Geography of kendo
Kendo originated in Japan, but is today practiced worldwide. The size and depth of kendo skill varies widely from country to country. Some countries have few kendo practitioners, while Japan has several million. Generally, kendo has stronger traditions in countries with strong historical ties to Japan, like Korea and Taiwan, as well as countries with large Japanese immigrant communities such as the United States, Canada and Brazil. While the term kendo is used all over the world, the term Kumdo is used in Korea. International Organisations. The following international organisations administer, manage, promote, or have an interest  in the development of kendo. National and Regional Organisations. Many national and regional organisations manage and promote kendo, some are affiliated to international kendo organisations, while other organisations are independent of international kendo organisations. Africa. Kendo was introduced to Malawi in 1992 when a Japanese volunteer took on a group of local children as his students. The Kendo Association of Malawi was formed in 1999 and has seen significant growth in recent years. The Kendo Association of Malawi works closely with the Embassy of Japan in Malawi to promote kendo as a sport and to encourage cultural exchange and interaction  between the peoples of the two nations. The majority of the Kendo Associations activities take place in Blantyre and Lilongwe, with some activity in Mzuzu. The Association holds regular weekly practice sessions in each city, and holds at least two local tournaments each year which are patronized by all manner of people including Embassy officials and Japanese expatriates and their families. The major challenge that the Kendo Association of Malawi faces is that of resources, as kendo equipment tends to be expensive, and funding is often difficult to secure. However, the Embassy of Japan and well wishers have been a  great help in this regard, donating all manner of equipment and resource. Although there is a great interest in tournaments of all levels, a challenge that continues to face kendo players in Malawi is a lack of opportunity to compete at a regional and international level. This hinders the progress and development of players and stunts the growth of the sport. It is currently not possible to test for Dan rank within Malawi, and as of March 2014 there are less than 10 Malawians who have obtained Dan rank in kendo. Europe. The European Kendo Federation (EKF) is member of  International Kendo Federation (FIK), which 35 countries/regions belong to, also promotes jodo and iaido. European kendo championships have been held since 1974. Championships are held every year that there is no world championship. Some national organisations are affiliated to EKF, while other organisations are independent of EKF. Pacific Ocean. Hawaii Kendo Federation (HKF) The Hawaii Budo Kyokai was established in 1947 (even before the All Japan Kendo Federation) and was renamed Hawaii Kendo Federation in 1955. The HKF consists of 16 dojo practicing kendo and iaido on the islands of Oahu, Hawaii, Kauai and Maui. The HKF is an  affiliate organisation of the FIK. South America. In South America, the practice of Kendo has existed since the arrival of Japanese immigrants as early as 1908. Since then and with Brazil as its centre, kendo has spread over South America. Now kendo practitioners and kendo federations exist in many countries in South America such as: Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay, Aruba and Chile. At the December 2006 meeting of the International Kendo Federation (FIK) held in Taiwan, the South American Kendo Confederation (CSK) was discussed and voted upon, as a result the Confederation was admitted as an FIK  affiliate. Argentina, Aruba, Chile, Brazil and Venezuela are affiliated with the FIK. The next Latin american Kendo Championship was supposed to be held in May 2020 in São Paulo, Brazil, but was suspended until further notice due to the ongoing pandemic. Central America. Kendo in Guatemala started in 1992. The Guatemalan Kendo Association was founded in 1992. It consists of about 150 kenshi, is part of the CLAK (Latin American Kendo Confederation), and holds Kendo championships annually.