Kendo-Its Philosophy, History, and Means to Personal Growth

from dust jacket

This masterful work describes the discipline of swordsmanship cultivated by the samurai in medieval and pre-modern Japan, and shows how, through the medium of kendo, it can be used today as a means to enhance personal growth through the cultivation of body and mind.

Kendo means

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literally 'the way of the sword', and has its origin in the martial art developed by the samurai in battlefield combat and in duels. It refers to a way of life shaped by the discipline cultivated through its pracitce, a discipline that produces preseversance, alertness and concentration. Above all, it requires great introspection, or looking into oneself. When samurai face each other, fear inevitably arises. But from where does this fear come? From the opponent? From the oncoming sword thrust? No-fear arises within oneself. To conquer an opponent, one must first conquer oneself-that is, one must conquer the ego within oneself. The ultimate objective of kendo is to internalize challenges. This is the essence of kendo.

Conquering the ego produces mushin-a Buddhist term most commonly used in Zen. Mushin refers to an altered state of consciousness, a state of mind which distinguishes kendo from sport. Of course, sportsmen must conquer fear, and those in the creative arts also experience an altered state of consciousness. But mushin in kendo requires meditation based upon Buddhist philosophy. This is what makes kendo unique. Kendo is not just an art of self-defense-it is designed to create a new human configuration.

This work describes the Buddhist philosophical infrastructure of kendo, the history of the development of swordsmanship, and the manner in which bushido-the way manifested socially in Japan. Finally, it presents a critical examination of kendo, and describes its relevance today.

Minoru Kiyota received hs BA form the University of California at Berkeley, and his MA and Ph.D from Tokyo University. He is the chairman of the Buddhist Studies Ph.D program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and teaches kendo as a part of the university undergraduate curriclulum.

His major publications include Shingon Buddhism: The Theory and Practice (1978) and Tantric Concept of Bodhicitta: A Buddhist Experiential Philosophy (1982). He compiled and edited Mahayana Buddhist Meditation: Theory and Practice (1978) and Japanese Buddhism: Its Tradition, New Religions and Interaction with Christianity (1987), and is the co-editor of Japanese Martial Arts and American Sports: Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Means to Personal Growth (1990).

Contents

Preface
I What is Kendo?
1 Kendo and Sport
2 Mushin: An Altered State of Consciousness
3 Ki-ai and Body-Mind Integration
4 Suki and Zanshin: Openings and Alertness
6 Sutemi and Heijo-shin: The 'Go-for-Broke' Attack and Mental Calm
7 Dojo: The Hall of Discipline
II The Impact of Buddhist Thought on the Development of Swordmanship
1 Shingon Mikko's Influence on the Katori-ryu
2 Zen's influence on the Yagyu-ryu
3 Kendo Meditation
III The Development of Swordmanship
1 The Historical Setting
2 The Warring States Period (Late Fifteenth to Late Sixteenth Centuries)
3 The Tokugawa Period: 1603-1868
IV The Development of Bushido, the Code of the Samurai
1 The Historical Development of Bushido
2 Bushido: Its Three Major Features
3 A Critique of Nitobe Inazo's Bushido: The Soul of Japan
V The Modern Period
1 Kendo in the Modern Period
2 Bushido in the Modern Period
3 The Integration of Martial and Liberal ARts
Epilogue
Appendix: Ryu Lineages
Endnotes
Selected Annotated References
Selected Glossary
Index

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