San Fernando Valley Kendo Dojo

I’ve been practicing Kendo for about a year now and it’s been a fun journey. I’ve practiced several martial arts, played a variety of sports, but ultimately, Kendo ranks number one in my book. The senseis and fellow kenshi are extremely helpful, approachable, and considerate. Everyone is looking to better their fellow kenshi and you grow not only individually, but collectively. This process and camaraderie transforms into genuine friendships.
Also, if you consider the philosophy of Kendo and its applicability to life, you’ll walk away with a great number of life lessons. For example, Kendo teaches you patience — you cannot always strike your opponent haphazardly, you must create or wait for openings. Then, when there is an opening, you must commit, without hesitation. This process is analogous to life — when an opportunity in life presents itself and you’ve decided it’s the correct course of action, you commit 100%, without hesitation. Kendo does not only develop your swordsmanship, but also produces personal and spiritual growth.
However, if you’re looking for great cardio, with a low risk of injury, and to have FUN while you’re exercising, then our Kendo Dojo is a great fit for you. At the end of the day, in our Dojo we want to learn the ways of Kendo, improve our skills and ENJOY ourselves during the process. But how cool is it to be able to say you know how to wield a sword :)

I started kendo with SFV Dojo’s head sensei, Maki Miyahara Sensei, in 1992 at his dojo in Pasadena. When I moved to Thousand Oaks in 1994, I transferred to SFV Dojo so I could continue instruction with this amazing Sensei. He is an American citizen with and engineering background, and his insight into kendo and his ability to explain the finer points of it are incredible. He spent countless hours in one on one instruction, conversations after practice, and even repairing his student’s equipment. He actively practiced kendo until the age of 91. Although he is now 93 and does not attend practices at the dojo, his decades of instruction are remembered and have been passed down through his students.
SFV dojo is smaller than some others, but this can be a great benefit since the members share a good camaraderie and instruction can be more personalized. Instruction is great, the sensei are highly experienced, and practices feature both extensive kihon (basics) practice for a solid kendo foundation and rigorous keiko (practice fighting) sessions. We are a friendly bunch and regularly welcome many visiting kenshi and sensei, which adds to the diversity of practice at SFV.

Practicing at SFV Kendo Dojo has been an amazing experience. I’ve made great friends, became healthier, and developed quick reflexes and an unexpected sense of awareness.
The kendo at SFV comes straight from the source, handed down by Miyahara Sensei himself, an 8^th Dan black belt with more than 80 years of experience. Just look him up. And the instructors unselfishly share their knowledge with the students, making us part of his legacy.
The kenshi at SFV treat each other like brothers and sisters, and these friendships hardly stay within the walls of the dojo. We are constantly going to events, doing potlucks and contributing to personal projects.
Remember that kendo is a combative martial art, that one can do for the rest of his/​her life. Actually, because experience plays a huge role on this strategic sport, the older you become, the more ass you will kick. Being able to practice a fighting sport FOR LIFE, without a real risk of injury, was a significant factor when I decided to join.
Oh, one last thing. This Dojo works within the Valley Japanese Community Center, which means that 1. The fees are CHEAP, 2. You will have access to other martial arts (Karate, Judo), and other Japanese art classes, 3. You can be part of festivals and celebrations within the community, like the Japanese Day of the Dead! Can’t recommend SFV Kendo Dojo enough.
–Roberto

I wanted to learn some self-​defense but I didn’t want to get thrown on the ground, wrestle, or kick a wooden post with my shin every week. At the same time I didn’t want to be throwing punches and kicks into thin air and never understand the feeling of a real confrontation. Kendo was perfect for me in this aspect and Miyahara Sensei was simply the best teacher that I had ever seen.
I started Kendo at this Dojo since 2001 and I’m still an active member. This dojo is very English friendly and very multi-​cultural. It’s members are very energetic, determined, and just fun to learn with. I admire my peers just as much as my Sensei because without them, I might not be motivated to continue.
Although I may not physically fight people every day, the principles of Kendo still help me in my day to day life and it’s hard to imagine what I would be like without it. I would definitely recommend this Dojo to everyone from 10 – 90 years young.

First some general information:
Kendo is «the way of the sword», or Japanese fencing. It’s a full-​contact martial art, but due to the armor there is very little risk of serious injury. You can get a brief history of kendo from the web site of the All United States Kendo Federation (AUSKF) using the link at the end of this review.
The AUSKF itself is a member of the world-​wide authority, the International Kendo Federation (FIK, the initials were changed when they joined the Olympic committee as IKF was already taken), and has several regional federations under it across the U.S., one of which is the Southern California Kendo Federation (SCKF) to which the San Fernando Valley Kendo Dojo (SFV) belongs.
It’s important to find a dojo which is affiliated with these federations for a number of reasons. First of all, you can be certain that the instruction that you receive will be up to standards and true to kendo. There are people out there who try to take advantage of the ignorant and feed their wallets and egos off of those who do not know better. Another reason is that it will enable you to enter officially sanctioned competitions and ranking examinations. As a member of the AUSKF, your rank is recognized globally by the FIK, so you may travel and practice, compete, etc. with dojo all over the world.
Now about the SFV Kendo Dojo:
They are located at the Valley Gakuen Japanese School and have been around for 40 years now. They are one of the smaller dojo around now, mainly due to the diminishing Japanese population in the area. Most Japanese now live south of L.A., and kendo is not widely known outside of the Japanese community. This keeps the class size small and you get a lot more personalized attention from the sensei than you would at a more crowded dojo. Once you’ve got your basics established, you are able to visit other dojo and practice with them, another benefit of being a member to the proper federations.
SFV, as well as PCI in Pasadena, are lucky to have the most senior ranked sensei in the U.S. as their main instructor. His name is Maki Miyahara sesnei and his rank is Hachidan Hanshi. In laymen’s terms, hachidan would mean 8^th degree «black belt», and there are only a few of them in the U.S. Hanshi is an honorary title, the highest of three, given to those that have distinguished themselves. He is now 86 years old and will surprise you with just how much fight he’s got in him. A living example of how kendo is a life-​long pursuit, despite being a vigorous exercise both physically and mentally.
Bailey sensei is the Head Instructor and would be who runs the dojo, he’s the guy to check in with about joining or any other questions. There is also Kim sensei who always enjoys a vigorous practice. Asakura sensei, the previous head instructor, has moved out of the country for a few years, hopefully to return to practice at SFV someday. The students are varied and reflect the location.
Practices are held on Monday and Wednesday nights from 7:30pm to 9:30pm. In recent years beginners have joined in January and July and had a separate practice for the first ~10 weeks from 6pm to 7:30pm. It’s best to contact them or stop by and see if this is the current procedure.
Kendo is an amazing challenge, much deeper than you imagine when you first see it, or even begin to learn it. The depth just grows as you progress and your idea of what kendo really is evolves as you go along. Young, old, male, female, it doesn’t matter, there is opportunity for everyone.
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Informative Links:
SFV Kendo Dojo —
SCKF —
AUSKF —
FIK —