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4. The Community of Learners

kendo's development

Kendo as a modern martial art, or shin budo, is a relatively recent development. Of course, it is widely known that the art has its roots in Japan's feudal past, and some of the dash and exotic flavor of the era of samurai warriors cling to it even today. It evolved from the techniques of swordsmanship developed from the fourteenth through the nineteenth centuries and practiced by a class of professional fighting men. They were known as bushi (warriors) or samurai (a more formal designation of their class).

Bowing in

We discuss this historical development in the sections of the book entitled Wind and Void.

Briefly, Kendo was developed into its modern form by adopting selected elements of swordsmanship and adapting them to the changing needs of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Japan. The Abe Ryu was the first to formally designate its system as "Kendo," during the eighteenth century. Prior to this, swordsmanship was generally labeled kenjutsu.