Monthly Newsletter

Volume 8 Issue 3 Editor:  Dave Christman

 April/May  2006

All Photos by D.Christman, unless otherwise noted

CMU -  March 26:  First, some past business. In the last newsletter I challenged and teased the "guys" at CMU who never seem to show up to a kendo practice when I was there. So I accused them of being X-Box samurai wannabe's.....I wanted to show them a photo taken at the SAC, of a group of real Kenshi (swordsmen) who actually sweat in practice. As you can see, (left pic)  Ashley, Ayako, and Ben are there. Well, here is the proof, and when we practice, we are known to hold a 2nd practice a little later, ( at the bar ) so here (right pic) we are eatin' & drinkin' together at O'Kelleys, a great sports bar there in Mt. Pleasant. See what you missed? Oh yeah....seven of us came up to practice with you, where were you?
MSU Hosts a All-Michigan practice, April 9:  Ron Fox and his MSU people organized a nice practice session with the intent on just getting the Michigan dojo all together to just practice together and have a good time. About 40 people showed up. Our newly minted (one and only) hatchidan, Tagawa sensei was happy to be our fearless leader for the day. He ran a nice practice going from very basic stuff, all the way up to advanced waza. Then a rousing jiyu-geiko was included at the end. MSU is talking it up to hold two of these sessions a year. They have some more nice pictures at their website. Click here for those. We had Fernando (2), Tonya, Stephen, Craig, Travis, Matsuura and myself go. People from EMU, Grand Rapids, Detroit, MSU, U of M, and I was most proud of all, that the only 3 practitioners from CMU showed up. Congratulations to Ashley, Ben and Ayako for coming during finals. We all went out together to Damon's afterwards, to a private room, and partied down....East Lansing is a perfect "middle" meeting point for our Michigan dojo to get together.

CMU Visit, April 16:  My son came home from college for the Easter weekend, so I pulled a quick surprise visit to CMU when I drove him back up on Easter evening. Ashley was the only one I could get together with up there on such short notice, so I took an old bogu, and let her whale on me. Then I gently wacked her men once or twice, and once she uncrossed her eyes, she said she was alright........as she stumbled backwards. She promises she is going to start saving for her own bogu, but she will need to toughen up few several months before we let Big Bob and "the kid" (Travis) hit her.......

Cleveland Success, April 22: Our boys are improving their records and enjoying the competitive life. Below is a quick report written by our dojo Vice-president of Competition, Yutaro Matsuura.....5th dan

 

Travis with 2 medals this time.

 Two members of the dojo traveled with my wife and I to Cleveland on the 22nd of April to take part in the annual Cleveland kendo open tournament. Travis, and Stephen. Travis recently won the Mudansha division in Detroit and came close to winning back to back championships. However, he had to settle for the silver medal this time. Travis also placed third in the Junior C Division which consists of youth aged between 16-18. Travis established himself as a force by defeating many 18 year olds who are shodans and even some nidans.

Stephen also finished in the quarterfinals of the Mudansha division actually losing to Travis in a hard fought battle.  This result was well beyond expectation for Stephen who started to practice Kendo last July and was participating in only his second tournament. He must have won 4 or 5 matches before bumping into his team mate.

I finished in the quarterfinals of the 3rd Degree and above division by narrowly losing to a player from Japan.  I take pride in the fact that I as a nisei, can hold my own against Japanese trained kendoka.

Y. Matsuura,  V.P. of Competition, BC Dojo 

 

Also kudos must be tossed to Jim Broadwell, from the Grand Rapids Kendo Kai for going and giving the tournament scene a try. Ask him about what it is like to fight a 7th dan in the team competition. The truth is, anyone who has been around a while, and participates on his dojo team, will eventually have to meet some fellow who is 3 or 4 (or 7) dan ranks ahead of you. Here is where Ron and I used to look each other in the eye and say..."today is a good day to die" and then just do your best as you know how, realizing that the difference in experience is vast, so no way should you EVER be ashamed. You try to learn and absorb why that sensei is good, and emulate his actions.

Michigan Success, May 13 : Our dojo did very well also at the 3rd Annual Michigan Family Tournament held at Eastern Michigan University. Travis Hill again took a 1st Place in the Mudansha division exacting some revenge against his rival Tetsuro Akamatsu. But lo and behold....our own VP of Competition, Matsuura sensei took the top place in the sandan and above individuals. This means he has won the top slot 2 out of the 3 years the event has been in existence. The reason he has only won twice, is he was forced to miss 2005 due to a work related trip abroad. We are also proud to announce the Tonya Chase, in her very first tournament experience, was awarded a "Fighting Spirit" award by Tagawa himself. He was the one watching all the fighters closely, and at the very end of the tourney announced the people who even while losing, exhibited true kendo spirit. Terry Tokuhiro participated also in the shodan division.

Left to right: Matsuura, Ms. Chase, Tokuhiro, and T. Hill
  We all rode down to Ypsilanti together in the "repaired" Christman Screenprint Dodge van, taking Jordan Holmgren from the GR club with us. We always have a good time, yapping our heads off....teasing each other about all kinds of stuff. Afterwards we partied at the "official" banquet located at the Emerald City Chinese Restaurant. We Toodled on home down I-94 about 9:00 p.m.
Note: As the dojo kaicho, I'm very happy and proud of our doing so well, for such a small dojo. Also to have our newer guys begin to enjoy traveling and seeing just how they stack up against others here in the U.S., really makes me beam with pride. Matsuura's willingness to hang in there and train hard with them, is making all the difference. I'm just too old to dance every dance with them now. I'm afraid I'll just sit back and pick out just a few of my favorite tunes to dance to every now and then, and offer my advice when I can.

-Dave C.

UPCOMING EVENTS
 

 

  MWKF Summer Camp, August 4-6th  2006:  The University of Wisconsin at Madison will be hosting this year, We will have both Yamanaka sensei and Saito sensei back to teach for the last time, This is a double duo dose of Japanese hatchidan kendo magic.....you must not miss this camp. Click here for the info
 

 

 AUSKF Iaido Summer Camp, Sept 28th,  2006:  The 2006 AUSKF National Iaido Camp will be held at Corryville Recreation Center, 2823 Eden Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio. The info is here.
 AUSKF Educational Tour, Mid-October:  There is a good chance the MWKF will benefit by a visit from a traveling sensei, sent to us from Japan. Toru Kamei Sensei of Kumamoto Japan will be making an educational tour of the eastern part of the United States in the middle of October. Kamei Sensei is an Assistant Director on the Board of Education in the Kumamoto Prefecture in the High School Education Division. He is an 8th Dan Kyoushi and only 52 years of age. There will be sessions in either Chicago or Detroit. The specifics will be announced later.
 Peter Boylan (Koryu):  the next practice in BC will be on June 22nd.
 

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


 
Even a life-long prosperity is but one cup of sake;
A life of forty-nine years is passed in a dream;
I know not what life is, nor death.
Year in year out-all but a dream.
Both Heaven and Hell are left behind;
I stand in the moonlit dawn,
Free from clouds of attachment.

 
-Death Poem of Uesugi Kenshin  (1530-1578)    
 

E-mail the editor, let me know your comments at:  mailto:dtc12@comcast.net to reach me.

[Home]