We interviewed the editor-in-chief of the kendo magazine "Kendo Nippon" about his kendo history and the most memorable moments in his work so far.

Yuichiro Ando

Born in Tokyo in December 1970. Graduated from Kokubunji Metropolitan High School and went on to Hosei University. After graduating from university in 1993, he joined Ski Journal Co., Ltd. and joined the Kendo Nippon editorial department. In 2015, he became the seventh editor-in-chief.

Editor-in-Chief Ando's swordsmanship

—When did you start kendo? (I.e."I started kendo in elementary school, but there was only one tournament where I felt like I wanted to win no matter what." — Weren't you the type who had a strong competitive spirit? (I.e."That may be true. Miyazaki Masahiro Sensei has won the All Japan Championships six times, which is something I could never have imagined (laughs). He is a gentle person to talk to, but I feel that the way he maintains his motivation and his thoughts on competition are different from ordinary people. I want to convey the essence of these things to my readers in my work." —What is the most rewarding part of your job? (I.e."I get inspired by the people I interview. When I listen to the stories of students these days, I really feel in awe. It makes me feel like I have to do my best too. When I go to cover a tournament, some kind of drama always happens, so being able to be there is a valuable opportunity and it's also very rewarding." -When did you start thinking about being involved in editing a kendo magazine? (I.e."I'm embarrassed to say that I saw an advertisement for a position in the sales department and went for the interview. At the time of the interview, Kendo Nippon was short of editors, so I was asked, 'If you have experience in kendo, why don't you try helping out with editing the magazine Kendo Nippon?'" -So you were guided to become involved in editing Kendo Nippon! (I.e."It really was fate... The current editorial staff members all passed a rigorous examination before joining the company, so I feel a bit sorry for them (laughs)."

Kendo in Japan as a Latecomer

—Could you tell us about the origins of Kendo in Japan? (I.e."Kendo Nippon was first published in 1976, but did you know that it was a latecomer? Taki Taizo, an alumnus of the Nishogakusha University Kendo Club, was instrumental in getting the magazine started. There was already a pioneer called Kendo Jidai, so it seems that there was a feeling that if a kendo magazine was going to be published, it should be elaborate. To be more specific, Onuma Hiroshi, who was the chief instructor of the Metropolitan Police Department at the time, was involved as an advisor. Thanks to Onuma Hiroshi, we were able to get big names like Nakakura Kiyoshi, an instructor at Chuo University at the time, and the rakugo performer Yanagiya Kosan to have serials in the magazine." --That's a lot of big names. Master Kosan is the fifth generation master of Yanagiya Kosan. (I.e."It seems that my master preferred kendo to rakugo (laughs). We had Master Kosan host a discussion with some of the leading figures in the kendo world at the time. Master Kosan was very busy back then, so I'm surprised he agreed to it so readily. He was the first rakugo performer to be designated a Living National Treasure." --The casting was successful and the show was well received by the public. I think the planning was also excellent. (I.e."We serialized Japanese Kendo Kata every month. The models were Abe Saburo Hanshi and Morishima Takeo Hanshi from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. Supervised by Shigeoka Noboru Hanshi, this was an extremely impressive lineup, and we held demonstrations in the magazine. This project also seems to have received a great response. It was only possible thanks to the good offices of Onuma Sensei. I think the founding members must have had a lot of hard work." It's great to hear about the launch of the magazine. Do you currently have any difficulties planning interviews? (I.e."Compared to fashion magazines, I don't think that's the case. Techniques vary from person to person. However, I think it's more difficult to find people with unique techniques than before. For example, Professor Baba Kinji of Kokushikan University has a unique view of kendo and is very skilled. I would like to interview more people like Professor Baba." -What kind of projects are popular right now? (I.e."How-to articles on techniques and other topics are popular. I think there are many people who subscribe because they want to improve their kendo skills." --Recently, you've been expanding your content to include lighter content such as "Kendo Boys, Sometimes Kendo Girls." (I.e."Thank you for reading all the details (laughs). However, it can be difficult to find people to interview. I wasn't the one who came up with the idea, but it has received quite a lot of attention."

Ski Journal's efforts

-What other businesses does your company have besides magazines? (I.e."We run a mobile site called Kendo Navi (http://kendo-n.jp/). We also run a website called Kendo Japan WEB (https://www.skijournal.co.jp/kendo/). We hope to grow both of these sites, but at present, our magazine sales are the largest." - Editor-in-Chief Ando, ​​is there any tournament that you found particularly memorable? (I.e."It's difficult to choose just one, but if I had to choose, it would probably be the World Championships held in Taiwan in 2006. I don't often go to cover the World Championships, but I happened to go this time. I was also covering other countries, so I wasn't able to cover the Japanese team's matches until the quarterfinals, and I only covered them from the semifinals onwards. I went to Taiwan with Kyoto Prefectural Police's Takahashi Hideaki as an advisor, and I still remember what Takahashi said to me before the semifinals." —What kind of words were they saying? (I.e."There was concern that 'Our attacks are getting sloppy. I hope that our hasty attacks don't lead in the wrong direction.' After that, the Japanese team lost to the US team, but I had heard this before the semi-finals, so it gave me goosebumps. I was amazed at the incredible level of performance from someone at the top level in Japan. Of course, it's not that the Japanese team was in bad shape; the US team was strong and had momentum. After US player Christopher Young beat Canada's Matthew Raymond, the whole team was on a roll." —That's a valuable story that only Editor-in-Chief Ando could hear. What kind of magazine would you like Kendo Nippon to be in the future? (I.e."Some readers have been with us since the magazine's launch, while others are reading it for the first time, so our readership is all different. I spend my days pondering what I should do to cater to all readership segments. One thing I can say for sure is that as a commercial magazine, we need to make a profit. In other words, we need to increase our profits. Our challenge is how to break out of the current situation where profits are declining. Also, kendo has a unique appeal that is different from other sports, and I want to convey that to others." —This was a very valuable interview with the traditional Japanese company Kendo Nippon, including stories about the time of the magazine's founding. In the second part, we will feature "memorable interviews" from the editorial staff.

News from Kendo Japan

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