Kendo for LIFE

Kendo-Guide.Com Newsletter, Issue #031 - Ken wa hito nari - The sword is You -

A Happy New Year!

Thank you for reading the Kendo-Guide.Com Newsletter, Issue #031.

Sorry for the delay of greeting. Did you have a good start? It was the first new year for my daughter. She makes everything so special.

Babies can do many things that we cannot do. It is interesing that I once was a baby too but I cannot make things better with just one smile as my daughter can. When she smiles, everything lights up!

More pages to read! Give it away!

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New Year Resolution

This year, I have a plan to have a seminar. I would like to get my sensei and my friends (hopefully more than one) to Indiana and hold a Kendo seminar. It will not be very cheap so I have to raise a bunch this year.

I am not an expert in getting sponsors so if you know anything about that, please give me advice.

In this issue, I want to share a story from my conversation with my sensei.

Hope you enjoy the article.

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What we have in this issue is shown below. Enjoy this Newsletter!

Table of Content

- Kendo Q & A -

- Kendo Work Shop -

- Ken wa hito nari　- the sword is you -

- Comments or Questions -

There are links to change your email address for the newsletter or unsubscribe at the bottom of every newsletter. Thanks!

- Kendo Q & A -

- Different types of bow

- Shoulder injury

- Japanese armor (yoroi) question and more

- Kendo Work Shop -

- Hitting men-buton from behind the partner

- Bokuto Ni Yoru Kendo Kihon Waza Keiko Ho

- Changing grip against nito and jodan

Ken wa hito nari- the sword is you -

The last time I talked him on the phone, he was telling me who had been challenging 8-dan. Those senseis I've known apparently have been challenging 8-dan. They are really good, of course.

However, my sensei whispered one thing.

"They are strong but their personality, human character is not there yet."

As we all know about the concept of kendo, we must discipline the human character. My sensei was worried about the current state of kendo at the dojo in Japan.

Many want to do kendo and be good at it. Yet they've forgotten something very important to train. That is Kokoro, mind.

Ken wa hito nari

And Shimada Toranosuke completes the sentence by saying, "Kokoro tadashi-karazu wa mata ken tadashi-karazu. Ken wo manabanto hossuru mono wa mazu wa kokoro yori manabubeshi".

Translation: If your mind is not right, your sword is not right either. If you are a person who wants to learn the way of the sword, learn how to set the mind correctly first.

Very straight forwards, isn't it? Yet very hard to do.

My sensei has been telling me that those who instruct kendo have lost "passion" to instruct children; passion to teach and passion to pursue the way of the sword. Also he mentioned, "they are thinking only about themselves".

As a matter of fact, my sensei was not only sensei at the dojo but also outside of the dojo. He took us hiking and bowl making (with clay) and showed us how to socialize on business occasion when we became adults. He taught us not only kendo but many other things.

As one of his students, I have been trying to be like him but not even close yet. The conversation with my sensei gave me a chance (again) to think about "the way".

- Comments or Questions -

If you have a kendo related question, please go to Kendo Q&A and use a special form for that.

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