History of the Club

Founded in September 1976 by David Johnson sensei under the guidance of Morito Tsumura sensei (8D Hanshi) of the Japanese Canadian Culture Centre and joined a year later by Toshi Hogi sensei from Japan; the University of Toronto Kendo Club is the oldest university-based kendo club in North America. Our club is an affiliated member of the Canadian Kendo Federation (CKF), recognized by the International Kendo Federation (FIK).

Under the tutelage of five sensei – David Johnson (6D); Toshi Hogi (7D Renshi); Tony Davidson (6D); Matthew Raymond (7D); and Bill Kim (6D Renshi); the club practises three times a week at the Athletic Centre on the University of Toronto’s St. George Campus.

We are a student-run and student-focused club. However, our members are a diverse mixture of university students, alumni, university staff, and community members, and we welcome any current or would-be kendo practitioner to join our club or simply visit us for a practice.

We are a tight-knit group of friends, and are always looking for enthusiastic new members to join us. We participate in many events and activities outside of kendo, including lunch and dinner socials, parties and picnics.

Read our constitution here.