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Despite this, interest in Japan's martial heritage began to wane in the late nineteenth century, as the Japanese people focused on modernizing their country. Public Kendo exhibitions became common during this period in the hopes of reviving interest, and this may have encouraged a further development of Kendo's evolving "sport" and competition emphasis.

Government sponsorship of these arts eventually served to revive interest. In 1895, the government established the Dai Nippon Butokukai (Greater Japan Martial Virtue Association) in Kyoto, which stressed the role of Kendo and judo in the moral education of Japanese citizens. Making arts such as Kendo and judo part of the education of Japan's young eventually ensured that interest would not die out. In 1905, Tokyo University became the first college in the nation to sponsor a Kendo team, and other colleges soon followed. In 1928, the All Japan Kendo Federation was established as a governing body to regulate and standardize the art throughout Japan.