[lopaayd]

I have been thinking about this for a while, after rereading "Kendo the Definitive Guide" by Ozawa sensei, I noticed he refers to Kendo as a "sport" in the introduction. Western sports are also a way of life for many people and a way of conducting themselves in life.

I would agree with you in the sense that there are ways in which sports can be practiced that spouse values not that different from Budo. However, there are valuable elements of tradition in budo at risk of disappearing depending on the path that future generations will take.

I have to disagree with Kenshi’s statement. I do not think that the Westerners did anything to Judo that the Japanese had not started already. Even after the first decade or so that Judo was part of the Olympic Games, it id not change dramatically as budo other than to witness Westerners competing at high level. The problem with Judo is that, at some point in its recent history, the big people up there decided that Judo would use tournaments as a mean of gaining popularity (and memberships, and government aids, and…) and therefore begun to cater to an audience as massive as possible. In the process of making Judo “digestible” to the audience, they modified the standards of Ippon and forgot about the old rules of decorum. I watch a Judo world championship today and it feels like a circus to me. I cannot help to wonder: if rules of decorum can be enforced in tennis or golf, why cannot proper reihi be in Judo any more? Because it is exciting for the audience, no other reason. I do not think that this is the way to promote budo. There are other ways.

Perhaps I am wrong, but I think that, as long as Kendo remains “distant” from the "excitement" of the large audience and keep the standards of ippon, it will evolve, of course, but in the good direction it seems to have evolved in the past decades. As much as it is fun to watch the pictures and clips of the pre-war Kendo, I am happy that it has changed to the refined and beautiful standards of today. If this is the case, I believe that whether kenshi across the world have a more or less positive experience with the words/concepts of budo or sport, Kendo will continue to be what it is today: much more than a mere physical activity.