On January 25, 2025, the University of Waterloo Kendo Club hosted the highly anticipated Intercollegiate Kendo Tournament, welcoming teams from across Ontario, McGill University in Quebec, and Michigan State University. The tournament, saw over 200 students and alumni competing, highlighting the impressive growth in university kendo in Canada.
The University of Waterloo Kendo Club was founded in 1987 by Taro Ariga Sensei. Kendo, meaning "the way of the sword", has developed over 2000 years from traditions of the Japanese Samurai. The club is rooted in self-discipline, and the philosophies of Japanese culture and martial arts, with a focus on balancing the mind, sword, and body. Modern kendo uses bamboo swords (shinai) and protective gear (bogu) for safe full-contact practice and competition. The main techniques involve cuts to the head (men), wrist (kote), stomach (d0), and a thrust to the throat (tsuki). Etiquette in kendo is highly emphasized, including proper behaviour when entering or leaving the dojo, lining up shoes, cleaning the dojo, and showing respect to peers, the sword, and the practice itself. Humility and respect are key principles. Kendo matches have a three-minute time limit, with the first side to score two points winning. Points are awarded by judges, and in case of a tie, judges or an extension will determine the winner.
The intercollegiate tournament also features separate alumni divisions, where university alumni travel from afar to represent their former teams once again. This is the one event each year where university teams like Waterloo have an equal playing field, competing against teams of the same age and skill level. This intercollegiate tradition likely began many years ago when Waterloo participated in Harvard's tournament. We hosted the first InterU, and other universities in Ontario took on the responsibility of rotating the hosting duties each year among the main invitees. As an official tournament, it is overseen by Kendo Ontario and the Canadian Kendo Federation, with more than 30 sensei and respective figures in the kendo community responsible for judging and overseeing the competition.
The University of Waterloo Kendo Club achieved significant success, with several members earning medals. Lareina Chen took home a bronze in the Women's Dan and Above Division, Miku Kamata secured a silver and Julianne Ho earned a bronze in the Women's Kyu and Below Division. In team events, University of Waterloo's Undergraduate "Team A" claimed bronze in the University Teams Division, and the University of Waterloo Alumni "Team A" brought home the gold in the University Alumni Teams Division.
