2026 Season
開幕
The Tunisian Kendo League opens the 2026 season — our ninth as a constituted league, and our sixteenth year of kendo in Tunisia. From the first dojo in Monastir in 2010 to a country-wide network of five affiliated clubs, the practice has taken root. The Board elected for the 2025–2028 mandate inherits a league recognised by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and decorated at European competition for the first time in 2025.
This is the moment to begin. Whether you are drawn to kendo by the discipline of Budo, the dialogue between Tunisia and Japan, or the simple pleasure of practising a sport rooted in four centuries of refinement — the way is open. Visit a dojo, attend a session, take the first step.
Board
理事会
The League's General Assembly elected a new Board of Directors for the 2025–2028 mandate. Practitioners from across the country — Carthage, Ariana, Ben Arous, Tunis — step into the institutional roles that shape the federation's direction: representing Tunisian kendo at FIK and EKF, signing partnerships with the embassy network, and carrying the cup competitions and training-camp calendar.
The technical board, led by senior senseis with international experience, sets the grading and competition pathway for Tunisian kenshi. The full organigram is published on our About page.
2025 in review
栄誉
European Kendo Championships, Leiden
At the 2025 European Kendo Championships in Leiden, Ayoub Khanfir was awarded the Fighting Spirit prize — the first medal ever brought home by Tunisia at a continental championship. Five EKC participations to reach this milestone. The Budo virtues of perseverance and effort, made visible.
Recognition & outreach
Tunisian delegations gave kendo and iaido demonstrations at the OSAKA Expo and the TICAD Games — visible diplomacy in the year following the 2024 Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Award. At home, the inaugural Tunis Open brought international competitors to Tunisian shiai-jō for the first time.
Japanese culture in Tunisia
文化
Kendo entered Tunisia through cultural exchange — the first dojo in Monastir in 2010 was opened with the support of practitioners trained in France and Japan. The relationship has been formal since: full membership of the International Kendo Federation in 2017, repeated participations at European championships from Skopje to Leiden, and the 2024 award from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs recognising the League's contribution to friendship between the peoples of Tunisia and Japan.
The League works alongside the Embassy of Japan in Tunisia, JICA, and the FABA Foundation, and contributes to cultural showcases — Focus Japon, the TICAD Games programme, the Ambassador's Cup. Practising kendo in Tunisia means stepping into a conversation that is older than the League itself.
Cultural anchors
Joining for 2026
入門
The League does not enrol members directly — each dojo welcomes its own newcomers. Seven clubs are open for the 2026 season, in Tunis, Carthage, Ariana, Ben Arous, and Ouardanine in the Monastir Governorate, with both kendo and iaido on the curriculum. Find your nearest dojo and contact the sensei directly to arrange a trial session.
You don't need any equipment for your first visits — the dojo lends a shinai. Sessions run weekly. Most newcomers practise three months of footwork and basic strikes (kihon) before introducing the bogu armour. Children, adults, women, men — kendo welcomes all. The only prerequisite is the willingness to bow before the dōjō.
2026 outlook
未来
Domestic
The second edition of the Tunis Open, building on the 2025 inaugural. Expect international delegations and a junior side-bracket. Dates to be confirmed early 2026.
Continental
Tunisia returns to the EKC with selection following the 2025 Fighting Spirit medal. Selection criteria and trial dates will be published by the technical board.
Training
The annual Livolsi and Grausem stages will run again in 2026, alongside the Ambassador's Cup under the patronage of the Embassy of Japan. Open to all League members.
Begin
The 2026 season is open. Find your dojo, take the first step.
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