Abstract
Since the inauguration of the modern educational system, bujutsuka military artists out of office demanded that budo military arts be put in the regular curriculums. To this, Ministry of Education and scholars on physical education argued that budo military arts was inappropriate for regular curriculum. They pointed out that budo military arts could be dangerous and that it lacked the unity of instruction program and of teaching method. They admitted, however, that it could be given as an extra curricular activity to male students who were fifteen years of age or older.
To overcome the argument of the Education Ministry, bujutsuka military artists tried to establish “unified style to be taught in the regular curriculums” by unifying tens of, hundreds of schools. In other words, they appointed, on July 27,1906 (the 39th year of Meiji Era), “the committees to study unified style”. Jigoro Kano headed the judo committee and Noboru Watanabe, the kendo committee. Each committee reported, the following month, the style called “Dai Nippon Butoku-kai Seiteikata (Japan Society for Military Arts Virtue Style)”.
To be more specific, in judo's case, Kodokan school made the original plans of the committee and they gained the full support.
Kendo's case was not so easy. The plans of the committee were not accepted. A new 23-member committee was appointed in October,1912 (the 1st year of Taisho Era) and the committee presented the 10 brand new “Dai Nippon Teikoku Kendokata (Imperial Japan Kendo Styles)”. These styles still exist today and are considered to be the bases of kendo.
