thusiasts, and indeed it was even propagated in Japan’s colonies, Taiwan,
and Korea.
During World War II, kendô, along with all other forms of physical
education, became little more than a vehicle to strengthen national defense
and nurture the nationalistic spirit of Japanese schoolboys. Consequently,
kendô was abolished during the Allied Occupation, along with other mar-
tial arts and the Dainippon Butokukai. Yet kendô made a strong comeback
after the end of the Occupation, largely by emphasizing the sporting ele-
ment, purging the remnants of nationalism associated with the imperial
Japanese government, and stressing competition for all people: young and
old, men and women. It was already reinstated in the school curriculum by
1953, and it was given a great boost in popularity after the 1964 Tokyo
Olympics and the rise of interest in national sports. Today there are nu-
merous organizations sponsoring kendô tournaments, organized around
schools (both student and teacher groups), gender, geographical region,
place of employment, and other factors, all operating under the umbrella
of the Zen Nihon Kendô Remmei (All-Japan Kendô Federation).
Kendô has become an international sport. As Japanese martial arts be-
came popular from the 1960s on, organizations like the Japan Foundation
dispatched national coaches abroad, helping to raise both the level of
awareness of and skill in kendô, especially outside former Japanese colo-
nial territory. In 1965 the first international tournament was held in Taipei;
and in 1967, at the hundredth anniversary of the Meiji Restoration, the
All-Japan Kendô Federation invited athletes from ten countries to an inter-
national tournament. Again in 1970, at the Ôsaka Exposition, another in-
ternational tournament was held, and the International Kendô Federation
(IKF) was formed, with seventeen participating national bodies. IKF cur-
rently holds international competitions every three years in different places
around the globe.
Ranking and Competition
In late medieval times swordsmanship instruction began to be system-
atized, so that instructors taught students in graded ranks; but in the
modern period the Dainippon Butokukai created a ranking system in
1902 that has remained relatively consistent. Currently there are six kyû
(literally, grade) ranks for beginners and ten dan(literally, rank) degrees
for more advanced kendôists, ranked upwards from first degree to tenth.
Degrees one through eight are awarded in examination, and the last two
degrees are awarded by the respective head of the organization after nom-
ination and appropriate examination. For those above fifth degree, there
are three honorary degrees for instructors—Renshi, Kyôshi, and Han-
shi—awarded on the basis not only of demonstrated skill, but also of
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