Kendo is a modern Japanese martial art, descended from kenjutsu, that uses bamboo swords (shinai) as well as protective armor (bōgu). It began as samurai warriors' customary swordsmanship exercises, and today it is widely practiced within Japan and has spread to many other nations across the world.
Kendo
Takasugi Shinsaku, late Edo period kendo practitioner
Kendo at an agricultural school in Japan around 1920
Lee Teng-hui, later President of Republic of China (Taiwan), wearing kendo protector as a junior high school student in Japanese Taiwan
Kenjutsu (剣術) is an umbrella term for all (ko-budō) schools of Japanese swordsmanship, in particular those that predate the Meiji Restoration. Some modern styles of kendo and iaido that were established in the 20th century also included modern forms of kenjutsu in their curriculum. Kenjutsu, which originated with the samurai class of feudal Japan, means "methods, techniques, and the art of the Japanese sword". This is opposed to kendo, which means "the way of the sword" and uses a bamboo sword (shinai) and protective armour (bōgu).
Woodblock print by Utagawa Kunisada I (unsigned, the print is the upper part of a "two scenes" print; only the lower part is signed).The actors Seki Sanjūrō III and Bandō Shūka I as Inukai Genpachi and Inuzuka Kiba in a stage adaptation of Satomi Hakkenden, performed at the Ichimura theatre in 1852.
An example of modern nitōjutsu practice.
