Kendo strikes as new club

By Sarah Auvil
auvils@mytjnow.com

Kendo, translated as “The Way of the Sword,” embraces the art of samurai sword-weilding and originated in feudal Japan. Photo by Sarah Auvil auvils@mytjnow.comAn unusual club sport described as “Japanese sword fighting” is growing in numbers and bringing students from different backgrounds together this fall.

“Kendo is a Japanese martial art that is similar to fencing, but is done in a very traditional, samurai-esque way,” said Jesse Dotson, the club’s new president this year. 

A fifth degree black belt sensei from a dojo in Charlotte comes to help students train during their Tuesday and Friday night practices in the SAC. Members practice different attacks and techniques as well as the Japanese etiquette related to the sport.

Dotson believes “the family aspect” of the club is its greatest strength –spending extra time and getting together outside of practice.

“The club has grown exponentially,” said Dotson, a sophomore digital information design major from Columbia, S.C. “We actually met a goal of having 10 new members this semester.” The club now has about 25 members officially and 16-17 that regularly attend the practices, up from about 10 last year. 

“A lot of people don’t know what kendo is, but when we have demonstrations in the West Center, everybody can hear us,” Dotson said. “It’s loud, it’s high contact, and it’s enjoyable to watch.”

Jonathan Nguyen, the club’s treasurer, said “We got about two pages of emails,” regarding the sign-ups at Convocation this year. 

The sophomore biology major from Spartanburg, S.C. said the ability to “whack at people” and “the personality of the people in the club” are two factors that attract new members.

As treasurer, Nguyen is responsible for managing the club’s funds and helping members get the necessary kendo equipment, which can be quite pricey between practicing swords and full sets of armor for each member.

“There are two swords called a shinai and bokken,” Nguyen said. “The shinai is the practice sword that is made of bamboo while the bokken is made out of wood and is used for practicing kata (like forms in martial arts).”

Kendo club now has 25 official members, up from about 10 in 2010. Photo by Sarah Auvil • auvils@mytjnow.com “The armor is called a bogu. The bogu consists of the men (helmet), kote (wrist and hand guards) and do (body armor). The armor is around the $400+ range, and the swords are covered by club dues which are $35.”

One way the Kendo Club helps afford the armor is by holding fundraiser events. 

“We host an annual video game tournament, and we plan on having a bake sale, karaoke, movie/anime nights and various other activities,” Nguyen said. Club members also get together outside of practice for movie nights on weekends.

The club has attracted a lot of diversity this year. Parisa Geranmayeh, 18, is a freshman biology major who joined the club this fall. 

“I wanted to be more diverse in my activities as a newly-admitted university student,” she said, “so joining an athletic/martial arts group was a pretty good bet.”  

Geranmayeh, a commuter student from Rock Hill, S.C., said she decided to join to get involved on campus and try something completely out of her element.

The kendo club plans to go to two tournaments starting in March – one at William & Mary in Williamsburg, V.A., and another new, more local tournament as part of a collaboration of dojos across major cities in the Carolinas. 

Last year, several members, including Dotson, won matches in their divisions. But that’s not what the focus of the club is all about. 

“For us, it’s not about winning,” Dotson said. “It’s more so about the experience that you get seeing other people do kendo and the respect that you get from other dojos. Overall it’s a learning experience, really about having a lot of fun with your friends and giving Winthrop a good name.”