#ito dojo

[kendopath]

Help Kendo

I’m currently swimming in Taikai planning. Ito Cup 2018 lands in 3 weeks.

We have a large number of people counting on our “small dojo”. 7 people are organizing a seminar, tournament and shinsa for nearly a hundred people. There are endless details to run down. Payments, lunches, name plates, awards, dinner, lunches, emails, registrations, banking, shirts, tape, tables, cups...its endless.

But we prepared. We started very early, over a year out. 

Service, dedication, devotion. Persistence. 

It would be so easy to give up. To turn around and disconnect. 

But the success of Kendo, the success to others is what keeps me working, training, participating. If everyone gave up...we’d have nothing to participate in. 

We’d have nothing to show for our years of character building and personal development. If we turned away, we turn away from our primary intention - to improve our interaction with humanity. 

I would love more help. I would love for someone to walk up and volunteer to take a burden off of my shoulders. We have a limited number of students, but help is exponential.

Next time you have the opportunity to offer help....do it. 

Help your dojo. 

Help your friend’s dojo. 

To persist in Kendo - to advance to the higher ranks, you must forget of your needs and help Kendo.

[kendopath]

Shuhari - Protect, Digress, Transcend

My Sensei came back for a visit, to observe my teaching and to talk to us for the first time after we have received YonDan. He said he was very proud of our growth and accomplishments.

He gave his advice for continuing the dojo. He mentioned that at Ito Dojo everyone is welcome. There cannot be any limitations to those that want to learn, we must accept and teach anyone wanting to learn - otherwise we cannot be Ito Dojo.

He mentioned that Ito Tsutomu had this motto, and if we were to call ourselves ITO DOJO, we need to educate anyone wanting to learn. We should be a friend to everyone, and remove ourselves from conflicts.

He then mentioned Shuhari.

Shu is to learn the fundamentals, to do as you are told, to obey and follow, to protect the ideas.

Ha is detach from the fundamentals and begin personal growth/path.

Ri is to transcend, leaving the rigid nature in the past and becoming more than what you were taught.

He told us with all of our dojo changes, our promotions and with everything that has occurred, he can now see we are developing HA. He mentioned to us that this was an important stage for our Kendo, as we need to remember our past but not be bound to it.

It is time to develop our own paths.

As I mentioned previously in past posts, I understand now that the development of my Kendo is no longer just a personal pursuit. I need to elevate and support the Kendo Community and help in the education of individuals I interact with.

We find our way, being lead, then leading.

Thinking deeply about this, this is very reason I called this blog -- Kendo Path.

[coloradothunder]

Shuhari - Protect, Digress, Transcend

My Sensei came back for a visit, to observe my teaching and to talk to us for the first time after we have received YonDan. He said he was very proud of our growth and accomplishments.

He gave his advice for continuing the dojo. He mentioned that at Ito Dojo everyone is welcome. There cannot be any limitations to those that want to learn, we must accept and teach anyone wanting to learn - otherwise we cannot be Ito Dojo.

He mentioned that Ito Tsutomu had this motto, and if we were to call ourselves ITO DOJO, we need to educate anyone wanting to learn. We should be a friend to everyone, and remove ourselves from conflicts. 

He then mentioned Shuhari. 

Shu is to learn the fundamentals, to do as you are told, to obey and follow, to protect the ideas.

Ha is detach from the fundamentals and begin personal growth/path.

Ri is to transcend, leaving the rigid nature in the past and becoming more than what you were taught.

He told us with all of our dojo changes, our promotions and with everything that has occurred, he can now see we are developing HA. He mentioned to us that this was an important stage for our Kendo, as we need to remember our past but not be bound to it.

 It is time to develop our own paths.

As I mentioned previously in past posts, I understand now that the development of my Kendo is no longer just a personal pursuit. I need to elevate and support the Kendo Community and help in the education of individuals I interact with. 

We find our way, being lead, then leading.

Thinking deeply about this, this is very reason I called this Kendo Path.

[kendopath]

Isolated

A long time ago. I spent many hours diving into the dictionary, and reading words that were not in my vocabulary.

I was writing about Isolation. At that moment I found myself very Isolated. So, I pulled out the dictionary to see if I really knew all the various definitions of what that word meant. I did. 

In the dictionary they separate the syllables in the word. I-Solate. This stuck my interest...Capital I standing for the self, but was “solate” in itself a word...yes, yes it was. It means “to turn into a solid”. So here we have I, the self, turning into solid. 

Yesterday, for a long time, I was the only one to show up to practice, all of the students cancelled within minutes of practice, or no showed.

There I was, Isolated. Its very difficult to do Kendo isolated. I swept the floor, cleaned the room....set up my bogu...and looked at the clock. I had to turn into a solid, be rigid and practice. So instead of giving up and saying I quit, I was about to do suburi to work on my waza, then Sensei showed up. 

Then I found myself in another form of Isolation it was just Sensei and myself. Isolated as a practice partner, an isolated student. This time I was changing into a solid form through the challenge of facing Sensei without rest or recovery. Uchikomi and Keiko. I had to shift myself into a solid kendoka to give Sensei a worthy practice, to do solid Kendo.

Isolation is not always a negative. It is based on your perspective. 

[kendopath]

Godokeiko

Tonight I practiced with a variety of sensei from the AUSKF board, and U.S. team. I felt that I did a very respectful kendo. I tried to do what my sensei has instructed, and tried to be myself. I will upload the godokeiko soon. It's Near midnight, I am very tired and worn thin, a great kendo day– tournament next weekend!! Overall I am happy with the Kendo I showed, all of the Sensei I fought did not "correct" me, they just fought me and kept saying.."yes, good job!" Gambatte!!!

[kendopath]

Kendo Critique

-There is something about this photo of Sensei that I really love. 

I think everyone who practices Kendo can relate to this photo of Sensei. 

We need to be humble in our skills, and yet not take it personally if someone has critique for us. 

Honest Critique, evaluation and assessment is what a great teacher offers to the student; while at the same moment understanding and accepting how hard that student has worked.

One of my favorite quotes/moments from my other Sensei -- We had practiced for 3 days a week for 4 months for a team tournament -- the last practice before the tournament he said to the team.

"You have all worked very hard, and you are all much better, ...but you are still very bad..."

WHOO HOO! We made it to the top of suck!!

(We ended up winning the tournament)

But again, in that, we see the duality of Kendo critique. 

Don't take offense to critique. Relish in it,  absorb every word. Fix the things that need to be fixed, confident that the struggle to fix it, is why we do Kendo. To improve our own being and the way we relate to others.

[kendopath]

Losing Sensei

I've been very lucky in my Kendo Dojo. When I first found ITO Dojo -- it was inside my YMCA. I was working out one night and watched them for a while. Then the next week I joined. I have been there 2-3times a week for the past 9 years. At first I had no idea what I had run into.

Ishikawa Sensei was a brilliant musician, who had practiced Kendo for most of his life. He took a break to learn the saxophone from a classic jazz musician. When he came back to Kendo, he took on a student by the name of Brian Cooper. Who was my Sempai for nearly 7 years. 

Sadly, both Brian and Ishikawa Sensei had life events that made them take a break. Ishikawa had to move away, still in the state, but nearly 7 hours away -- so effectively "gone". 

Ishikawa trained champions, he was a mountain in Kendo. He was a 5.Dan, but only because he stopped practicing and testing for 20 years -- he was easily 7.dan material. 

When we lost Brian, and Ishikawa, we were fortunate enough to start practicing with Uchida Sensei, who has always been with us -- at least for the past 5 years. 

Uchida Sensei is attempting is 7.dan soon. He was awarded 7.dan Iaido last winter. 

For a small pocket, in the middle of America -- I was able to find a small but highly experienced dojo. 

The mere fact that we had Tadanori OTA sensei visiting us...still is beyond me. ITO Dojo has been very fortunate, we need to pass this instruction along, and continue the movement forward...

Always moving forward...