The Maltese Kendo Federation have announced that 70 Kendo players from 18 countries will attend the first International Kendo Seminar hosted by the Maltese Kendo Federation and it will be held next week from the 24th to the 27th of September at the Gozo Sports complex.

Kendo the way of the sword embodies the spirit of Japan and is highly revered as it incorporates in its practice cultural aspect such as etiquette, Zen, spiritual and mind meditation with aerobic physical agility. Over 10 million people practice kendo world wide with the International Kendo Cup held every three years. Kendo is one of the oldest martial arts of Japan and was practiced by the samurai and as the traditional sport of Japan the discipline continues as part of national Japanese education curriculum. Many books have been written about the art and are studied in many Universities world wide. In business studies one of the most popular is “the book of five rings.”

During the official opening ceremony which will take place Friday, the 25th from 11.45am there will be the opportunity to meet the top Japanese sensei, and also witness Japanese tea ceremony, swordsmanship demonstration, Traditional Sport of Japan: Kendo, and the reading of the official letter sent by the Japanese Consulate based in Rome as a letter of support.

Team competitions will be held on Friday and Saturday evenings at 6pm and a grading will be held on the Sunday morning at 10am. Further kendo practice in both shinai and sword technique will be held at other times over the four days.

A free practice lesson is offered to the public for all ages on Sunday 27th at 3pm. The full time table is listed on the website www.kendomalta.org

The underlying theme of this year’s seminar is waza-geiko (technique practice). In kendo technique practice one must aim to cultivate interpersonal skills and instill mutual development by simultaneously confronting extreme tension – or ‘being on the edge.’ As both practitioners confront and deal with such situations, they naturally create a mutual respect and by working together achieve a positive approach with total acceptance not denial. This is referred to as “ji-ta-do-kon”. If a person is able to attain this concept of respect and consideration in their Kendo practice, they can hopefully apply the same traits in everyday life, to become role models in their workplace and the wider community.

This international kendo sporting event is supported by the Ministry of Gozo, Kunsill Malti ghall-isport and by the Malta Tourism Authority.

For more information please visit the website www.kendomalta.org or call/sms on 9921 6879 or 994 45817.

The public are warmly invited to watch and entrance is free.