It's confucian

The stated aims of the 全日本剣道連盟 or All Japan Kendo Federation are to mould the character and produce harmony in society. I just tried to re-read The Life Giving Sword. I didn't get far into chapter 2 when I read "The Great Learning is the gate for the beginning scholar." James Legges' translation (of Confucius) also starts "...and forms the gate by which first learners enter into virtue".

The Great Learning (大学) is either the good stuff to learn or learning for adults. It says cultivate yourself, learn everything! By self-regulation, the family will be regulated, and thus the village, and the state and the whole country. Analects (論語) is said to be Confucius' words but with lots of additions. I read Legge's translation but I couldn't understand it. I read "Zhu Xi's Reading of the Analects" but that was still difficult. Then I read "The Secular as Sacred" by Herber Fingarette

"He expands me with culture and constrains me ritual" Fingarette's summary of Analects. Kendo is described as ｢礼のはじめ礼の終わり」. This is constriant of ritual.

It is my understanding that the modern shinai (竹刀) emerged around 1830. At the same time, the Japanese philosophers were trying to purify Confucian ideas, be removing the Toaist elements. Did Conficius meet Loa Tzu ? Was it even possible ? (Loa Tzu "Toa te ching" = "The path that can be walked is not the true path").

Zen 禅 is yourself, inside. Confucius (孔子) is about society. Shinto (神道) is about nature. The present from 剣道日本 said 交剣知愛 - by doing kendo we become friends. You can't do kendo without other people, so it's a social activity, hence confucian in nature.

What is the "Doctrine of the Mean" and "The Mencius" ? There are five other classics, of which we know I Ching. There are 7 military classics, of which we know The Art of War by Sun Tzu.