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Junichi Haga, genius of the Showa Period. Joined Hakudo Nakayama’s Yushinkan. Along with Kiyoshi Nakakura and Gorozo Nakajima, eventually became known as Yushinkan’s “Three Crows”, a Japanese expression meaning 3 top practitioners of near equal skill.

Though after the war, he worked hard to keep the art of Kendo alive, once Kendo regained its place in the mainstream and gained structured organization, he returns once again to being a private swordsman, and focused on honing his own skills and instructing the new generation.

Before long, the group of practitioners gathered around Haga came to be known as Haga Dojo. The Kendo and methods for practice that Haga believed in were carefully protected, and that Kendo, some forty years after Haga’s death, is still alive today.

Uki Terukuni, who received instruction directly from Haga, explains Haga’s Kendo.

- Practice at Haga Dojo
- Kirikaeshi: shomenuchi is worth a thousand strikes
- Taiatari (body check): repeated uchikomi taiatari (strike and body check) teaches horizontal movement
- Kakari-geiko: bring out your skills to the fullest within a short time span
- Ashibarai: a correction method to make you realize your crumbling posture
- Kumiuchi: quickly getting on top of your opponent and make them run out of breath
- Short and vigorous: bring out everything you have in each practice session
- The Haga Dojo’s Form of Swordsmanship
- Holding a real sword brings a sense of seriousness to practice
- Confirm your kendo techniques through the experience of cutting
- Junichi Haga Quotes


This is an english translation of articles published on KENDO JIDAI 2006 October, November, December.