Kendō No Shiai (Kendō Match)

Kendō is a martial art and sport where two people attempt to strike each other with their bamboo swords (shinai). Like in fencing, participants wear protective gear, and points are given when a sword makes contact with the opponent. The practice descends from the swordfighting techniques of the samurai (kenjutsu).

The dōjō in this set has a floor made to look like soft wooden planks seen in many dōjōs and courts used for martial arts. Part of the low walls swing open to allow students and teachers to enter and leave for competitions and lessons. On a side wall, there are mounted shelves which hold two bokken (wooden practice swords) and a spare shinai.

Three minifigures are included in the set: two fighters and one referee (shinpan). Each fighter holds their shinai while the shinpan holds a flag to indicate who has scored a point. The fighters are sure to wear their protective headgear (men), gloves (kote), and chestplate (dō).