This is an excerpt from an old TV show called "You Asked For It." This portion shows what Kendo is. .... Interesting is that this was back when sweeping was allowed in Kendo.
The program was aired sometime in the early 1950's,during the early years of television, and The host of the show was Art Baker. I watched " You Asked For It" when I was youngster. The show was sponsered by Skippy Peanut Butter.
This is one of my favorite vids of all time. Can't believe it, that's Tiger Mori. Wow. Amazing vid. Thanks so much for showing it. This must have been 52' or 53', eh?
This, believe or not, is the kendo I was taught - not in Japan either. I was 14 when started - didn't fully appreciate how different it was to other dojo's (no youtube back then) until sensei gave me a list of prohibited waza when I first went to compete. Have you ever tried to "unlearn" muscle memory? Naturally I was dismissed in the first shia for "deliberately" stepping on the front foot of opponent (didn't realised I did it - as you know, in kendo you stop thinking about your next move - something else takes over...you think...you lose...) God I felt foolish and shammed - though sensei was OK with it. Told me it was a teaching moment. EVERYTHING was a teaching moment according to him. Because of discipline - it isn't as injury prone as it looks, though I did dislocate my fingers and toes a couple of times. There was no sweeping though - certainly disarming techniques using tsuba, and "hara-do", smashing your do armour into the opponents while lifting the opponent's shinai up over their head with yours. Ki-ai was still everything, more so even. Can't believe I have just found this film.
Oh, and "etiquette" was very strong - it was the civilising of what is effectively the only martial art that has only mortal blow origins. To wil - when walking past and behind a person, one had to raise one's right hand up and empty to show no malice intent, any show of joy in victory meant the loss of the point or the whole shia.
Great upload! It's fascinating to see how much kendo knowledge and popularity has progressed in the US with the AUSKF hosting tournaments and seminars all over the country now. It's not just some "ancient oriental sport" now. :P I wish they gave these kendoka more room to work with.
I know this video has been up a very long time, but as a kendo practitioner I have to say, this is definitely different than the kendo I know. The use of sweeps is wild!! Part of me wishes that was still a thing, it makes it more brutal, but I can also see how more dangerous it can be.. this clip was super educational.
In life or death combat no, but because of the scoring locations and the rules for making a strike actually count (must be a very clean strike), when they get in close after a strike the sweep puts them at a great disadvantage if they lose their footing, for taking strike from the opponent still standing.
I love the fact that the host didnt know anything. These days everyone knows what martial arts is and its amazing to think of a time when it was still mysterious. THOSE SWEEPS WERE EFFECTIVE TOO!!!
The doh attack at 3:05, seems like he's really running into it, head first, with weird leg work. I froze another frame at 3:57, the smaller guy to the right is high up on the toes of his right foot, while he's doing fumikomi with his left, and all this commencing the attack from a normal stance. Why is this so?
Maybe the kiai wasn't so important back on those days? Also, I like the way they used their feet to make the motodachi lose his balance. I would be really nice to be able to use that in a shiai nowadays!
@bellanetto You asked for it aired from 1950 to 1959.The 1952 Olympics was stated in future tents . It's must be 1950-1951ish. Which make sense. The Kendo they're using is pre-wwII. I think the modern Kendo Feberation in 1955 or 56.
on the subject of kiai, it is a release of energy to aid your strikes, it is proven to give power to any strike you make that would not be there otherwise. you will see kiai in virtualy all martial arts though it may go by a diferent name; boxind, muy thai, gung fu, and so on
guess it's choreo, but more interesting is that they use former techniques like "de-ashi-barai" which arent allowed anymore. if ur into budo you'll know what i mean
yes it does, read it carefully. i said they choreographed it and were moving slow for the sake of the audience. and if they fought that way yes i could beat them. but there is no way they actually fight like that when they are being serious. you really should read things carefully before making bold statements.
"it's more like mayhem, gentlemen" LOL the doorway kicked his ass and his opponent was like "ha-ha, you have gone through the door. ha-ha, I will stab you now." And then he handed his sword back to him "Here, let me help there" Those cries mean "I am hit"? hmm, every time I use kiai in the "mayhem", it usually means "I Am ANGRY!" ha-ha!
For real, imagina he had a real nihan to and not a shinai, look the position of both shinais at the time one of them uses his legs, he is completly una armed!
I would by no means call myself experienced in kendo. I've been doing it for a mere two years, but after watching a lot of high grade people do it, both live and here on youtube i have to notice something about this clip. Besides the leg sweep, it seems to me that they are using the ayumiashi a lot, especially the smaller guy.
And how do you define "practiced as a sport"? The competition side of kendo isn't the only side to it. Sports usually are defined to be the activities of competitive nature. Whilst kendo may be competitive, it has a deeper side to it. And define one olympic activity that isn't a sport.
the way these guys are fighting even i would beat them quikly. i dont even blame them for choreographing it, or for moving as slowly as they are because it is hard for untrained people to see whats hapening when one does REAL kendo.
Lol! Sweeping allowed! so cool to hawaiandude839 (or something): choreographied? Do you know anything about kendo? Great vid only theyr kiai wasn't very strong... maybe tey were shy cause on TV...
I found the presenter sincere, though a bit ignorant; and I thought the tone very stereotypical, but not racist. It should be kept in mind that the 1950s were not the most politically correct of times. To go through the effort of showing a genuine presentation of Japanese culture on US television in 1952 is pretty open-minded and respectful on the show's part.
Nope, nowdaws is not allowed (too Dangerous), but back in the days Kendo was closer to its original Kenjutsu Way, wich envolves ancient Budo disarming techniques (now standarized Aikido)... Kendo + Aikido = Budo
well.. a "kiai's" strenght is first of all not something you can hear if it's strong or weak, if you practice martial arts you should know this. A kiai isn't strong just because it's loud. Great to see some old stuff btw ;)
I believe this was live TV. Imagen the poor sound engineer getting his headphone blown off his head and half the vacum tubes blowing out. during rehearsal with a loud kiai
the space dont mater i have faught in small spaces before, and its everything about their fight not just their kiai. its rather obviously choriographed, if these guys are as good as the hipe..and im sure they are QED it must be choreographed
wow, this is great! anyone know when this was aired? i mean i'm guessing after the war, cause it'd be too taboo to air in america before/during... (if it was from just after the war) I love how it shows how kendo was after the war, still retaining bits from kenjutsu/budo and definately not as sportish as the kendo we see in tournaments today. great post!
yup. their kiai wasn't very strong. i remember i was in a karate tournament and i got some points off of my sparring cause the mouth gaurd they gave me wouldn't let me kiai without spitting.....:(
@rainzoro Calm down dude this video is like a snap shot in time, comparing our present culture with the past is somewhat unfair to the people who were living it. It was a time in America that the US was more European oriented and the Asian countries were viewed as exotic, and many people did not hop on a plane and go on vacation in Beijing for a month; so people were more isolated than they are today. In WWII, there were still many US soldiers couldn't even write their own name.
i said it wasn't a serious fight, that was my entire argument. you go back and forth with me making absolutely no points and finally in the end say it was a simple student teacher practice, witch is in total sync with my stand point. and you call me illiterate, you need to sprout some common sense seriously. and what does how long you've been doing kendo have to do with anything?
not even close to true. if you dissarm in kendo you have to hit quik before they stop the match, you only get one hit and a split second to land it. and more importantly there are many ways to dissarm an apponent wther they like it or not lol. i train 3 times a week with a sensei that is rather famouse for his disarm techniques and believe me he dont need your cooperation to do it lol
Your ignorance is humorous. It's not choreographed, however it is done with demonstration in mind. You can clearly see Mori sensei acting as motodachi, providing openings and punishing mistakes, all while making sure a healthy variety of scenarios are played out for the audience. If you were able to see the subtleties of what's happening, the very conservative movement of Mori's effective parries, you'd have a better understanding of their skill. Looking "all out" is beginner kendo.
so? that doesn't prove anything if it is true, and i don't believe it is. honestly look at some of the all japan tournament videos, that's what real kendo looks like. the bottom line is very simple, they aren't fighting seriously in this video.
@shungen2007 I was actually being sarcastic about the typically racist portrayal of asians on television programming at the time, since they were unable to differentiate between a chinese and japanese art and played chinese music. Way to fly off the handle though, enjoy your persecution complex.
asianamerican68 , the japanese choose to be pacifist.they know the horrors of war and choose not to repeat such disasters. the us is in japan because japan allows it and needs strong ties with the us.
its clear you didn't understand what i was saying by the way you reacted. and by the question you just asked. i haven't seen him fight seriously so how could i possibly gauge his ability compared to mine? its impossible to answer that question as any kendoka would know. poser.
Kendo is NOT a sport.. If yo uthink of it as a sport, then you're doing it for the wrong reasons. Kendo is based on the fundamentals of Budo. The spirit of the warrior. If it was olympicalized (like Judo) then it would become a sport. But I would rather die than see that happen. It depends on what you do kendo for, Kendo is the contiunal improvement of oneself through their experiences. The meaning of kendo will differ from person to person. But to me, it should not be viewd as a sport
As for the white guy talking about it being more like mayhem then a sport, he was trying to compliment the toughness of the sport and participants. As for AsianAmerican crying about Japan being "occupied", Japan spends an awful lot on its military. If USA did to Japan what Japan did to China, you wouldnt be here to complain, you'd be a slave. So shut up, count yourself lucky. Very lucky USA doesnt believe in revenge...look at the Philipines.
im still totaly unimpressed, these 2 didnt look to good. if they are as good as you guys say then i wonder why they didnt go all out, in fact it looked almost like the fight was choriographed. witch would explain why it didnt look so good
Quit clucking your tongues and shaking your heads at your perception of the "way America used to be" and just watch the damn video. I don't need your social commentary.
lol but then again my people dont show white thrill seakers and tourist the real deal either. just put on a show the ignorant will enjoy and collect the money lol
The program was aired sometime in the early 1950's,during the early years of television, and The host of the show was Art Baker. I watched " You Asked For It" when I was youngster. The show was sponsered by Skippy Peanut Butter.
Personally, I'd love it if they brought back a lot of the old stuff like that.
Holy crap, that's Torao Mori!! He is a legend. I am glad I can find footage of him doing kendo. Thank you for uploading this!
WOW, i didn´t know that you could kick and disarm in old kendo. It looks more intense back then
This was back when those weren't against the rules.
VERY intense: much more jousting and trying to overcome opponent's balance and spirit.
You still can disarm, and throws are allowed in police kendo. czcams.com/video/YieVJs1khsI/video.html
hey alright! they were doing sum pre ww2 kendo stuff in there. dont see that too often anymore
leg hooks? I guess it was more about technique rather than etiquette back then,...
4:20 "those cry of anguish were saying in Japanese I am hit"... he is talking about kiai
sweep the leg! :D
fun to watch kendo back then i wish we still did the foot sweeps, nice tuski at the end
This is one of my favorite vids of all time. Can't believe it, that's Tiger Mori. Wow. Amazing vid. Thanks so much for showing it. This must have been 52' or 53', eh?
"I am hit" LMAO.
This, believe or not, is the kendo I was taught - not in Japan either. I was 14 when started - didn't fully appreciate how different it was to other dojo's (no youtube back then) until sensei gave me a list of prohibited waza when I first went to compete. Have you ever tried to "unlearn" muscle memory? Naturally I was dismissed in the first shia for "deliberately" stepping on the front foot of opponent (didn't realised I did it - as you know, in kendo you stop thinking about your next move - something else takes over...you think...you lose...) God I felt foolish and shammed - though sensei was OK with it. Told me it was a teaching moment. EVERYTHING was a teaching moment according to him. Because of discipline - it isn't as injury prone as it looks, though I did dislocate my fingers and toes a couple of times. There was no sweeping though - certainly disarming techniques using tsuba, and "hara-do", smashing your do armour into the opponents while lifting the opponent's shinai up over their head with yours. Ki-ai was still everything, more so even. Can't believe I have just found this film.
Oh, and "etiquette" was very strong - it was the civilising of what is effectively the only martial art that has only mortal blow origins. To wil - when walking past and behind a person, one had to raise one's right hand up and empty to show no malice intent, any show of joy in victory meant the loss of the point or the whole shia.
would love to learn the more 'original' kendo when rules weren't as restricting, sounds awesome. but still, luv martial arts :)
omg...footage of mori sensei. this is awesome, thanks for posting it.
You Asked For It. I haven't heard this name for over 30 years, this was my favorite show when I was a kid but I only remember host Jack Smith.
Finally a version with sound! Thanks for uploading it! :)
Finally with audio, thanks you! Good to have confirmation that this was indeed Mori sensei.
Great upload! It's fascinating to see how much kendo knowledge and popularity has progressed in the US with the AUSKF hosting tournaments and seminars all over the country now. It's not just some "ancient oriental sport" now. :P
I wish they gave these kendoka more room to work with.
TOTALY AWESOME!!!! man i wish i could learn this it would be fun
I know this video has been up a very long time, but as a kendo practitioner I have to say, this is definitely different than the kendo I know. The use of sweeps is wild!! Part of me wishes that was still a thing, it makes it more brutal, but I can also see how more dangerous it can be.. this clip was super educational.
In life or death combat no, but because of the scoring locations and the rules for making a strike actually count (must be a very clean strike), when they get in close after a strike the sweep puts them at a great disadvantage if they lose their footing, for taking strike from the opponent still standing.
even tho its a show from the 50's u can tell that the kendo those guys are doin is pre war. Way more bad ass and intense. B4 it was a sport
those noises they make when they get hit are off the charts
Excelent. Try to find more of this old kendou videos please
"Cries of Anguish........"
Good stuff.
I love the fact that the host didnt know anything. These days everyone knows what martial arts is and its amazing to think of a time when it was still mysterious. THOSE SWEEPS WERE EFFECTIVE TOO!!!
anyone who knows kendo can see that it was either choreographed or they where tsking it very easy. thats just not what all out kendo looks like.
i know kendo, but i don't know every kendoka in the world. when did i say i could beat this guy i never heard of.
very true
Mr. Torao Mori is the man in Kendo History.
The doh attack at 3:05, seems like he's really running into it, head first, with weird leg work. I froze another frame at 3:57, the smaller guy to the right is high up on the toes of his right foot, while he's doing fumikomi with his left, and all this commencing the attack from a normal stance. Why is this so?
Touché :P
sounds like a bruce lee film LOL!
This clip is from the 50s, kendo was in the U.S. way before that.
Maybe the kiai wasn't so important back on those days? Also, I like the way they used their feet to make the motodachi lose his balance. I would be really nice to be able to use that in a shiai nowadays!
@bellanetto You asked for it aired from 1950 to 1959.The 1952 Olympics was stated in future tents . It's must be 1950-1951ish. Which make sense. The Kendo they're using is pre-wwII. I think the modern Kendo Feberation in 1955 or 56.
i agree
Search Results for "what makes these 2 japanese guys with their foots...is that old Kendo skills or something?"
タイガー・モリ。秘蔵の中の秘蔵えいぞうです。
on the subject of kiai, it is a release of energy to aid your strikes, it is proven to give power to any strike you make that would not be there otherwise. you will see kiai in virtualy all martial arts though it may go by a diferent name; boxind, muy thai, gung fu, and so on
what's with the chinese music at the begining?
guess it's choreo, but more interesting is that they use former techniques like "de-ashi-barai" which arent allowed anymore. if ur into budo you'll know what i mean
an awesome sensei, so how many times could you beat him out of 10?
yes it does, read it carefully. i said they choreographed it and were moving slow for the sake of the audience. and if they fought that way yes i could beat them. but there is no way they actually fight like that when they are being serious. you really should read things carefully before making bold statements.
Whish there was a kendo kata displaying this techniques, like throws and hookings in a modern kendo...
+Demka03 Maybe there is, in some secret area of Japan. ;)
@atlatzin It's oriental music, for those orientals.
How did you find the video of this old show?
i agree with you on the music but i dont think he meant anything with the "sport" comment
It is he.
if u notes, from today how the rules kendo are set, there useing there feet to try to make there dueler fall over !
@nokia12389
Oh That's incredible!!
1st dan at thirteen?
Wow, that is such a exploit!!
whos tiger mori?
"it's more like mayhem, gentlemen" LOL
the doorway kicked his ass and his opponent was like "ha-ha, you have gone through the door. ha-ha, I will stab you now." And then he handed his sword back to him "Here, let me help there"
Those cries mean "I am hit"? hmm, every time I use kiai in the "mayhem", it usually means "I Am ANGRY!" ha-ha!
For real, imagina he had a real nihan to and not a shinai, look the position of both shinais at the time one of them uses his legs, he is completly una armed!
I would by no means call myself experienced in kendo. I've been doing it for a mere two years, but after watching a lot of high grade people do it, both live and here on youtube i have to notice something about this clip.
Besides the leg sweep, it seems to me that they are using the ayumiashi a lot, especially the smaller guy.
Or they turned down the audio because they didn't want to scare the audience at home.
And how do you define "practiced as a sport"?
The competition side of kendo isn't the only side to it. Sports usually are defined to be the activities of competitive nature. Whilst kendo may be competitive, it has a deeper side to it.
And define one olympic activity that isn't a sport.
Sweeping isn't allowed in Kendo?
hey there is a kendoka here, his name is Arnold. how many times can you beat him out of ten?
the way these guys are fighting even i would beat them quikly. i dont even blame them for choreographing it, or for moving as slowly as they are because it is hard for untrained people to see whats hapening when one does REAL kendo.
Lol! Sweeping allowed! so cool
to hawaiandude839 (or something): choreographied? Do you know anything about kendo?
Great vid only theyr kiai wasn't very strong... maybe tey were shy cause on TV...
@atlatzin It's oriental music, for those orientals. -_-
I found the presenter sincere, though a bit ignorant; and I thought the tone very stereotypical, but not racist. It should be kept in mind that the 1950s were not the most politically correct of times. To go through the effort of showing a genuine presentation of Japanese culture on US television in 1952 is pretty open-minded and respectful on the show's part.
Nope, nowdaws is not allowed (too Dangerous), but back in the days Kendo was closer to its original Kenjutsu Way, wich envolves ancient Budo disarming techniques (now standarized Aikido)...
Kendo + Aikido = Budo
well.. a "kiai's" strenght is first of all not something you can hear if it's strong or weak, if you practice martial arts you should know this.
A kiai isn't strong just because it's loud.
Great to see some old stuff btw ;)
how the hell do they want this guys to have a match in such a small place :S
I believe this was live TV. Imagen the poor sound engineer getting his headphone blown off his head and half the vacum tubes blowing out. during rehearsal with a loud kiai
the space dont mater i have faught in small spaces before, and its everything about their fight not just their kiai. its rather obviously choriographed, if these guys are as good as the hipe..and im sure they are QED it must be choreographed
"Los 'Angle'-ess ? (:44 seconds)
I guess style of the time was influenced by the possibility of foot sweeps, than again, I am only younkyu kendoka so don't mind my words :D
sweeping allowed is better i think
yeah i would not mind giving him a nice "MEN"
wow, this is great! anyone know when this was aired? i mean i'm guessing after the war, cause it'd be too taboo to air in america before/during... (if it was from just after the war) I love how it shows how kendo was after the war, still retaining bits from kenjutsu/budo and definately not as sportish as the kendo we see in tournaments today. great post!
what ?
wow kendo has changed quite a bit. they were good. but the narrator is quite ignorant of kendo though...
タイガー・モリ。秘蔵の中の秘蔵映像です。
yup. their kiai wasn't very strong.
i remember i was in a karate tournament and i got some points off of my sparring cause the mouth gaurd they gave me wouldn't let me kiai without spitting.....:(
u can trip plp back old fashion kendo wtf
@shungen2007
The fact that you use the term "Far East" when saying that is ironic...
@rainzoro
Calm down dude this video is like a snap shot in time, comparing our present culture with the past is somewhat unfair to the people who were living it. It was a time in America that the US was more European oriented and the Asian countries were viewed as exotic, and many people did not hop on a plane and go on vacation in Beijing for a month; so people were more isolated than they are today. In WWII, there were still many US soldiers couldn't even write their own name.
ROTFL :D
You're going to be embarrassed for yourself in 20 years when you have the beginnings of a clue as to what is real kendo.
while that was interesting, i don´t think using you legs in a blade combat is very effective.
i said it wasn't a serious fight, that was my entire argument. you go back and forth with me making absolutely no points and finally in the end say it was a simple student teacher practice, witch is in total sync with my stand point. and you call me illiterate, you need to sprout some common sense seriously. and what does how long you've been doing kendo have to do with anything?
音楽が中国、白人には日本と中国の文化の違いがわからんらしい
then you must not know what serious kendo looks like, cause that wasn't it.
not even close to true. if you dissarm in kendo you have to hit quik before they stop the match, you only get one hit and a split second to land it. and more importantly there are many ways to dissarm an apponent wther they like it or not lol. i train 3 times a week with a sensei that is rather famouse for his disarm techniques and believe me he dont need your cooperation to do it lol
Your ignorance is humorous. It's not choreographed, however it is done with demonstration in mind. You can clearly see Mori sensei acting as motodachi, providing openings and punishing mistakes, all while making sure a healthy variety of scenarios are played out for the audience. If you were able to see the subtleties of what's happening, the very conservative movement of Mori's effective parries, you'd have a better understanding of their skill. Looking "all out" is beginner kendo.
so? that doesn't prove anything if it is true, and i don't believe it is. honestly look at some of the all japan tournament videos, that's what real kendo looks like. the bottom line is very simple, they aren't fighting seriously in this video.
@shungen2007 I was actually being sarcastic about the typically racist portrayal of asians on television programming at the time, since they were unable to differentiate between a chinese and japanese art and played chinese music. Way to fly off the handle though, enjoy your persecution complex.
asianamerican68 , the japanese choose to be pacifist.they know the horrors of war and choose not to repeat such disasters. the us is in japan because japan allows it and needs strong ties with the us.
its clear you didn't understand what i was saying by the way you reacted. and by the question you just asked. i haven't seen him fight seriously so how could i possibly gauge his ability compared to mine? its impossible to answer that question as any kendoka would know. poser.
Kendo is NOT a sport..
If yo uthink of it as a sport, then you're doing it for the wrong reasons. Kendo is based on the fundamentals of Budo. The spirit of the warrior. If it was olympicalized (like Judo) then it would become a sport. But I would rather die than see that happen.
It depends on what you do kendo for, Kendo is the contiunal improvement of oneself through their experiences.
The meaning of kendo will differ from person to person. But to me, it should not be viewd as a sport
As for the white guy talking about it being more like mayhem then a sport, he was trying to compliment the toughness of the sport and participants. As for AsianAmerican crying about Japan being "occupied", Japan spends an awful lot on its military. If USA did to Japan what Japan did to China, you wouldnt be here to complain, you'd be a slave. So shut up, count yourself lucky. Very lucky USA doesnt believe in revenge...look at the Philipines.
im still totaly unimpressed, these 2 didnt look to good. if they are as good as you guys say then i wonder why they didnt go all out, in fact it looked almost like the fight was choriographed. witch would explain why it didnt look so good
Quit clucking your tongues and shaking your heads at your perception of the "way America used to be" and just watch the damn video. I don't need your social commentary.
lol but then again my people dont show white thrill seakers and tourist the real deal either. just put on a show the ignorant will enjoy and collect the money lol