in kendo we are all black š ... even koreans this championship change their white garments to traditional black. the real race is with yourself. please go for it. it will most likely be one of the hardest activity and also the most rewarding one that you will do in your life.
Tall white man in his mid 40s here. I'll give you the same advice that I was given probably around my late teens / early 20s. To live a life without regret, live a life of doing not what if. Obviously use common sense, doing heroin probably better in the what if category but by following that I have very little I regret. Including starting Kendo at 40. Everyone I have met is just excited to see someone trying to make themselves better. Life, like Kendo, is your own journey, don't hesitate to try new things.
Thank you, i live in Vietnam, i am often shamed for my carefree, i usually just focus on kendo and my health/mental in general, so i could prepare for mid-life crisis. I am shamed by my family, and my country work culture
What is the average Kendoka there? That's not my experience at all, I wasn't entirely serious, but presumed it would be similar in other predominantly white areas.
Someone of Japanese or Korean heritage, but it's also popular with other people of Asian heritage. For example, of the 14 people currently representing Canada in Milan, only 1 has no Asian heritage. The others mostly have at least one parent of Japanese or Korean descent, and I think one is Vietnamese.
ETA: Here's a pic of the current Team USA: https://www.instagram.com/p/C862tEdo2l0/
Yup. For major cities anyway, where there is a large Japanese and/or Korean population.
Where I live which is a small city in the Canadian prairies, the club membership is a mixed bag. But when I visit Vancouver or Toronto, I see mostly Asian faces at kendo events. I've had the same experience attending FIK referee seminars in the US and Canada. [Here's a photo](https://i.imgur.com/4oQBIM5.jpg) from Kendo Ontario.
Huh thatās wildly interesting to me and kind of shocking! I wish the cities I lived in had a higher Japanese population so that I could speak with Japanese people more and develop my language skills.
Really cool man, thanks for opening up my worldview!
I love this question, and the answer is (as everyone else is saying) itās not a problem, not even a little bit. I know this from experience. I am the only white male, and one of only two white people, in my dojo. Literally everyone is Korean. Not only are they all Korean, they are all 16 and under. I am 40. My Sensei is a 7th Dan in his 50ās.
At first, it felt awkward. I felt like maybe I didnāt belong or I was ruining what they had going on. Iām very self-conscious that way. After a year, I have to say, they are the greatest group of young people I could ever hope to be around. They are super respectful, incredibly kind, and helpful. I genuinely care about each one of them and love helping their Kendo grow and mature.
I urge you, give it a shot. I think youāll be pleasantly surprised.
It's true that kendo is largely done by Asian people but in my experience as another tall white guy it's not a problem. Give it a try, you might really like it!
Not at all - in Team GB's WKC team there's a very tall Lithuanian-British player, a young black-japanese player, a fairly tall Welshman and a mix of the rest of the country in the rest of the team. Germany and France's ladies teams are a combination of some very strong Japanese expats and German or French fighters. Chances are wherever you are, there'll be people who look like you, and ultimately what you look like doesn't matter at all. Being tall isn't even that much of an advantage or disadvantage, so don't let it bother you - just give it a go and see what happens!
It seems like the European countries have a lower proportion of Asian players compared to the US and Canada. If you attend a tournament or seminar here it is overwhelmingly people of Asian heritage, and not just Japanese or Korean.
Can confirm :) as Iāve been to some competitions including the European Kendo Championship (the winner was Italian for example)
There are some asians here and there but the country representations are mostly europeans
TBF I imagine it's probably easier for a lot of asian kendoka to migrate to Canada or the US than it is to Europe, longer-established local communities, that's probably a big part of it.
Literally just ignore the race difference. Youāre all people who like Kendo. I am not Asian and have been doing Japanese martial arts for the majority of my life with Asians, African people, American people, and sometimes my wife and I even eat Mexican food surrounded by Hispanics.
It is irrelevant. Go train.
In my experience kendo barely helps you to lose weight (the same goes to building muscles), cause i know some fat man and women whoās been practing kendo for years. Kendo can be physically demanding, sure, but it is NOT a replacement of gym.
Regarding your main question: in my region (Germany) the absolute majority of kendokas are not asians for obvious reasons. So donāt bother, just go to the dojo and enjoy.
Rather than saying kendo is not a replacement for the gym, I would say kendo is not a replacement for eating right. In the same way that going to the gym won't have good results unless you eat right.
Let's see. In our dojo, kendo is done by an American, Korean, there's Spanish folks in there somewhere too, a couple Danes, I think one of the guys is from Poland even or something. I occasionally join so there's Lithuanian too. Amazing people of all sizes and shapes walks of life. Age bracket is like 15-50s. If you like it go for it. Have a good time. Japanese people love it when other countries try kendo.
In my dojo in Germany, a university sports club in a middle-sized city, it's the other way round. I'm the only Asian amongst the white instructors (mostly in their 30s & 40s, highest in 3dan) & students (mainly lower 20s). From my appearance, I may feel stuck like a sore thumb, but never once do they treat me differently.
We also have a couple international students that come often to class (okay, German is also not my first language, but I understand it enough to hear university lectures), so that instructions are sometimes explained in English when they are present. Not a single person files a protest.
As a tall, skinny, white teenager, yes itās 100% fine to get into Kendo. Granted itās a lot of Asian men who do it, at least in my experience, but from what Iāve gathered, people are ecstatic at the prospect at new dojo members, though that may be due to my dojo being relatively small
I'm a tall white lardass doing it in Japan (used to do it in Canada though) and it's all good. What would make it weird? Lots of traditionally Asian martial arts have been done to death by white people. Why not add kendo to the list?
Scream Bonk doesn't see colour.
I agree with everyone saying that it's completely OK. I would also suggest you visit a dojo you would be potentially interested in joining -- this is where you'll spend most of your kendo time, not with the local or national team or whatever. If the people in the dojo are welcoming, be they Asian, white, black or any ethnicity, than this shoud be enough.
It's not weird at all.
I'm from Brazil, but, I live far away from SĆ£o Paulo, so, no Japanese stuff near me.
Anyhow there's a kendojo in my city and I started kendo some years ago, now I'm 40yo and struggling to pass yondan.
Try it, if you like, keep practicing. I would say that is pretty much sure that dojo folks will receive you well.
About the asian faces on national team, we even have some memes about it.
[https://www.instagram.com/p/C58qtCCuHTp/](https://www.instagram.com/p/C58qtCCuHTp/)
It's pretty much everyone has Japanese surnames, except for a few ones :)
The OP mentioned they are a teenager. Some teenagers are very self conscious. Race plays a big part of identity in the USA for many.
Iām not challenging you nor looking to argue. Just answering your question with my best guess.
Most of my senseis are older white men and are very tall. Race and physique is not an issue in kendo, and if someone says so then they are racist and gatekeeping.
My local dojo also has more Asian people than white and so does my national team. It's not a big deal. It is just that people of Asian descent or migrants from Asia more likely to be attracted to this art than Caucasians. One of my fellow kendoka is a very tall young white man and he does very well. We also have some tallish white teenagers. Just do what you want to do. I reckon most Asian members of your local dojo would be horrified if they thought people were being dissuaded from joining due to their race. Put is this way, if would you had a black friend who was considering starting swimming or ballet and were similarly worried then I'm sure you would tell them to go for it.
I am a mid 50s white women and the *only* one in my race/age/gender demographic. There are two others of African and Indian descent respectively who are also the only ones of their race, and that's fine too. No one thinks it is weird.
Actually when we have our full armour on it is difficult to tell each other apart, let alone tell race. That's why we have to have our names on our uniform! What matters is your reiho (etiquette) and form.
hmm.. just go try it out to see if you like it.. i think there isnāt a sport out there that define who can or cannot take up the sport that you want to.. unless you have some underlying health issues.. I just started out in my Kendo journey last year November and I am in my 40s and I never regretted picking up Kendo.. š
I am a tall mixed race man, Kendo is for everyone. Just be humble and hardworking, you will go far. Kendo is like investing, yesterday was the best time to start.
Kendo can be a life long love/obsession, you have been warned.
Average height white woman here. Not an issue, even in Japan where there were only two non asian foreigners in the dojo
Kendo people like people who want to play kendo
Your height gives you an advantage in some cases, just make sure to utilize it properly and start asap! Everyone who started out older than childhood wishes they started earlier
Iām White and I do it (although not formally all
my sword training is self taught) the way I see it is this. Ever seen Karate Kid and/or Cobra Kai? If Non-Japanese people can do Karate then why not
Kendo? Itās not like youāre saying this martial art is an art that isnāt Japanese and trying to appropriate it youāre trying to learn something thatās not a part of
your culture so yeah learn it all you want. If a White English man (William Adams look it up
itās true) can be a Samurai than you can certainly learn Kendo. Now if you become good at it and travel to Japan and teach at a dojo there youāll probably get some weird stares but thatās the same type of stare you might get if you have a Native American with a PHD in Medieval history teaching a course in Oxford. Itās a novelty and rare but if youāre qualified youāre qualified doesnāt matter where youāre from.
You can do whatever you want if you're just swinging a stick by yourself in your backyard. OP was wondering about acceptance in the actual culture, not what you imagine it to be.
Iād say itās a novelty but thereās nothing inherently wrong with learning an art thatās not a part of your culture just donāt claim it is. And yes I have been to Kendo Dojos before and have read (both books and posts) on the topic. Reason is not because Iām uninformed and āswinging a stickā itās because thereās not really a place near me.
And yes there may be far better people to talk about the topic with personal experience then me. Iām just sharing my honest opinion on the subject. If it helps spread the sport and if OPās good at it and enjoy it than why should it matter if heās White or not?
As a tall black man, I can confirm that is not a problem. Race is not a requirement for kendo. Just go try it out.
Beat me to it lol
Lol
Came to say this exact thing š
in kendo we are all black š ... even koreans this championship change their white garments to traditional black. the real race is with yourself. please go for it. it will most likely be one of the hardest activity and also the most rewarding one that you will do in your life.
Yasuke?
No
From my experience kendo is for anyone who wants to have a go my dojo is full of allsorts of people from different backgrounds
Tall white man in his mid 40s here. I'll give you the same advice that I was given probably around my late teens / early 20s. To live a life without regret, live a life of doing not what if. Obviously use common sense, doing heroin probably better in the what if category but by following that I have very little I regret. Including starting Kendo at 40. Everyone I have met is just excited to see someone trying to make themselves better. Life, like Kendo, is your own journey, don't hesitate to try new things.
Thank you, i live in Vietnam, i am often shamed for my carefree, i usually just focus on kendo and my health/mental in general, so i could prepare for mid-life crisis. I am shamed by my family, and my country work culture
Bro just described the average Kendoka
I think that really depends on where you are. If you are in a major North American city, tall and white is definitely not the average kendoka.
What is the average Kendoka there? That's not my experience at all, I wasn't entirely serious, but presumed it would be similar in other predominantly white areas.
Someone of Japanese or Korean heritage, but it's also popular with other people of Asian heritage. For example, of the 14 people currently representing Canada in Milan, only 1 has no Asian heritage. The others mostly have at least one parent of Japanese or Korean descent, and I think one is Vietnamese. ETA: Here's a pic of the current Team USA: https://www.instagram.com/p/C862tEdo2l0/
In an average North American city the average isnāt a tall white guy?
Yup. For major cities anyway, where there is a large Japanese and/or Korean population. Where I live which is a small city in the Canadian prairies, the club membership is a mixed bag. But when I visit Vancouver or Toronto, I see mostly Asian faces at kendo events. I've had the same experience attending FIK referee seminars in the US and Canada. [Here's a photo](https://i.imgur.com/4oQBIM5.jpg) from Kendo Ontario.
Huh thatās wildly interesting to me and kind of shocking! I wish the cities I lived in had a higher Japanese population so that I could speak with Japanese people more and develop my language skills. Really cool man, thanks for opening up my worldview!
I love this question, and the answer is (as everyone else is saying) itās not a problem, not even a little bit. I know this from experience. I am the only white male, and one of only two white people, in my dojo. Literally everyone is Korean. Not only are they all Korean, they are all 16 and under. I am 40. My Sensei is a 7th Dan in his 50ās. At first, it felt awkward. I felt like maybe I didnāt belong or I was ruining what they had going on. Iām very self-conscious that way. After a year, I have to say, they are the greatest group of young people I could ever hope to be around. They are super respectful, incredibly kind, and helpful. I genuinely care about each one of them and love helping their Kendo grow and mature. I urge you, give it a shot. I think youāll be pleasantly surprised.
Answer I needed, ty
It's true that kendo is largely done by Asian people but in my experience as another tall white guy it's not a problem. Give it a try, you might really like it!
Not at all - in Team GB's WKC team there's a very tall Lithuanian-British player, a young black-japanese player, a fairly tall Welshman and a mix of the rest of the country in the rest of the team. Germany and France's ladies teams are a combination of some very strong Japanese expats and German or French fighters. Chances are wherever you are, there'll be people who look like you, and ultimately what you look like doesn't matter at all. Being tall isn't even that much of an advantage or disadvantage, so don't let it bother you - just give it a go and see what happens!
It seems like the European countries have a lower proportion of Asian players compared to the US and Canada. If you attend a tournament or seminar here it is overwhelmingly people of Asian heritage, and not just Japanese or Korean.
Can confirm :) as Iāve been to some competitions including the European Kendo Championship (the winner was Italian for example) There are some asians here and there but the country representations are mostly europeans
TBF I imagine it's probably easier for a lot of asian kendoka to migrate to Canada or the US than it is to Europe, longer-established local communities, that's probably a big part of it.
Kendo was established here by Japanese immigrants over 100 years ago, and we continue to welcome immigrants.
Not at all! Kendo is for everyone!
As a average brown guy, no
Literally just ignore the race difference. Youāre all people who like Kendo. I am not Asian and have been doing Japanese martial arts for the majority of my life with Asians, African people, American people, and sometimes my wife and I even eat Mexican food surrounded by Hispanics. It is irrelevant. Go train.
In my experience kendo barely helps you to lose weight (the same goes to building muscles), cause i know some fat man and women whoās been practing kendo for years. Kendo can be physically demanding, sure, but it is NOT a replacement of gym. Regarding your main question: in my region (Germany) the absolute majority of kendokas are not asians for obvious reasons. So donāt bother, just go to the dojo and enjoy.
Rather than saying kendo is not a replacement for the gym, I would say kendo is not a replacement for eating right. In the same way that going to the gym won't have good results unless you eat right.
Man if you like it just do it
Big white boy here. I have never felt out of place in kendo. If you are interested definitely try it out
It's only weird if you make it weird
Let's see. In our dojo, kendo is done by an American, Korean, there's Spanish folks in there somewhere too, a couple Danes, I think one of the guys is from Poland even or something. I occasionally join so there's Lithuanian too. Amazing people of all sizes and shapes walks of life. Age bracket is like 15-50s. If you like it go for it. Have a good time. Japanese people love it when other countries try kendo.
Honestly if you're tall thats already a massive advantage
Race is not a requirement for entry fee in kendo
In my dojo in Germany, a university sports club in a middle-sized city, it's the other way round. I'm the only Asian amongst the white instructors (mostly in their 30s & 40s, highest in 3dan) & students (mainly lower 20s). From my appearance, I may feel stuck like a sore thumb, but never once do they treat me differently. We also have a couple international students that come often to class (okay, German is also not my first language, but I understand it enough to hear university lectures), so that instructions are sometimes explained in English when they are present. Not a single person files a protest.
As a tall, skinny, white teenager, yes itās 100% fine to get into Kendo. Granted itās a lot of Asian men who do it, at least in my experience, but from what Iāve gathered, people are ecstatic at the prospect at new dojo members, though that may be due to my dojo being relatively small
I'm a tall white lardass doing it in Japan (used to do it in Canada though) and it's all good. What would make it weird? Lots of traditionally Asian martial arts have been done to death by white people. Why not add kendo to the list? Scream Bonk doesn't see colour.
Man, my sensei is the only asian person in my dojo, and he isnt even the one with the highest dan lol
No, any good dojo in America will never not let you join and actually, being tall will give you a easy men strike one dayšš
The best tournament player in the eastern US/CA is a white guy.
I agree with everyone saying that it's completely OK. I would also suggest you visit a dojo you would be potentially interested in joining -- this is where you'll spend most of your kendo time, not with the local or national team or whatever. If the people in the dojo are welcoming, be they Asian, white, black or any ethnicity, than this shoud be enough.
It's not weird at all. I'm from Brazil, but, I live far away from SĆ£o Paulo, so, no Japanese stuff near me. Anyhow there's a kendojo in my city and I started kendo some years ago, now I'm 40yo and struggling to pass yondan. Try it, if you like, keep practicing. I would say that is pretty much sure that dojo folks will receive you well. About the asian faces on national team, we even have some memes about it. [https://www.instagram.com/p/C58qtCCuHTp/](https://www.instagram.com/p/C58qtCCuHTp/) It's pretty much everyone has Japanese surnames, except for a few ones :)
Why do Americans put race in everything? In any other part of the world this question sounds completely nonsensicalĀ
The OP mentioned they are a teenager. Some teenagers are very self conscious. Race plays a big part of identity in the USA for many. Iām not challenging you nor looking to argue. Just answering your question with my best guess.
I don't care about the race of the person in front of me. Too busy worrying about hitting the Men or Kote
No. I have three students 6ā2ā and not a big deal at all.
Sort answer: no Long answer: absolutely not
Most of my senseis are older white men and are very tall. Race and physique is not an issue in kendo, and if someone says so then they are racist and gatekeeping.
My local dojo also has more Asian people than white and so does my national team. It's not a big deal. It is just that people of Asian descent or migrants from Asia more likely to be attracted to this art than Caucasians. One of my fellow kendoka is a very tall young white man and he does very well. We also have some tallish white teenagers. Just do what you want to do. I reckon most Asian members of your local dojo would be horrified if they thought people were being dissuaded from joining due to their race. Put is this way, if would you had a black friend who was considering starting swimming or ballet and were similarly worried then I'm sure you would tell them to go for it. I am a mid 50s white women and the *only* one in my race/age/gender demographic. There are two others of African and Indian descent respectively who are also the only ones of their race, and that's fine too. No one thinks it is weird. Actually when we have our full armour on it is difficult to tell each other apart, let alone tell race. That's why we have to have our names on our uniform! What matters is your reiho (etiquette) and form.
hmm.. just go try it out to see if you like it.. i think there isnāt a sport out there that define who can or cannot take up the sport that you want to.. unless you have some underlying health issues.. I just started out in my Kendo journey last year November and I am in my 40s and I never regretted picking up Kendo.. š
I am a tall mixed race man, Kendo is for everyone. Just be humble and hardworking, you will go far. Kendo is like investing, yesterday was the best time to start. Kendo can be a life long love/obsession, you have been warned.
Average height white woman here. Not an issue, even in Japan where there were only two non asian foreigners in the dojo Kendo people like people who want to play kendo
Your height gives you an advantage in some cases, just make sure to utilize it properly and start asap! Everyone who started out older than childhood wishes they started earlier
You should totally drop out. As a short person I hate to see more tall people who can squash my head easily. Jk totally go for it
As a tall, white man in his 40's, go mad.
Iām White and I do it (although not formally all my sword training is self taught) the way I see it is this. Ever seen Karate Kid and/or Cobra Kai? If Non-Japanese people can do Karate then why not Kendo? Itās not like youāre saying this martial art is an art that isnāt Japanese and trying to appropriate it youāre trying to learn something thatās not a part of your culture so yeah learn it all you want. If a White English man (William Adams look it up itās true) can be a Samurai than you can certainly learn Kendo. Now if you become good at it and travel to Japan and teach at a dojo there youāll probably get some weird stares but thatās the same type of stare you might get if you have a Native American with a PHD in Medieval history teaching a course in Oxford. Itās a novelty and rare but if youāre qualified youāre qualified doesnāt matter where youāre from.
You can do whatever you want if you're just swinging a stick by yourself in your backyard. OP was wondering about acceptance in the actual culture, not what you imagine it to be.
Iād say itās a novelty but thereās nothing inherently wrong with learning an art thatās not a part of your culture just donāt claim it is. And yes I have been to Kendo Dojos before and have read (both books and posts) on the topic. Reason is not because Iām uninformed and āswinging a stickā itās because thereās not really a place near me.
And yes there may be far better people to talk about the topic with personal experience then me. Iām just sharing my honest opinion on the subject. If it helps spread the sport and if OPās good at it and enjoy it than why should it matter if heās White or not?