SHOGO (称号) in Japanese translates simply as “title” or “rank,” and the word can be used in many areas, for example formal titles of nobility, military ranks, scholarly ranks, etc, and informally in the sporting world, between friends, etc.
The use of the word that I will look at here is of-course that to do with the budo world, and specifically the usage promoted by the Dai Nippon Butokukai (1895-1946), and that continues today in one of its spiritual heirs, the Zen Nippon Kendo Renmei (All Japan kendo federation). Please note that the Butokukai information presented here relates to Kendo (variously called gekkiken and kenjutsu) but that eventually all arts under the Butokukai ended up using the system (kyudo, jukendo, et al).
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It’s kind of odd at times how all of us are connected. We all remember our first time walking into a dojo. The odd sights, the sounds, the feeling. Many of us probably didn’t know exactly how to react to it at first.
Starting kendo in the states was a culture shock several hours a week at a time for me. At first it was fascinating, then later frustrating Then I believe it became the glove which I preferred to wear. My sempai told me once when he was teaching kendo in the states, ‘’I have to teach Japanese common sense. It is the most difficult thing’’. I didn’t really know what he meant by that till I started my own club.
People without any sort of Japanese cultural influence can be in for a surprise when they first get into a dojo. As an instructor at that point, I had to try to teach that Japanese common sense and then explain it at times. Why is there no talking during class? Why must you run everywhere? Why does the equipment need to be in a line when we line up? Why must I hear a reply when I speak? What is with the pseudo-military attitude?
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Tsukahara Bokuden (1489/90-1571) is a renowned and well-known kenshi inside and outside of Japan, and is up there with the likes of Matsumoto bizen-no-kami, Kamiizumi Ise-no-kami, and Iisaza Chiosai in relation to his impact on systemising Japanese swordsmanship into the ryu-ha format.
He was born around 1489-1490 as the 2nd son of Urabe Akikata, one of the four retainers of Kashima shrine. As a young boy and teenager, Bokuden was taught the swordsmanship arts passed down within the shrine itself (Kashima Chuko-ryu) by his father, and later learned Tenshin Katori Shinto-ryu from his foster father (who was said to have studied under Iizasa Chiosai himself). It is also said that he learned Matsumoto Bizen-no-kami’s Shinkage-ryu as well, but whether that was from his foster father, or directly by himself is unknown. What is known, however, is that he fought his first duel with a live blade, and went on to fight many more during the duration of his three musha shugyo’s (around the ages of 20, 40, and 60). In total it was said that Bokuden took part in 39 battles and 19 duels with a live blade, never once being injured.
Bokuden lived a long life, and was a successful career swordsman, becoming a retainer of the then Ashikaga Shogunate. Although it is said he never gave a name to his own style (his students would go on to name it Kashima Shinto-ryu) he did pass on his full teachings to three students.
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The Musashi-kai are a group of experienced kenshi based in Japan that seek to promote the systematic training of nito in modern kendo. Up until their creation nito practitioners often had to invent their own methods of fighting using two shinai, often resulting in haphazard, random, or just plain bad technique. They have changed this.
This is the 3rd year that Musashi-kai have taken a delegation abroad (all 3 times to the US) and attendance is guaranteed to be invaluable to people seeking to further their study of nito kendo.
All the information here is subject to change, so please be sure to bookmark the official event page on facebook to ensure up to date and accurate information.
Dates: from Thursday 29th April 2010 until Wednesday 5th May 2010
Location: Boise, Idaho, USA
Host: Idaho kendo club(facebook)
For information about last years seminar please check out: the article on kenshi247.net, the videos on youtube, and the great pictures by Adrian Jones
As part of my summer Musha Shugyo this year I visited the spiritual and historical center of budo in Japan: Kashima and Katori shrines, located in Ibaragi and Chiba prefectures respectively.
Their proximity to each other is very close, about 15 mins by train. Although 400 years ago there were no trains nor cars and travel was done by foot or horse, I can easily imagine kenshi of yore walking between these shrines as part of their musha shugyo.
From the aptly titled article “A bit of Background” please refer to this quote from Meik Skoss to understand the relationship between these shrines and budo culture:
The areas most famous for the development of the classical martial traditions (koryu) are located, as the saying goes, in the Kanto region, “Heiho wa Togoku kara”: heiho comes from the East, referring to the Kanto area surrounding Tokyo (heiho means martial or military arts; strategy). The Kashima and Katori Shrines lie on opposite sides of the Tone River in Ibaraki and Chiba Prefectures.
There are enshrined two of the most important Shinto martial deities: Takemikazuchi no Mikoto (Kashima Jingu) and Futsunushi no Kami (Katori Jingu). They, along with the Buddhist goddess, Marishiten, serve as the patron and protective deices for many of the martial traditions. Historical records show very clearly that young warriors gathered, or were sent by their masters, for advanced training at these shrines, which became centers for the martial arts after the end of the Heian era. Eventually this led to the foundation of the oldest known formal traditions in the martial arts, the Kashima Shinto-ryu and the Katori Shinto-ryu.
As this quote states, these shrines did not only serve as centers for religious and psychological development of warriors, but were also places they could study the more physical aspects as well. Kashima in particular was noted for its training of swordsmen.
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While I was in Kyoto for work at the end of July, I ended up swinging by a historical site that is associated with Miyamoto Musashi: Ichijoji.
Four years after Sekigahara the young Musashi came to the capital. Here he is said to have challenged the Yoshioka school to a duel. Musashi defeated the head of the school, then his successor. The Yoshioka – being one of the most famous schools in the city – could not stand the shame of defeat and asked for a rematch. This time his opponent would be the new head of the school – and the 3rd of three brothers (Musashi having defeated his two elder brothers). Leaving nothing to chance, the supporters of the school selected an isolated area on the outskirts of the town and prepared an ambush. The ambush of-course did not go as the Yoshioka group expected and Musashi not only survived unhurt, but defeated the last of the Yoshioka brothers as well. The shame of this defeat damaged the schools reputation so much that the school was effectively destroyed.
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Of the three great private dojo in Japan (日本の３大私塾道場) – Honma Dojo (Chiba), Shubukan (Hyogo), and Tobukan (Ibaragi) – two remain extant at the time of writing this article: Shubukan and Tobukan. Having been to Shubukan, I decided to take sometime out of my schedule and go to practise at the infamous Tobukan in Mito city, Ibaragi prefecture, and learn more about this influential dojo.
Tobukan was founded on the 1st of January 1874, just three years after the abolition of the domain system in Japan and creation of the modern prefectural system. Mito-han had been an extremely influential domain and was the home of many radical thinkers centered around the domain school Kodokan.
The founder of Tobukan was one Ozawa Torakichi, a Mito-han clansman who had been a kenjutsu instructor at Kodokan along with Chiba Shusaku (the founder of Hokushin-itto-ryu, and an extremely influential figure in kendo’s history). Before taking the post he studied Hokushin itto-ryu at Chiba’s dojo in Edo – Genbukan.
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Background
The Mito-han was a highly influential domain during the entire Edo-period. As a senior branch of the Tokugawa clan their prestige was immense. Mito-han became one of the leading intellectual centers in Japan, and its daimyo and scholars became more and more vocal in challenging the central authority of the shogunate, eventually being instrumental in its dissolution. During the turbulent years leading up to civil war and the Emperors restoration, the domain school that produced these young intellectuals was Kodokan.
The following introductory text is taken from the English leaflet called “Kodokan” (I have slightly reworded sections of it). I will add my own thoughts at the end.
Kodokan: the biggest domain school in Japan
Kodokan was built by Tokugawa Nariaki (1800-1860), the ninth daimyo of the Mito-han in 1841. In those days the Mito-han was facing the fear of the baku-han system crumbling (centralised Shogunate relationship with the provincial clans/domains) and threat from foreign colonial powers. Nariaki initiated a reform of the han administration. As a part of this, he aimed at to introduce higher education for his clansmen. Kodokan was built to achieve this.
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Often when an individual thinks of influential characters in kendo, more likely than not, that individual will think of Japanese kenshi like Mochida Moriji or Takano Sasaburo, or even present day heroes like Eiga or Miyazaki (rightfully so as these people have left a tremendous mark). However, few would think of an American named Dr Gordon Warner. Little information is readily available about Dr Warner and therefore his contributions go unnoticed for the most part. Dr Warner was a pioneer and is largely responsible for bridging the western world to Japanese kendo. In the following post I want to share what I discovered about Dr Warner and encourage those with personal knowledge to contribute below (and please correct any mistakes I may have made!).
As a young boy growing up in Southern California Dr Gordon Warner enjoyed watching chambara movies with his nisei friends, which at that time was very rare due to the absence of cultural understanding. Dr Warner often believed the people in the community thought he may have wandered into the theaters by mistake. It was this early exposure to Japanese culture that sparked his interest in Japanese history and eventually budo.
Dr Warner, a social studies major at the University of Southern California, was a large athletic man. Standing at 6′4″Dr Warner was on the varsity swim team. During this time he also decided to pursue judo and kendo at a local dojo. After graduating in June 1936, Dr Warner entered the United States Marine Corps as a 2nd lieutenant. It was during his time in basic training that Dr Warner met two officers Colonel Biddle (at the time a renowned fencer and foremost hand-to-hand combat instructor) and Captain Puller, who both encouraged him to continue studying budo, noting that kendoist were adept at parrying attacks during bayonet drills.
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Event: Musashi Kai Nito Kendo Seminar
Host: North Virginia Budokai, Washington DC
Pictures: See pictures of the seminar by the Adrian Jones on flickr.
‘Yes we can!’
This is the second Musashi Kai Seminar I have attended in the United States, the first was organised as part of a Japanese cultural event in Salt Lake City, Utah. For those not in the know the Musashi Kai, it is a Non Profit Organisation dedicated to the systematic learning and application of Nito kendo. They are led under the main instruction of Nakamura Tenshin. And probably most well known for their book ‘Nito-Ryu no Waza to Riron’. Which is, as far as I’m aware the only systemised guide to the application of nito in shinai kendo. They do not have a dojo as such but meet once a month for keiko. All members practice at other kendo clubs and all practice Itto kendo alongside nito kendo.
The seminar was led by Sato Futoshi, Rokudan Renshi, Chief Director of Musashi Kai NPO and Fujii Ryoichi, Nanadan, Kyoshi, Fukuoka Branch President. They were assisted by two 4th dan members of the club. The seminar programme was much more extensive than previously, due to the 2 day, 10am-6pm schedule. Needless to say as soon as I received an invite I was swiftly looking for cheap flights to Washington.
Read More Post a comment (3)The Japanese team for the 14th World Kendo Championships to be held this year in Brazil has been announced on June 1st (Japanese here). I am sure you will spot many familiar names, in both the mens and ladies teams.
Its not surprise that the mens team mainly consists of police, and not a few of the ladies team either. What is slightly different from before is the more experienced age of the ladies team, however.
Team leader: Inoue (Nara)
Mens manager: Kato (Tokyo)
Mens coach: Furukawa (Hokkaido)
Mens team:
1. Uchimura, 29, 5dan, Tokyo, Police (Keishicho)
2. Kiwada, 30, 6dan, Osaka, Police
3. Shodai, 28, 5dan, Kanagawa, Police
4. Takanabe, 32, renshi 6dan, Kanagawa, Police
5. Teramoto, 34, renshi 6dan, Osaka, Police
6. Nakano, 29, 5dan, Kyoto, Police
7. Furusawa, 31, renshi 6dan, Kumamoto, Police
8. Hojo, 33, renshi 6dan, Kanagawa, Police
9. Matsuwaki, 30, 6dan, Tokyo, Police (Keishicho)
10. Wako, 32, renshi 6dan, Hokkaido
Ladies manager: Kanzaki (Osaka)
Ladies coach: Ishida (Osaka) [renshi 7dan]
Ladies team:
1. Otsuji, 26, 5dan, Osaka, Police
2. Kondo, 30, 6dan, Osaka, Police
3. Sakuma, 23, 4dan, Yamagata, Teacher (high school)
4. Shimokawa, 28, 5dan, Kagoshima, Teacher (university)
5. Shojima, 32, renshi 6dan, Tokyo, Police (Keishicho)
6. Shinzato, 27, 5dan, Nigata, Sports Association worker
7. Takami, 23, 4dan, Chiba, Teacher (private)
8. Tsubota, 28, 5dan, Okayama, Police
9. Murayama, 34, renshi 6dan, Saitama, Police
10. Yamamoto, 20, 4dan, Osaka, Police
3 years ago when the International Kendo Federation (IKF) entered GIAF and rebranded itself FIK many people wondered whether it was for the protection of kendo as it exists today, or for a push to join the Olympics. Like many others I had assumed (and unashamedly hoped) it was the former. However, a new piece of news caught my attention recently that has made me wonder out loud (see picture).
Since that picture was taken (Dec 2008) it has been decided: a new international martial arts competition – “SportAccord Martial Arts and Combat Sports Games” – will be held in Beijing in September 2010 and kendo will take part.
According to this months issue of Kenso (the ZNKR monthly magazine) kendo’s participation will be some non-shiai demonstration matches and perhaps some individual competition, not something on the scale of the World Kendo Championships. However – I don’t know about you – it seems like a rather large step forward in the direction of Olympic participation.
For a little bit of English information from FIK, see here.
As every kendoka knows, Busen (Budo Senmon Gakko) was – along with Tokyo Koto Shihan Gakko – the premier place for training kendoka before the war. It was run by the Butokukai and was based in the legendary Butokuden in Kyoto. People who graduated from here went on to train kenshi all over the country. The schools impact on modern kendo cannot be underestimated. During the post WW2 occupation the school was renamed and its martial arts practice banned.
The subject of this article is about the person who was said to be the last graduate from Busen – Furuya Fukunosuke hanshi. Furuya sensei was well known in the Kansai area and taught at a few different dojo, including my own one in central Osaka – Yoseikai. I managed to do keiko with him only a few times before his health deteriorate to the point where he could not practice. Even after that point he still came to the dojo and attended a couple of gasshuku, thus I luckily had the chance to learn something from him. unfortunately, at the relatively young age of 81, Furuya sensei died last December.
My sempai and sensei reacted sadly at his death – not only because of his young age nor due to his impact in the kendo of the area – but his passing is also hard evidence that the kendo world is changing for ever. Gone and going are the sensei who learned kendo at legendary places such as Busen. Can we live up to their legacy? Well, only time will tell.
My ardour, posture, and sword were cultivated by breaking through the opponents kamae during keiko (相手の剣を割っていく稽古で気勢、体勢、剣勢が養えた)
I am the last graduate from Busen. This was a special school aimed for people who wished to pursue kendo as a professional career. At that time, training there was completely different from normal dojo. First of all, everyone was treated as a beginner, and kendo was taught to you from the start, no matter if you were experienced or not.
Read More Post a comment (9)Founding of the Butokuden
in 1895 on the 1,100 year anniversary of the transferring of the Japanese capitol to Kyoto (Heian-kyo), and as part of the building of Heian-jingu, the Butokuden construction began. It was originally meant as a demonstration platform for the Butokukai. It was completed in 1899 on the north-west side of the Hein-jingu complex. If was then also designated as a school for training Martial Arts teachers (later it would become the Budo Senmon Gakko).
At that time it was said “in the east there is Kodokan (built 1884), and in the west the Butokuden” such was its place in the center of Japanese budo circles.
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Editors note: this post is just for general informational purposes.
The format of one of Japans premier kendo competition – the Todofuken Taiko Kendo Yusho Taikai (aka the Todofuken, or in English the “All Japan Team competition”) – has changed from this year, 2009.
The main theme of the change was two-fold: to include high school and university students in the mix, and to break the competition into male and female ones. One of the main female only competitions – the All Japan Housewives competition – has been subsumed into this new female competition.
For background on what it was before along with a more detailed explanation, historical information/results, and links, please read this article.
Member Makeup (starting 2009)
Here are details on the selection procedures for both competitions. Please note that this is based on what was published by the Osaka Kendo Renmei, it is possible (but unlikely) that other prefectures follow a different selection process.
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Every year the University of Valencia in Spain makes an effort to bring the head coach of the Waseda University in Tokyo (Yano-sensei) along with some members of the team. They all train with us during a long weekend and eventually join the 3-kenshi team competition on saturday. This time around Yano-sensei suffered a severe achilles tendon injury a couple days prior to his visit to European lands, so Takashita-sensei 2nd in command took the wheel of the seminar.
Now, since I’ve been training with these waseda students for the 3rd or 4th year in a row on this one taikai I figured this year I could make a small survey about their views on both Spanish/International kendo and general modern kendo for kenshi247.net
The two questions are as follows:
1. What is your opinion on the International/Spanish kendo you have seen outside Japan and/or in this tournament?
2. What would you personally add to modern kendo, or bring back from old kendo/gendai budo?
Name: HARA (M)
Age: 22 (4th Year Uni Student)
Grade: 3-dan
1. “I’m very happy to see Japanese culture integrated and accepted in other cultures, seeing this I feel inspired to teach kendo someday”
2. “Everything is so beautiful and gentle nowadays, but perhaps it would be nicer if we could bring some of the more harsh/rough ways from old”.
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Photograph By Gillian Reade
This weekend saw the biggest ever gathering of kendoka ever in Ireland 100 kendoka coming from clubs from Ireland, UK, Belgium, France, Poland, USA and Italy.
The weekend began for almost everyone with a 7 hour seminar with Yanai Sensei 7th Dan on Friday morning. We began by going back to basics and learning how to correctly cut men (from 4th Kyu to 5th Dan). Its crazy how many aspects you forget as you “progress” in kendo. We moved on to putting this together with fumikomi and worked it all into kihon and up to nidan waza.
Last year my sempai and good friend achieved his long desired goal of working abroad in a Japanese embassy. Since leaving university (kendo specialist) and embarking in a career as a security guard he had continued to practise kendo as part of his job, eventually becoming his company team captain, winning the All Japan Companies taikai a couple of years ago, and even representing Osaka prefecture in the All Japan Team championships (Todofuken taikai).
The group is based in New Delhi and is actively opening its doors to people who are travelling in the area, or live in the city, and wish to study kendo. In the first instance, please get in touch with us at kenshi247.net.
Check out/bookmark/subscribe to the kenshi247 hosted webpage for more updates as they arrive: KENINKAI
I wish their group the best of luck with their kendo practise and hope that their numbers will swell given time. If they can get some local people interested in kendo as well then perhaps this is the start of something big. Lets hope so.
Eikenkai is an informal group of friends in the Kansai area of Japan that seek to promote and develop kendo for the foreign community. We have strong connections in the area and wish to utilise these to make peoples stay or visit in the area a great kendo experience.
Our February keikokai was a jam packed: 45 mins of kihon, 45 mins of jigeiko, kendo no kata embu, two iaido embus (Hoki and Mugai ryu), and a hands-on how-to-use-a-katana lesson aimed at iaido inexperienced kendoka. Following all this we ate and drank into the evening at our sempai’s restaurant.
People participating came from 6 countries spanning 5 prefectures, from mudansha to kodansha, and 4 different ryu-ha’s as well as kendo were represented.
If you are in the area and are interested in our group, then please check out EIKENKAI.NET for more information.
