An introduction to kendo etiquette
Kendo begins and ends with rei. Most of us go through the physical motions of rei and sonkyo before and after keiko, but we sometime forget why we show respect to our kendo colleagues. These series of blog articles will hopefully remind some of us why we act out these signs of respect and teach to those new among us what it is all about.
In this first article we will discuss some of the basic dojo etiquettes like bowing, how to get dressed for kendo and how to properly fold up your kendogi and how to address your seniors correctly
Reigi means manners or etiquette referring to techniques and actions used to show courtesy and respect. While rei-ho is a term that expresses the rules or concepts of courtesy and respect. These basic rules come from the formally and highly stylized social system of Japan, you show respect to your sensei, fellow kendoka, equipment and dojo.
By performing reigi at the beginning of class, a positive atmosphere is created. The level to which reigi is displayed in the dojo should not be open to discussion. It is a fundamental expression of our regard for others and without it kendo turns into a brawl with sticks.
Firstly you must enter the correct mindset before you even enter the dojo, you need to get into the mood for practice by putting on your keikogi and hakama correctly.
- You put on your keikogi left over right, tying your munehimo so that the bow is horizontal and not vertical (reserved for the dead) - When putting on your hakama you need to put your left leg in first
- You must also think about the meaning of the seven pleats
- Jin: benevolence - Gi: justice - Rei: courtesy and etiquette - Chi: wisdom, intelligence - Shin: sincerity, integrity - Chu: loyalty - Yu: courage - Meiyo: honour
Now that you are ready for kendo we can enter the dojo. As most of you already know and some have recently been told, when we enter and leave the dojo we show respect by bowing.
There are two types of bows: standing bow or “ritsu rei” and sitting bow or “zarei”. For standing bows we also have two different types: one is to bow to your opponent and the other is a fairly more formal bow, the difference is the angle of the bow.
When you bow to your opponent: you bend your body from the hip while not breaking eye contact with your opponent, the angle is about 15⁰. You must imagine a stick stuck to the back of your head all the way down to your hips. Your head, neck and back must all be aligned when bowing. You
should not bend your head down further breaking the straight line represented by the stick.
The more formal bow is used when you enter and leave the dojo and towards shomen. When you do this bow you do not keep your eyes on shomen, you look down at the floor and the angle of your body is about 30⁰
How to perform zarei: while sitting in seiza with your hands relaxed and on your legs, move to place your hands in front of your knees by making a triangle with the thumb and index fingers of both hands, as you place your hand on the floor lower your head by aiming your nose for the triangle, keep your eyes open while bowing to be able to see around you, do not lift up your bum when you bow down and do not bend your head down exposing your neck. The same analogy as for standing bows, a stick is strapped to the back of your head all the way down to your bum, keep everything in line. Once you have bowed return to seiza and place your hands back on your legs.
Zarei is used to formally open and close the senior session. Beginners are encouraged to stay and practice formal opening at the start of the senior session.
To start senior class the command “seiretsu” will be shouted, this means “to line up”. The most senior kendoka is on the far left hand side of the line going down to non graded members on the right hand side. The sensei stands at the opposite side looking at the kendoka. The most senior member will say the instructions for everyone to follow. 1) Chakuza: sit down in seiza 2) Mokuso: compose yourself, by controlling your breathing and clearing your mind of distractions, focusing on what you want to learn 3) *Clap hands*: symbolizes end of mokuso 4) Shomen-ni-rei: bow to showmen, you do not say anything during this bow 5) Sensei-ni-rei: bow to sensei. If there is no sensei present the command will be: Otagai-ni-rei: bow to your peers 6) Men-tsuke: this is where the seniors put on men (If you are a beginner, just remain seated in seiza until the sensei stands up, unless you are excused by the sensei he/she will tell you “tachimasu” which means to stand up)
At the end of senior class we follow the same steps but in reverse. Starting with “men-tare”: the command to take off men for seniors, followed by Mokuso, Sensei-ni-rei and Shomen-ni-rei last.
When you bow to the sensei at the start of class you say: “onegaishimasu” which means: please teach me or please practice with me. At the end when you bow to the sensei you say “arigato gozaimashita” which means: thank you. You do not say anything when bowing to showmen.
Now that we are busy with class you need to know how to address your seniors. There is a general rule that anyone that is 4th dan or higher is automatically called sensei, in fact it would be very disrespectful to not address such a person as sensei. Currently at Mushin Mitch-sensei is a 5th dan and Rei-sensei is a 6th dan, so whenever they visit the dojo please refer to them as sensei. Then we have Andre who is a 3rd dan, but has been given special permission to act as sensei for our dojo, since he is the highest ranking member of the dojo that attends practice regularly, and must also be referred to as sensei. As for the rest of the senior members that help with teaching new members, you can refer to them by their name or senpai. Members like Anesu, Ronel, Simone, Mientjie and Bryan. If you are ever unsure please ask how to address someone, it is a new experience for some people and we know that it can get a bit over whelming trying to not be disrespectful.
Lastly how to fold up your kendogi correctly. It is better when you see this in person than trying to follow an image online. Watch a senior do this at the end of their class as this will make the images seem less daunting. Practice makes perfect. The important thing to remember is to treat everything with respect before you start with kendo and after you have finished practicing. Folding your hakamma properly is very important to keep the pleats crisp and neat. Your kendogi (shirt) can be washed in a washing machine but your hakamma needs to be hand washed in clean water, no soap added. Do not iron your hakamma pleats, this will cause the hakamma to become "shiny", to get crisp pleats, fold your hakamma before washing, making sure that the pleats are nicely folded when wet, and allow to air dry (in the shade!, direct sunlight is damaging), this will ensure crisp pleats.
Lastly before ending of this post just a few hard and fast basic rules of the dojo. They also fit in with showing respect but are also just considered good manners. We will discuss some of these rules in more detail in later sections.
1) Arrive early and be ready to start practice on time
2) Bow when entering and leaving the dojo
3) Take off your shoes when entering the dojo, no socks either
4) Make sure all jewelry and watches are removed
5) If you are bringing in bags, make sure that they are put to the side and out of the way
6) Do not speak amongst yourselves during training, only the sensei/senpai is allowed to speak. If you have a question direct it towards the sensei/senpai and not at each other
7) Be aware of senior members, do not sit down, lie down, lean against the wall during training unless asked to do so
8) Do not just go and drink water, everybody that is busy with training is tired and thirsty. The sensei will allow you a water break when it fits into the training program.
9) If you have injured yourself or require a rest formally excuse yourself by asking the sensei permission to step out. Do not just go and sit in the corner take off your men and admire the scenery. It is considered very rude and disrespectful from the sensei's side and other kendoka who are also tired. * Remember you will never improve if you do not go beyond your comfort zone
10) Treat your own equipment and those of others with respect. Do not lean on your shinai, step over shinai that are on the floor or knock over bogu. If you need to correct someone's armour it is considered polite to ask to touch/handle their armour.
Sources: Kendo-Guide: etiquette and manners, how to bow. Kendo.com: etiquette, Kendoinfo.net: repetitive reiho, reigi.
