UCLA Club Sports

After an almost two year hiatus from in-person practice, UCLA Kendo demonstrates their hard work and dedication to Kendo by ranking up at this year's Fall Promotion Exam!

After months of practice, their hard work paid off resulting in all participating members advancing to their next ranks. Youngest of the five, Michael Ryu (Third-Year), has made strides in his Kendo career attaining the rank of 3rd Kyu in his first Promotion Exam. On the other hand, long-time practitioner Gen Takahashi (Vice President and Captain), finally achieved the rank of 4th Dan, a significant milestone in his career as it marks the beginning of his time as a Sensei (or teacher of Kendo). Jacob Wiens (2020 alumni) was promoted to 3rd Dan, Akira Suzuki (Fourth-year) to 2nd Dan, and Paul Hirose (Fourth-year) to 1st Kyu.

UCLA Kendo took part in the Southern California Kendo Organization (SCKO) Fall Promotion Exam in hopes of advancing their ranks in Kendo. An event in which Kendo practitioners are required to demonstrate their prowess while sparring and knowledge of the foundational forms known as Kata. 

Kendo ranks are broken up into Kyu and Dan. Kyu resembles something akin to the different color belts in karate and Dan being similar to black belt and the subsequent degrees. A Kendo practitioner advances through the ranks in the following order: 6th Kyu, 5th Kyu, 4th Kyu, all the way to 1st Kyu, at which point the numbers reverse. From 1 Kyu, they go from 1st Dan all the way to the highly coveted 8th Dan. 

Of course, they have to acknowledge the significant amount of time the coaching staff put into making sure they were ready. Sensei Leslie Aya Kuwabara (4th Dan) spent hours training the team in preparation for the event in both the sparring and Kata sections of the exam. There are not enough words to express their gratitude towards her and the rest of the coaches as they continue to train and grow stronger. 

As the team grows stronger day by day, week by week, you can be sure to continue to hear great things coming from UCLA Kendo this year!