The sword is an integral part of Japanese history. With the rise of the warrior class (samurai) in Japanese society in the 13th century, the sword carved lasting impressions in Japan. Before the mid-eighteenth century, the Samurai used real blades (shinken) or a wooden sword (boken or bokuto) to practice their sword skills. Unfortunately, death or serious injuries were not an uncommon occurance.
In the mid-eighteenth century, Nakanishi Chuta created Kendo as a means to practice swordsmanship without fear of injury. He created the bamboo practice sword (shinai), allowing the swordsman to execute a full blow without fear of causing an injury. In addition, he created protective gauntlets (kote), chest guard (do), hip and groin protector (tare), and a head and throat protector (men). Kendo has remained fundamentally unchanged since then.
Kendo therefore, as opposed to kenjutsu, is not practiced in order to destroy opponents but rather to train oneself in character building. It is in this aim of spritual awakening that kendo has much in common with Zen Buddhism. However, kendo is deeply influenced not only by Zen but by orthodox Buddhist, Confucian, and Shinto philosophy. The expert manipulation of the sword is only the means to the end. In a kendo match only one person may win but many people may take part. Physical prowess and technical skill are counted less important than doing everything with full spirit and participation even if there's no hope of winning. What is important is attaining mental and spiritual calm and balance.
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