Kendo Terms long vowels are noted in this section (example: kendō ), but for simplicity are not noted in the explanatory sections (example: About Kendo )

), but for simplicity are not noted in the explanatory sections (example: ) descriptions in quotes are spoken phrases or commands aisatsu greeting; courtesy exchanged when meeting another person, see rei-gi arigatō gozaimashita "Thank you very much" ashi-sabaki footwork ato-geiko literally after practice, usually a second practice session for advanced kenshi following a primary practice session which stresses kihon bōgu kendo armor consisting of men, kote, do, and tare bokken wooden sword, primarily used for kendo kata bokutō same as bokken chaku-sō the manner of wearing keikogi, hakama, and bogu, see basic concepts chakuza command to sit down on the floor from a standing position chūdan-no-kamae basic kamae, with the kensen pointed at the opponent's throat, see basic concepts chūken middle player in a team match (counting 1,2,3, ... ,10) ichi, ni, san, shi, go, roku, shichi, hachi, ku, jyu dan ranking system for advanced levels (1=lowest, 10=highest); equivalent to black belt in other martial arts datotsu striking and thrusting. A valid point is referred to as yuko datotsu. datotsu-bu the part of the shinai with which one should strike the opponent. Refers to the jin-bu (side opposite the tsuru) around the region of the mono-uchi. datotsu-bui the correct striking or thrusting zones of the kendo-gu (protective gear), refers to the men, kote, do, and tsuki areas datotsu-no-kikai chance of strike dō kendo armor to protect the trunk and chest dō ari "do" (awarding of the do point in a match) enchō match overtime period fukushin sub-referees in a match fukushō second to last player in a team match furi-kaburi big movement swing of the shinai above one's head fusenshō a match win by default, due to the opponent's absence or forfeit gōgi referee's conference during a match, held in the center of the court hachimaki thin cotton towel worn on the head under the men hai "yes" (used to answer when called) hajime "begin" hakama kendo clothing worn on the lower part of the body, a long divided skirt-like trousers hansoku match foul, results in one half-point against the offending player hansoku ikkai "first hansoku" hansoku nikai, ippon ari "second hansoku, one point" (awarded to the opponent of the offending player) hantei referees' decision of the winner of a match hasuji cutting path of the sword (angle of cut) haya-suburi fast suburi, one count per backward step plus foward strike hikiwake match draw hiraki-ashi footwork used when the body is moving diagonally (front foot is same side as forward shoulder) igi formal protest in a match, registered by a team manager ippon gachi a match decided by one point, due to time running out in sanbon-shobu ippon shōbu one point match (first person to score wins) issoku-ittō-no-maai distance from which one can strike in one step jihō second player in a team match jiyū-keiko free practice jūdan-no-kamae kamae with the shinai above the head, with the left hand above the forehead about one fist away jōgai stepping out of bounds (this is a hansoku) kachinuki a method of conducting matches in which the winner remains and keeps fighting until defeated kaishi-sen starting line in the court kakari-geiko attack practice kamae basic stance; ready position kamae-te command to assume kamae kantoku team manager keiko practice, training keiko-gi kendo clothing worn on the upper part of the body, a thick jacket-like shirt kendō the way of the sword; training the mind, body, and character through one-one-one striking practice using the shinai while wearing bogu kensen the tip of the shinai kenshi kendoist ki-o-tsuke "attention" kiai a shout or yell to show spirit kiai-o-dashite "More kiai!" kigurai confidence, presence, bearing kihon basics kihon-dōsa basic exercises, including uchi-kata and suburi kihon-shiai tournament in which kihon is judged. Usually includes rei-ho, kiri-kaeshi, and basic uchikomi. See shiai. kiri-kaeshi basic exercise in which the sides of the men are struck repeatedly, typically in sets of a straight men followed by 4 strikes forward and 5 strikes backward, see shiai kiritsu "stand up" kōdansha one with a high dan rank, typically 5th dan (godan) or higher kokyū breathing kōtai change places, alternate kote kendo armor used to proect the hand and forearm kote ari "kote" (awarding of the kote point in a match) kumiawase tournament match-ups kyū ranking system for beginning levels (6=lowest, 1=highest); equivalent to white and colored belts in other martial arts ma-ai distance between opponents massugu straight, linear mawari-geiko rotation keiko mejirushi red or white tag tied to the crossed do strings on the back, used to distinguish the players in a match men kendo armor to protect the face, head, and shoulders men ari "men" (awarding of the men point in a match) men-no-uchi, gokai "basic men strike, 5 times" men-no-uchi, sankyodo "basic men strike, three count movements" (1=raise shinai, 2=strike, moving forward, 3=step back) men-o-tore "take off the men" men-o-tsuke "put on the men" metsuke use of the eyes to see the opponent, see basic concepts mokusō meditation performed in the seiza position, see basic concepts monouchi the region of the shinai most effective for striking, located between the tip and the nakayui motodachi person being struck to provide instruction, for example in uchikomi-geiko, kakari-geiko, or kihon shiai nakayui thin strip of leather tied around the shinai about one third down from the tip nafuda name tag worn on the center of the tare naore command to stop mokuso nihon me "Second point" (continues sanbon-shobu after one player has scored the first point of the match) nuke-tō "draw the sword (shinai)" okuri-ashi the most basic footwork used in kendo, where the feet start and end in the basic kamae position with the right foot in front and the toes of the left foot even with the line of the right heel, see basic concepts onegai shimasu "I request the favor (of a practice)" (said when beginning keiko with a more senior kenshi) osame-tō "return the sword (shinai)" rei bow rei-gi matters of etiquette, see rei-gi rei-hō doctrines of etiquette, see basic concepts and shiai ritsu-rei standing bow sanbon shōbu three point match (first person to score two points wins) sage-tō the posture taken when performing ritsu-rei, with the shinai held in the left hand with the arm hanging naturally at the side. The tsuru faces downward and the hand next to the tsuba. sayū-men the right and left striking zones of the men seiretsu "make a line" seiza seated attention position (literally correct sitting), see basic concepts seme pressure applied to one's opponent senpō first player in a team match sensei instructor, usually with rank 4th dan (yondan) or higher shiai match, see shiai shiai-geiko match practice. At Norwalk Dojo, includes kihon-shiai and regular shiai. shiai-jikan match time limit shiai-jō court shinai bamboo sword used in kendo shinai-otoshi losing control of the shinai (this is a hansoku) shin-kokyū deep breathing exercise shinpan judge; referee shinpan-chō head judge shinpan-shunin court judge shinsa promotional examination shisei posture, see basic concepts shizentai natural standing position, see basic concepts shōbu "Match" (continues sanbon shobu after each player has one point) shōbu ari "Match done" (announces the end of the match) shōmen the side of the dojo or hall farthest from the main entrance, the side having the highest place of honor shōmen-uchi a strike to the center of the men shūgō gathering, meeting shushin chief referee (makes the match pronouncements) shusseki-o-torimasu "taking roll call" sogo-no-rei ritsu-rei to the opponent. The angle is about 15 degrees, and eye contact is maintained. sonkyo the crouching position in which begins and ends each bout suburi basic exercise which simulates striking the men repeatedly, performed without an opponent suburi-ikkyodo one-count suburi (alternate striking forward and backward on each count) suburi-nikyodo two-count suburi (raise the shinai on the odd count; strike on the even count, alternating the going forward and backward and each strike) suigetsu solar plexus suriage deflecting the opponent's shinai using a circular motion suri-ashi footwork in which the feet do not lose contact with the floor, see basic concepts taiatari hitting with the body taikai tournament taishō last player in a team match (captain) tai-to holding the shinai at the left hip, ready to draw. The tsuka-gashira should be in front of the center of the body. tanden a point located slightly below the navel in the center of the lower abdomen, considered to be the body's center of mass and, in oriental medicine, the source of health, vitality and ki-energy tare kendo armor to protect the waist, groin, and upper legs te-no-uchi the usage of the hands to tighten/loosen the grip on the shinai or adjusting the balance between the hands when striking or responding tenugui same as hachimaki tsuba circular guard on the shinai tsuba-zeriai the position in which the opponents are close to each other with tsuba or fists together tsuka the handle of the shinai tsuka-gashira the very end (bottom) of the tsuka tsuki flap on the men which protects the throat tsuki ari "tsuki" (awarding of the tsuki point) tsuru the string which holds the shinai together uchikomi-geiko practice striking the basic points on the motodachi wakare during keiko: "dismissed" (signals end of session)

during shiai: "separate" (timer does not stop) waza technique, see advanced concepts yame "stop" yonkyū ika wakare "4th kyu and below, dismissed" yudansha kendoist with a rank of 1st dan (shodan) or higher yūkō datotsu valid point, see shiai zanshin mental and physical presence of spirit, especially after completing an attack