2019 was the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the European Kendo Federation (EKF).
“EKF was founded in 1970. The member countries were Sweden, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, and the United Kingdom, six countries. Those were times like having a small family business.”
The number of member states has increased to 43 in the past 50 years.
The number of member states has increased sevenfold, and South Africa and Mozambique have also joined from the African continent.
“After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia, Poland, Hungary, and other Eastern European countries became members. Since there are few countries that do Kendo on the African continent, South Africa and Mozambique also have joined, and EKF has become an organisation with members from various cultural backgrounds.”
Chairman Hauck is now 56 years old. He started kendo at the age of 21 and, participated in the World Kendo Championships held in Seoul in 1988 as a representative of Austria.
“After the World Kendo Championships held in Seoul, I participated in the summer seminar held in Kitamoto, Japan. After that I had the opportunity to practice in Japan, and I went to Butokuden in Kyoto. It is great to be able to practice in such a traditional dojo. We rarely see that senior teachers teach children in Europe the way they do in Japan. ”
Currently, Russia, Serbia, Poland, and other Eastern European countries have gained skill in Europe.
“In Europe, France has a solid foundation as an organization and has taken many EKC titles. The countries of Eastern Europe are well trained. We would of course like to promote the EKC tournament, but also the appeal of Kendo itself.”
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