Kendo

Culture of the Sword
1. Auflage 2015
ISBN: 978-0-520-28437-1
Verlag: University of California

Buch, Englisch, 328 Seiten, Cloth Over Boards, Format (B × H): 161 mm x 237 mm, Gewicht: 584 g

Kendo is the first in-depth historical, cultural, and political account in English of the Japanese martial art of swordsmanship, from its beginnings in military training and arcane medieval schools to its widespread practice as a global sport today. Alexander Bennett shows how kendo evolved through a recurring process of “inventing tradition,” which served the changing ideologies and needs of Japanese warriors and governments over the course of history. Kendo follows the development of Japanese swordsmanship from the aristocratic-aesthetic pretensions of medieval warriors in the Muromachi period, to the samurai elitism of the Edo regime, and then to the nostalgic patriotism of the Meiji state. Kendo was later influenced in the 1930s and 1940s by ultranationalist militarists and ultimately by the postwar government, which sought a gentler form of nationalism to rekindle appreciation of traditional culture among Japan’s youth and to garner international prestige as an instrument of “soft power.” Today kendo is becoming increasingly popular internationally. But even as new organizations and clubs form around the world, cultural exclusiveness continues to play a role in kendo’s ongoing evolution, as the sport remains closely linked to Japan’s sense of collective identity.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Bennett, Alexander C.

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Geschichte einzelner Länder Asiatische Geschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtliche Themen Kultur- und Ideengeschichte
• Sozialwissenschaften Ethnologie | Volkskunde Ethnologie Kultur- und Sozialethnologie: Politische Ethnologie, Recht, Organisation, Identität
• Sozialwissenschaften Sport | Tourismus | Freizeit Sport Geschichte des Sports
• Sozialwissenschaften Sport | Tourismus | Freizeit Sport Kampfsportarten, Selbstverteidigung Ostasiatische Kampfkünste

Inhaltsverzeichnis

List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Conventions
Prologue

Introduction

1 • The Art of Killing: Swordsmanship in Medieval Japan
2 • The Art of Living: Early Modern Kenjutsu
3 • The Fall and Rise of Samurai Culture: Kenjutsu’s Nationalization
4 • Sharpening the Empire’s Claws
5 • Kendo and Sports: Path of Reason or Cultural Treason?
6 • Crossing Swords and Borders: The Global Diffusion of Kendo

Epilogue
Notes
Bibliography
Index

Über Autor(innen)

Alexander C. Bennett is Professor at Kansai University. He also serves as vice president of the International Naginata Federation, member of the International Committee of the All Japan Kendo Federation, director of the Japanese Academy of Budo, and head coach of New Zealand’s national kendo team. He is cofounder and editor in chief of Kendo World.