Japan's Mecca of martial arts, the Nippon Budokan, hosted women's kendo competition for the first time at the recent national championships.The women's tournament, held annually since 1962, was staged alongside the men's competition last Sunday in front of a crowd of 7,879, up 2,121 from last year's men-only event."It was good to be able to compete at such a special place," Mihiro Kondo of the Metropolitan Police Department said after winning her final.Some of Japan's traditional sports have previously attracted criticism for gender disparity. In sumo, women are not allowed to step onto the…READ FULL ARTICLE
