Kendo in Taiwan
Looking for kendo in Taiwan? Practitioners train through university clubs, high-school teams, and community dojos under the Republic of China Kendo Association (中華民國劍道協會, ROCKA), a full member of the International Kendo Federation under the designation Chinese Taipei (中華台北). This hub gathers history, the national competition calendar, and a realistic way to find a club. Heart Sword Collection remains a Hong Kong culture guide; these pages are a second door for readers in Taiwan and for Hong Kong kendoka crossing the strait for taikai.
Governing kendo in Taiwan
The Republic of China Kendo Association (rocka.org.tw) organises dan examinations, referee courses, the national student championship, and the team for the World Kendo Championships. Its office address published on its own notices is 112 Taipei, Beitou, Wenquan Road 108; many grading sessions are held at the Beitou Sports Centre. A second body, the Kendo Association of the Chinese Taipei Sports Federation (tsfka.org.tw, registered in 2013), runs additional domestic cups. It is not the FIK member. When a poster says 中正盃, read the organiser — the competitions page explains why two cups share that name.
How people start learning kendo
Most new kendoka in Taiwan meet the art at school: elementary and high-school teams feed the National Student Kendo Championships, and university clubs (National Taiwan University, National Chengchi, National Cheng Kung, Tamkang, Tsing Hua, National Sun Yat-sen, and many others) keep adults training after graduation. Community dojos take children and working adults outside that pipeline. Your first visit needs sports clothes and a willingness to bow; the club decides when you buy a shinai and, much later, bogu. Read the Taiwan beginner entry before you write to a club.
What to watch this season
Dates, venues, and the full-day broadcasts live on the Taiwan competitions page. The headlines from ROCKA’s own bulletin in 2026 are these: the men’s team took third at the 1st Asia-Oceania Kendo Championship, and the first Presidential Cup has a results table posted on 23 August. Hong Kong’s Asia Open remains the usual meeting with Hong Kong, Macau, and mainland clubs.
Hong Kong readers
Hong Kong kendo is smaller — the association’s about page counts about 500 members in 11 affiliated dojos — and much of it happens in rented sports centres. Taiwan’s school pipeline is a different scale; named halls are on the clubs page. The shared standard is still FIK and AJKF: the same reiho, the same ippon, and the same dan pathway. Start from the Hong Kong hub if you train in Hong Kong, and use these Taiwan pages when you travel or follow Chinese Taipei at the World Championships.
Further reading
- Republic of China Kendo Association (opens external site)
FIK member. Events, grading, and national team notices.
- Kendo Association, Chinese Taipei Sports Federation (opens external site)
Separate domestic body. Not the FIK member.
Frequently asked questions
- Is kendo in Taiwan the same as kendo in Japan and Hong Kong?
- Yes at the level of rules and grading. ROCKA is a full FIK member and follows AJKF technical standards. Local clubs differ in schedule and language, as they do in Hong Kong.
- Which official page lists Taiwan events?
- Nationals, grading, and the World Championship team are published on rocka.org.tw. Earlier club articles are useful as background; the club can confirm what is current.