Joseph "Joe" Kendo, a Japanese-American, is the brother of Robert Kendo and the founder of the Kendo Gun Shop stores and manufacturer of the S.T.A.R.S. custom Samurai Edge guns, as well as the Silver Ghost owned by Leon S. Kennedy.
History
Formerly a long-time member of the San Francisco S.W.A.T. team, Kendo participated in many seemingly impossible missions, earning him the respect and status of a legend. After leaving the service, he became a gun-smith for hire, quickly becoming famous for his expertise. He was hired as a trainer in Raccoon City, where he also established the Kendo Gun Shop which he ran with his brother Robert. After his contract as a trainer expired, Kendo returned to San Francisco to become a gun-smith again, leaving the Kendo Gun Shop in Raccoon City to his brother while managing his own store in San Francisco. In December 1996, he was contacted by the Raccoon City Police Department, who requested he manufacture custom weapons for the local, recently established S.T.A.R.S. team. Due to funds provided by the Umbrella Corporation, Kendo was able to use better and more expensive materials in order to make the weapons, which he dubbed the "Samurai Edge", modified Beretta 92F handguns. After the weapon's completion in June 1998, Joseph left Raccoon City once again. 1
Post-Raccoon City Incident
Following the Raccoon City incident, in which Kendo's brother Robert was killed, Kendo was tracked down by Leon S. Kennedy to his own Kendo Gun Shop in San Francisco. Leon himself had met and witnessed the death of Robert, a fact which likely inspired Leon to track him down. At the time, Kendo was working on a custom weapon similar to the Samurai Edge, but built from scratch. In Autumn 2004, right before departing for Europe, Leon requested a weapon to rival the Samurai Edge. Soon after, Kendo presented Leon with such a weapon; later dubbed the "Silver Ghost". 2