KendoKendo

Kendo is the first book in English to provide an in-depth historical, cultural, and political account of the Japanese martial art of swordsmanship, from its beginnings in military training and arcane medieval schools to its widespread practice today as a global sport. Alexander Bennett shows how kendo evolved through a recurring process of 'inventing tradition', which served the changing ideologies and needs of Japanese warriors and governments over the course of history. Kendo follows the development of Japanese swordsmanship from the aristocratic pretensions of medieval warriors in the Muromachi period, to the samurai elitism of the Edo regime, and to the patriotism of the Meiji state. Kendo was influenced in the 1930s and 1940s by ultranationalist militarists and ultimately by the postwar government, which sought a gentle form of cultural nationalism to rekindle appreciation of traditional culture among Japan's youth and to garner international prestige as an instrument of 'soft power'. Today kendo is becoming increasingly popular internationally. But even as new organizations and clubs form around the world, the sport remains closely linked to Japan's sense of collective identity.