The Sei Tou Ken Yu Kai Canterbury Kendo Club was formed in 1988 by Alex Bennett, following his 1 year Rotary Exchange to Chiba, Japan. Alex attended a Japanese high school, at which he began Kendo and reached the grade of 1st Dan. After he returned to Christchurch, he made the decision to start one of the first ever Kendo clubs in New Zealand. With increasing interest among members, Alex went back and forwards to Japan to learn as much as he could about Kendo, in order to teach back home. Alex is currently living in Japan, and is now 6th Dan in Kendo. In 1998, Alex’s younger brother, Blake, took over the club in his absence.

Blake Bennett began his Kendo career at the tender age of nine here at the Sei Tou Ken Yu Kai Kendo Club in Christchurch. When he was nineteen he decided to further his Kendo studies and travel to Japan where he spent a year training intensively with the Kyoto Riot Police, and with the Kyoto University Kendo Club. He has competed in the 2000, 2003 and 2006 World Kendo Championships as well as recent successes such as a gold in the National Kata Championships in 2007. Blake holds the rank of 5th Dan.

Blake now also lives in Japan and in his absence, the club is run by David Wong (3rd Dan, 2007 NZ Kata champion), Akiyo Ellin (4th Dan, 2008 NZ women’s individuals – 3rd place) and Alicia Cavan (3rd Dan, 2008 NZ Kendo women’s individuals -1st place). Each of these Kendoka are extremely qualified and capable of running high quality kendo trainings, and pride themselves on doing and teaching correct Kendo. All instructors in this club generously donate their time for free and teach completely voluntarily.

The name of the club "Sei Tou Ken Yu Kai" comes from the Chinese characters that made up the name of Alex's high school. Roughly interpreted, the characters in the club's name refer to rice plants; when a rice plant is young it shoots up from the ground full of life, but as it gets older, it appears to bow down and becomes humble.