Kendo

Give five (5) facts about the historical development of this particular martial arts.

kendo, Japanese kendō (“way of the sword”), traditional Japanese style of fencing with a two-handed
wooden sword, derived from the fighting methods of the ancient samurai (warrior class). Kendo
originated from the experiences of the samurai who trained to use “nihonto” (Japanese swords) in
combat. The samurai thereby acquired a distinctive appreciation of the “principles of the sword”.

Kendo has its roots in the Heian Period (794 – 1185) of Japanese history and around 940 CE, specific
sword fighting techniques began to be designed and taught to soldiers.

Japanese swords of the Heian Period (794-1185) were produced by smiths with distinctive features such
as a curvature and raised ridges along the length of the blade. They came to symbolize the samurai's
spirit, and are often referred to as embodying the "mind" of the samurai.

From the Warring States period (1467–1603) through to the early stages of the Edo period (1603–1868),
many schools of swordsmanship (kenjutsu) were established, and in the 18th century protective training
armor resembling that used in kendo today was developed. Kendo became a representative discipline of
modern Japanese “budo” (martial arts/ways), of which the underpinning ideals of self-improvement are
grounded in the spirit of the samurai. Early in the 20th century, this type of training in swordsmanship,
which was referred to as “gekiken” or “kenjutsu” was renamed “kendo” which literally means the “Way
of the sword”.
There are two theories about the origins of present-day kendo. One has it that the roots of kendo lie
in the traditional art of fencing, in which combatants faced off with actual swords. This art, it is said,
was brought to Japan from China more than 1,000 years ago. The other theory says that kendo
developed from Japan's own brand of fencing.

Sources:

https://www.historyoffighting.com/kendo.php

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kendo

https://www.britannica.com/sports/kendo

https://www.kendo.or.jp/en/knowledge/kendo-history/

https://www.kendo.or.jp/en/knowledge/kendo-origin/#:~:text=Kendo%20originated%20from%20the
%20experiences,%E2%80%9Cprinciples%20of%20the%20sword%E2%80%9D.

https://web-japan.org/kidsweb/meet/kendo/kendo01.html