In this post I will talk about the kendo practice at one of Japan's top Kendo schools. Nippon Sports Science University,
稽古＠日体大剣道部
Nippon Sports Science University.
I have been lucky enough to receive permission to practice regularly at one of Japan's elite kendo institutions. Through my Sempai and his Sensei I will now be able to boost my preparation for the World Kendo Championship 2015 in Japan by joining the pratice at Nippon Sports Science University, Nittaidai in Japanese.
After the break I will introduce the regular practice program and hopefully the following will give you an insight into how kendo is practiced at elite kendo schools, and what it is that sets it apart from other dojo in Japan and elsewhere.
Kendo World magazine held their first annual Keiko Kai yesterday at the Nippon Budokan.
48 participants from 16 countries gathered together to "Cross swords and Borders" along with a host of Sensei from across Japan.
The day began with a stunning display of Nippon Kendo Kata, by Kouno Sensei and Katsura Sensei. I have seen Kata performed with Mogito (blunt swords used for practice) before, but never from up close or with such intensity...
The pace of the kata was unbelievable, the cuts were lightning fast with ferocious kiai, the pressure and zenshin were so strong you could taste it.
I was blown away to be honest, I like kata, and I've been lucky enough to practice it with some great teachers who tried to show me that it is more than just pre set movements, but these two ladies made the kata beyond real...
Ipponeme, Uchidachi takes Hidari-jodan, Shidachi responds with Migi-jodan... They take three strides to the centre... without pause, Shidachi lowers her hands less than a millimeter and Uchidachi "unleashes" an astounding Kiai and strike, intending to cut her opponent from head to stomach, Shidachi responds instantly with Nuki-men, stepping back and raising her sword to avoid the strike, stepping forward again and striking men with a kiai like a banshee.... I don't think I was alone in picking my jaw up from the floor....
The rest of the kata was even better, the ring of the metal swords clashing together in yonhonme, the sliding sound as Uchidachi takes distance and attacks with tsuki, and again when Shidachi uses kaeshi waza to counterattack...
The first Kodachi Kata was even more thrilling than the Tachi version, I thought the cut had come too fast, but Shidachi deflected it with her short sword and returned the cut perfectly
There is surely going to be a video of this kata and I'll add it to the post later.
It was by far the best I've ever seen, brought fully to life by two wonderfully skilled Sensei.
Fantastic!
After this we had a kihon session with Inoue Sensei, who was a healthy 84 years young, he thought us of the importance of Kiai, saying that for suburi it should be short and powerful, MEN! rather than a drawn out MEEEEENNNN! When doing suburi we should try to do as many in one breath as possible, 5-6 7-8 even 9-10, like kirikaeshi. He then had us cut renzoku men with fumikomi ashi the length of the hall, cutting as many times in one breath as we could. It was pretty exhausting and Sensei said we should aim to do this in every exercise almost to the point of blacking out! By not breaking your breathing you can continue to attack, being able to cut once more than your opponent can lead to victory.
We put our men on and lined up in groups by grade first practicing kirikaeshi. The emphasis being on kiai as well as correct cutting. Sensei said kirikaeshi should be big, fast and correct. All cuts from the left hand, the left hand raised correctly above your head and extended correctly for the cut.
Next we practiced men focusing again on breath. Innoue Sensei then had us practice tai-atari (body attack/check, crashing into your opponent after an attack, correctly using your hips to knock them off balance) , we practiced 3 times men tai-atari and reset in one breath. I must admit, my tai-atari needs alot of work!
We finished with a final round of Kirikaeshi using all of the things Sensei had thought us, first a large swing for men, a strong tai-atari followed by 9 cuts to the sides of the men in one breath, hands raised correctly and cuts finished cleanly.
It was a great kihon session, nothing confusing, just some great teaching on some very simple, but hugely important basics!
Alot of credit to Alex Bennett Senei who translated perfectly for those of us without good Japanese!
We had a ten minute break before keiko with Sensei, I saw my chance to impress Hirakawa Sensei and took it, I was first with my Men on and the first to ask a Sensei for keiko. It was a really nice keiko, and it meant alot to me, why, ill explain in another post!
Hirakawa Sensei took every ippon with a smile and a laugh, I could really see where his Kendo has influenced Delepière Sensei! I gave it my best! After that I practiced with Ozawa Sensei, Shigematsu Sensei, and Bennett Sensei (possibly one more...?) giving my all but thinking that I was a bit out on my feet for lack of practice!
The keiko closed with a speech from Inoue Sensei who said we should practice every time as if our lives were depending on it, We are all blessed with a life" he said, "and we should make the most of it".
We moved from the Dojo to a dining area under the main hall, first passing through a throng of Japanese women who were waiting to see a concert in the main arena, SACRILEGE! but this is what the Budokan is used for mostly (as far as I am aware). There was an opening speech by Alex Bennett followed by a toast by Shigematsu Sensei, there was food and a TON of beer, my table did ok on the beer count, but not as good as the table next to us who could have played bowling with their empties!
They added one more before the session was over!
There was also a few prizes handed out and a small raffle. Inoue Sensei was asked to watch the Keiko and select three of the best performers to receive some beautiful Shinai bags handmade by the mother of a Kendo-world staff member, each bag was made from the Obi (belt) of an old Kimono.The first was presented to Great Britain team member Stuart Gibson, the second to Kate Sylveste who is possibly from New Zealand or Australia ( there was some confusion!) and the third was presented to.... ME! I was shocked, when he said my name I could believe it! It was an absolute honor to be picked out of such a talented crowd! The bag is absolutely beautiful it will be fantastic for special occasions!
After the prizes there was more drinking before the day was brought to a close at 3 pm. Bennett Sensei and the Kendo-world team put on a fantastic day, and I really look forward to the next one!
The participants and attending Sensei (photo from www.kendo-world.com)
Kendo World Shinai bag - Handmade by Mrs Shishikura
presented as Fighting Spirit Award
Kendo World Shinai bag - Presented by Kendo Hanshi Hachi-dan Inoue Yoshihiko Sensei
Inoue Sensei, Kendo Hanshi Hachi-dan sitting next to John Doherty Kendo San-dan (joke)
Well ive been back more than a week now, and I'm over my jet lag and physical/mental exhaustion. So I'll get cracking on this post and try to make it as good as possible!
I want to just say first of all a massive thanks to all Irish kendoka and friends of Irish kendo. WE DID IT.
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The 15th World Kendo Championship was held in Novara Italy on the 26th 27th and 28th of May 2012. This was the first time the event was hosted by Italy and it was a really great weekend with fabulous organization and a great competition!
The whole experience was incredible, it didnt hit me untill the last day (watching Japan and Korea) that I was at a World Championship!!
It started with a 2 hour train, 2 hour wait in the airport, a 4 hour flight to Hong Kong, a 4 hour stop over, and a 12 hour flight to Italy. As soon as I landed (8am) I went to Milan and applied for my new visa for japan the Milan embassy was able to completed it in a day, so that was great, a real boost!
I got to see a bit of Milan, but I couldnt go into alot of tourist attractions because I had my shinai with me!
DOH!
I headed back to meet the rest of the Irish team in the airport (8 pm) and it was just amazing to see everyone. We went to the city of Novara, had some dinner, pasta and pizza and settled in for the night.
The hotel where we were stating was nice, but the breakfast was really poor, no meat, crap bread, crap coffee, crap cereal. no good! But LOADS OF NUTELA!!! So that made up for it!
Thursday 24th
We had training on Thursday afternoon, and the coach let us sleep in and explore the town as we wanted. once we started training though it all got serious!
The training hall was split between Ireland and Argentina and we were able to get a good 45-60 minutes training in. It was very hot, but it was good to shake off the stiffness of the flight. Every one went to bed early on Thursday night as we had a very early start on Friday.
Friday 25th - Men's individuals
We got up a 5:30, ate breakfast and took a bus at 6:30 arriving at the Novara Sports Village for 7:00. As usually there was a mad rush for the training/warm up area. Training was good, if a little rushed and panicy, but its good to get tha out of the system on the first day. My previous experience helped me to stay calm and not get wound up by the pressure.
The competition began at 9am with a great opening ceremony, which was thankfully short. The mens individual tournament began as it ended, with all eyes on Takanabe Sensei! His first match was over quickly and he continued in a very strong fashion throughout the day. Eventually emerging as the Champion.
I didnt win in the Individual competition, unfortunatly.
My first opponent was from Hawaii, and the coaches son. Very stong and fast! My plan was to take my time and build up the fight, but he came straight at me and took a thundering men! And then another!
My second was from Chilie. And he was playing in "nito" Two swords style. Ive only ever fought nito once before and that was a long time ago. I lasted 5 minutes, but my opponent scored a dou. I literally had no clue what to attack, but I was happy with my performance. Looking at videos I can see that I did the same thing many times allowing him to strike my dou, my kamae was also not correct. Good lesson for the future!!
Brendan Hickey, David McGlynn and Sergio Milani also fought in the individuals with each representing them selves and Ireland extremely well! Sergio managed to score and ippon and win a match in his debut for Ireland!!
It was a late day and we arrived home near to 9pm. A quick bite to eat and off to sleep!
Well done guys!!
Next up was the ladies!
Saturday 26th - Ladies Individual and Team
Another early morning! Rise and shine at 5:30n
Kathryn Cassidy and Africa Monton were representing Ireland in the ladies individual competition. The team warmed up and trained together and we stuck with our ladies to support them for the rest of the day. Both Kathryn and Africa fought really well and showed great kendo and spirit but were unfortunate not to win.
I have to say. The ladies team competition was really really excellent. I like ladies kendo as I find it to be more technical. Male kendoka often use too much strength and power to beat their opponents, most ladies don't have that ability so have to depend more on footwork and correct waza to win.
Anyway. The Japanese ladies team fought superbly through the whole day showing some amazing kendo, the Korean team were also excellent and I was really rooting for them in the final! At the end of a VERY long day it was Japan who were the victors!
There were some great performances from some European teams, France and Germany in particular!
We arrived home very late and went to a very nice pizza restaurant for dinner. But we didn't get to sleep untill nearly 12.
Sunday 27th - Men's Team
We work very sleepy at 5:30, ate a quite sleepy breakfast and made our sleepy way to the bus where I slept. Zzz
Upon arrival there was mass pandemonium trying to get inside, "the doors don't open till 7" they said, "we got in early yesterday" someone called back; but there was no budge. At exactly 7, they let us in. Jason Vincent Africa and Kathryn went to secure us a spot while we got our equipment for our room.
The training hall was packed. But we got a good session in with everyone looking really sharp and focused. We were training right next to Japan too, and I heard them say "アイルランド、うまいですね？！" quite a few times. :P
In the team competition our pool was Lithuania and Austria.
The team order was:
Senpo. Brendan Hickey
Jiho. John Doherty
Chuken. Robin Deegen
Fukusho. Lee Cahill
Taisho. Martin Kiosew
Subs. Sergio Milani, David McGlynn.
First up Lithuania.
Brendan won his first match giving us the early lead but I was suffering a bit from pressure and lost my first fight, Robin was able to pull it back for us while Lee went on to secure the Victory.
1 down. Next up. Austria.
Austria were the strongest team in our pool by most peoples estimations. So we were talking before hand to just take it calmly and do our best to make it easy for the next man.
Brendan won his first match again, first taking ippon, losing one and coming back to claim victory before time. I went out against my opponent and similarly, score men, lost men, and won with kote men. Robin was up next. And he too took one ippon before losing one and remaining calm to take the next ippon and claim victory overall.
That result left Ireland on top of the pool meaning.....
Ireland qualified for the knockout stages and made it to the last 16 countries in the World Kendo Championship!!!
We were over the moon. That was our goal having done the same in the Europeans 2 years before. Delighted so we were!
We had a break to recover and savor the moment before we came up against Italy. Italy had won their group impressively and were in good form for our match.
I won't go into the gorey details, but we Unfortunately couldn't win against Italy! We fought our hearts out and no doubt impressed the Italian spectators with our spirit and never say die attitude! Lee also gave Orlando a run for his money (and saved us from a white wash!) by only losing one ippon and fighting blow for blow as good as his opponent, drawing more attention from the referees sitting by the shiaijo.
We bowed out of the 15th WKC proud and happy. Knowing that we had reached our goal and done our best to try reach beyond it!
Id like to take a moment here to thank both Jason Clouston and Vincent Long, delegation manager and team coach respectivly. Both have massive experience at this level of competition and did a great job keeping us on our toes and motivated as well as ensuring we knew exactly what was going on at all times. Id also like to thank Kathryn and Africa for being the worlds best team mates, buying us energy drinks and chocolate and keeping us smiling through the whole day!
It was a real team effort from the sempo to the taisho, our debutants, management and the people who were watching both in the arena and at home. Its a another big step forward for Irish Kendo and it really showed that the hard work, effort in training and dedication that is so important to our clubs is showing big results both at National level and International.
From then we could sit back and enjoy the competition. It was a real treat, so much energy in the room. Getting to see the Japanese fighting superbly on one side and the Koreans doing the same on the other! The Korean team really had to fight tough to make it through to the final with teams making it difficult for them the whole way.
Again teams from Europe shone out, France as Hungary (current European champions) but the highlight was the final between Japan and Korea.
I won't get into the discussion on referee decisions or booing, as im sure everyone knows what happened, I'll just say that the people booing really should take a look at themselves before they call out abuse to the top referees from around the world.
The grand finale was of course the sayonara party which was great as always! It was really nice to see Sensei and friends from Europe that I haven't seen for a while! And to hang out with Lee! Making a nuisance of ourselves talking to almost everyone in the room!
The night need quite late with every one walking, and not being carried.... To the busses and hotels!
And that was that. What seemed like a month was only 5 days, packed full of memories and new friendships aswell as ippon!!
Well I've nothing left I say other than a massive
THANK YOU, and I LOVE YOU to my family. I literally couldnt have gotten here with out your help, love encouragement and support over the past 4 years and especially in getting there from Japan. It's been an amazing experience and I think kendo has certainly changed me for the better.
I'll post my matches here and then make a comment on each when I can!
Thinking back to the day I started kendo my first instructions were to practice suri-ashi ("sliding feet" kendo footwork) up and down the hall with the other beginners until the rest arrived.
"Oh! And you'll need to take off your socks!"
That was my first instruction in kendo just over 4 years ago. I like to think that that was my first step on this journey, and that representing my country at the WKC is simply another step along the kendo journey in general
I have been extremely fortunate by having such great Sensei, Sempai friends and rivals along the way. Each has helped me in their own way.
I've had the fantastic love and support of my family! Essential for flights, extra bags, emergency money etc!
But most importation I've have a fantastic group of kendoka with me the whole way, even though we are apart this year I still know that the legendary Irish kendo team spirit will give me a sense of never having left!!
Stepping out my door in Meguro this morning I began another journey. A train to Narita, flight to Hong Kong and a flight to Milan.
15th World Kendo Championships! Let's go!!!
(I wrote this post in Narita airport on May 22 2012)
Hi, my name is John. I started Kendo in my home country of Ireland in 2008 and later moved to Japan where I practiced Kendo intensively for four years. I lived, worked and practiced in New York City for a while before returning home. I now live in Dublin working as an engineer and practicing kendo a Dublin Kendo Kobukai.
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