The Historical Reality of Student Kendo in Local Areas of Japan

This study investigates the historical reality of student kendo during the Meiji and Taisho periods by examining the factors that contributed to the improvement of competitive skills at the former Fourth and Fifth High Schools (Kanazawa and Kumamoto). It identifies distinctive characteristics of student kendo in regional areas. The significance of this study lies in its combined use of both qualitative and quantitative methods to determine the history of student kendo in the central region from the perspective of local areas. The findings reveal that those traditional ideas rooted in kenjutsu remained strong in local areas. Although innovations in bamboo sword technology progressed more slowly than in the central region, the institutional development of kendo as a competitive sport—practice, matches, championships—advanced more rapidly in this local setting.