About Our Club

• Name: Da Nang Kendo Club (DNKC)
• Instructors:
  • Sensei Suzuki Shinobu (Kyoshi 7th Dan)
  • Sensei Imamura Shigeru (6th Dan)

Club History

2018

• February 2018: Sensei Kawakami Masahiro, his two sons, and Sensei Suzuki began practicing Kendo in Da Nang.

2019

• June 2019: The Kawakami family returned to Japan, and Sensei Suzuki continued practicing alone.
• August 2019: Sensei Suzuki participated in the 12th ASEAN Kendo Tournament (Jakarta) as coach of the Vietnamese national team.
  • Men's team won the championship (2nd consecutive time)
  • Women's team achieved 3rd place
  • Team members were selected from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City

2020 - 2021

• July 2020: Some Vietnamese locals in Da Nang began practicing.
• October 2020: 6 Vietnamese members joined Sensei Suzuki's training group, officially operating as Da Nang Kendo Club.
• March 2021: Activities suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic.

2022

• February 2022: Activities resumed.
• April 2022: Participated in Kendo seminar organized by Ho Chi Minh City Kendo Federation.
• May 2022: Sensei Imamura Shigeru (then 5th Dan) joined the club.
• July 2022: Introduced Kendo at the Vietnam-Japan Cultural Exchange Festival.
• September 2022: Organized the 1st Kyu examination for ranks below 2nd Kyu.
• September 2022: Organized special training session with Sensei Higashikura Yuzo (Kendo Kyoshi 8th Dan).

2023

• May 2023: Sensei Imamura Shigeru promoted to Kendo 6th Dan.
• July 2023: Participated in Kendo seminar commemorating 50 years of Japan-Vietnam diplomatic relations.
• July 2023: Organized Kendo training course with Sensei Endo Masaaki (Hanshi 8th Dan - Tokyo Metropolitan Police).

2024

• April 2024: Introduced Kendo at the Japanese Cultural Exchange event organized by Duy Tan University.
• December 2024: Takahashi Yu achieved 3rd place in women's individual category at Nakane Cup Kendo Tournament in Bangkok.

2025 - Present

• January 2025: Vietnam Kendo Federation established, launching ceremony held in Hanoi.
• June 2025: Bui Nguyen Phuong Duyen achieved 3rd place in women's individual category at RMIT Ichigeiki Kendo Tournament in Ho Chi Minh City.
• September 2025: Vietnamese Kendo National Team expected to participate in the 13th ASEAN Kendo Tournament in Singapore.