Sensei Rogier van Bijnen, 6th dan
Our classes are led by Rogier van Bijnen, a 6th dan sensei from the Netherlands and a former member of the Dutch national Kendo team.
The dojo
We train twice a week in the sports hall at TASIS Portugal International School, at Quinta da Beloura II in Sintra. Both adults and children train with us, from complete beginners through to graded kendoka.
Classes are run in English and Portuguese, with all commands, technique names and counting in Japanese — as kendo is taught everywhere.
The katakana on our emblem, シントラ, is how Sintra is written in Japanese: Shintora. Said out loud it is also shin tora — true tiger. That is where the two dancing tigers in our logo come from, inspired by the work of the contemporary Japanese artist Taguchi Tomoki, who draws on historical Japanese textile and pattern books.
Affiliation
We are a member club of the Federação Portuguesa de Kendo, Iaido e Jodo (FPKIJ), the national body representing kendo in Portugal, which is in turn recognised by the European Kendo Federation. The federation lists us at kendo.pt.
Grades and competition
Our members grade and compete internationally. In 2026 our youth members took results at the Konotori Cup in The Hague, and Marij and Pedro became the first kendoka to reach 1st kyu having started their journey at our dojo from the very beginning.
Also in 2026, our team took bronze at the Portuguese National Club Championships.