Arkansas Kendo Club was founded in late 2003 in Little Rock. The club founder, Kajitani Sensei, originally from Japan, has been studying kendo since 1972. He was a part of the Kendo Club at Toyama High School in Tokyo, after which he joined the kendo club at Hokkaido University in Sapporo, where he attended medical school.
Kajitani Sensei has been in the USA since 1990, teaching and promoting Kendo in Minnesota (1990-1992), Oregon (Obukan 1992-1999), Arkansas (1999-2016), and currently resides in California.
Steven J. Beaupre Sensei was teaching Kendo at University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, and Kajitani sensei assisted him with classes, until the top student, Mr. An Giang, relocated to Little Rock in late 2003. Since then, Arkansas Kendo Club has had its regular classes in Little Rock. Mr. Giang relocated to Seattle in July 2011.
