Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Put to the sword: fencing samurai-style
The Virginia Tech kendo club is led and taught by students.
MATT GENTRY The Roanoke Times
Virginia Tech kendo club member Chan-won Park (left) strikes sparing partner Chris Sa over the head with his shinai, a 47-inch bamboo sword used in kendo, the Japanese equivalent of fencing.
MATT GENTRY The Roanoke Times
Christine Eickhoff (center), a member of the Virginia Tech kendo club, waits for her rotation in one-on-one sparring rounds during practice in War Memorial Gym. Eickhoff first saw kendo at the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C.
Matt Gentry | The Roanoke Times
Osamu Osawa concentrates with his shinai, a 47-inch bamboo sword used in kendo, a competive Japanese sword-fighting sport. Osawa is the Virginia Tech kendo club’s co-president. The concentration exercise was an opening component of the club’s practice. Click for a video of the club.
BLACKSBURG -- The warrior kneels in front of his armor and clears his mind. He remains silent as he dons the protective bogu over his gi and hakama, then reaches for his sword.
He turns to his opponent and assumes a fighting stance, eyes locked on his foe. Without saying a word his gaze expresses respect for his fellow combatant. The tension builds as the two fighters square off in silence.
Then, with the simultaneous scream of "Kiai," stomp of the foot and strike of the shinai, the warrior breaks the peace.
He attacks swiftly, and his adversary is slow to react. The wooden shinai connects with a crack that echoes through the room as the warrior delivers what would otherwise be a fatal blow.
But this is not feudal Japan, and these are not samurai. This scene takes place on a regular basis locally, played out by college students of various ethnicities in the Virginia Tech kendo club.
Kendo, meaning "way of the sword," is the Japanese equivalent of fencing. The martial art is practiced all over the world and has developed a loyal following at Tech.
Some members, such as club presidents Jason Price and Osamu Osawa, initially took up kendo because it gave them something interesting to do.
Others, such as Christine Eickhoff, who first saw kendo at the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C., fell in love with it at first exposure and jumped at the opportunity to participate in the club.
Its official name is the Kendo/Kumdo Club at Virginia Tech, which reflects the club's Japanese and Korean influences.
"We've grown a lot in the last few years," Price said. "We have around 30 members, and usually over 20 show up to practice each night."
Price and Osawa lead the practices with precision and intensity.
"In competition, points come from perfect strikes," Price said. "When you're out there everything has to be second nature."
As Osawa counts aloud in Japanese, "Ichi, ni, san, shi," the group responds in unison with the Japanese words for the intended targets while they repeatedly simulate the various kendo strikes. The drills show similarities to military boot camp with some of the motions repeated up to 100 times.
Each drill corresponds to a particular bit of footwork or an attack on a specific body part. Drills concentrate on building stamina and developing precision with the shinai.
Made from four slats of bamboo, the shinai in kendo is used in both practice and competition as a sword.
Occasionally, one member of the club gets the privilege of warming up with a larger six-slat shinai. This heavier piece of equipment adds a tremendous degree of intensity to the already-taxing exercises, making it difficult to consistently hit the same marks. In competition, strikes may connect only on areas of the body protected by the bogu.
A complete bogu set consists of a helmet and face guard called a men, gauntlets called kote, a chest protector called a do and a belt called a tare that protects down to about midthigh.
The process of putting on the bogu involves kneeling with the pieces laid out on the floor then methodically applying each piece. Doing so allows the competitor to focus his energy.
"There's a big mental aspect to kendo," Price said. "You want to beat your opponent before you even start the match. You don't want anything distracting you or clouding your mind. The less in there the better."
The bamboo sword and use of body armor allow club members to spar using full-force attacks without harming each other.
"The bogu is pretty good at keeping you protected," Price said. "There's still some exposed areas that always seem to get hit, like under the arm and on the thighs. After a while, though, you don't even feel it."
Competitive matches are broken down by skill level, but the practices allow members of unequal skill to spar with each other. According to Price, this helps the newest members quickly improve and gives the more experienced ones a chance to act as teachers.
Price said the Tech kendo club is one of the few such groups that is run and taught by college students.
The techniques and the teachings pay off, with the club routinely garnering team and individual awards at its competitions.
For Price and the rest of the club members, kendo not only provides a fun and rewarding competitive environment but also allows for a greater appreciation of Asian culture.
"It gets you to see things from a different perspective," Price said. "I've learned so much since I first started, and the people here are all great. It's been a lot of fun."
The group practices three nights a week in War Memorial Gym and travels to schools such as Harvard and Yale for tournaments each year. Upcoming competitions include trips to William and Mary later this month and Cleveland in April.
