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Combat

Kendo

Kendo is a combat sport listed on SportSupport.

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Reviewed profileAchievements, tournaments, coaches and FAQs on this page are compiled by hand from federation, government and press reporting, drawing on Siasat Daily — Kendo India Federation programme coverage, Kendo India Federation (Facebook), International Kendo Federation (kendo-fik.org). These are not cited to individual documents: we hold no per-claim source for them, so treat dates, counts and career records here as a summary rather than a reference. Sections we hold nothing for are left empty. Sport pages last reviewed as a set: September 2026.

Overview

Origin
Feudal Japan
Category
Combat
Olympic discipline
No
Paralympic discipline
No
Central pathway
None recorded
Athlete profiles on SportSupport
0

Governance and status

Each field below is shown only where we hold a source for it; anything else reads “Not currently verified” rather than a guess. Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports recognition is granted year by year, so it is only ever shown with the year it applies to. Last reviewed: September 2026.

Indian governing/organising body
All India Kendo Federation
Ministry recognition
Not currently verified
International federation
Not currently verified
Khelo India inclusion
Not currently verified
TOPS eligibility
Not currently verified
Olympic status
Not on the Olympic programme
Paralympic status
Not a Paralympic discipline

Kendo is listed on SportSupport in the combat category. Its recorded origin is Feudal Japan. It is not on the Olympic programme. We list All India Kendo Federation as the Indian governing/organising body for the sport.

Kendo does not appear on the official Khelo India Games discipline list, and we hold no verified central pathway or current-year Ministry recognition record for it, so we make no Khelo India, TOPS, National Sports Development Fund or pension claim. Whatever competition exists is run by clubs, akharas, private promoters or state-level bodies. (Checked against Sports Authority of India / Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports — Discipline wise Participation in all editions of Khelo India Games (19th Edition).)

Scholarships & Funding

Central, state and private scholarships available for kendo athletes in India.

  • No central scholarship pathway

    We hold no verified central pathway for kendo and no current-year Ministry recognition record for a national body, so we make no Khelo India, TOPS or National Sports Development Fund claim for it.

Explore all government schemes →

Indian Players

No profiles yet

No athlete profiles are recorded for kendo yet. We only list athletes we can source, so this section stays empty until verifiable profiles exist.

Browse the full athlete directory →

Rules

Kendo is Japanese fencing practised with a bamboo shinai and protective bogu armour. Bouts (shiai) are usually three to five minutes, and the first competitor to score two valid points (ippon) wins; one point decides it if time expires. A valid strike (yuko-datotsu) requires correct cutting with the striking portion of the shinai, correct posture and spirit (ki-ken-tai-ichi: spirit, sword and body as one), a clear shout (kiai) naming the target, and alert follow-through (zanshin). Legal targets are men (head/side of head), kote (wrist), do (torso side) and tsuki (throat thrust, usually restricted to adults). Three judges (shinpan) each raise flags; two agreeing flags award the point. Grades run through kyu and dan ranks awarded at formal grading examinations.

Authoritative rulebook: All India Kendo Federation.

Positions

Typical roles across combat sports. These are category-level descriptions, not a sourced kendo squad list.

  • Fighter / competitor
    Contests bouts inside the ring, mat or cage in a set weight category.
  • Corner / second
    Coach in the corner during the bout — allowed to instruct between rounds.
  • Referee & judges
    Officiate the bout, score rounds and enforce safety rules.
  • Cutman / medical
    Manages cuts, swelling and immediate medical needs between rounds.

Equipment

Standard kit and infrastructure required to train and compete in kendo at a federation-recognised event.

  • Shinai — split bamboo sword (bokuto/bokken used for kata)
  • Men — helmet with faceguard and throat flap
  • Kote — padded gloves protecting wrists and hands
  • Do — chest protector
  • Tare — waist and hip protector
  • Keikogi jacket and hakama; tenugui headcloth worn under the men
  • Practised barefoot on a wooden dojo floor

Governing/organising body

Body listed on SportSupport
All India Kendo Federation

All India Kendo Federation is the body we list as the Indian governing/organising body for Kendo. We hold no sourced detail on its domestic calendar, selection norms or state structure, and no current-year Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports recognition record for it.

Origin
Feudal Japan
Olympic
No
Paralympic
No
Category
Combat

Major Indian Events

Domestic competitions we hold a source for in kendo.

  • Kendo in India

    Organized around dojos and cultural-exchange programmes rather than a large-scale national championship structure. The Kendo India Federation (Hyderabad) — founded by Prof. Dr. Siddiq Mahmoodi, who has practiced martial arts since the mid-1970s and dedicated himself to kendo since 1999 — was the country's first dedicated kendo centre.

International Events

Continental and world-level competitions we hold a source for in kendo.

  • World Kendo Championships

    Kendo is governed globally by the International Kendo Federation (FIK, formed 1970, over 60 member countries/regions), which organizes the World Kendo Championships every three years — historically dominated by Japan and South Korea. India's participation at this event could not be confirmed; the sport's presence in India currently centres on grassroots instruction rather than international competition.

Leagues

No dedicated professional league is currently catalogued for kendo. The national championship under All India Kendo Federation remains the top domestic competition.

All leagues →

International Players

Globally recognised kendo athletes to know outside India.

The international federation for kendo maintains the current world ranking — check the federation site for the up-to-date top names.

Career Options

Ways to build a career in kendo — on the field, on the sidelines and behind the scenes.

  • Kendo's development in India has been driven substantially by individual instructors bridging Japanese and Indian martial culture — Prof. Dr. Siddiq Mahmoodi was awarded honorary citizenship of Miyoshi, Japan (2006) for his services to the sport
  • Playing pathway currently runs through dojo-level instruction rather than a formalized national competitive ladder; as the sport grows, coaching and cultural-exchange roles are the clearest available pathway

Related academies

0 listed

No kendo academies are catalogued in the directory yet. Browse the full academy list or list your academy to appear here.

FAQs

Common questions about kendo in India.

Who governs Kendo in India?▾

We list All India Kendo Federation as the Indian governing/organising body for Kendo, and state associations affiliated to it run age-group and state-level competition. We hold no current-year Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports recognition record for it, so this is not a statement that it is currently a recognised national sports federation — recognition is granted year by year.

Is Kendo an Olympic sport?▾

No, Kendo is not on the Olympic programme.

What government schemes support Kendo athletes?▾

TOPS does not apply, as Kendo is outside the Olympic programme. State-government cash awards or sports-quota employment can apply where a state notifies the discipline, which varies by state. Kendo does not appear on the official Khelo India Games discipline list, so we make no Khelo India claim for it.

Kendo in every state & UT

Dedicated pages for Kendo in each Indian state and Union Territory — academies, schemes, athletes and how to start.