Higashi has been instructing kendo at the Aichi Prefectural Police department in Japan since 1996. (Andy Bao/Daily Bruin) UCLA kendo club coach Nathan Makino (right) bows with Higashi during practice.

Shozo Kato, 54, recently became the third person from outside of Japan to pass the notoriously difficult exam for eighth-degree dan in kendo - the highest rank in the martial art of Japanese fencing.

With Tokyo poised to host the world championships for the first time since the inaugural competition in 1970, here's all you need to know to get the most out of the bouts.

Shubukai Kendo Club has been teaching the martial art on the Gold Coast since 1989, to people of all ages, from all walks of life. Club secretary Lucas Cork has been practicing kendo since 2006 ...

Two 16-year-old girls who train in Bath have been selected to represent Great Britain at the World Kendo Championships this summer. Wiltshire student Chloe Leigh and Bath student Keira Dunbar ...