Categories
kendo

The effect keiko has on the character of its practitioners

As it is said that ‘the eyes can speak as well as the mouth,’ it must follow that the language of the eyes is delicate and subtle. French philosopher Georges-Luis Leclerc de Buffon stated that ‘words’ express the character of man; an insightful remark. The sword is also considered to reveal the character of the […]

Categories
equipment kendo

shinai complex

It must have been in 2001. It was the night before the European kendo championships (Bologna I guess) and I was chatting with the then U.K. kendo team coach Honda Sotaro sensei about shinai. In particular, I was unhappy with the shinai I had taken with me to use in the competition and was seeking […]

Categories
kendo

Don’t give advice to other peoples students

他人の弟子をアドバイスするな。 子供たちは順調に伸びていくわけではない。 右に行ったり左に逸れたりしながら伸べていくのだ。 右に曲がっているものを矯正するには、 真っ直ぐではなくて。 左に行きすぎるぐらいにしないと真っ直ぐにはならない。 それが解って指導できるのは、直接の師匠だけなのである。 出稽古などに行って、よその門下生と稽古するときは、 スキがあったら打ってやればいい。メンばかり打ってくる子に、 「コテもドウもあるよ」などと言わない方がいい。 訳あって「メンの稽古をしろ」と言われているかもしれないのだ。 Don’t give advice to other peoples students! Kids (kendo) doesn’t always improve according to plan. If you go too far to the right the only way to fix it is aim left, not by simply going straight ahead. In fact, if you don’t bend […]

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edinburghkendoseminar kendo

Edinburgh Kendo Seminar (2010)

Eikenkai organiser George went back to his home country of Scotland and whilst there managed to conduct a small 2-day kendo workshop as well as some local keiko in the beautiful city of Edinburgh. The two day workshop consisted solely of kihon with only a small amount of jigeiko had. More was planned but due […]

Categories
history kendo

Kendoka shashin meikan

a.k.a. kendoka pictorial directory Editors comment: what follows here is another great translation by Isaac Meyer which I believe will be useful to the researchers out there. This book – kendoka shashin meikan (剣道家写真名鑑) was published in 1925, and it attempts to catalogue the butokukai of that time. This includes not only various pictures but […]

Categories
kendo theory

The kendo lifecycle

(a.k.a.Kendo and you: what it means and how you approach it at various points in your life) I started kendo at the comparatively late age of 19 (I’m 35 now) and, with only 16 years of practise under my belt, I can say with no false humility that my experience is pretty shallow… considering that […]

Categories
kendo

Bokuto ni yoru kendo kihon waza keikoho

I am sure most if not all regular kenshi247.net readers have at least heard of bokuto ni yoru kihon waza keiko ho if not already actively practising it (some people for years I guess). The first time I was introduced to it was in 2000 (or 2001?) at a seminar in Brussels, Belgium (Editor: see […]

Categories
kendo

Tachikiri

(Note this is a guest post from Daniel Zoot) Every year, the kendo community in Aomori conducts two tachikiri events. Tachikiri is often rendered in English as “stand all the way training.” Even has a long time practitioner of kendo, the first time I got to witness tachikiri keiko, I would have been tempted to […]

Categories
history kendo

A very brief look at the formation of reiho used in todays kendo

Without taking your eyes of your partner, and at a distance of roughly 9 steps do a standing bow (ritsurei) of 15 degrees, move your shinai from sageto to taito, take three large steps in and “draw” your shinai in a largish arc up and diagonally down through to the center of your opponent while […]

Categories
kendo theory

The reality of seme

The following is the translation of some notes written by Furuya Fukunosuke hanshi during a kendo lecture at a Yoseikai gasshuku in Nara, 2001*. Furuya hanshi sadly passed away in 2008 but his teachings have been recorded by one of his top students – Uegaki sensei – and published in book format. The book is […]