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.

At the beginning – as is well known – all we did was kirikaeshi and uchikomigeiko. Many people, however, talk as if all we did was keiko all day long – that wasn’t the case. We studied things such as Japanese, Kanbun (Chinese Classics), Budo history, and we only did keiko for only 1.5 hours a day (editors note: I assume that this changed depending on the season/school year).

At Busen, footwork was deemed as the most important skill to learn. However, nobody taught anything in detail, the teachers always shouted “go forward, go forward, more, more!” as you were attacking them. I have no idea how much uchikomigeiko we did everyday, but I know it was a lot. We attacked straight and big, but the mododachi never once let you hit them by opening up their kamae. This meant that you would run into their kensaki. Knowing this we had no choice but to overcome your fear and drive in with force anyway. Keiko was continually like this.

“Why did we have to do this?” you may ask. At the beginning it was very scary and difficult, and your body would have no force behind it. But if you continued if for a while, bit by bit the fear disappeared and your srikes became bolder, straighter, and you went forward with vigour, until it became almost natural. By learning kendo in this difficult situation we got not only the shape of kendo, but we learned what “uchikomigeiko” really is by training our body and mind.

By learning this way, in jigeiko we were able to attack with the feeling of abandon and react to our opponents actions immediately without thought. In otherwords, we trained to attack without hesitation and with force. If you have this spirit and power then your body will follow. This was the point of Busen’s uchikomigeiko.

This is not the style of kendo where you move into your opponent, see how he reacts, then hit him, but one where you simply aim to break their kamae and hit him on the shomen. Of course during jigeiko or shiai there are other waza such as harai, suriage, etc, but these waza are often used with the object of attempting to “win” which is different that what we learned at Busen.

In recent times the aim of kendo for the majority of people has become shiai. The ZNKR realizing this has tried to make amends by creating and revising shiai rules continually, and also with the publication of the Concept of Kendo in 1975. However, its hard to go back and grasp kendo’s original spirt. My feeling is that the way to do this is to abandon all thoughts of winning and losing, and concentrate on “correct” kendo. Don’t be afraid of being hit, just concentrate on hitting correctly and straightly, and from this you will polish your ardour, posture, and sword.

My 3 ideals of kendo (三つの剣道の理想の姿)

真 (truth) : learn and think about kendo in a logical manner;
正 (honesty/correct) : do keiko with the correct approach, this includes not only your heat, but your body and sword as well;
情 (emotion/passion) : even in the most difficult and hard keiko you must not lose your feeling towards your opponent.

The last one – 情 – is the part that I want to keep/protect in kendo the most. You must never do keiko with someone with the feeling of wanting to beat them but with “lets have a fair and correct keiko” and you must have thanks after, despite the result/content of the keiko.

Recently I have seen teams who, having won a particular fight, raise their arms in celebration in front of the losing team. Being happy about a win is fine, but celebrating without considering the feelings of the other team is bad for us as people, and the concept of kendo will slowly disappear.

After the war: Yoseikai (戦後：養正会)

I wrote at the beginning that I was the last graduate of Busen. However, when the school was shut down I was still a 2nd year student. Getting into Busen was quite hard – there were Japanese, Kanbun, and a physical kendo test as well. Out of 500 applicants only 40 of us were selected to enter the 1st year. I studied in Busen as detailed above for 2 years, then Busen was shut down, kendo removed from the curriculum, and reopened with a new name. I continued to study Japanese and Kanbun (no kendo) in the new school and eventually graduated from there However, we were adamant that we were Busen Graduates and petitioned for the right to be seen as so. 5 years after graduating we received an official Busen graduation diploma. This is why we are deemed to be the final graduates of the school.

Even though my time at Busen was short, other graduates, sensei, and sempai continued to practice in the Busen manner after the war, even while kendo was still banned. We started a dojo called the Nankai Dojo (it was under Nankai Railway) in 1949 and all the sensei from the area came to practice here. In 1955 the dojo was moved, Ikeda sensei became the shihan, and it was renamed to Yoseikai. When Ikeda sensei passed away, I became the 2nd shihan of Yoseikai and continue to teach kendo in the Busen manner as I was taught.

Yoseikai is an active dojo in central Osaka. We have many members and often have people from abroad visiting us. Please check out the website.

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 Heian-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 1841), and in the west the Butokuden” such was its place in the center of Japanese budo circles.

Changing times

After the war GHQ dissolved the Butokukai, closed the Budo Senmon Gakko, and the occupying troups confiscated the building. In 1951 Kyoto City bought the Butokuden and it was used by Kyoto Police academy from 1952 until it was closed in 1956. From then on the building was used by the Kyoto City University of Arts music club.

Nowadays

In 1980, after the Kyoto City University Arts music club was closed down, Kyoto City wondered what to do with the now unused Butokuden. The All Japan Kendo Federation (ZNKR) and the Kyoto Kendo Federation made an appeal to the city, the result of which was that the Butokuden would be saved for future generations. In 1983 the building was appraised as a great example of a large wooden structure from the Meiji period and was designated a Kyoto City Tangible Cultural Property. Furthermore, in 1996 is was designated a Japanese Important Cultural Property.

It was in this manner that the Butokuden has been passed down to our generation today and still serves as a place to demonstrate and practise budo.

Every May, from the 2nd-6th, the Butokuden serves as the focus for the Zen Nippon Embu Taikai (also popularly known as the Kyoto Taikai). About 3,000 people (minimum grade is Renshi 6dan) come from all over Japan, and from various countries all over the world, to display the results of their kendo training in the past year.

Links:
Butokuden (Kyoto Budo Centre)
Kyoto Kendo Renmei
606-8323, Kyoto-shi , Saikyo-ku, Shougoin Entomi-cho 46-2

I hope to expand on this and write longer and more in-depth articles about various kenshi from by-gone years (and not limited to just kendo or renowned personages).

In particular, I feel that Takano Sasaburo’s impact on kendo is not fully understood by many modern practitioners, myself included. Doing research for these articles gives me the chance to learn more and clarify my own thoughts and ideas about kendo, which can only be a good thing!

Takano Sasaburo (高野佐三郎) 1862 or 3 – 1950. Ono-ha itto-ryu, kendo hanshi. Notable events in his career: 1879 – Entered Yamaoka Tesshu’s Yubukan 1986 – On Yamaoka’s recommendation he was appointed as a kendo instructor at Keichicho. 1888 – Became a police instructor at Saitama prefectures Police HQ and built a new house and dojo (named Urawa Meishinkan) in Urawa City (now Saitama City). 1896 – Became a chief bujutsu instructor at Saitama Police Academy. 1899 – Established Tokyo Meishinkan (at this time there were 41 sub-branches of Meishinkan around the Kanto area, and he was said to be teaching around 10,000 people, including police and students). 1907+ – Took the lead in teaching kendo at various specialist institutes and universities: Tokyo Koto Shihan Gakko Gekkiken Koshi, Tokyo Koto Kogyo Kendo Shihan, Waseda Daigaku Kendobu Koshi, etc 1911-1917 – Was entrusted by the Butokukai as one of the people to help create/establish kendo no kata. 1913 – Awarded hanshi.

Nakayama Hakudo (中山 博道) 1872 – 1958. Shinto munen ryu and Muso shinden ryu, kendo/iaido/jodo hanshi. Notable events in his career: 1909 – Founded Yushinkan. This dojo taught kendo, iaido, and jodo and was seen as a sogo budo dojo and was ranked alongside Takano Sasaburos Shudokogakuin (established 1928) in prominence. At the same time he was became a Keichisho (Tokyo Metropolitan Police) kendo shihan. 1929 – Nakayama (shidachi) demonstrated the kendo no kata (at that time, nippon teikoku no kata) in front of the emperor with Takano Sasaburo (uchidachi)

Saimura Goro (斎村 五郎) 1887 – 1969, hanshi judan. Notable events in his career: 1906 – Began training as a teacher at the infamous Budo Senmon Daigaku in Kyoto. Learned kendo under Dai Nippon Butokukai shihan Naito. After graduating he went on to become an Assistant teacher at Busen. 1916 – Left for Tokyo. Upon arriving there he became the kendo shihan for Keshicho, Toyama Army School, Imperial Guards, Waseda (various schools), Nippon Daigaku, as well as becoming a professor at Kokushikan Senmon Gakko. After the war – Was the shihan for Keishicho and Kokushikan. 1964 – At the Tokyo Olympics he demonstrated kendo no kata with Mochida.

Mochida Moriji (持田 盛二) 1885 – 1974, hanshi judan. Notable events in his career: 1907 – Began training as a teacher at the infamous Budo Senmon Daigaku in Kyoto. Learned Hokushin Itto-ryu from the Dai Nippon Butokukai shihan Naito. 1919 – Awarded kyoshi by the Butokukai. 1925 – He became the shihan at Chosen Sotokufu (in Korea) 1927 – Awarded hanshi by the Butokukai. 1929 – Takes part and wins the Tenran Budo Taikai (kendo) in front of the then emperor, Hirohito. 1930 – Starts working for Kodansha and becomes the shihan of Noma dojo. 1957 – Awarded Judan by the ZNKR.

]]> http://kenshi247.net/blog/2009/02/13/showa-no-kensei/feed/ 5 http://kenshi247.net/blog/2008/05/05/kyoto-taikai-extended/ http://kenshi247.net/blog/2008/05/05/kyoto-taikai-extended/#comments Mon, 05 May 2008 11:00:17 +0000 George McCall http://kenshi247.net/blog/?p=17

Ok, so everyone knows about the infamous/legendary Kyoto (Embu) Taikai. Founded way-back-when, this year was the 104th time. The embukai takes place in the Butokuden, which was completed in 1899 in Kyoto (next to Heian Jingu) and it served as the hombu dojo for the now defunct Butokukai (a new organisation exists with the same name however).

Anyway, the embukai goes over 4 days: the first day is koryu embu from various schools, followed by loads of naginata, some jodo, and an unbelievable amount of iaido. The second->fifth days are for kendo only, with people demonstrating from lowest grade/youngest age to highest grade/oldest age. The minimum requirement is 6 dan renshi, which makes the youngest possible age of around 32. The most senior people are often in their 90s, and the odd 9dan makes an appearance.

The format is a 2 point match over 3 minutes. If undecided its hikiwake. There is no competition perse, just your 3 minutes.

I called this post Kyoto Taikai EXTENDED for a reason. While the Kyoto Taikai is on (2nd-5th of May every year) this are other budo-related events happening in Kyoto on-and-around the same time: All Japan Iaido federations own embukai, 2 different koryu embukais (one at Shimogamo-jinja), plus Yabusame demonstrations. There is also the kendo-iaido-jodo 8 dan gradings, plus a morning kendo practise each day as well.

i.e. for the discerning budo tourist there is an unbelievable amount you can see in a week. There is also a healthy amount of supply-getting-chances as well, but thats another post….