Kendo Terms
A description of Kendo related terminology
- ashi sabaki
- Footwork
- ayumi ashi
- Regular walking/stepping
- bogu
- Equipment/armor
- bokken
- Wooden sword
- chudan
- Middle ready position with sword pointed straight toward opponent's throat
- do
- The torso or chest protector. In "kendo" it means "path" or "way of".
- do uchi
- Strike to do
- fudo shin
- Immoveable Mind
- fumi komi ashi
- Attack stepping
- gedan
- Low ready position with sword pointed downward with tip at knee level
- geiko
- Practice
- hakama
- Trousers, split pleated skirt
- hasso
- High ready position with sword held verticle and angled 45 degrees to the rear
- hayasuburi
- Quick striking
- hei jo shin
- Calmness of Mind
- hidari katate suburi
- Left hand only striking
- hiki do
- Do retreating from tsubazeriai
- hiki kote
- Kote retreating from tsubazeriai
- hiki men
- Men retreating from tsubazeriai
- hiki waza
- Backwards Techniques
- hiraki ashi
- Diagonal stepping
- iaito
- Metal practice sword
- ji geiko
- Free practice
- jodan
- High ready position with sword held overhead angled 45 degrees to the rear
- jogeburi
- Large motion striking
- kakari geiko
- Attack practice
- kamae
- Ready Stances
- kasumi
- High ready position with sword held to right of body pointed at opponent's left hand when in jodan
- katate tsuki
- One hand thrust to throat guard
- katate yokomen
- One hand diagonal men
- keiko gi
- Jacket
- ken
- Sword
- ken tai i-chi
- Attack and Defense are the same
- ken zen i-chi
- Kendo and Zen are the same
- ki ken tai i-chi
- Spirit sword body as one
- kihon waza
- Basic Techniques
- kiri-kaeshi
- Exercise that instills proper cut techniques, timing, breating, and kiai.
You begin by a big men strike, then doing taiatari.
After taiatari (body check, only if both kend?ka are wearing armour), swing the shinai up in a large movement, and beginning with left men, strike alternate left and right men 9 times (4 forward and 5 back). Then move quickly from t?ma to issoku-ito-no-ma (one-step striking distance), and boldly strike immediately. This process should then be repeated.
- kokoro gamae
- Readiness of Spirit
- kote
- The hand/padded glove.
- kote do
- Kote followed by do
- kote kaeshi men
- Block & counter kote with men
- kote men
- Kote followed by men
- kote men do
- Kote men followed by do
- kote men men
- Kote men followed by men
- kote nuki men
- Evasion of kote with men
- kote suriage men
- Deflection of kote, followed by men
- kote uchi
- Strike to kote
- men
- The head/face mask.
- men debana kote
- Intercept of men with kote
- men debana men
- Intercept of men with men
- men kaeshi do
- Block & counter men with do
- men kaeshi men
- Block & counter men with men
- men men
- Men followed by men
- men nuki do
- Evasion of men with do
- men o tore
- Remove your men (do not remove your men prior to hearing this! If the sensei still have their men on, do not remove yours.)
- men o tsuke
- Put on your men
- men suriage men
- Deflection of men, followed by men
- men uchi
- strike to men
- mizu no yo-ni
- Be like water
- mokuso
- Deep breathing and meditation
- mokuso yame
- End of breathing and meditation
- nami no yo-ni
- Be like a wave
- nanameburi
- Diagonal striking
- ni dan waza
- 2 Step Combination Techniques
- obi
- Belt
- oji waza
- Counter Attack Techniques
- okuri ashi
- Slide stepping
- onegai shimasu
- A polite way of saying, "Please teach me."
- otagai ni rei
- Bow to each other (Students say, "Onegai shimasu")
- rei-gi
- Kendo etiquette
- san dan waza
- 3 Step Combination Techniques
- sei retsu
- Line up
- sei-gedan
- Low ready position with sword pointed toward opponent's knee opposite of where your hands are
- seigan
- Middle ready position with sword pointed at opponent's opposite shoulder
- seiza
- Be seated (kneel down)
- sensei ni rei
- Bow to teachers
- shiai geiko
- Tournament practice
- shinai
- Bamboo sword
- shomen suburi
- Basic striking
- suburi
- Striking Air
- suri ashi
- Very small, very fast steps. Feet are "rubbing".
- tamashii
- Fighting Spirit
- tare
- Hip protector
- tenugui
- Towel
- tsuba
- Sword guard
- tsubazeriai
- When your shinai and the opponent's shinai are locked together at the tsuba
- tsuki
- Thrust to throat guard
- tsuki men
- Tsuki followed by men
- tsuki men do
- Tsuki men followed by do
- waki
- Low ready position with sword held pointed backwards at right side
- waza
- Technique
- zanshin
- Resolute Will