NW Kendo is led by Shinichi Koike, a 7th-dan kendo instructor, or sensei, from Japan who has been teaching kendo for over 35 years. In addition to managing his own business, Koike Sensei was a coach for the US Kendo team in 2000 and in 2003, taking the team to the World Kendo Championships at Glasgow, Scotland. He is currently on the board of the US Kendo Federation. Koike Sensei is assisted by Ron Risher, 3rd-dan, Young Kim, 2-dan in kendo and kumdo, and Dr Lei Yu, 2-dan.
Kendo is a martial art and sport based on Japanese swordsmanship. It consists of sparring in which the target areas are the head, wrists, abdomen, and throat. Participants wear protective gear and the practice swords are made of bamboo or carbon fiber. All kendo practice is conducted in a safe and moderated environment under instructor supervision. We are a diverse mixture of languages and professions of all ages of men and women. We value training hard and having fun and we provide a safe training environment for all of our students.
The NW Kendo Club meets Friday evening at 7:00 PM in Seattle at the Northgate Community Center.
10510 5th Avenue NE
Seattle WA 98125
New students need only to have comfortable exercise clothing and a shinai (bamboo practice sword) which may be purchased from the club. As students progress, the additional kendo equipment (called bogu in Japanese) may be purchased via online retailers such as: Maruyama, Osakura, e-Bogu, or Aoi.
NW Kendo Classes consist of:
NW Kendo actively competes in local, national, and international tournaments. Classes also prepare club members for these events through the use of mock competitions, individualized instruction, and team training events.
For further information regarding the worldwide kendo community:
Kendo-World Magazine / Pacific NW Kendo Federation / All US Kendo Federation / All Japan Kendo Federation / International Kendo Federation
Contact us if you have questions or want to participate.
