Sumi Sensei at IKET Picture by Phill Thornton

BKA News Online

Issue #13 August 2004

Contents

Submission

Guidelines

Contact Details

Introduction

Notices

Diary of Events

Taikai results

Grading Results

Shopping & book list

Articles:

International Kendo Enbu Taikai

19^th European Kendo Championships

Attitudes to Shiai Part 1

Third National Kendo referees Seminar

Everybody is a Teacher

Iaido News from the Emerald Isle

Seminars/Competitions: Forms & Details

Last Words

Submission Guidelines:

Submitting articles for use online (and thus the newsletter) is easy - just email either the editor and/or the Webmaster with the article/idea and take it from there. We are constantly looking for people to write articles and contribute to the website, so please don’t be shy.

This news online is produced courtesy of the website, please remember, we can only publish things that we get, so if we don’t get anything relating to a specific event, then we can’t do anything about it. You can help us by:

· Registering your interest to do an article before an event

· Be conscientious - if you say you are going to do it, then do it!

· Supplying content in digital format (with pictures)

· Get someone to proof-read your article

· Spell-check it!

· Electronic submissions must now be supplied in HTML format, or WORD in an uncomplicated format, pictures sent separately in JPEG format if not inserted correctly into the document

· Items that involve the team in retyping or reformatting will not be undertaken and returned to the originator. However typewritten formats are acceptable, as these items can be electronically scanned and included.

Send Postal Submissions to: BKA Newsletter, 1 Bayman Cottages, Lye Green Road. Chesham Bucks. HP5 3NQ

Contact Details:

Chairman	John.howell@kendo.org.uk	John Howell
Treasurer	treasurer@kendo.org.uk	Gavin Murray-Threipland
Membership Secretary	memb.sec@kendo.org.uk	Mukhtar Hussein
Secretary	ric.schofield@kendo.org.uk	Ric Schofield
Kendo Bucho	mike.davis@kendo.org.uk	Mike Davis
Iaido Bucho	vic.cook@kendo.org.uk	Vic Cook
Jodo Bucho	jock.hopson@kendo.org.uk	Jock Hopson
BKA PRO	publicity@kendo.org.uk	Fay Goodman
Kendo PRO	steve.bishop@kendo.org.uk	Steve Bishop
Health and Safety Officer	Stuart.Shirreff@kendo.org.uk	Stuart Shirreff
First Aid Advisor	Trevor.Chapman@kendo.org.uk	Trevor Chapman
Webmaster	bkawebmaster@kendo.org.uk	Carl Ranger.
News Online Editor	Paul.budden@kendo.org.uk	Paul Budden
National Phone line	01494 581503	Automated response only

A comprehensive and up-to-date list of BKA contact details can be found online

Introduction:

Dear members,

Well IKET proved to be a GREAT success, celebrating in fine style 40 years of the Association and providing not only a huge boost to Scotland & the UK for Kendo Iaido & Jodo, but also a fine gathering of many other fine Japanese arts, Cultural and Martial at an International level.

Next year’s event will also encompass the 5 Nations Taikai and we anticipate a much higher participation right across the board with other new features to be included.

A full report is published in this edition and yet still more to come in the remainder of 2004.

Notices:

Juniors Day at Kodokan
A get together for all of the junior members of the Association, for Kendo and a picnic.
Sunday 1st August. 10am to 12.30 - two and a half hour Picnic lunch and restart - 3pm to 5pm.
there is no charge for children attending, but parents will need to supply their picnic.
All junior members are invited to attend. Please e-mail paul.budden@kendo.org.uk

Kendo National Squad Training resumes on the 11^th & 12^th Sept. at Kodokan Rickmansworth

Next year’s selections will depend on participation at these forthcoming sessions.

All BKA members are eligible and invited to attend.

Appointments for BKA EC positions:

Chairman. Treasurer. Kendo Bucho. Iaido High Grade. Jodo High Grade are invited.

Please submit your written application including the reasons and what you have to offer to the Secretary: Ric Schofield You have until November to apply.

Why delay…Do it now. We need YOUR Expertise and commitment

Professional Fund Raiser Required

Are you, or do you know someone, who may be interested in the position of professional fundraiser for the British Kendo Association? Earnings are on a percentage commission basis subject to discussions and contract. If you are interested or want further information please contact the General Secretary,

Ric Schofield.

BKA website Club Directory

This is a notification in respect of dojo/clubs that have been non compliant in respect of the H &S requirements for BKA registration and Instructors Insurance. These dojo/clubs have now been removed from the BKA Directory website directory and will not be reinstated until the correct procedures and relevant documentation has been put in place. BKA members who continue to practice at these dojo/clubs are themselves at risk, as their individual insurance is in effect null & void. For full clarification. Contact the H & S officer Stuart Shirreff: Stuart.Shirreff@kendo.org.uk

National Grading Panels.

It has come to my notice that there has been a misinterpretation of the rules governing BKA National Grading Panels.

These Panels were set up for the sole purpose of examining students from 1^st Kyu upwards at National level with International recognition and registration.

They were not set up for the purpose of open grading for students below the National level i.e.

7^th to 2^nd Kyu.

Open grading is therefore the responsibility of the Dojo leader at club level only.

All club leaders in the future must advise their students that seminars where a BKA National examination is being held will not include an open grading.

I recommend that all persons who wish to progress, should attend these seminars, irrespective of whether they are taking a National grading or not, as it is in the interest of advancement at all levels.

John Howell

Chairman.

NB. From the Kendo Bu

It has been for some time now the general policy in regard to Kendo examination

[1^st Kyu and above in the UK], that as all such examinations are attached to a seminar, members wishing to grade should therefore attend the seminar in order to take the examination.

The only exception is the October grading, the day after the Lidstone in London, as that does not have a seminar attached.

Diary of Events:

 Here is a list of all Kendo (K), Iaido (I), and Jodo (J) related events in the U.K. and others of interest in Europe. Events that span all three disciplines are marked (A).  This information is Provisional at the time of going to print and will be updated in future issues.

The CLOSING DATE for all shinsa (grading) is TWO CALENDAR MONTHS prior to the day of the exam. Contact FOR ALL shinsa is the Grading Officer and NOT the person in charge of running the seminar.

Date	Description / Details	Location	Discipline	Contact (addresses not expanded can be found in Contact Details)
1^st August	Juniors Day	Kodokan, Rickmansworth	K	Paul Budden
19^th to 22^nd August	19^th Int Kodokan Kendo seminar With Masatake Sumi Sensei	Kodokan Rickmansworth	K	Paul Budden
22^nd August	Kendo grading [seminar members only]	Kodokan Rickmansworth	K	Grading Officer
22 to27Aug	Iaido & Jodo summer seminar	Brighton	I J	Iaido Bu or Jodo Bu
27^th August	Iaido & Jodo grading	Brighton	I J	Grading Officer
25^th September	British Open Kendo championships	Kagami shin Stoke	K	Kendo Bu
11^thSeptember	First aid course	Kashi no ki Olerton	A	Trevor Chapman
16^th October	Lidstone Taikai	Nenriki London	K	Errol Blake
17^th October	Kendo Grading, 1^stKyu to 4^thDan	Mumeishi Cranford	K	Grading Officer
November TBA	Iaido & Jodo Northern seminar	Darlington	I J	Iaido Bu or Jodo Bu
November TBA	Iaido & Jodo grading	Darlington	I J	Grading Officer
20^th November	Mumeishi Championships	Mumeishi Cranford	K	Terry Holt
4^th December	National Kendo Refereeing seminar	Kashi no ki Olerton	K	Kendo Bu

Kendo Squad Training & Schedule

Squad training sessions are usually held once a month. These take place over a weekend. Anyone interested in being involved with the squad is welcome to attend. There is a charge of £3 per session to help cover costs.

When	Where	Notes
Sept 11th & 12th	Rickmansworth	Squad training
Oct 9th & 10th	Rickmansworth	Squad training
Nov 6th & 7th	Rickmansworth	Squad training
Dec 10^th & 11th	Rickmansworth	Squad training

The next training weekend will be held at Kodokan Dojo in Rickmansworth on 11th & 12^th June

Time
Saturday 1^st 2:00-5:00pm
Sunday 2^nd 10:00am-1:00pm

Venue
Kodokan Kendo Dojo
Princess Marina Sports Complex
The Royal Masonic School for Girls
Chorleywood Road
Rickmansworth
Herts. WD3 4HF

Directions (View a map)
By Road: From the M25 Junction 18 (Amersham/Chorleywood exit) take the A404 towards Rickmansworth for about 1 mile. The school is on the left hand side; use the second, signposted entrance (the first is closed). If you reach the Rickmansworth Station roundabout, you’ve gone too far, so go back up Chorleywood Road (A404) and the entrance is about 400m on the right. Parking is in the main school car park. Access to the sports complex is on foot (follow the signs). The gates are not locked, but please close after entry.
By Rail: Rickmansworth Station is on the Metropolitan Line (Baker Street-Amersham) and the Chiltern Line (Marylebone-Aylesbury). The school is just a short walk from the station. From the station front entrance, turn right and follow the above directions from the station roundabout.

Accommodation
Check out: www.stilwell.co.uk Hertfordshire inc Rickmansworth and surrounding area.

We particularly want to encourage more women to come and join the squad.
The only requirements are that you are keen to compete and willing to attend squad training sessions

Taikai Results:

The Sir Frank Bowden Memorial Taikai:
1st: Nagamitsu A.
2nd: Northumbria University.
3rd: Mumeishi A
Fighting Spirit: Takahiro Shinozaki
25 teams took part


The Premier's Cup:
1st: Stuart Gibson
2nd: Darren Cutting
3rd: Gareth Mason
3rd: William Wright
Fighting spirit: Tim Purcell
61 competitors took part

Many thanks to the organisers: Kagami Shin Kendo Kai and the Referees.

Grading Results:

WATCHET 23^rd MAY 2004

IKKYU-S.R.DAVIES, H.YAMAZAKI, C.MUNRO, S.WASSELL, T.WILLIAMS, B.J.McGINLEY, J.MARTIN, D.WALL, T.DURKIN, P.GRAY, D.SOUTER, D.J.WORSLEY.

SHODAN-I.JOHNSTONE, K.KAMIYA, B.O.ROSE, R.ANDERSON, D.SPACEY, G.RUKAS, D.FINCH.

NIDAN-F.FUNG, J.B.PUGH, I.WICKENHAUSER, S.OSBORNE, W.TAYLOR.

SANDAN-J.FITZGERALD.

Shopping:

There are still some 12thWKC memorabilia left

Nine Circles

Nine Circles will act as the official distributor of BKA merchandise, including books,

videos and BKA tenegui.

Address: Nine Circles, PO Box 54, Gloucester, GL1 2YS

Tel/fax: 01452 500655

Website: http://www.ninecircles.co.uk/

Email: quentin@ninecircles.demon.co.uk

BKA Book List (available from nine circles)

Kendo The Definitive Guide - Ozawa

This is Kendo: The Art of Japanese Fencing - Sasamori & Warner

Complete Kendo - Donohue

The Heart of Kendo - Craig

Looking at a Far Mountain - Budden

Fundamental Kendo Vols 1 & 2 - ZNKR (BKA Only item)

Japanese-English Kendo Dictionary - ZNKR (BKA Only item)

Check out the ‘Kendo World’ list of available titles

The BKA have the following items on offer to members only!

39 Shinai ‘ Standard quality’ @ £15 each

34 ‘ Children’s Shinai’ @ £15 each

39 Shinai ‘ Silver quality’ @ £30 each

39 Shinai ‘Gold quality’ @ £35 each

kids Shinai bags @ £9 each

armour bags @ £20 each

water bottles @ 75p each

All of these items may be purchased by cheque/cash by contacting:

Trevor Chapman or Rob Wix or Dean Wormall

kashinoki.kenyukai@btopenworld.com

If you have budo related equipment item[s] that you wish to part with then please email us with

details and you can be included in the next newsletter (online and printed version).

This can include books, shinai, clothing, 2^nd hand bogu, etc - anything relevant.

ITEMS FOR SALE:

Clothing for Iaido.

DESCRIPTION:

Iai -gi - black cotton - Size XL. (0500 in Nine Circles Catalogue).

Hakama - Black - Polyester/Rayon Size 6.

(H2 in Nine Circles Catalogue).

Ideal for person 6'0" plus.  

Clean and immaculate condition.

0ffers please and items are plus p.p & insurance.

David Reeves

69 Station Road

Preston

East Yorkshire

HU12 8UY

01482 898274

Mobile 07985034711

"Kendo books for sale  - All in very good condition.

1.  "This is Kendo" by Junzo Sasamori, hanshi, and Dr Gordon Warner, 7th dan:  "a standard reference work"; an excellent introduction; paperback:  £7.00 (was £13.50 new).

2.  "Complete kendo" by John J. Donohue:  a thorough introduction, by an anthropologist with an extensive background as a student of the traditional martial arts; paperback:  £7.00 (was £13.95 new).

 Contact Teddy Bourne:  e-mail to eobourne@btopenworld.com, or phone 020 7433 1948."

Articles:

International Kendo Enbu Taikai (IKET), Edinburgh 2-4^th July 2004

The planning for IKET really began in 2003 after the BKA had conducted a review of what had been achieved by the BKA in staging 12WKC in Glasgow.

The proposal was to develop and enhance the profile of the BKA by organising an event above and beyond anything attempted before. It was only realised later on that it also coincided with the 40^th anniversary of the BKA-a perfect excuse for a celebration! So the basic 3-day format of Seminar/Enbu Taikai/ Asa-geiko was produced.

Paul Budden (BKA Kendo high grade) determined to make this event unlike any other by opening it up to the public on the Saturday of the Enbu itself. How to do this successfully? Perhaps add cultural arts to a martial arts programme? Fine, but this has been done before. What was needed was active participation and demonstration of the accessibility of the Japanese arts. That was when the idea of practical taster workshops was included. Also several of the demonstrations were to be performed by young people to attract kids to attend IKET.

One of the most important factors was who should the invited kendo teachers be? Initially around eight hachidan sensei were invited and indeed Eiga Naoki and Sato Hiromitsu were personally approached and both said “Yes!” Unfortunately due to a set of circumstances beyond everyone’s control not all could make it. Finally the superb line-up of hachidan sensei who attended were:

Sumi Masatake, Chiba Masashi, Okamura Tadanori, Ueigaki Isao, Tashiro Junichi and very special guest Mr H Matsumoto (sandan)

Japanese members at Edinburgh Kendo club know most of these men as superb teachers and legendary fighters but never dreamt that they would receive teaching from a highly respected kendo teacher and author, an All Japan Champion and other high ranking members of the ZNKR!

The scene was set and after sensei-geiko on Thursday evening, the seminar began at noon on Friday with Zen Nippon Bokuto Kihon Waza. Devised by the AJKF, this features use of the bokuto to learn basic shinai kendo techniques. It really helps when one of the persons responsible for creating this practice is present to teach you.

Hanshi can mean “Perfect picture” and that’s what both Sumi sensei and Chiba sensei were all day. Instruction in Kendo no kata was followed by a very special master class on jodan led by Chiba sensei (3 times All Japan Champion). This was enjoyed by all and was a really informative and detailed examination of this style of the art.

The day was by no means exhausting in any physical sense but was intended to leave participants with a lot to consider; and as always Sumi sensei emphasised the simplicity of practice to get the basics right.

Kendo players attended from Poland, USA, Switzerland, Sweden, Germany, France, Belgium, and Italy for this first- hopefully annual- event. Witold Nowakowski chided me that while he and others from Poland have been to the UK three times in the last year, I had not visited Poland once. This should be remedied with Edinburgh Kendo Club’s attendance at the Baltic Cup September, 2004.

On the Friday evening at a Civic Reception hosted by Edinburgh City Council and Councillor Ricky Henderson (Sport and Leisure), the sensei along with John Howell and Alain Ducarme (President of the European Kendo Federation), were presented with commemorative silver quaich while the rest of us tucked into a lovely buffet. We were all impressed by the grandeur of our surroundings and the BKA would like to thank Mr Jim Aitken, Director of the Centre for Sport and Exercise at the University of Edinburgh for all his help in co-ordinating this very special occasion.

When Saturday came there was still no real indication whether the Enbu Taikai event would be a success with the public or not. The BKA had been unable to get financial support from any sporting or cultural body and, with limited publicity budget available we were blinded as to the possible attendance.

An early morning interview on BBC Radio Scotland provided a great opportunity to promote the event (and the BKA) so accompanied by Sumi sensei and Sotaro Honda acting as interpreter; we headed off to the BBC studios just around the corner form the venue. The interviewer was in Glasgow and we three were crammed into a very small sound studio in Edinburgh. The interviewer (John Beattie former Scotland and British Lions) was very well informed and Sumi sensei was able to express himself well but I really wish Mr Beattie hadn’t asked me the question “Why are there no more judan in kendo?” in front of sensei…you didn’t hear the reply-thank goodness!

The whole event commenced with the leader from each participating group marching in behind the pipes and drums of the City of Edinburgh Pipe Band and welcoming speeches from John Howell and Jim Aitken on behalf of Edinburgh University.

www.kendo.org.uk

International Kendo Enbu Taikai

A Day of Japanese Martial and Cultural Arts to celebrate

The 40^th Anniversary of the British Kendo Association

IKET Schedule Saturday 3^rd July 04

______________________________________________

12.00: Opening ceremony

Pipes and Drums of the City of Edinburgh Pipe Band

Edinburgh TaikoTherapy Drummers

Jake Perry and pupils from Beeslack Community High School, Penicuik

12.10: Kendo no kata

12.45: Aikido

William Coyle, Chief Instructor, Derek Clarke Assistant Instructor, Makotokai Aikido

Association, Glasgow

13.15: Kendo

Katsuya Masagaki (4^th Dan) and members of Wakaba Kendo Club, London

13.45: Karate

Gordon Mathie (5^th Dan) and members of Takushoku Karate Club (Dunfermline)

14.30: Judo

George Kerr (9^th Dan), President of the British Judo Federation

with Andrew Ramage 3^rd Dan and Gordon McCathie 2^nd Dan, Kenka Judo Club Edinburgh

15.00: Shorinji Kempo

Richard Thomas (Senior Instructor) and Stuart Mason (Club Captain) from Edinburgh Shorinji Kempo Club

15.15: Jodo-The Way of the Stick Keith Rose (5^th Dan) Doshinkenyukai,

William Smart 4^th Dan Shonenjiku Iaido Club, Glasgow

Iaido-Sword Drawing

Vic Cook (7^th Dan Renshi) Shin Bu Kan, Brighton and Fay Goodman (7^th Dan Renshi), Masamune Dojo, Birmingham

16.05: Kyudo-Japanese Archery

Liam O’Brien: 7^th Dan Kyoshi, Ray Dolphin, 6^th dan Renshi, Ritsuko Uechi 4^th dan

UK Kyudo Association

16.30: 8^th Dan Mohan-Jiai (demonstration fights)

Masatake Sumi 8th Dan Hanshi

Masashi Chiba 8th Dan Hanshi

Isao Ueigaki 8th Dan Kyoshi

Tadanori Okamura 8th Dan Kyoshi

Junichi Tashiro 8th Dan Kyoshi

Cultural Programme

12.30-13.30: Taiko Drumming Workshop with Jacob Perry

14.00-15.00: Ikebana Seminar and Workshop with Ruth Davies

Bonsai Exhibition: Scottish Bonsai Association (Penicuik)

Sword Display courtesy of Raymond Flockhart

Photography and Artwork by Phill Thornton and Tulta Behm

Japanese Cuisine by Bonsai www.bonsaibarbistro.co.uk

Equipment Shop Nine Circles: www.ninecircles.com

The martial displays were to be interspersed with kyu to nanadan Enbu Taikai. These were matched pairs who fenced for 3 minutes to demonstrate their best kendo to the sensei and an attentive and responsive audience. Although the time was short (you can go to a World Championships for less than 5 minutes of kendo) this was a very special keiko and was really enjoyed by each participant who received a specially designed menjo.

Unfortunately Chiba sensei became injured on Saturday and could not take part in the Kendo No Kata display with Sumi sensei. The previous day the opinion of those at the kata seminar was that never had two kendoka come so close to really doing the deed and that ipponme was truly awesome!

The aikido demonstration was based strongly on the sword with disarms, controls and throws using bokuto and was really a dynamic and non-stop display. Kendo, karate and judo were strongly represented by kids and young people. In particular the karate demonstration was very well orchestrated and presented to the public. A lot of effort went into this display. The kids from Wakaba Kendo Club gave a wonderful demonstration and inspired several of the kids from my own club to take part in their practical workshop later that afternoon. It is not often that you get to meet a kyudan but we were all happy to have George Kerr Sensei (Chairman of the British Judo Association) in attendance. He also extended his hospitality to the sensei next day for which the BKA is very grateful-Kerr sensei has a wonderful Japanese-style flat right in the heart of Edinburgh city centre.

Shorinji Kempo is a Japanese martial art that is still relatively unknown and little seen. It is based on kicks and punches, locks and throws-some of which were performed on the hardwood floor! Ouch!

The Consul General of Japan arrived in time for the iaido, jodo and the (long-awaited) kyudo displays. The iaido demonstration was given by Vic Cook sensei and Fay Goodman sensei who performed Muso Shinden Ryu and Jikiden styles. Goodman sensei also performed 4 kata from Koryu, and a further three 3 kata from Setei (AJKF) iai. Each Nanadan performed the kata both sequentially and harmoniously and almost in one mind as they both completed the Enbu with Seitei kata number 11 finishing in the middle, only missing each other one step to the side! Goodman sensei commented on the hospitality she received while visiting Edinburgh and I am very happy that she had such a favourable view of the event from the point of view of a participant. The intention after all, was to create something new and an event with a special feeling.

For the jodo, Keith Rose (Doshin Kenyu Kai [Halifax]) and Steve Boyes from Seishinkan in London performed Shindo Muso Ryu - Koryu: 6 omote waza. They were joined by joined by Billy Smart and Hugh Darby from Shonenjiku Iaido Club in Glasgow who added a further 6 AJKF Setei jodo forms. In particular Steve and Keith’s display was very powerful and dynamic with excellent kiai and zanshin throughout. I am sure that the audience appreciated this as they sat silently throughout both of these displays and then showed their appreciation with thunderous applause.

The kyudo was a sensation and although the complex reigi is not often understood the loosing of the arrows from those eight foot bamboo bows, right on target brought gasps from the audience.

It’s impossible to say anything about the kendo hachidan Mohan-jiai…you just had to be there.

In the end the venue was packed all day (that’s nearly 500 people) and at one point there were individuals drawing kyudo bows and grappling in the matted area trying out aikido; the ikebana workshop was full to capacity and there was the thud, thud of people beating on Taiko drums; kids and adults gave kendo a try and the Japanese food stall never stopped making all afternoon, Nine Circles armour shop was very popular and the photographic art, bonsai and sword displays were well attended throughout the day.

The Japanese cultural arts were by no means “add on” or considered peripheral to the event as a whole. In fact the public voted with their feet and used the programme wisely to select the arts they wanted to see so there was a constant flux between the hall and the main concourse.

The Sayonara Party was the first time all week that everyone could really relax and there are many stories to be told (Steve Plimbley on the dance floor, “Takin’ it to the bridge!”). Meanwhile Sumi sensei was totally engrossed with the Highland dancing on show and demonstrated that he is also skilled in the art of disco.

Sunday morning commenced with approximately 30 Edinburgh and Wakaba Kids practicing together. When the sensei arrived the format was:

Chiba sensei: Kids and Kyu grades; suburi and tenouchi

Sumi sensei: Shodan to Sandan; issoku-itto-no-mai and shisei

Okamura sensei: Yondan and above; 5 types of seme

Chiba sensei continued to give personal tuition to those who use jodan-no-kamae and after keiko everyone retired to the pub and gave their impressions of the weekend and said their farewells over a pint or two.

I offer my personal thanks to all the participants who make a special effort to come support the event-especially from overseas. There is a review of the whole event being undertaken so that next year’s event will be improved. The format will inevitably be different but just as worthwhile to attend. The feedback from participants whether old or new friends has been incredibly positive and some of the critical analysis on what could have been done better has been taken on board and will be implemented for IKET 2005.

It was Paul Budden who had the drive and vision to continue the excellent development of the BKA and to lift the Association’s profile through IKET, the event has been a great success and he should be congratulated for all his efforts. I would also like to thank the chairman John Howell and the BKA on behalf of Edinburgh Kendo Club for allowing us to host this first event. We have an incredible range of skills at our club that we didn’t even realise and they were put to great and effective use.

I have many personal memories of IKET 2004: along with the sensei, there was a special presentation of an IKET commemorative jacket to Jaya Irvine (mudan) who travelled alone down to London for the Ladies’ Seminar and only three hours of kendo; John Hepburn was roundly applauded for all his efforts to develop kendo in Scotland over many years, but the highlight of the entire week (for me) was on Wednesday 30^th June when Edinburgh Kendo Club hosted a one hour practice with 5 hachidan sensei. There were 23 club members taking part (Bogu only); including other high grades, the queues were only 2 deep!!!! I raced to fence with Sumi sensei and could hardly contain my excitement going into sonkyo and thinking…”They’re here!”

All photos courtesy of Phill Thornton, Mingshi Wan and Hiroyuki Matsumto.

More are available plus a video on application to: Edinburgh Kendo Club

Steve Bishop

Public Relations Officer (Kendo) British Kendo Association

Dojo Leader Edinburgh Kendo Club

19^th EUROPEAN KENDO CHAMPIONSHIPS (APRIL 2004)

Compared to our last trip to Berlin for the Five Nations Championships, the flight to Budapest left at an extremely civilised hour and the team was met by some familiar faces at Budapest airport: Mike Davis, Geoff Salmon and Paul Budden [John Howell having arrived the previous day to attend the EKF Assembly]. The only unfortunate incident was that Brian Hayes’ luggage did not appear to have accompanied us to Budapest (well, not until a couple of days later!).

On arrival at the hotel, we were pleased to see that the venue for the championships was just across the road, as this would mean no mad scrambling for buses at some ungodly hour of the morning. The only worry among the team members now was who would be sharing a room with the not-so-quiet Steve Bishop. Our Coach, Sotaro Honda, seemed to think that the softly spoken, reflective Brian would be a good antidote to Steve verbosity and they were put together. The pairing seemed to work, although Brian lamented that Steve talked even in his sleep and it is probably still too early to gauge the real effect of these few days on Brian’s mental health!

The first day of the championships, a Friday, saw the ladies’ team and juniors’ individual events take place. The ladies team consisted of Alex (captain), Tanya and Frankie.

I will not go into much detail here as Alex has written a separate report regarding the ladies, but they made it out of their pool before losing to Finland in the first round of the knockout stage.

They all fought with Great Spirit and produced some amazing ‘waza’. Special mention must also go to Tanya who managed to keep fighting despite an injured shoulder, which has plagued her for a long time now.

We brought one junior, Mark, to the championships. He was fighting so well and with a surprising degree of composure for one so young (in fact, he looked a little too laid back at times!) that we thought he was going to make it all the way to the final, but he was sadly knocked out in the quarter-finals after an exciting fight. Hopefully this experience will have given him confidence for the next big competition he participates in.

As Mark’s fighting was now over, he took on the indispensable role of water boy and general disciple to Steve (the guru of isotonic drinks and carbohydrate intake for achieving peak performance!), for which the team thanks him profusely. Steve’s astronaut type backpack with tubes containing strange liquids sprouting everywhere was the envy of all the other teams!

Saturday saw the five-man team competition unfold. We brought seven men to the championships (Dave Bell, Michio Wise, Will, Steve, Brian, Gibbo and myself) and each one played an important role. We were in a pool of four countries and knew from the beginning that we had to come first in the pool if we were to avoid France in the first round of the knockout stage of the competition.

Our first opponents were Ireland and Gibbo, as sempo, got us off to a flying start by beating his opponent in what I thought was a pretty fast time. However, Steve proceeded to beat his opponent in ten seconds flat (surely the record for the day!). Having beaten Ireland convincingly we then fought Slovakia who we also beat with ease. Unfortunately Switzerland had also done the same and this meant that the fight between Switzerland and us would decide the winner of our pool and hence the team that would avoid France.

I was relieved when the first two fights were won by Gibbo and Brian (both 2-0) and was hoping that Michio would win his fight so that the outcome would be decided before my fight as taisho. But with Michio you never quite know what will happen! He seemed to be in control of his fight until he was hit in the throat and collapsed to the floor. He managed to get up but was felled again by a hit to the throat. He could not continue this time and was taken to hospital where fortunately nothing was diagnosed as broken. However, his inability to talk in anything but a horse whisper meant that he was teased mercilessly by his compassionate teammates! Since Michio had to retire it meant we lost the fight 2-0. I began to worry just a little but had full confidence in Steve. He unfortunately proceeded to lose 2-0, which meant that we were exactly equal on points and the threat of having to face France loomed closer. I began to sweat just a little! However, using the rough treatment that Michio had suffered to galvanise me I fortunately won my fight 2-0 which meant that we avoided France and faced Austria in the first round of the knockout stage. Austria’s style of kendo was not the prettiest but it was awkward to handle and I again found myself in the unsavoury position that if I lost we would be knocked out of the tournament. My opponent was a big fellow who assumed ‘jodan’ and I remember that his breath stank! I found his kendo very awkward and went for a draw, knowing that the big strapping lad that is Gibbo would be able to beat him in a fight-off. I got the draw and in the sudden death fight-off, Gibbo represented us and scored the point, which got us through to the quarterfinals. Well-done Gibbo!

Our opponents in the quarterfinals were Italy. As they came third in the World Championships in Glasgow last year we knew it would be quite a feat to beat them. So it proved. We lost the first four fights, although Brian scored an outstanding ‘men’ cut on an opponent who would end up winning the individual championships the next day. In fact, Brian’s ‘men’ cuts were rather good all weekend and I believe he was the unexpected success of the championships for us, showing more confidence in his ability than in previous competitions. Keep it up, Brian!

As we had lost the first four fights and the outcome was already decided, I could finally just enjoy my fight. I won it 2-0 (although I’m pretty sure my strike never actually connected for the first point!) which was nice as it’s never good for a team to lost 5-0, especially to opponents who my sister described at the world championships as ‘so good-looking’! However, I was really pleased that the team reached the quarterfinals, as it is the best result we have achieved since I became a member of the British squad in 1997.

Finland shocked everyone by reaching the finals, knocking-out the previous champions Hungary en-route, before being convincingly beaten by France who once again became European champions for the umpteenth time. The final day of the championships saw the women’s and men’s individual competitions take place. Alex will again describe the women’s results, but I will just say that it was the first time since I have been in the team that everyone, both men and women, made it out of their pools into the knockout stage of the competition. Gibbo got the furthest by making it through to the last 16, I made it through to the last 32, while Dave, Will, Brian and Steve made it through to the second round of the knock-out stage. It was unfortunate that Gibbo had to beat two of his team mates to make it through to the last 16 (myself and Steve!), although Steve never tired of narrating how he scored the first point in his fight against Gibbo. Just to let you all know, it was a ‘kote’ cut but I’m sure Steve would now be excitedly jumping up and down, wanting to take over the tale from here! An Italian with very nice kendo who beat Gibbo’s nemesis won the final.

There was the usual Sayonara Party on the Sunday night with everyone divesting him or herself of their sweaty, smelly kendo gear and dressing up smartly. I think our ladies easily out did the men on the smartness side; it was just the nicely coloured bruises on their arms, which gave them away as kendo exponents! Dave retired from the British team at these championships, so we toasted his good health and I gave what I thought was a very complimentary speech about his dedication and efforts over the last few years, but he seemed intent on strangling me afterwards for some strange reason! Other notable events were Gibbo being suckered by a lady in an extremely short skirt into parting with a sizeable sum of money for raffle tickets and Sotaro being asked to dance by a pretty Russian girl. However, she abandoned him after only one or two songs, leaving him to lament how ‘used and abused’ he felt!

On the Monday we had some time for sightseeing before we flew back home. Although everyone was a trifle weary, apart from Dave who had spent a comfortable night fast asleep cradling the toilet, we all fell in behind Alex who did a grand job guiding us around the beautiful sites of Budapest. It was quite a feat that we all managed to stick together (perhaps a reflection of our great team spirit?!), although it was quite unusual in that it was not the girls but the boys who kept wanting more time to look around markets and venture into shops!

I thoroughly enjoyed these championships and being part of this team that Sotaro, as coach, has built up. I know I mentioned it in my last report after the Five Nations Championships, but I am sure that the good results we achieved in both the individual and team competitions are a direct result of the increased support we have been receiving from the BKA. The team would therefore like to thank both officials and members of the BKA for this. I would also like to encourage all members of the BKA to turn up to squad training and work hard to either be selected to represent Great Britain or to help the team achieve even greater success in future competitions.

Anthony Scott (British Team Captain)

The European Championships Women.

Having arrived, admired the view of the stadium, sampled the Hungarian cuisine and had coffee whilst the guys relaxed with a beer it was early to bed for the girls ready for the women’s team matches the next day. Nerves didn’t really kick in until warm-up the next day, when the noise coming from the hall was incredible and we suddenly realized where we were. However, after 40 minutes of keiko most of the nerves had disappeared and we were ready for shiai. Waiting outside in glorious Spring sunshine before going into the opening ceremony gave us a chance to catch with old friends (and foes) and it was exciting to think that we would soon be competing in the Europeans.

We were drawn in a pool with Finland, Norway and Russia and under new rules were fighting four-minute shiai in the pools and five minutes during the knockout rounds. Our first draw against Finland saw us giving as good as we got and despite losing we came out of it feeling really confident – it was a good start for us. Unfortunately, our second round wasn’t as good and all of us had difficulties with opponents that we felt we should have beaten – disappointingly we lost by a point. We went into our third round with Russia feeling that we had nothing to lose (and everything to gain) so gave it all we got. Despite nursing an injured shoulder, Tanya, as sempo, showed great fighting spirit and scored a cracking Kote (which Kobayashi sensei thoroughly approved of) that set the rest of us up. After which, Frankie went out, scored (whilst inventing a new falling waza) putting pressure on me and I was relieved when I too managed to win, and even happier when we found out that we had got out of our pools.

Our opponents in the next round were Austria who unfortunately beat us. However, the atmosphere was fantastic and it was really great to get off the shiai court each time and see everyone in his or her blue squad jackets cheering us on.

The next day it was our turn to support the guys and we felt more nervous for them than we did for our own fights – and they certainly gave us some heart-stopping moments, especially when Michio was tsukied and couldn’t continue and Gibbo went in Encho against a Jo-dan player and won to take the team through. It was great watching them fight, all of them did really well and I only hope we gave them as much support as they gave us (my hands were really sore from clapping at the end of it).

The final day started with a shock to the system as we were in the warm up hall at 7am (even worse without any coffee!). In a full day of fighting (which started at 8 and finished at 7) with the guys and us fighting at the same time, Sotaro had to do a lot of running from one shiai court to another as we battled through the rounds.

The girls competition started with a shock result as Loustalle (a stalwart of the French team) was knocked out in her pool. This added to the feeling that anything was possible and gave everyone a lift.

All three of us girls got through our rounds, Frankie scoring a Men on the Hungarian Sipos (an eventual medal winner) much to Sipos’ chagrin and our delight. In a day when most of us seemed to end up fighting team mates at some point, Frankie and I were then unfortunately drawn in the next round – really difficult as we are friends and frequently train together, so know each other’s moves.

It was difficult for Sotaro and our team mates as well who kindly opted to stand in the middle and supported us both equally. Well, having finally won through that round I went on to meet one of the Italians and was knocked out by her (but not before she’d got a hansoku for stepping out of the area and I’d had a good attempt on her Men). For the girls, this was the end of the competition and we all suddenly felt exhausted (the adrenaline having finally stopped flowing) and had to fortify ourselves with some exceptionally strong Hungarian coffee before watching the rest of the competition.

That night saw everyone at the sayonara party, sipping champagne (thank you Simon) and bidding a fond farewell to Dave (we’re sad to see you go) before giving some amazing (well unique) performances on the dance floor (some of us remember the ‘80’s a little too well!).

I must end with a really big thank you to everyone who supported us and especially to Sotaro for all his help and training. We had a great competition, learnt a lot and are eager to start training for next year.

Alex Burch [Ladies Team Captain]

Attitudes to Shiai Part 1

Sotaro Honda

University of Gloucestershire, British Squad Coach

Introduction

In the previous two articles (BKA news April and June 2004), attitudes to Ji-geiko and how Ji-geiko in Kendo should be approached were covered. In this BKA news and the next one, Shiai in Kendo is examined from various angles. Kendo can be either a competitive sport or a Budo according to a Kendo-ka’s understanding of Shiai, and his or her attitude to fighting, watching and supporting. Having a proper comprehension and attitude to the Shiai should bring about a better understanding to the essence of Kendo as a Budo and the wonderful relationship between you and other Kendo-ka. The purpose of this article (part1) is to examine 1) the purpose of Shiai in Kendo, 2) competitors’ attitudes, 3) spectators’ and team mates’ attitudes and 4) teachers’ attitudes towards Shiai.

1. The Purpose of Shiai in Kendo

Shiai literally means, “to try each other”. In Kendo, Shiai basically means “to try skills, manners, attitudes and spirit learned and acquired in Keiko, with each other in a competitive situation”.

Inoue (1994, p. 162) explains, “The purpose of modern Kendo is to refine one’s heart which is invisible by training in Waza that are visible. Shiai in Kendo has to take place in line with this purpose.” We, as Kendo-ka, therefore have to recognise Shiai as an important opportunity to develop our skills and personality and to acquire the correct attitudes to Shiai.

Attitudes of high school students’ to Shiai, whose only aim is to win at any cost, are quite often criticised in Japan. It is quite embarrassing to take myself as such an example, as my biggest purpose in Kendo was also to win competitions when I was a high school student. My Kendo at that time never deserved to be praised and I did not care what people really thought about my kendo, I only cared about winning. Of course, there is nothing wrong with trying to win in Shiai. You have to do your best to win, if you are taking part in a Shiai and it is also quite impolite to your opponent if you fight without doing your best. As mentioned earlier, however, aiming to develop the skills to win and to develop an understanding of the essence of Kendo and one’s personality is strongly related to the concept of Shiai, how to fight in the Shiai and the results of the Shiai. Moreover, there are manners which one is expected to follow when doing one’s best to win in Kendo as a Budo.

The following points discuss the various attitudes to Shiai that we are expected to take from the standpoint of competitors, supporters and teachers.

2. Competitors’ Attitudes to Shiai (before, during and after the Shiai)

It is not my intention to discuss how to fight in a Shiai. It depends on who you fight against and the particular situation. Also, all of the decisions should be left to competitor[s] once a Shiai starts. It used to be quite often the case that Japanese high school teachers were constantly giving their students advice or orders on how to fight before and during a Shiai. This is an act that ignores the students’ autonomy and hinders the smooth running and progress of the Shiai and the Taikai. From my experience, nowadays such acts do not seem to occur at official Taikai, but it can still be seen at practice matches. I would now like to discuss attitudes to Shiai that competitors are expected to take before, during and after the Shiai.

Irrespective of what the stage is in the Shiai, the most important thing is to control yourself. How can you control your opponent without controlling yourself? You need to calm your excitement to a certain extent before the Shiai. You need to focus only on the person in front of you during the Shiai.

You should again calm your excitement and reflect clearly on how you fought after the Shiai. You should also show gratitude and appreciation to the opponent who you just fought. It is important to be able to do all of these things if you are to be good at Shiai and learn something from the Shiai.

I will now describe these concepts outlined in more depth. The important point before Shiai is, firstly, to imagine your best Kendo, increase your confidence and start focusing only on your own individual match (in the case of a team fight, the team’s score also needs to be kept in mind). Here, if you think too much about winning, you will lose patience and also be lured by your opponent’s trickery and start attacking too hastily. Haste makes waste! Tell yourself that a satisfactory result will follow if you do your best and believe this, rather than thinking of winning. It is also important to know who you are fighting against and what your opponent’s Kendo is like. Undoubtbly there are some people who believe that it does not matter who they fight against and that just trying to do their own Kendo is the best approach. Thinking this way is also important, especially for beginners who can use only a few techniques and may not have much tactical ability. For others, I would still recommend to increasing their concentration, imagining their best Kendo according to the opponent’s type of Kendo and making tactics (but do not think too much and end up by confusing yourself) before the Shiai. By doing these things again and again before, during and after the Shiai, you will start realising what you need to think about before the Shiai and what tactics you need to adopt.

Secondly, during the Shiai, you are often driven by the necessity to modify your tactics and to control emotional stress. Off course this has to be done within a moment. The ability to cope with this is not something that you can acquire sufficiently in Ji-geiko, but you can acquire it by taking part in Shiai and gaining a lot of experience under pressure.

What competitors should concentrate on during the Shiai is: try to make the best decisions and perform to their best ability against their opponents in each particular situation.

An act, such as looking at Shinpan to confirm if you or your opponent has scored should not be done during Shiai. Even if you think that you made a perfect strike, you should concentrate only on your opponent until the opponent turns their eyes and Shinai away. In a high level Shiai, both you and your opponent will try to control each other and you can hardly see an opportunity to score. In this situation, the winner or loser can be decided by a small tactical error, made either by you or your opponent, such as dropping concentration during the match. It is important to develop the ability to keep your concentration for the duration of the whole match and to make appropriate decisions under pressure by gaining experience in the Shiai.

Thirdly, it is also important to get into the habit of reflecting on how you fought after each Shiai. In the case where you have your next match in a short period, it is recommended that you quickly and simply reflect on your previous Shiai and get ready for this next match. It is quite often the case that you do not remember how you fought if you were very nervous or you won in a very close and long match. It is very important, however, to reflect on how you fought when you were under a great deal of pressure. It would be ideal if you could watch a video someone taped. If this is not possible, ask people who were watching for their comments, and reflect again on how you fought.

In a Shiai there are always a winners and losers. What we aim for is to become a good winner and a good loser. As the author (2003, p. 141) discussed elsewhere, a good winner means one who fights with the spirit of Sei-sei-doh-doh (fair and square), is modest and has an understanding of the meaning of Shiai. Even if one wins a Shiai, one is aware of the loser’s feelings and never shows off one’s victory.　A good loser is a person who did not win the Shiai, but still displays the same attitude and understanding as the good winner. On the other hand, a bad winner is someone who shows off his or her victory and a bad loser is someone who shows off his or her frustration as the result of losing and cannot praise the opponent’s victory. These are people who have forgotten the essence of Shiai in Kendo.

We are only able to do Shiai and learn something from Shiai because there are other competitors who we can fight with, Shinpan to judge our Shiai, people who support our Shiai: recorders, timekeepers and ribbon tiers. We should never forget the purpose of the Shiai and show our gratitude to these people.

3. Spectators and Team Mates’ Attitudes to Shiai

At a Taikai, we are not supposed to give competitors vocal support and advice, or to make sounds to cheer them up; we are instead supposed to support them by only clapping our hands. Spectators and teammates should be considerate so that competitors and Shinpan are able to focus only on the Shiai in the Shiai-jo and enable the management of the Taikai to proceed smoothly. It is quite understandable that everyone wants to give competitors as much support and encouragement, cheering and giving advice. However, as described earlier, all decisions should be left to the competitors once the Shiai starts. Moreover, competitors are expected to show mental strength by coping with all stressful situations by themselves as they experience the Shiai.

The most annoying thing for Shinpan in Shiai is a camera flashlight. It is again understandable that you want to take photographs of your club members fighting and that you want someone to take photographs of you fighting, but the Shinpan might miss a critical moment if you take a photograph with a flashlight as the competitors attack.

Competitors, Shinpan, spectators and Taikai officials should all have the feeling that they want the Taikai to be a wonderful experience, which they can all enjoy. The clapping of hands with all your heart and showing consideration to the Shinpan are the attitudes, which spectators should adopt.

In team fights, the correct etiquette is for team members, the manager and coach to watch or wait for their match in Seiza. It would be awkward, however, to do a Shiai if you kept sitting until it was your turn and kept rubbing your numb feet again and again while you were watching and waiting. This also does not look good. Nowadays, it is usual for team members, manager and coach to do Seiza only when Senpo and Taisho fight (and when there is a fight-off as well) and the member who fights next will wait in a standing position (of course this does not apply to people who have difficulty in doing Seiza). In team fights, it is important to feel totally involved when you watch your teammate’s fighting. Although I previously stated that competitors are expected to cope with all situations by themselves, when all team members become ‘as one’ and support their team mates, it’s as if they were also fighting, the competitor will feel the strength of this support behind them and this gives the competitor both courage and confidence. If you really feel as if you are also fighting, you will find yourself moving your hands and upper body in spite of yourself as you observe your teammate’s every action. One’s own victory is everyone’s victory in team fights.

4. Teachers’ Attitudes to Shiai

It is the responsibility of teachers to make their Dojo members fight fairly, encouraging them and giving them feedback. The important thing for teachers to demonstrate during Keiko in their Dojo is how to fight and support in the correct manner. When giving feedback, teachers should consider giving the appropriate amount of feedback according to the members level. According to Aoki (1996), it is the most effective if feedback is given immediately after each performance in the practice. In the case of Shiai, however, feedback needs to be given at an appropriate time when their members are ready to accept it, taking into account the result and content of the Shiai, each member’s personality, situation and so on.

5. Summary

It should be now be fairly evident that Shiai is not everything in Kendo, but another part of it. The results of Shiai do not show everything about a Kendo-ka. What is important is the way in which a Kendo-ka deals with their Keiko, fights in the Shiai, reflects on the Shiai and approaches the Keiko again, aiming to score the Ippon he or she dreams of. It totally depends on each Kendo-ka’s attitude whether they develop character through doing Shiai. I would also like to mention that it is important to try to enjoy your Shiai without thinking too deeply about what I have discussed in this article. Shiai is fun and exciting. There is nothing wrong in thinking that.

We feel like we are in seventh heaven when we score the Ippon we have dreamed of. One who has experienced this would dream of having this same feeling again and again, doing Keiko very hard, repeating the same practice hundreds of times or even thousands of times.

It is my hope that many Kendo-ka will become interested in taking part in Shiai and that Taikai will become fascinating events, when lots of Kendo-ka will have the opportunity to learn and experience many valuable assets to add to their kendo.

In the next article, I would like to introduce some ways of doing Shiai practice in the Dojo. I would also like to introduce some forms of Shiai practice that take place at squad training and explain the aims behind these Shiai practices.

References

Aoki, T. (1996) ‘Sports to Kokoro –Shinrigaku-Shiten- (Sports and Mind –Psychological Views)’, in S. Nisugi et al (eds) Sports-Gaku no Shiten (Views of Sports Study), pp. 114-128. Kyoto: Showa-do Publishing Co., Ltd.

Honda. S. (2003) Budo or Sport? Competing Conceptions of Kendo within the Japanese Upper Secondary Physical Education Curriculum. Ph.D. Thesis. Unpublished Paper.

Inoue, M. (1994) Kendo to Ningen Kyoiku (Kendo and Human Education). Tokyo: Tamagawa University Press.

Report from the 3rd National Referee Seminar

	This was the third national referees seminar to be hosted by Kashi No Ki Kenyu Kai. The seminar was lead by Mike Davis kendo 7th Dan Renshi. This was the third time I had attended the kendo referees seminar, not just because of being the leader of the above dojo and hosting the event, but I regularly attend the kendo-refereeing seminar in Brussels each year.
The seminar started with the basic use of shinpan-ki and the importance of giving correct and clear signalling. I was pleased to refresh my knowledge again in this area, as my coordination is pretty poor at times. Most of the rest of the morning followed along the same lines as previous refereeing seminars covering formal entering and leaving of the shiai-jo.
	Soon we were well under way refereeing individual and team shiai matches (or should I say trying to), it’s a fact that there is so much to focus on and remember but this was compensated with the fact that the day was filled with good humour and excellent tuition. It was nice not to be dragged around the shiai-jo by my keiko gi if I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The day also created much discussion amongst students about refereeing, even those who had attended just to practice shiai.
After lunch came the most difficult but most important part of kendo refereeing, identifying correct Yuko-Datotsu. This really highlighted the importance of the responsibility you have as shin pan. I, like many other students on the day, found this subject most interesting and at times difficult to identify but I am sure this will improve. It is like practicing forms of kendo waza, it needs to be practiced repeatedly.
	I was most pleased to see an increase in the number of students attending this seminar, 17 in total, but we do need more of you, especially people to attend refereeing seminars on a regular basis and develop skills as a shin pan.

We as an Association need more skilled people as referees. Please do not use this seminar as an opportunity to gain your grading requirement; it is an important part of your kendo development. I would like to end by thanking Mike Davis for attending and giving such excellent tuition, and to all the students who attended this seminar.

Trevor Chapman, Kendo Godan, Kashi No Ki Kenyu Kai.

Everybody is a Teacher

Some time ago, as a not so young Ikkyu, I was fortunate enough to have Hiroshi Ozawa sensei, Kendo Nanadan Kyoshi, visit our Dojo. The seminar itself was reported and is old news, what is more interesting, is that on conclusion of the seminar, Ozawa sensei signed a copy of his book, ‘The Definitive Guide To Kendo’. This I had wisely purchased several months earlier, because if you were to buy only one book for your pursuit of Kendo this would be, as the title rightly suggests’ The Definitive Guide’!

The interesting thing that started the resulting “Quest” was what was written in the book at the time. Ozawa sensei wrote, his name, the date and the venue, but he also wrote some Kanji that, as he explained, said, “ Everybody is a Teacher but me”. This Kanji was handwritten, so was not easy for a novice, like myself, to read. My first task was that I was just interested in seeing the formal Kanji, and not even giving a thought for the true meaning of the ‘lesson’ that had been written for me.

One of my first steps was to buy a copy of the ‘Kodansha Kanji Learners Dictionary’ by Jack Halpern, which is very informative and would hopefully help me find the Kanji, and then make some sense of the phrases meaning. I was seriously struggling, and although the book has over two thousand characters, I could not find what I wanted. I then switched to an old Chinese book I had, just on the off chance, Bingo! It came up trumps with four of the six Kanji I was looking for. By this time, I had been able to enlist the help of, Satoshi Yoda, Ph. D a Visiting Research Fellow from the Institute of Green Chemistry, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Japan. Satoshi san was a Sandan, who was practicing at our Dojo, while conducting his research in this Country. He soon informed me that the phrase came from Buddhist Teachings, was very old, and was therefore written in Chinese Kanji. The Phrase was now starting to take on some meaning for me, and I realized that Ozawa sensei, in his humble way, was telling me, that in the Dojo we are all teaching each other.

Once Satoshi san had enlisted the help of some of his associates, at his home Dojo in Tokyo, by numerous emails, we had started to crack the case. He had found the two missing Kanji for me, and was able to give me a ‘literal’ translation. This translation is "Ware-igai-mina-waga-shi" which literally translated is “I except everybody-everything my teacher”, Satoshi san pointed out an English speaker; I would maybe be able to come up with a more literal translation. My Interpretation would therefore be “ I take from everybody and everything my Teachings”, which is exactly what Ozawa sensei was trying to tell me. The wider Implications, however, that I hadn’t realized, that it also means, throughout life this also applies, not only to Kendo, but it also reinforces the fact that, the principles of Kendo, can, and should be, applied to our daily life. Which is what Budo is all about.

The true meaning therefore, implies that everything in life has something to teach us. It could also be said, and as I truly believe, due to recent events in my own life, that many things that happen, Good or Bad, happen for a reason. How those events lead onto something else has made me a strong believer in Kismet (Fate).

This shows that the whole of life itself, is something we can learn from, and again is what the study of Kendo will constantly help us to achieve. One of my favourite sayings I have heard related to Kendo, is “One must First pick up the Sword, before one can Attain the Wisdom to put Down” which I will leave you to work out for yourself; it could maybe be the subject for your article?

Which leads me finally to the Origin of the ‘Phrase’, it comes from the story of Sudhanna, the Disciple of Buddha,

“Thus Sudhanna learned from his Experience, that there was true teaching to be gained from everything he saw

or heard”, One will find teaching for Human Life, wherever one goes”

I would like to thank Ozawa Sensei for initiating this Quest, I would also like to thank Satoshi Yoda for his tireless help and without whom this article would not have been possible.

Dean Wormall, Kendo Shodan, Kashi No Ki Kenyu Kai, Ollerton

Seminar Report

Ireland’s Second National Iaido Seminar

The Second National Iaido Seminar, organised by Dublin Iaikai, took place on 26^th and 27^th June in the Belgard Community Centre, Tallaght, Dublin. This long-awaited event was very well attended, with people coming from as far afield as Limerick and Sligo. Especially welcome were the delegation from the Roshukai Dojo in Belfast. A broad range of martial arts were represented at the seminar, including Aikido, Kendo, Karate and Jujutsu, and experience levels varied from those who had never done any Budo before to high-grade black belts.

The seminar was led by Victor Cook Sensei, 7^th Dan Renshi, assisted by his wife Terry, who holds the grade of 5^th Dan. Cook Sensei’s illustrious Budo career spans over forty years, and his many distinguished achievements and exceptional teaching skills make him one of Europe’s most respected exponents of Iaido.

The Saturday morning session started with Sensei giving a brief introductory talk and demonstrating the correct way of holding the sword. This was followed by an introduction to the four basic elements of Iaido: nukitsuke, drawing; kiritsuke, cutting; chiburi, cleaning the sword; and noto, resheathing. Sensei then took the class through each of the twelve forms of Zen Nihon Kendo Renmei Seitei Gata, the standard set of the All-Japan Kendo Federation. It was a mark of Sensei’s ability, and the students’ diligence and enthusiasm, that all twelve of the kata were covered that day. The day finished with Sensei giving a demonstration of some old-style Koryu kata, breath-taking in their power, speed, grace and beauty. Everybody worked extremely hard during the day, and all were very tired but well satisfied with a good day’s training.

In Sunday morning’s class, Sensei went through the kata again, ensuring that everybody had a good understanding of the basics of the forms. After lunch there was a free practice session, followed by an open Kyu grading. For the grading, candidates had to perform three Seitei kata of their own choice. The grading panel comprised Cook Sensei, Mrs Terry Cook, and John Gibney.

The results of the grading are as follows:

Rokkyu (6^th Kyu)

Mark Crowe

Barry Mc Gee

Gokyu (5^th Kyu)

Joseph Cheevers

Keith Mc Clean

Shane Mc Munn

Colette Mc Namara

Patrick O’Farrell

Andrew Shinnick

Shytko Mykhaylo

Yonkyu (4^th Kyu)

Finn Arrignon

John Byrne

Linas Grinius

Stanislav Nazarenko

Paraic Rooney

Sankyu (3^rd Kyu)

Philipp Herrmann

Janis Kargins

Leon Nicholson

Congratulations to everyone on their hard work and achievements.

The success of any event like this depends on the assistance and dedication of a large number of people. Dublin Iaikai are particularly indebted to Cook Sensei; Terry Cook; Aisling Gibney; Stuart O’Moore and the members of Tallaght Tomiki Aikido Ryu; Liam Brown; the Belgard Community Centre; Impact Ireland (Metals) Ltd; Alan de Lacy of de Lacy Architects Studio; and of course, all who attended the seminar.

Everybody had a most interesting, informative, and enjoyable weekend. Indeed, bookings have already started to come in for next year’s seminar! Cook Sensei was very impressed. “I have rarely seen such a degree of enthusiasm at a seminar. We have here a nucleus from which Iaido in Ireland can start to develop and flourish.”

Iaido classes are currently being held in the Greater Dublin area:

· Friday, 7.30 – 8.30 p.m. at the Master’s Temple Dojo, Seaview Complex, (behind DART Station), Bray, Co. Wicklow. For further details contact Master Massan Ghorbani on (01) 2864085 or (086) 8350062; email massan@masterstemple.com

· Sunday, 2.00 – 3.20 p.m. in DCU Sports Complex, Glasnevin, Dublin 9. These classes are run in association with the Dublin Kendo Club. For more information contact John Gibney on (086) 8233162; email iaido@ireland.com

Dublin Iaikai website: www.iaido.ie

The 3^rd European Jodo Championships & The 11^th European Iaido Championships

The preliminary dates and schedule are as follows: Stockholm, Sweden 2004

November 8th Mon. 08:00-16:00 Jodo Seminar

November 9th Tues. 08:00-18:00 3^rd EJC

November10thWed. 08:00-18:00 3^rd EJC, Jodo Dan Examination

November10thWed. Evening Reception

November11thThurs. 08:00-16:00 Iaido Seminar

November12th Fri. 08:00-18:00 11^th EIC

November13th Sat. 08:00-18:00 11^th EIC Iaido Dan Examination

November13thSat. Evening Sayonara Party

Persons hoping to represent Great Britain in these events should attend the National Champions on 19^th June and be present at the appropriate Squad Training sessions.

This year, in Sweden, there will be an additional Iaido Competition for 6th Dans. This competition is not part of the EIC. It is to be called the “Hayashizaki Goodwill Cup”.

A 6^th Dan Enbu will be held at the Nationals in order to help with selection for this match. No funding will be given to competitors in the “Hayashizaki Cup”.

It might be possible for us to make some arrangements for those persons not directly involved in the Championships, for example; supporters, or those taking a grading. However, non-refundable monies would have to have been paid well in advance and an initial response was required by the 21^st June. As this date has now passed, all organisation for non-team / officials is now totally your own responsibility.

Final Entry forms will be sent off directly after our Summer Seminar. We will not necessarily be sending a full squad!

Yours,

Chris Buxton & Vito Tattoli

Iaido & Jodo Summer Seminar

August 22 - August 27 2003

The University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton,

East Sussex, U.K. BN1 9QU

Jodo, Sunday 22-24 August

Iaido, Wednesday 25 – 27 August

Dear colleagues

The British Kendo Association has great pleasure in inviting you to our 2004 Summer Seminar and Grading for Iaido and Jodo. We have the privilege in having 3 senior Japanese Sensei. There will be Otake Sensei 8 Dan Kyoshi to lead the Jodo Seminar and Oshita Sensei 7 Dan Kyoshi and Morita Sensei 7 Dan Kyoshi to lead the Iaido Seminar. These sensei will be ably assisted by Four 7 Dan teachers. Jock Hopson, Vic Cook, Len Bean and Fay Goodman.

Grading will be held for the following examinations.

Grading in Jodo will be up to and including 3 Dan Tuesday 24 August

Grading in Iaido will be up to and including 5 Dan Friday 27 August

Venue

The Seminar will be held at The University of Sussex near Brighton on the South coast of England where there will be 2 large Dojo with sprung floors in the sports hall for Iaido, and every modern amenity made available to participants. The cost of the course will include excellent accommodation, which will be on a self-catering basis at The Brighthelm houses next to Lewes court; there are plenty of restaurants and snack bars on the campus for those who wish to use them at very reasonable prices. There are also several grocery shops a tobacconist and Bank. Also Brighton is 10 minutes drive away, or use the regular bus service.

Registration will be held on the first morning of each seminar at the sports centre commencing at 9.30am.

Delegates who have booked accommodation proceed on arrival directly to Lewes Court Porters lodge. If you arrive after 5.00pm, on the Sat.21 or Tuesday 29. Please proceed to York House 24 hr reception

Deposits

This year we have instigated a number of changes due to the lessons learnt from last year. Namely all participants will this coming year be admitted by ticket only issued on return of post when the balances of fees are paid.

BKA members please send a non-refundable deposit of £25 by April 1 and the balance in full by June 1

For our overseas colleagues the ticket Number will be issued by e-mail on receipt of postal application.

Our insurers and Health and Safety advisors because of new Health and Safety regulations, which limit the number of places available on a formula of a minimum practice area, agree upon the reason for this step.

Note: If the full balance is not received by June 1 YOU MAY LOSE your seminar place.

Also it will be noticed that a separate koryu seminar will not be held this year, the koryu will be included within the Iaido seminar, at the request of teachers at the highest level.

We hope that the new format will not deter your enthusiasm for taking part in what should be an enjoyable experience.

Applications for single day or part week of seminar participation will only be considered if spaces are available after July 22. We are limited for spaces so first come first served.

It helps a great deal in the administration if you make an early commitment, BOOK EARLY.

Iaido & Jodo Summer Seminar

August 22 - August 27 2003

Reserve for me the following self-catering accommodation (3 nights per discipline only-

Please tick or circle the required nights)

Aug. 21 Aug. 22 Aug. 23 Aug. 24 Aug 25 Aug. 26

Seminar Training Only Seminar with 3 Nights Accommodation

Jodo only Iaido only Iaido & Jodo Jodo Iaido Iaido & Jodo

£75 £75 £140 £120 £120 £230

£ _________

If you wish to attend the Sayonara party on the Thursday evening please add £20

Total £.________

Name…………………………………………………..Country…………………………

Address…………………………………………………………………………..…….…………………………………………………Post code……………………

Assoc.No…………….Tel…………………………...e-mail…………………….……….

Please contact by post or E-mail:

Mr Douglas Evans 10 Daglish Close, New Romney, Kent, TN28 8XF

Tel. 07949 593198 E-mail : - bigdoug78@hotmail.com

Will Dojo leaders please Photostat these details and pass on to their members

IF YOU ARE COLLEGUE FROM EUROPE All monies to be paid in Pounds Sterling when registering

on arrival Please DO NOT SEND any cheques or deposits.

Please send your details BY POST to the address above.

TAIGAKAI IAIDO COMPETITION

18^th September 2004

Taigakai Iaido Dojo

Dartford Girls Grammar School

Shepherds Lane

Dartford

Kent

Mudan – Godan

£7.00 Entry fee

Doors open / Warm up: 9.00am

Registration: 9.30am

Competition: 10.30am – 5.00pm

ALL WELCOME

For further details please contact:

Warren Dickerson

6 Woodfield Way

Hatfield Peverel

Chelmsford Essex

CM3 2RY

Tel: 01245 380896

Mobile: 07958 708779

Email: warren.mail@tiscali.co.uk

Appointed Persons First Aid Course

I am sure by now that every Dojo leader, no matter which discipline you practice, is aware that at least one person must be present with a recognised first aid qualification for every training and practice session. This requirement is in place to meet indemnity insurance cover and to promote a safer training and practice environment.

To meet this requirement I have arranged for a local first aid training organisation to provide a one-day training course for members wishing to become first aid trained and hold a national qualification of appointed person's first aid certificate.

The qualification is valid for 3 years and is the minimum necessary to satisfy current Health and Safety requirements.

A one-day course will be held at the Dukeries Recreation Complex, New Ollerton, Notts, on Saturday 11th September 2004 from 10am until 3pm.

For a booking form please visit: kashinoki.kenyukai@btopenworld.com

There is a limit of 20 people per course so please book early.

Closing date for bookings: 1st September 2004.

Trevor Chapman, Nov. 2003, Kashi No Ki Kenyu Kai.

If you have problems downloading the booking form please email us as soon as possible at: kashinoki.kenyukai@btopenworld.com

BRITISH KENDO ASSOCIATION

4th NATIONAL KENDO REFEREEING SEMINAR

At Olerton. Notts. 4^th December 2004

SEMINAR CONTENT:

The seminar content as been designed to meet all levels of kendo student.
It will cover refereeing ability, starting from the basic fundamentals of kendo shiai refereeing, to developing ability to participating as a referee at major BKA Taikai.
- The role and responsibility of shushin and fukushin
- Entering and leaving the shiai–jo in a formal manor
- Formal alternation and rotation of shin pan-in
- Correctly holding shinpan-ki and indicating correct signalling with shinpan-ki.
- Maintaining correct positioning as shin pan-in on the shiai-jo during the shiai match.
- Giving clear and correct senkoku.
- Identifying and dealing with prohibited acts.
- Determining accurate yoko-datotsu.
- Refereeing both individual and team matches.
- Discussing Kendo shiai rules and regulations.
This seminar offers a relaxed atmosphere for learning it encourages much opportunity for discussion and questions amongst its students.

The one-day course will be held at the Dukeries Recreation Complex, New Ollerton. Notts.

John Howell & Paul Budden and other senior grades will be in attendance

Full details from: Trevor Chapman, Kashi No Ki Kenyu Kai.

kashinoki.kenyukai@btopenworld.com

The 19^th KODOKAN International KENDO Seminar

Friday 20th to Sunday 22^nd August 2004

Supported by The BRITISH KENDO ASSOCIATION

_______________________________________________.

With

MASATAKE SUMI 8^th DAN, HANSHI,

Assisted by Junichi Tashiro 8^th Dan Kyoshi and Morio Kumamoto 7th Dan Kyoshi

Is sold out for 2004

Next year is the 20th year of the Kodokan Seminar

So book early next year to get a place

Forms will be published in the News online and on our website in due course:

www.pabudden.com/kodokan

Application for the Award In Coaching Studies is now closed for 2004

Future course applicants will need to apply next year

Scheme of Work and Time Scales For Distance Learning

In conjunction with the British Kendo Association

The Award in Coaching Studies is a qualification given by 1st4sport, which a part of Coachwise; it is accredited by the Qualification Curriculum Authority as part of the National Qualification Framework.
The University of Gloucestershire is accredited to deliver this course.

Enquiries to: -

Ian Parker-Dodd

Senior Lecturer

University of Gloucestershire

School of Sport and Leisure

Oxstalls Campus

Oxstalls Lane

Gloucester

GL2 9HW

Phone 01452 876621 Fax 01452 876648

E-mail ipdodd@glos.ac.

Last Words

We would like to have the ability to communicate via email with every single BKA dojo. The contact doesn’t need to the dojo leader or secretary, though this is preferable - any member of your dojo could be a point of contact. This will greatly assist in distributing information. Please email your dojos contact information to Webmaster.

Also, if dojo could check their contact information on http://www.kendo.org.uk/ and make sure any email addresses are valid that would help us greatly.

* Any dojo that are hosting events are more than welcome to send out documentation with the newsletter. The newsletter comes out every 2^nd month. See the contact Submission Guidelines / Contact Details at the top of the newsletter.

* Reminder: National Phone Line - 01494 581503. This is for information only and has a recorded message. This is to generate a written response to enquiries received from other than the web site [Combat magazine/ libraries and other sources] together with information leaflet and a Dojo list. We would appreciate if you would circulate this number, wherever you may feel the need for people to contact the Association who may not have Internet access.

Please help our web presence by 1. If you have a dojo website that is not listed on the website please supply it to us: 2. Adding a link to http://www.kendo.org.uk/ to your website; 3. If you already have a link please ensure that it points to the correct URL: 4. If you have a BKA dojo listing please remove it ASAP - you are displaying wrong information.

· Visit the BKA website - http://www.kendo.org.uk/

Thanks for your time and best regards from the News Online team.

Data Protection Act 1998 The Association reserves the right to [a] hold your membership record - name, address, telephone /fax number and e-mail address [if any] and Kendo, Iaido or Jodo interests notified to the Association by you, on computer as part of the Association’s membership list, [b] to distribute that list among Association members, and[c] to disclose your name and address to the Association’s printer/distributor to permit the distribution of the ‘ BKA News Online’ by them by means of computer generated address labels, along with any loose advertising material the Association or it’s editor may wish to include with a particular issue of the publication. Members who object to this may register their objection in writing to the Association’s Secretary and their names and data will then be removed from the computer record and lists for the future. Your consent to these procedures will be presumed unless you object.