Kendo Club UW Madison

10.01.2025

This weekend, our kendoka represented UW–Madison at the MWKF competition with incredible spirit and determination 💪🔥. From thrilling matches to inspiring teamwork, we couldn’t be prouder of everyone who gave their all on the dojo floor!

A huge congratulations to those who tested and passed their rank exams 🎉—your hard work and dedication truly paid off! 🙌

To celebrate our efforts, we gathered for a cozy potluck social 🍱✨Theo, a former member and alumni joined us in the potluck as well! These moments remind us that kendo isn’t just about competition, but about growth, community, and friendship. ❤️

Thank you to everyone who participated, supported, and joined us in making this weekend so special!

9.23.2025

From shinai maintenance to sharpening our skills, our dojo has been full of energy! 🥋⚔️

Our kendoka have been preparing for the upcoming MWKF testing and tournament, while our beginners continue to polish their men strike techniques 💥. Experienced members took their training a step further, learning taiatari under the guidance of our president, Andrew-sensei 🙌.

We wrapped up the week with a warm sukiyaki social 🍲, welcoming new faces and strengthening bonds with our members. Thank you to everyone who joined us—we’re excited to grow together both on and off the dojo floor! ❤️

🍁✨ Fall semester kickoff at Kendo UW Club! ✨🍁

We’re so excited to welcome so many new members this semester 🤗. From learning the basics like seiza (正座), suri-ashi (摺り足) footwork, how to hold the shinai (竹刀) in kamae (構え), and practicing the first men (面) strike. Everyone’s enthusiasm has been incredible! 💪⚔️

At the same time, our experienced kendoka are sharpening their skills for the upcoming MWKF Fall 2025 Tournament & Promotion Exam in Kalamazoo, MI (Oct 4–5). 頑張って (ganbatte) to all who are testing and competing! 🥇

Here’s to a semester of growth, spirit, and friendship both on and off the dojo floor. Happy Fall, everyone! 🍂🌸

3.4.2025

This week’s post was created by Adeline Hamdan, our PR chair intern!! 🎉

☆*:.｡.
This week practice members worked on executing clean strikes while retreating, focusing on proper Fumikomi and Suri-ashi. Plenty of falls, but even more progress! ⚡️

We also had the privilege of hosting alumni practice with past members returning to spar and share their insights. Special thanks to Patrick Merchant and Kyle Wang! It was a great reminder of how Kendo connects us beyond just practice! ✨

A bittersweet moment came with Andrew’s farewell Keiko, marking his last session before heading to Waseda University in Tokyo for study abroad. We celebrated with an intense practice ensuring he leaves with full spirit 🇯🇵🔥

To wrap up the week, we had a hot pot social with our alumni, sharing stories, laughs, and the deep camaraderie that makes our club special. Thank you to everyone who made it such a memorable time! 💙

Looking forward to another strong week ahead—see you all at practice!
｡.:*☆

#剣道

2.25.25

Members were introduced to Hiki-waza, and there were plenty of falls as well as a focus on correct Fumikomi with Suri-ashi. 💫

Notably, we celebrated yet another week! Starting with a special dinner with Kenoyer Sensei and finishing with a k-bbq to give our beloved treasurer, Andrew Nguyen, 🚢 🎉 a proper send off and to commemorate the start of a new chapter in his life.

Andrew will be studying abroad at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan, 🇯🇵 for the entire Japanese spring semester, with plans to join the Waseda kendo circle! 🌸

This is a tremendous opportunity for him to grow personally while experiencing kendo in its most true form. We know he’ll make us proud and we eagerly await his return, as well as the arrival of a new master kendoka! 🎐

#早稲田大学 #早稲田 #剣道

2.18. 25

This week’s practice included our regular rotations of basic Suburi and Suri-ashi. 🎼 Our post-taikai practices have always involved returning to the fundamentals of kendo as a way to reinforce concepts and techniques. We also exchange and implement the knowledge gained at the seminars.

More importantly, we celebrated our first Spring Social 🌷 this past weekend with a bountiful hotpot and karaoke from our lovely members. 🎤

We are incredibly proud of everyone for yet another memorable Taikai. Thank you for letting us be a part of your kendo journey; in another life, we would still grow together as a team. 🧸

2.11.25

The 27th annual Detroit Open was a success!! 🏹 🫧 Wisconsin-Madison Kendo had a great time at the Detroit Taikai. Thank you Detroit Kendo Dojo for the invigorating experience. ♥️ 🐇

This year, we had an incredible run, with Theo reaching his 4th round of Mudasha individuals and Tyler W and Jon reaching their 3rd round. 🥇🎊 We are so grateful to our coaches Tyler J and Matt, for their guidance!

Congratulations to our members Cho Wah for passing 1-Kyu, Theo and Cole for 2-Kyu, Mauricio for 3-Kyu, and Adeline and Misha for 4-Kyu. ✨🍧

岩佐英範 先生, 松本弥月 先生、どうもありがとうございました。It was a privilege to attend the encouraging seminars! 🇯🇵

# activebadger #剣道

2.4.25

This week’s practice has been Taikai-centric due to the 27th Detroit Seminar and Open Tournament happening this weekend. 🐚 Our members are keen to give it their all. We have 3 new students attending their very first Taikai, and have been diligently preparing them for it. 🧸

There’s been a lot of Uchikomi keiko as well as mock team matches. However, fundamentals have been consistently practiced, ⚖️ with the incorporation of some Shikake waza.

We anticipate a great weekend ahead with many precious memories to come out of it ~~

# activebadger

1.28.25

We appreciate everyone who attended our kickoff! ✨ It’s a delight to meet such inquisitive students; regardless of whether or not they choose to commit. Though doing so is always a perk! 🍬🍧🍡

As preparations for the Detroit Taikai and Shinsa, Kenoyer Sensei paid us a special visit and helped us refine our basics.

We also held a mock Shinsa for our friends testing for kyu ranks. Let’s wish them the best! 🧸📋

1.21.25

Another semester begins!! 🥳 🍒 Thank you to Goseikan for hosting the Kenma-Kai this past weekend. UW Kendo had a spectacular time listening to Gonpei Sensei and plans to incorporate techniques back into our dojo.

Our members are getting back into the thick of it. With the Detroit Taikai and Shinsa less than 3 weeks away, our dojo is as spirited as ever! 💖🐬🌈

Included is a post-practice dinner 🥘 from Izakaya Kuroyama~

12.3.24

It’s been a remarkable week for UW Kendo, with new members receiving their Keikogi and multiple Birthday Keikos commemorating the births of our fighter jets Theo and Orion!! 🎊 Here, you’ll see their match against each other. 🛩️

We also had our final social of the semester, celebrating our coaches, Matthew & Tyler, with a movie night and Christmas Gift Exchange. 🎄💌

Due to time constraints, final league matches and Birthday Keikos will be postponed until the next semester.

📎 As a reminder, our final practice is this Tuesday; we are planning for a great semester sendoff, so all attend this momentous occasion! 🍬

11.19.24

This weekend, UW-Madison Kendo welcomed alumnus Stronach Sensei, 6 Dan, from Minnehaha Kendo Dojo (MKD) in Minneapolis, Minnesota to hold a session with us. ⚜️🍾

We are very fortunate to have great expertise right across the border. The training session and post-practice dinner were both profoundly illuminating. 🎊🌷Thank you for visiting and leading practice, Stronach Sensei! 🎏