We’ve mentioned before my affinity for Japanese culture and this past Saturday I was given the chance to take part in a seminar and practice session for Kenjiutsu.

Kenjutsu (剣術) originated with the samurai class of feudal Japan and roughly translates directly to Sword Art. You may have heard of Kendo. The sport where you wear armor and swing a bamboo sword in order to score points.

I will admit that even the stretching took a bit of effort for me given that it has been a long time since physical activity was even a minor goal in my life. The lesson was great. We, the students, were each given a bokken or wooden training sword and then showed the proper technique for swinging it. We were told that despite them being wood you need to pretend it is a lethal weapon so when you up grade to a real one you don’t have any bad habits.

The point of Kenjutsu is about quickly and efficiently defeating an opponent and quickly engaging with another if needed. The term defeat in this instance means kill since you are learning just the ways to kill. I’m not looking to go on a shogun area rampage but learning something new is always fascinating. I had a lot of fun and can’t wait for my next opportunity to learn more.