How Dangerous are Kendo Strikes with a Sharp Katana?

Or to put it differently, would a Kendoka be ready for a zombie apocalypse? Nah, it doesn’t always have to be zombies... Kendo can be seen as a sporterized relative of Kenjutsu, the traditional Japanese art of sword fighting. Sort of like Olympic fencing and historical rapier fencing, although that may not be an entirely accurate comparison. Either way, the focus on speed and comparatively light contact (or so it may seem) makes some people doubt its martial validity. Personally I don’t have a dog in the fight either way, but I was curious to see what a katana might do to a ballistic gel dummy head with one of those quick strikes, and my friend Sindri offered to help with his Kendo experience. The skulls are anatomically correct and pretty realistic overall, although the gel doesn’t simulate flesh and skin very well. I also tried a lunging thrust with a narrow bladed Spanish rapier, which turned out better than I expected (the second attempt, that is). And finally he went to town with a large two-handed cutting sword, to finish off the mayhem. The swords shown here: Shirasaya / Shikomizue by Hanwei (affiliate link) Tizona - 17th century Spanish cup-hilt rapier by LK Chen (affiliate link) Battle-ready version of Inosuke’s serrated sword from the Demon Slayer anime series Supreme Cutter Classic by Lancelot Chan The head analog: Want to help fund videos, get bonus content, and join an exclusive Discord server? *** Credits *** : Outro: “Highland Storm“ by The Slanted Room Records Used with artist’s permission *** Merch *** If you want to join Bonfire to start selling your own merch: Other ways to support the channel by shopping through affiliate links: Kult of Athena, my favorite online store for reproductions of historical arms and armor, fantasy swords, etc: Where to get HEMA gear and practice swords: GamerSupps powdered energy drinks and other stuff (I particularly like the SUS snack bars): I highly recommend the balms and oils from Beard Sorcery: Books about history, martial arts, swords, knives, video/audio equipment, and other stuff I recommend: US - Canada - *** Second channel / other social media *** #skallagrim #sword #katana #test #kendo