Kendo (way of the sword) is a modern Japanese martial art, that uses bamboo swords (shinai) as well as protective armor (bogu). Today, it is widely practiced within Japan and has spread to many other nations across the world. Kendo combines martial arts practices and values with strenuous, sport-like physical activity.

Iaido (Quick-Draw Sword Art or more commonly known as Japanese Swordsmanship) was developed as a defensive method to counter surprise attacks in 15th and 16th century Japan.

The purpose of Iaido was to slay an opponent with one stroke of the sword immediately after unsheathing it. In order to create such a defensive system, situations and circumstances of surprise attacks were studied to devise a systemized way to utilize the sword efficiently against many forms of attack.

Kobudo is a collective term for classical Japanese martial arts created prior to the Meiji Restoration in 1868 with the majority of them remaining unchanged since their creation during Japan’s Warring States period. These systems were generally unaffected by the standardization that took place during Japan’s modernization period.

The Japanese word kobudo consists of two characters: ko (ancient) and budo (martial arts or ways). Kobudo styles or ryu follow traditions developed in ancient times and utilize classical weapons.

Jodo (way of the staff) is an art in which a practitioner wields a 128cm long and 2.4cm diameter jo (staff). More than just for attacking, the jo is used to control the opponent in response to their movements.