While injury prevention is a priority for any athlete, there are no published English resources available directly related to kendo inflicted injuries. Without educational materials, a kendo player is not equipped with the knowledge to protect their body during rigorous training. As a result, the quality of a kendo athlete’s performance during competition suffers.

For this illustration, I chose to describe plantar fasciitis, a common injury that the majority of practitioners experience throughout their kendo career. Anatomical structures are shown in organic tonal values contrasted by the use of pen and ink to depict the mechanism of injury. Line weight is used to give the kendo figures shape and action. Orientation of the kendo athletes’ feet directly leads the audienceʼs eyes to the enlarged image of the foot showing the pathology. The frayed rope is a metaphor for the micro tears at the common site of pain in the plantar fascia. Movement in the arch of the foot is illustrated through the use of arrows. A single bold vertical arrow depicts the weight the athlete places on the right foot during a match.

Intended Audience

General public, kendo athletes

Medium

Watercolour, carbon dust, pen and ink