Kendo Nippon will cease publication with the February 2018 issue. It has been a beloved read by kendo practitioners since its launch in 1976. We interviewed editor-in-chief Ando about his passion for his work and his feelings about starting anew. *After this article was published, it was republished in the January 2019 issue. (Updated February 22, 2022) Please buy it.

On the suspension of publication

-I was really surprised by the sudden suspension of publication. We are truly sorry to all our loyal readers. We were unable to publish the February issue in the regular format, and it will have a different binding than usual and will have different content than what was announced. We would like to apologize once again for being unable to continue publishing the magazine.

An editorial team full of unique personalities

- What thoughts and hopes have you had in mind when creating magazines up until now? I've spent a really long time with the editorial staff. We're comrades in arms. The editorial staff have great writing skills and the ability to draw out words from others. It takes me four or five times for the professors I interview to finally remember me, but the other editors are remembered right away. They're all unique in both appearance and personality. -I'd like to meet you. The other day, I met BUSHIZOMemorable photos of editorial staffI was interviewed about this, and even reading about it, I was impressed by how interesting the photos I selected were. I'm more of a listener than a person who comes up with ideas myself. I believe that being arbitrary is a recipe for failure. I've created the magazine by listening to everyone's opinions and sharing ideas.

The shocking world championship and a desire to start afresh

-Can you tell us how you feel about starting over? Of all the work I've done, the World Championships were the most shocking. The first World Championship I ever attended was the 10th, held in Kyoto. I still remember it vividly. Every country was strong. But even more than that, I felt that everyone loved Japan. I was still in my mid-20s at the time, and I was a bit cocky, but seeing the foreign kendo players turned that feeling upside down. I wanted to be inspired by these people. I thought they were amazing. I also went to cover the event in the United States, and was amazed there, too. I thought the excitement was only there because it was being held in Japan, but the Americans were also incredibly excited. The preparations must have been hard, but they seemed to enjoy it. The hospitality was impeccable. I'd only ever practiced kendo in Japan. Only in Tokyo. So I had no idea such a world existed. That's why, going forward, I want everyone to learn more about not only Japanese kendo, but also world kendo. I think it would be wonderful if we could learn from each other's perspectives. Finally, I would like to thank all of our loyal readers and everyone in the kendo world. -I empathize with your feelings very much. The magazine will be temporarily suspended, but I look forward to the restart of Kendo Nippon. *After this article was published, it was republished in the January 2019 issue. (Updated February 22, 2022) Please buy it.