When Japan, as the Empire of Japan carried on the universal conscription to confront the allied Western powers by force, easy-to-learn Kendo, as derived from time-honored Kenjutsu, was acquired and became popular among students of the old-system junior high schools who were not samurai (warriors) of the former warrior class, and this influenced the national spirit.
日本が大日本帝国として欧米列強に力で対抗しようと国民皆兵を進めてゆく時、古来の剣術の習得を簡便にしたものとしての剣道が旧士族の武士ではない旧制中学生に習得され広まったことは、国民の精神に影響を与えた。