About Danish Kendo Society

Danish Kendo Society (in Japanese: , Denmâku Kendô Kyôkai) is a non-profit organization founded in 2008.

The funding of Danish Kendo Society comes from the member groups and private donations.

Mission Statement

The mission of Danish Kendo Society is to preserve the structure and integrity of the Japanese swordsmanship iaijutsu, kenjutsu, and kendo dated prior to the modern period of Japan (prior to 1868). Danish Kendo Society considers these disciplines as historic and cultural educations rather than entertainment or sport.

The values of Danish Kendo Society emphasize the community and recognize different traditions. Danish Kendo Society co-operates with other organizations which share the values of Danish Kendo Society.

Activities

Danish Kendo Society is continually involved in various activities in relation to the mission above:

Organize national groups
Educate instructors
Research, study and support of the hoplology¹
Holding lectures and seminars
Publishing house
Encourage and support overseas people and organizations

The Historical Background

Danish Kendo Society was founded March 1, 2008, then 'Danish Traditional Kendo Federation', on initiative by Rosie Twyford and George Twyford.

From the beginning the mission were to preserve and organize kendo based on the oldest budo system, kobudo, from the Tokugawa period (1603-1868). Thus, this form for organization became the first of its kind in Denmark.

After a short while it was clear that the organization should also include kenjutsu and iaijutsu prior to the modern era of Japan; this decision was effected the year after the foundation.

After the addition of kenjutsu and iaijutsu the principle of katsujinken got even more attention particularly because iaijutsu is denoted as bujutsu .

Since the foundation in 2008, the interest for hoplology¹ has increased to such a degree that the study of hoplology has become an essential 'ground pillar' of the organization today.

Education and teaching increasingly created a need for a publishing house. This publishing house was conducted by the organization in 2011 with the Committee as editors. The publishing house publishes, among others, the journal 'The Journal of Danish Traditional Kendo Federation' whose name was changed in 2013 to The Journal of Danish Kendo Society.

On realizing that the organization had taken an even more cultural path the committee decided to mark this development by changing the name of the organization on its fifth year anniversary. Thus, the name of the organization was changed from 'Danish Traditional Kendo Federation' to its present name, Danish Kendo Society.

International co-operation makes it possible to share the knowledge of classical Japanese swordsmanship. The process is exceedingly exciting, but unfortunately some of the traditions from the Tokugawa period concerning kendo are lost forever. Yet the international co-operation increases the motivation among the member groups where the practice of the remaining traditions are upheld. In Scandinavia, the Danish Kendo Society has established a co-operation with Tokugawa Kendo Federation, the national organization in Sweden that preserves iaijutsu, kenjutsu, and kendo prior to the modern period of Japan.

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¹ Hoplology is the study of the basis, patterns, relationships, and significances of combative behavior at all levels of social complexity.