Kendo is spreading outside of Japan. We interviewed Cardinal Maxime, who started kendo in Canada at the age of 19, about what inspired him to start kendo and the cultural differences between Canada and Japan. Changing your perspective on things that we Japanese normally take for granted can lead to fresh discoveries. (Published in the September issue of Kendo Nippon, "Overseas Sword Records" Part 1)

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Cardinal Maxime Born in Montreal, Canada. Started Kendo at age 19 and currently holds a 4th dan. Works as an engineer at Rakuten, Inc. Founder of the Rakuten Kendo Club.

Kendo history

McGill University Kendo Club Studied abroad at International Budo University for one year. Member of the Kendo club. Two-month Kendo study abroad program with the Kendo club at Kogota Agriculture and Forestry High School Member of Rakuten Kendo Club (Founder of Kendo Club)

What made you start kendo?

-First of all, could you tell us what motivated you to start kendo? Nice to meet you, my name is Maxime. I started kendo when I was 19 because a friend invited me (lol). At the time, there were four or five dojos in Montreal, Canada, where I lived, and I belonged to one of them, the McGill University Kendo Club. McGill University's Kendo Club opens its dojo to the general public as well as students. Although neither my friend nor I were students at McGill University, we enrolled at the dojo, which was about a 20-minute drive from our home. *Photo with fellow kendo enthusiasts from Canada. Maxim is the one in blue on the bottom right. I've always been interested in martial arts, and at one point I studied Aikido. However, there were no teachers or students my age... I also found the formalities difficult, so I didn't continue. As for Kendo, I had seen the manga and anime "Rurouni Kenshin," so I thought I had a pretty good idea of ​​what it was (laughs). Like the Kendo forms, it can be formal and difficult, but there are matches, and it's fun.

Training in Canada

- It must be fun to have a lot of people your age. How long did you practice? I practiced three times a week with almost no days off. I started wearing protective gear about three months after I started kendo. I have about 20 friends who started at the same time as me. It's really fun to be with people of the same age. Of those, four or five are still practicing kendo, some have reached the fifth dan rank, and one, Tuan Anh Hoang, has been selected to compete in the world championships. He is my best friend. Kendo is not as popular in Canada as it is in Japan, so the teacher just wanted the students to continue. McGill University's kendo program is called "Happy Kendo." So, I bought a lot of protective gear at university, and as soon as I passed the Grade 3 exam, I was allowed to start wearing it. That would be unthinkable in Japan, right? (laughs) Above all, the most important thing was to have fun. I think I wanted to get him to wear protective gear as soon as possible. I think he wanted even one person to continue because there aren't many people at dojos overseas. If no one continues, the dojo can't even survive. However, it's not just fun; there are tough practices as well. We also did a lot of practice with the sword.

His mentor was a former French national fencing representative

- It's wonderful that you value the feeling of having fun. What was your teacher like? My teacher in Canada is a French seventh-dan instructor. He was originally a member of the French national fencing team, but started kendo at the age of 35. His wife is Japanese, by the way. He has lived in Montreal for over 40 years and is currently the president of the Canadian Kendo Federation. His thrusts are really cool! In addition, the university students who came to study abroad from Japan were also important teachers to us. I often received kendo lessons from my Japanese seniors, and I was also very grateful to the Korean students. *Maxim's mentor

Cultural differences between Japan and Canada

- I feel like the "club activities" culture is unique to Japan. You studied abroad at a Japanese university and high school, but did you notice any cultural differences between Japan and Canada? There are no clubs in Canada, and there is no senior-junior relationship like in Japan, so I was surprised at first. Just being one year apart means that we don't have the same concept of "seniority." I was particularly shocked by the strict hierarchical structure at International Budo University. -Even now that you have been practicing kendo for over 10 years, are there still some aspects of hierarchical relationships that you don't understand? Well, that's not the case these days. I have seen many kendo events, and have witnessed some sad scenes where seniors bully juniors, or ignore new adults or foreigners who have joined the community. I believe that the hierarchical relationship is essentially a well-designed system in which seniors are considerate of and help their juniors, and juniors show courtesy to their seniors in order to repay the kindness they have shown to them. Also, it would be even better if your concern for others is a genuine feeling that comes from within you. I feel like if you push yourself too hard, it will lead to an unbalanced hierarchical relationship. For example, it could lead to bullying. I think that's a shame. Also, although this has nothing to do with hierarchical relationships, there are some people who continue to practice kendo even though they don't like it...I wonder why that is. By the way, in Canada, there was no hierarchy, everyone was a friend, and teachers were teachers. There was no custom of seniors looking after juniors.

What is the appeal of kendo from the perspective of foreign fencers?

-What do you like about kendo, Maxim? What I like about kendo is that you can move your body with all your might. And also, the fact that the match is decided in an instant. It's fast-paced and fun. I especially like the concept of "sutemi" (a throwing oneself away from the opponent) where you hit the men with all your might. It feels really good. Also, I feel that even if you don't understand each other's language, you can understand what kind of person you are if you can do kendo. In kendo, you don't lie. And the fact that you can continue doing it forever is a big attraction.

I want to do "good kendo" that anyone can see, not just because I'm a foreigner.

-Is there anything in the future that you would like to pursue in kendo or create in the kind of team you would like to create? My goal is to have everyone say, "That's good kendo." Not just because I'm Canadian, but because I'm good kendo as a swordsman. I'm currently working towards the rank of 5th dan. * Rakuten Kendo Club members As for the Rakuten Kendo Club, I hope that they will one day reach a level where they can win a prize at a corporate competition. *Halloween costumes I also want to create an environment where employees can start kendo even if they are beginners. Many corporate teams have many members who already have experience in kendo, but I think it would be great to create an environment where beginners could start at any age. If there is a fun environment, both strong players and beginners will naturally gather.