One of the classes I have chosen to take here at Kumamoto Gakuen University is titled "Special Lectures in Japanese Culture and Society." The class is taught alternitively by two American men who both have wives that live in Japan. Last week and this week, we were going over Japanese sports. Today we had the opportunity to visit some of these clubs at school and see how the sports worked.
First, we went to the school's Kyudo (弓道） practice. Kyudo is a sport very much similar to archery that began duirng feudal Japan. However, the bow used is longer than your traditional bow. The Japanese bow, the Yumi, is just about 2 meters long and is traditionally made out of bamboo, wood, and leather. The arrows, or Ya shafts, are also made from bamboo, although arrows made from aluminum and carbon fibers do exist. These arrows can be somewhat expensive. We were told that one pack of 6 Ya shafts costs the equivalent to about $200 - $300. And that these arrows are never sold in packs of 4 due to the number 4 being associated with death in Japan.
The archers wear traditional Japanese style clothes. They wear the short-sleeved keikogi, tied together with an Obi (long belt usually made from silk or cotton), Hakama (Japanese style pants which almost look like long skirts), and Tabi (split toed Japanese socks).
Next was the Japanese Kendo club (剣道).
Kendo is a sport combining martial arts with swordsmanship. There is a lot of gear worn both during practice and at tournaments. First is the Shinai. The Shinai represents the Katana sword, and is made up of four bamboo slats bound together by leather. Before the students don their armor, they wear the traditional Hakama and Keikogi. Adorning their head, is a protective helmet called a Men. The Men is made of multiple layers of leather and fabric leading down the shoulders and throat. In addition, the Men has a face guard to protect the student from any injuries to his/her face. The forearms, wrists, and hands are protected by thick gloves called Kote. The entire torso is protected by a breastplate called Do. Lastly, the waist and groin are protected by the Tare, also comprised of layers upon layers of leather and cloth.
Next on our list, was the Judo club (柔道).
The idea behind Judo is to immobilize or subdue one's opponent either by pinning them to the ground, by use of joint locks, or chokes. The students wear the Keikogi and Zubon, cotton draw-string trousers slimmer than the Hakama. Around their waists, they wear an Obi. As you can see in the picture above and the video below, there is no weight class in Judo in Japan as students are taught techniques to subdue opponents of all sizes. (Although, it's different in the Olympics!) The two guys you see in both the picture and video gave us a show of a 2 minute sparring match. The red square represents the ring. Should either opponent step outside of the red, they will lose. The two conditions of winning here were either: 1. Forcing your opponent outside of the ring, or 2. Pinning your opponent to the ground for 30 seconds.
The last sport we saw was the Aikido club (合気道).
Aikido is known as "The gentle way" due to it involving very little physical exertion. Aikido encompasses using your opponents force against them by the use of throws or joint locks. Students here wear Keikogi and Hakama as well. In addition to throws and joint locks, students also learn how to take down armed opponents as well. Although, here they only learn how to disarm opponents who are holding melee type weapons such as knives, poles, and swords. One of the International students and I have decided to join the Aikido club. During our first day, we were taught the basic movements, how to hold our grounds, some of the basic throwing techniques, and the basic backwards roll.
By the way, here's a fun fact! By law in Japan, if someone wants to go into Law Enforcement, they are required to have at least a 2nd Dan (段） Black Belt in either Kendo, Judo, or Aikido.
またね！
These video clips are great! Really show the techniques involved in each of the sports. The kyudo was particularly interesting to me. How accurate was his shot? Do they use the same kind of targets we use for archery practice?
Posted by: Jean Loden | 10/08/2013 at 10:01 AM
His shot was extremely accurate! Their targets are smaller in size than ours, and they were placed about 30 meters away.
Posted by: Johnny Esparza | 10/15/2013 at 09:07 PM