Kendo Martial Arts

I babysat Isabel and Jojo today because they are moving off-base. I ended up taking all of the kids to see a Kendo demonstration today. If you're wondering what Kendo is, it's a form of Japanese martial arts with use of the sword. I knew this would be something that my boys would love to see! It was quite fascinating to watch actually. They explained their protective gear to the crowd and gave a demonstration using swords made of bamboo. Afterward, they asked for audience participation and little Isabel jumped right up. She's not shy! It took some coaxing for Tyler but he eventually got up on stage and didn't want to leave! They got to practice using the bamboo "swords". Once that was finished they had the master come up to give a demonstration using a real Samurai sword. He used it to cut through a rolled bamboo mat and we were told that this actual simulates the thickness of a human neck. Uck. When the sword was still used about 125 years ago they would aim for where the neck meets the shoulder and slice at an angle cutting their opponent in half. Pretty gruesome. The MC for the last event was done by a famous Japanese actor/comedian. I didn't catch his name because they talk pretty fast in Japanese but he is the equivalent to Adam Sandler. Wow.....we were in the presence of greatness! ;-)

My little Samurai Warrior