THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN KENDO AND

KENJUTSU
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KENDO:

is a sport with rules and conventions

guiding acceptable targets, techniques,
and scoring procedures

grew mainly out of Itto Ryu in the mid-

1700's but has developed its own its own
techniques and philosophy

targets: wrists, head, throat, belly and

sides of the waist

stance is upright, facing forward with the

whole body, rear foot (left) slightly off
the floor

main (most basic) cut is typically

vertically straight down

weapon is a bamboo sword (shinai)

movement is predominantly linear

curriculum consists of mostly fencing

bouts

some contend that kendo is an art more

geared towards improving oneself
through spiritual development

the goal is to improve oneself through

the study of the sword

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KENJUSTU:

is an art concerned with accurate and

realistic sword technique applications,
learning to fight with the sword in a real-
life context

is a term referring to old styles of

Japanese swordsmanship, most of which
were created in the 1400-1600's

uses wooden swords, real swords, or

bamboo swords, depending on the style

can involve study of a variety of weapons

which may include: spear, staff, short
sword short, halberd, short staff, etc.

targets are any targets of opportunity,

but certain styles have preferences for
specific targets like the head, wrists,
etc.

grew out of the need for training samurai

to fight on the battlefields and practical
concerns of battlefield fighting.

stances, techniques, and tactics used

depend on the particular style.

movements can be linear or circular or

any combination of the two, depending
on the style.

curriculum consists mainly of training in

kata (pre-arranged patterns of
movements with or without a partner)
and cutting practice.

some contend that kenjutsu is the art of

winning real fights with real swords.

the goal is victory over opponents