Growing up close to Hadrian’s Wall – erected during Rome’s reign of the British Isles – Paul Budden found his interest in history. His interest of Japanese sword – born out of his love of history – led him into a kendo dojo and has not looked back since. Throughout his time in kendo, he … Continue reading Interview with Longtime UK Kenshi and Historian Paul Budden: Kendo’s Varied History and its International Future, Part II
Tag: Paul Budden
Interview with Longtime UK Kenshi and Historian Paul Budden: Kendo’s Varied History and its International Future, Part I
Growing up close to Hadrian’s Wall – erected during Rome’s reign of the British Isles – Paul Budden found his interest in history. His interest of Japanese sword – born out of his love of history – led him into a kendo dojo and has not looked back since. Throughout his time in kendo, he … Continue reading Interview with Longtime UK Kenshi and Historian Paul Budden: Kendo’s Varied History and its International Future, Part I
Torao Mori: The Wandering Kenshi, Part I
This is the first part of a two part article. Read the second part here. Introduction When I first engaged in kendo research, I initially started looking for the pioneers – the leading kenshi who popularized and solidified kendo here in the United States. It was a similar approach to my first book, Aikido Comes … Continue reading Torao Mori: The Wandering Kenshi, Part I
A Layman’s Observation: Who Really has Authority in the Martial Arts?
Part of this editorial was inspired by a chapter from my 2020 book, Aikido Comes to America, and my 2024 book, Takahiko Ishikawa, bringing two related ideas together and pairing them with a third. Authority is something people look for, whether it is to wield it or to seek those who are in similar positions. … Continue reading A Layman’s Observation: Who Really has Authority in the Martial Arts?
Kendo During Japanese American Internment
Introduction With over 100,000 Japanese and Japanese Americans spread across the ten relocation centers, many communities were fractured, forcing many to either isolate or function in a new environment with new people. According to martial arts historian Joseph Svinth in 2003, “The ties stayed broken” while in the relocation centers, much like their destroyed kendo … Continue reading Kendo During Japanese American Internment




