{"id":238,"date":"2019-05-22T13:45:05","date_gmt":"2019-05-22T13:45:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mesh.tokyo\/JKA_dev\/?page_id=238"},"modified":"2020-06-13T15:16:10","modified_gmt":"2020-06-13T08:16:10","slug":"kendama-do","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/kendama.or.jp\/english\/history\/kendama-do\/","title":{"rendered":"Kendama-d\u014d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Way of Kendama: Kendama-d\u014d (<\/strong>\u3051\u3093\u7389\u9053<\/strong>)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n\n Although the JKA holds competitions annually and has successfully created a system for kendama level testing, and competition judging there is another part of kendama that is not as well known outside of Japan.  It is called Kendama-d\u014d (the way of kendama).  Kendama-d\u014d influences every aspect of kendama.  It is drawn from the country\u2019s marital arts heritage and shares many ideals with them. \n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Generally\nthe purpose of sport is competition, to determine a winner based on certain\nrules. In Japan there are a number of martial arts like kendo, judo, aikido,\nand karate which are sport but then again something more. In addition to the\nsport aspects of martial arts there are additional, deeper meanings contained\nwithin the teachings.  In these martial\narts part of one\u2019s mastery centers around development of one\u2019s character; to be\na better person.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Understanding\nD\u014d will help you understand why members of the JKA take kendama play, testing,\nand competing so seriously.  The kendama\nis not just a toy; it is the representation of all the things related to\nlearning kendama.  It becomes the\nphysical representation of how they practice, test and compete so, for example,\nJapanese will not slam the kendama down or mistreat the device.  Just as you wouldn\u2019t expect a swordsman to\nthrow his sword (device) on the ground JKA members also treat the kendama\n(device) with respect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\nhave ever seen or participated in a martial arts exam or competition you\u2019ll\nnotice many similarities to tests and competitions for kendama.  Part of this is represented by the bow.  At a test for example you\u2019ll see the student\nbow to the examiners as a sign of respect both for their elders and\nkendama.  In line with this the belief the\nJKA recommends a bow to each other at the\nbeginning and the ending of promotion tests and competitions as a symbol and reminder\nof our goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continuing\nwith the progression of the test, they\u2019ll listen to the instructions quietly\nand wait for the examiner\u2019s instructions. \nIf they pass the test they don\u2019t jump up and down happy that they did\nit.  They will thank the examiners\/instructors\nand their parents for their support and time realizing that without them they\nwould not have the opportunity to play kendama and succeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In a\ncompetition the contestants start and end with bow to each other and to the\naudience as a sign of respect for our competitor through interaction since we both\nhave the same goal of character and skill building.  We are helping each other achieve those goals\nby being our best and performing our best. \nThe opponent in a match is considered an assistant to help reach your\ngoals.    The kendama is held at the side\nas if it was a sword; again as a sign of respect.  While the competitors are performing there is\nno shouting from the crowd or comments to each other.  The crowd also respects the contestants and\nthe efforts they have put into learning kendama and becoming skilled and consistent.  The ability to do a trick isn\u2019t as important\nas the ability to do it consistently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those\nwho aspire to learn the art should always remember to be thankful and\nrespectful toward people around you, the training hall (school room, gym, etc.),\nand implements you use, as in our case the kendama.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ideally\nthe mastery of a martial art encompasses mind, body, and spirit.  You contribute to society through mastering\nthe art, training body, mind and improving your character. For example in Kendama-d\u014d\nthrough practice you train your body and mind to move yourself higher, to\nbecome better; to be a person of not only of skill but integrity. Every activity\nfrom practicing and being taught to participating in a match are all considered\ntraining to cultivate yourself. Each moment should be treated with respect.\nWhen you are training you are always focused on the moment since it cannot be lived\nagain. Simply completing a trick is not enough. It is equally important to\nperform a trick beautifully. A perfect performance flows smoothly without a\nhitch.  Consistency is key to the\ndevelopment and progression through levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If you are looking for a real-world example of D\u014d in action look no further than Moshikame. Many wonder why such a simple trick is part of the Dan level tests. It isn’t about the trick so much as it’s about self-discipline and patience. It takes a lot of both to do 1000 iterations at 135bpm (beats per minute) and it takes a crazy amount to go for 8+ hours straight which has been accomplished by a number of JKA members. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The JKA does not allow any adjustments during performance of most tricks (an example of an exception is the wrist flick for jumping stick). To complete one trick it is necessary to control the position and direction of the ken and tama precisely.\u00a0 Moreover you have to be careful of the movement of the string so as not to get tangled. Only with the closest attention to detail can you master the ultimate technique. In addition the JKA requires players to stand completely still during or at the end of certain tricks. In a perfect performance stillness and dynamic movement are beautifully harmonized. The contrast of two distinctly different states is viewed with appreciation of the mastery in kendama-d\u014d. To bring to a total halt all movement, including the kendama, requires the ability to have complete control over your body, mind and the kendama. It will be challenging to stay calm even in difficult situations however it is one of the most thrilling aspects of training and execution of kendama moves; to accumulate all your efforts into a single point in time, to attain that total state of balance between mind, body and spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The JKA\nhas a slogan \u7126\u3089\u305a\u3001\u614c\u3066\u305a\u3001\u8ae6\u3081\u305a\n(aserazu,\nawatezu, akiramezu): \u201cNever rush, Never panic, Never give up.\u201d Through this\nmotto we encourage players to acquire not only good spirit, technique, and\nphysical strength but a moral sense and good manners. We believe that we can\nfoster positive power within ourselves that cannot be quantified and bring that\nvitality into the real world. This is the meaning of \u201cKendama-d\u014d.\u201d  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Way of Kendama: Kendama-d\u014d (\u3051\u3093\u7389\u9053) Although the JKA holds competitions annually and has successfully created a system for kendama level testing, and competition judging<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":1035,"parent":524,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kendama.or.jp\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/238"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kendama.or.jp\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kendama.or.jp\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kendama.or.jp\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kendama.or.jp\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=238"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/kendama.or.jp\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/238\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3573,"href":"https:\/\/kendama.or.jp\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/238\/revisions\/3573"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kendama.or.jp\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/524"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kendama.or.jp\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1035"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kendama.or.jp\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=238"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}