Volume 6 Issue 6

 Editor:  Dave Christman

Sept. 2004

All Photos by C. Parker (EMU), unless otherwise noted  (copyright 2004)

Photo by C. Parker
Kanto Federation Visit:  I traveled down to EMU on Tuesday, August 31st to practice with a group of College students from Japan. They are officially from The Kanto Student Kendo Association. There was five female, and nine male students. They were handpicked out of 120 different Schools. They were accompanied by some of their sempai, adults from the same colleges who were acting as chaperones. They were Kataoka Mamoru (Head Leader), Hayashi Hiromichi (Manager), and Nabeyama Takahiro (Assistant Manager). Mr. Nabeyama is good enough a kendo player to have made it into the All Japan's Emperor Cup Tournament, as it is a real honor just to get qualified to be in it.  I'm sorry not more BC people could go, but I understand, 

4:00 pm on a Tuesday afternoon would require time off work, or school. But it was a neat practice. We started by everyone getting to partner up with one of the college students, then we did some very basic drills. The idea was to get and give "tips" to each other if we saw something. I was told right off the bat to get closer to hit men easier. I noticed the students coming in close and throwing themselves completely and fully into their attack. This is an example of "sutemi" or a complete giving up of your life, a no holding back philosophy that is important in kendo. I found the language barrier a minor problem, as we could usually communicate through the few words I know and sometimes sign language. After some time we then did a rotating jiyu-geiko.

Kan and Tagawa sensei had a list of 14 people picked (all levels and ranks) from the MWKF participants and they had series of goodwill matches between us and the college students, I think we won only 2 or 3, but it was good fun for all.

Afterwards a $20 bill got you into a banquet party just down the road from the campus at the Chinese Emerald City restaurant. This was the only expense you needed to come out of your pocket for this event. I had to skip the banquet, but I'm sure Tagawa sensei kept the jokes and beer flowing. Thanks again to Tagawa sensei for making arrangements for the Kanto students to stop in the Midwest.

Dojo visited by Yoshiki Todo:  Dropping in and practicing with us for one night and staying with me for two nights, was a young man who was a kendo student of mine a few years back. He is now in college in Japan. He hadn't practiced for over 4 years, but he and I practiced for 20 minutes or so before class started and remembered everything. He even remembered the kendo kata up to number four. Here he is posing with a "baby Bud". Being a college student, he is no longer a stranger to beer, but Budweiser he says is a bit tough to find and too expensive for poor college students.......

Believe it or not, he is working a part time job at a "Dennys" restaurant in Japan. So I took him to the one in Marshall, you know, the one that is modeled after a 1950"s diner. We had a

 big American breakfast, and he described the menu in Japan, almost nothing is the same as is here. He stayed over a weekend, and I had discovered my old stereo and turntable had quit working, So he helped me make some purchases and plug it all in.

IN MEMORIUM

On Saturday October 2nd, A past member of the MWKF and a good friend of mine Steve Johnson, was stricken with cardiac arrest while practicing kendo at the Miami Valley Kendo Dojo, in Ohio. He was a frequent participant at our annual summer camp. He goes way back into MWKF history, Ron Fox says Steve was one of his original "sensei" at MSU.

Steve at 2000 Summer Camp in Kalamazoo

Nafuda Kake ! Nafoo what?? You may say....If you look above the desk in the dojo, you'll see a nametag board, hand made out of oak. It is the official list of "members in good standing" in the Battle Creek Kendo Kai. When you join and pay dues to the dojo you will have a nameplate in oak made for you, and placed in the appropriate area for your rank. If you come to the dojo and don't see your name, you are behind in your dues. Pay up, and the next week it will be back up.

UPCOMING EVENTS
WMU Demo: Thursday, October 7th, after a screening of the "Last Samurai" on the campus of Western Michigan University, our club is expected to do a kendo demo onstage.......let's not disappoint them.
Dr. Deb Visit:  Saturday, November 6th, Dr. Den Klens-Bigman will be visiting with the EMU Iaido dojo in Ypsilanti, and teaching at a seminar there. I'm going so if you want to go, let me know.
MWKF Tournament: Saturday, November 13th, and a grading exam on Sunday the 14th, in Chicago. Matsuura sensei and I will be going....pick up the info from us, or click here to get it.

 

                           New Monthly Feature

I've collected a lot of stories, quotes, koans, poems and haiku. Here is one I really like:

Receive arrows in your forehead, but 

never in your back.

                                                                                    (Old Samurai saying)

e-mail the editor: let me know your comments at:  dtc12(nospam)@comcast.net to reach me just remove the (nospam) from previous address.

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