Kendo athletes, who wear kendo-gu, experience an impaired ability to dissipate body heat in a hot and humid environment during the summer, increasing the risk of heat stroke. Furthermore, excessive surges in core body temperature during exercise result in reduced exercise capacity. The hairless regions of the face, palms, and soles, especially the nasal area, have arteriovenous anastomoses, which are vascular structures specialized for heat dissipation. Therefore, applying ice in these areas may efficiently mitigate the increase in core body temperature and the decrease in exercise performance in a hot and humid environment. This study examined the effects of palmar cooling on core body temperature and exerted power through full-force pedaling exercises while wearing kendo-gu in a hot and humid environment. Eight male university kendo athletes participated in experiments conducted in a climate chamber with the wet-bulb globe temperature set at 28˚C. While wearing kendo-gu, the participants performed two 4-minute intermittent bicycle pedaling exercises, comprising eight sets of 20-second full-force pedaling and 10-second rest periods, with 15-minute rest periods in between exercises. Two experimental conditions were implemented, namely, a control condition, in which the participants remained at rest in a sitting position, and an ice application condition, in which their hand was immersed in cold water to cool their palm. External auricular temperature was used as the core body temperature. The results revealed an interaction between the two conditions when the external ear temperature changes during rest periods between exercises (P < 0.01). From the sixth minute of rest, outer ear temperature was significantly lower in the ice application condition than the control condition (P < 0.05). Moreover, the rate of decline in exerted power during the two full-force pedaling exercises was significantly smaller in the ice application condition than the control condition (P < 0.05). These results suggest that even when exercising in a hot and humid environment while wearing kendo-gu, individuals may lower their core body temperature and reduce their risk of heat stroke by cooling their palms between exercises. Furthermore, this method lessened the decline in exercise performance in a hot and humid environment.

The purpose of this study was to clarify the effectiveness of kendo classes incorporating “adaptation matches”, based on adaptation games practised in the field of ball sports, for 121 students in three classes in the third year of a junior high school.

Adaptation match No.1 was implemented in the sixth class of a 12-hour unit. The students were divided into groups by gender and some modified rules were proposed by the teacher. Through discussions with their opponent on differences in skill level, physique, physical strength, etc., students then chose the rule（s) and implemented them. In adaptation match No.2 in the seventh class, students were divided into groups by gender and competed using modified rules proposed by the teachers and those that they created. In adaptation matches No.3 and No.4 implemented in the eighth and ninth classes, students were divided into mixed gender groups and competed in the same way.

Based on the results of questionnaire surveys and an analysis of the students’ descriptions, the adaptation matches implemented were something that they could enjoy regardless of differences in gender and skill level. Also, through their work on adaptation matches, participants could realise the significance of modifying and changing rules according to individual differences, as well as finding their own technical and tactical tasks to improve. Furthermore, the contents and development of the planned and practised unit helped to bring positive changes in their perceptions of exercise, cooperation and competition with various other people.

These results show that the kendo classes in this study that incorporated adaptation matches were effective in emphasizing coexistence, embracing the diversity of peers, and realising mutually beneficial learning.

We conducted a qualitative study to explore the issues and risks associated with judo-therapy. Judo-therapy is a developmental support activity that is based on judo. It is targeted towards children with disabilities or those who may have disabilities, and is thus implemented in after-school day care services. For this study, we interviewed the representative instructors of four after-school day care services where judo-therapy is being conducted. The interviews were semi-structured, and the language data obtained from the interviews were transcribed into text. For the texts corresponding to the responses regarding the issues and risks of judo-therapy, we conducted qualitative data analysis using Steps for Coding and Theorization (SCAT).

The results of the SCAT analysis provided numerous theoretical descriptions from the four instructors. The main issues regarding judo-therapy were identified as follows: (1) insufficient number of judo-therapy instructors; (2) need for training of judo-therapy instructors; (3) need for systematization of judo-therapy; and (4) providing detailed and step-by-step instructions tailored to children with developmental disabilities. The main risks associated with judo-therapy were identified as follows: (1) risk of head injuries during ukemi practice; and (2) occurrence of spontaneous actions by the children, such as running onto the road outside the facility or nearby. Based on the identified issues and risks, this study explored each item and identified numerous areas of concern. Measures to address these issues and risks must be considered in the future.

This study was intended to clarify the characteristics of scoring techniques in karate-kumite competitions in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympic Games, to learn about the tactical behavior of modern world-class athletes, and to acquire knowledge effective for coaching practices. The target of analysis was the performance of 60 athletes in 132 kumite matches at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympic Games. There were a total of nine types of analysis item, comprised of three types of punching techniques, five types of kicking techniques, and one type of takedown technique, which were then classified into 18 offensive and counter techniques. These techniques were then placed into three categories: scoring techniques (techniques that resulted in points), non-scoring techniques (techniques that were executed but did not result in a point), and the total of initiated techniques. The analysis concluded that more points were scored by punching techniques than by kicking techniques. The points scored by punching techniques as an offensive technique accounted for 286 (56.9%) of all athletes’ scores, of which 247 (49.1%) were punching techniques to the upper part of the body. Among the kicking techniques, middle roundhouse kicks accounted for 45 (9.5%) of the total, which was the most common result. In terms of the relationship between match duration and techniques, scoring techniques, non-scoring techniques, and initiated techniques tended to increase toward the end of matches. In particular, it was clarified that initiated techniques and non-scoring techniques increased greatly from 0:29 to 0:00 of remaining match time. The number of scoring techniques and the rate of effectiveness showed a decreasing trend from the first- to the ninth-placed group. The results showed that the effectiveness rate, which considered both the number of points and the number of initiated techniques, provided valuable numerical information indicating performance trends related to scoring. The results also showed that the effectiveness rate used in this study was valid as numerical information that corroborates the result ranking of competitions, and it was considered effective in indicating performance trends as it provided more detailed information, allowing for a comprehensive understanding of the results. These findings suggest that the performance evaluation method based on an objective evaluation is an effective method for coaching practice because it can specifically evaluate the accuracy of techniques.

The issue of promoting women’s participation is a long-standing challenge in many sports, including karate. This problem in karate has seen little research or investigation, mainly due to its perceived lack of urgency. A contributing factor to this lack of research is our limited understanding of the roles of karate officials, instructors, and other practitioners, and the overall practice environment.

This study aims to foster gender equality in karate by investigating the attitudes and activities of its practitioners and officials and providing relevant organizational guidelines and recommendations to empower practitioners who are women. The research was conducted using a questionnaire administered to both karate practitioners and officials.

The results indicate a noticeable difference in the surrounding environment of karate practitioners such that men were more likely to be active and participate in activities related to obtaining certifications as compared to women．

It has been suggested that one of the inhibiting factors for participation in karate is the burden on private life events and its relationship with the activity environment. To promote gender equality in karate, the findings suggest the need for a comprehensive support system to help practitioners integrate karate into their daily lives. There is also a call for improvements in the relevant organization and infrastructure.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the trends in the student kendo world since the Meiji period in the Kanto region, especially in the former First Higher School (hereafter, Ichiko-the former higher schools are abbreviated in the same manner). The aim is to clarify the genealogy of spirituality in a self-refereeing system (mukensho). The materials were mainly those from Ichiko, but also those related to Second Higher School, Gakushuin and Tokyo Imperial University (hereafter, Teidai).

The All Japan Kendo Federation (AJKF) established the “Concept of Kendo” in 1975. As will be discussed below, one of the indirect influences on this philosophy is the method of practice at Ichiko in Tokyo, Japan. Ichiko was one of the higher middle schools under the old school system, which was started by the Higher Middle School Ordinance after the Meiji Restoration. It advocated “mukensho”, matches in which contestants judged each other without a referee. Since 1897, the student kendo community in western Japan developed rules and a referee system to promote kendo as a competitive sport, but Ichiko is different from these trends. Although there is no academic research focusing on the Ichiko Gekken (Kendo) Club, its history has been partially clarified in memorials and other publications. Therefore, this paper describes its history based on the results of previous studies.

The Ichiko Gekken Club was born in the third decade (1887-1897) of the Meiji period. Shionoya Tokitoshi (a teacher at Ichiko and a Hokushin Itto-ryu expert), the club president, forbade disrespectful behavior and a sense of triumph and instead formed respect for one’s own personality (sense of self-respect) and dignity in the club. In the fifth decade of the Meiji period, the club members expressed dissatisfaction with matches. Knowing this, Shionoya proposed mukensho and introduced it experimentally in the Ichiko competitions. Students in this period had a common understanding of kendo as the spiritual basis of character formation, and this understanding became the ground for accepting mukensho. The mukensho-like concept can already be seen in training and matches since the middle of the Edo period.

The purpose of the mukensho that Shionoya taught was to develop a person’s character to be able to lead the nation, and specifically, to cultivate a spirit of “brave and unyielding” as well as “honesty and courtesy”. It is also suggested that Shionoya may have used mukensho to judge a valid strike by himself, and furthermore, that he may have considered learning how to judge a win before striking (katte-utsu - striking after winning). In addition to cultivating spirituality, Shionoya also saw in mukensho a technical view that was invisible to third-party judgment.

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