Joushinkan Kendo Dojo in Tiong Bahru: Saturday 5pm Beginners

Joushinkan Kendo Dojo practises inside Tiong Bahru Community Centre at 67A Eu Chin Street, Singapore 169715, and its beginners class meets every Saturday from 5 pm to 7 pm. The club was founded in May 2019 and runs its kendo as part of the community centre's activities, which means members of the public can sign up without first joining a private club. If you are looking for a kendo dojo near me in the Tiong Bahru Heritage Area, this is the one on the estate itself.

The name 淨心館 combines the characters for pure and heart, and the club describes its home simply: members practise at Tiong Bahru Community Centre, nestled within the Tiong Bahru Heritage Area. That setting is unusual for kendo in Singapore. Most clubs train in school halls or rented commercial units, but Joushinkan sits in a public building on Eu Chin Street, a few minutes from the 1930s Art Deco flats that give the estate its curved balconies and spiral back staircases.

Joushinkan is one of the affiliates listed by Singapore Kendo Club, the national body founded in 1972, alongside university teams and Tanglin Kendo Club. Affiliation matters to beginners for one practical reason: it puts you on the path to official gradings, which Singapore Kendo Club holds at mid-year and year-end. A student who starts on a Saturday here can eventually test for kyu and dan grades in the same system as everyone else on the island.

The club's own site lists four sessions a week. Beginners train on Saturdays from 5 pm to 7 pm. Normal classes, for students already in armour, run on Mondays and Thursdays from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm and on Sundays from 3 pm to 6 pm. That Sunday block is the longest of the week at three hours, and it is where most of the jigeiko and match-style practice happens.

The weekday sessions start late enough for people who work in the CBD or around Outram to get there after the office. The Saturday slot is the natural first visit for a newcomer, because it runs separately from the senior class and finishes at 7 pm, early enough to walk over to the estate's coffee shops and food centre for dinner afterwards.

Joushinkan's beginner intakes are listed on onePA, the People's Association booking portal, as Kendo Class Beginner Level courses organised by Tiong Bahru CC. One 2026 run met on Sundays from 28 June to 23 August, eight sessions from 3 pm to 6:30 pm, priced at S$200 to S$210 for the block. The listing set a minimum age of 13 as of the start date and needed at least five participants for the class to start.

The same listing told participants they were required to have their own equipment, so budget for at least a shinai and a training uniform before the first session. The course was taken by trainer Peter Ong Han Beng, who has practised kendo for more than 35 years, and the onePA page gave his number, alongside the club's address enquiries.joushinkan@gmail.com for questions about intake dates.

Expect the first sessions to be mostly footwork and basic cuts without armour. Suri-ashi, the sliding step that keeps the heel off the floor, and the big overhead men cut take up a surprising amount of time, and the instructors will correct posture before they worry about speed. Bowing in and out is not optional, and neither is a clean floor; at a community centre, the hall has to be left as you found it for the next group.

The club's position on visitors is relaxed: kendo enthusiasts visiting Singapore are welcome to practise during their stay, and the site asks them to drop an email first. That makes Joushinkan a sensible stop for kendoka in town for work who want a Sunday afternoon session without committing to a membership elsewhere.

Joushinkan is not the place for someone who wants armour on in the first month. The beginner block is built around fundamentals, and the community centre course structure means you sign up block by block rather than dropping in. If you want a dojo with six sessions a week and a monthly unlimited plan, Seishinkan Kendo Dojo near Tai Seng MRT runs that model instead, with a six-month beginner course of its own.

Where Joushinkan wins is location and price per block. For people who live in Tiong Bahru, Redhill or Outram, it is a short walk rather than a cross-island trip, and a Saturday 5 pm start fits around weekend errands. If the next onePA intake is full, email the club and ask to watch a Saturday session; watching one full class is the fastest way to decide whether kendo suits you.

Arrive early on a Saturday and walk the estate. The pre-war flats along Eng Hoon Street, Moh Guan Terrace and Guan Chuan Street are some of the best-preserved Art Deco public housing in Singapore, with rounded corners and five-foot ways that stay shaded in the afternoon heat. The neighbourhood's independent cafés and bakeries line Yong Siak Street and Eng Hoon Street.

After a 7 pm finish, Tiong Bahru Market on Seng Poh Road is the obvious place to eat. The upstairs food centre is where locals go for chwee kueh, lor mee and porridge, and it is a five-minute walk from the community centre. Tiong Bahru MRT on the East West Line is a short walk south for the ride home.

Venue: Tiong Bahru Community Centre, 67A Eu Chin Street, Singapore 169715. Training: beginners Saturday 5 pm to 7 pm; normal classes Monday and Thursday 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm and Sunday 3 pm to 6 pm, per the club website. Club email: enquiries.joushinkan@gmail.com.

Course fees on onePA for the 2026 Sunday beginner block were S$200 to S$210 for eight sessions, with a minimum age of 13 and own equipment required. Founded in May 2019, the club is affiliated with Singapore Kendo Club, so gradings follow the national calendar. Bring water and a towel for the three-hour Sunday block.