It's a Way

Kendo, as you know, is a Way.

It began with samurai films

Before kendo I practiced other martial arts — judo, kenjutsu, iaido. My interest in kendo grew out of samurai movies. I watched Kurosawa films — the samurai duels drew me in. When I heard kendo existed — I had no idea it did — I got the chance to start — in 1999, together with my father.

The way I chose

At some point I couldn't go on with judo, iaido and kendo all at once. I had to choose — and I went to Japan for one year. I saw that with kendo I could train on, without injury breaks.

So I stopped judo — sadly, that was goodbye. From then on, kendo alone.

Everyone together

What I loved most: everyone practicing together. Youngsters, adults, kids — one and the same practice. Women and men together — I truly enjoyed that.

The more I practice, the more interesting kendo gets. And harder, too — but such a joy.

Time for kendo alone

Everybody is busy — it's awful, really. But first of all, what I love in kendo is during practice, you completely forget everything else. A time to focus on kendo, and kendo alone.

Work worries, chores at home — gone. You're fully in the moment. A good practice demands your hundred percent.

And that keeps my worries at bay. An hour and a half of nothing but kendo — I treasure that.

Because it's a Way

Kendo, as you know, is a Way. It's not like going to the gym. Nothing against the gym, mind you.

But a way is something you pursue — you keep walking. To grow on this way, you must practice. You have to come back to the dojo.

You cannot get better at doing nothing. And that is what brings me back — to the dojo.

On teaching

That's a good question. Teaching means weighing many things at once. The rhythm, the level of the people, the energy.

Mixing all of that, I try to show the best I can. Hoping people find something they can take and try. I try to motivate — and show simple ways to improve.

Focus. Kiai. Staying relaxed. All things I hold myself to as well.

Friends across the world

The great thing about kendo: it's one big community. Kendo brings you to so many different people. Visit a country, move to a new town for work — you'll find a new circle waiting.

Show up to practice — a warm welcome, everywhere you go. To Japanese people, I'd say: take this chance.

Make friends — all over the world.

About this series

Way of Life is a series of short portraits of people who live the way, filmed by KAIDO Inc. in dojos across Europe and Japan. One person, one word, a few minutes.