |
| rei |
to bow; also means showing courtesy, politeness and respect in any form |
| ritsurei |
bow from a standing position |
| zarei |
bow from a sitting position (seiza) |
| hai |
yes!; to answer emphatically with spirit when spoken to |
| sensei |
teacher |
| sempai |
a more experienced or older kenshi |
| kohai |
a less experienced or younger kenshi |
| |
| counting 1 - 10 |
ichi, ni, san, shi, go, roku, shichi, hachi, ku, ju |
| ashi sabaki |
footwork |
| okuri ashi |
gather step; for fast, short-range movements in any direction; snap the trailing foot into a good stance |
| renzoku ashi |
smooth, continuous stepping without pauses |
| suburi |
sword swinging techniques |
| jogeburi |
full sword swing; used for warming up, stretching and strengthening exercise
jo = high area
ge = low area |
| hayasuburi |
fast paced sword swing; used as warm up, endurance and strengthening exercise |
| men uchi |
men (helmet) strike |
| shomen uchi |
striking the middle of the opponent's helmet |
| sayumen uchi |
left and right men strike; a men strike slightly to the left and right of center |
| kote uchi |
wrist strike |
| do uchi |
ribcage strike |
| shizentai |
natural standing posture |
| hajime |
begin! |
| yame |
stop! |
| sageto |
standing with the sword in the left hand, at arm's length; |
| taito |
sword held at the left hip, left thumb on the hand guard, end of the handle on the midline of the body |
| nuketo |
drawing the sword from a taito position |
| kamae |
physically and on guard position; mentally your spirit and mental attentiveness should be fully on your opponent |
| yasume |
disengage the sword and reduce your pressure on your opponent by relaxing your sword tip down to knee height and slightly to the right side, cutting edge facing slightly to the left |
| osameto |
return the sword to taito from a kamae position, keeping both hands on the sword |
| kiai |
shout; a way of building up and extending / expressing your spirit |
| uchikomi geiko |
striking practice hitting a target, first your partner's shinai, later someone in armor |
| kata |
prearanged formal patterns with a bokuto that teach footwork, posture, distancing, concentration, sword handling, breathing, etc. |
| shinai |
bamboo sword |
| shinai parts: |
| tsuka |
handle |
| tsuba |
hand guard |
| tsuru |
string |
| kensen |
shinai tip |
