Should You Modernize Martial Arts? Why the Sword Needs No Update

It was an interesting question as I had never considered that the lessons of kenjutsu even needed to be modernized, and that if they did need an updating maybe that would be better handled by a menkyo kaiden holder or the headmaster of the school.

Maybe the rest of us should just worry and focus on training?

But we talked some more about it and further questions surfaced.

Just what are we modernizing and adapting, or are we putting a personal spin and projection on what we think we understand?

If we are talking about the Japanese sword arts, the last time they were used in a war was during the historical time period of World War 2. None of us today have that type of experience with the sword, so how can we modernize it?

The difference between the Japanese sword and the European sword is that the transmission of the sword was never lost in Japan, unlike in Europe.

There is nothing to re-invent, make up, or modernize.

All one has to do it train.

Now if we are talking about modernizing the reason for kenjutsu that is another discussion that has man possibilities.

With the age of the sword long over, what are the other reason to practice with one?

Personal development?