By: Phone Min Thant, Staff Writer
Editor’s note: The writer of this piece is a member of the SFU kendo club.
Were you born too late to be a samurai and too early to experience lightsabers? Well, what if I told you there is a way you can imitate a combination of the two? Welcome to the SFU kendo club. I spoke to two fellow members of the club about its activities and prospects for the future. Grab a drink, take a break from your usual routine, and allow us to take you on a journey of self-discovery and community through the martial art of kendo.
But, before jumping into the club itself, what is kendo?
Commonly described as the “Way of the Sword,” kendo is a Japanese martial art that aims to develop discipline and personality through training with the sword. The main purpose of kendo is to nurture respect for yourself and your peers through “rigorous training.” Kendo practitioners typically wear a set of armour (bogu) consisting of the helmet (men), gauntlets (kote), and breastplate (do) and wield a bamboo sword (shinai). You have probably spotted members of the SFU kendo club from time to time in such gear.
Introduced to Canada by Japanese immigrants in the dawn of the 20th century, kendo is now widely practiced throughout the country with over 5,000 practitioners, under the oversight of the Canadian Kendo Federation (CKF) and the numerous provincial federations underneath. The CKF organizes the Canadian National Kendo Championships every two years, alternating with the National Junior Kendo Championships. Provincial tournaments (such as the BCKF annual tournament) and tournaments hosted by specific clubs (such as the Steveston Kendo tournament) are also widespread. Canada fields both national men’s and women’s teams to compete in the World Kendo Championships every three years. Internationally, kendo is practiced by over six million people, and national kendo federations are registered with the International Kendo Federation (FIK).
The SFU kendo club was established in 2001 and since then, it has been home to many dedicated members, both within the university as well as from the wider community. The club has largely grown due to efforts towards community engagement through Club Days and Trial Weeks. Elton Chen, an event planner of the club and long-term member, elaborated that it was the trial week that allowed him and his friend to try kendo for the first time and the enjoyment of the experience made them “continue from there.” My own experience is pretty similar as I joined the club after a visit to their booth during Club Days.
To be honest, my past-self back in Myanmar would have never seen myself joining a sports club, nevermind one that involves hitting your opponents and getting hit yourself. I joined the kendo club because I’d seen them practicing a few times and thought the uniform looked cool. After I went to the kendo booth on Club Days, I intensely debated whether I should go to trials or go to a concert I already bought tickets for — I even persuaded my friends to join me in going to the trials, just to give myself an added incentive. Well, I am writing this piece now so we all know which decision I took. I found out as time went on that the practices were more than just interesting uniforms and sparring matches. Through all the etiquette, sparring matches, and practices, I was able to discover respect, camaraderie, and discipline. Over time, I noticed improvement in my ability to regulate my emotions — kendo really helped me mitigate my anxiety. Personally, I struggled to fit into athletic teams since elementary school; it was different with the kendo club. Since day one, all the teammates and instructors have been nothing but helpful, kind, and patient. Their support has led me to develop from struggling with basic footwork to competing in tournaments in just over a year.
Coming to Canada and lacking the emotional security of my family, I found a club that acted as one. Joining the kendo club was an impulsive decision, but it’s one I’ll never regret.
Trial Weeks are a common theme in SFU kendo as well as in other SFU Recreation programs. Chen describes the Trial Weeks as opportunities to “come by completely free of cost to simply experience kendo either through learning it from a quick demonstration as well as viewing [current members] do senior-level practices.” In these trial sessions in the first month of the semester, instructors teach visitors the fundamentals of kendo and are permitted to try out a full practice session — complete with a sword and ending with an observation of senior sparring matches. While these trials fall under SFU Recreation, the kendo club also encourages members outside the university to visit and try out kendo.
“Joining the kendo club was an impulsive decision, but it’s one I’ll never regret.”
After trials, the kendo club typically practices twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays. Practice times are from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the East Central Gym at SFU. To be a member, registration with the SFU Recreation program costs around $100 per semester and student-members pay $10 for the club’s financial matters. The kendo club also has an iaido component (since 2010) that precedes the kendo practice sessions. Iaido is a martial art that mainly focuses on the “drawing, cutting, and reseathing” of a sword. If you aren’t keen on sparring, but want to focus more on the precision and perfection behind the use of a sword, the iaido club practices from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on the same days as kendo.
As a university club, building a sense of community and family remains a core tenet of the SFU kendo club. Tailun Li, the president, added that on top of experiencing “personal growth,” he was also able to “build some meaningful connections and find a sense of belonging.” To this end, Chen expanded that the club is planning to engage with more Club Days and Trial Weeks in the future as well as organizing ice breaker events where “newer students and newer members coming in are able to mingle and interact with current and senior members of the club so that there’s some sort of a bridge.” He said he wants them to “feel welcomed.” Chen is optimistic that the number of these new members will increase in the near future and to see more such events.
Recent activities from the club included a delegation of members participating in the Pacific Northwest Intercollegiate Kendo tournament held at the University of Victoria in mid-January. The club is also preparing to attend more tournaments, starting with the 61st annual Steveston Kendo Tournament in early February and the annual BC Kendo Federation Fall Tournament later in the year.
For prospective members of the SFU kendo club, Li describes the club as more than “picking up a shinai and learning some kendo techniques.” For him, the club “has been a journey of self-discovery and growth.” Through kendo and by training together with other members in the club, he is confident that members will “learn to push [their] limits, stay focused, and approach challenges with a calm mind.”
The SFU kendo club welcomes anyone enthusiastic to join us on our journey towards appreciating kendo. From tournaments to ice breakers, we strive to build a family through training together and maintaining discipline, nurturing a respect for self and others.