KENDO
Did you know that before 1912, kendo in the United States was generally practiced only by Japanese immigrants who were primarily of the upper social class?

Dates of interest:
1914: The Los Angeles Youth Kendo Club is formed.
1940: The Hokubei Butokukai, originally started in Terminal Island, includes 41 branches and claims 10,000 Nisei kendoists throughout the West Coast.
1941: Kendo is perceived as a subversive sport and virtually disappears in America until the 1950s.


Photo: Gift of Fred & Kimiko Kishi (97.202)

JANM Logo
JAPANESE AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM