Notice is also given of a Charity Practice that will be held on Sunday 11 November under the auspices of Paul Whiteman’s dojo near Southend. Monies raised will go towards helping a children’s charity near his dojo so we hope that as many members as possible from both inside and outside the Renmei will make the effort to attend.
The more that do so, the better the chance of an excellent practice such as we have at Tunbridge Wells. Its also a good chance to put the Olympic razzmatazz behind you!
We plan to hold the Autumn examination into and within the dan degrees at Tunbridge Wells on the morning of the third Sunday in September. This will be confirmed shortly and a subject set for the written part of the proceedings.
Date now confirmed as Sunday 14th October.
It is always a pleasure to have visits by old friends and Yasuda-san’s stay in late-May was no exception. We have known this strong lady Kendoka for thirty years, first meeting at the 25th Anniversary of the Kobe Isshinkan Dojo – and, again, at the 50th Anniversary in 2005, in addition to being invited twice to stay at her house in order to visit the great Kasuga Shrine and Nara Kendo.
The Butokukan Dojo was very well attended for this long-promised visit and many members were able to have a practice.
One of the pleasures of visiting seniors lie in the small ways that fresh insight enters one’s awareness through what they say, particularly when they are more relaxed. In the case of the present visit it was interesting to talk about the subtle ways that sports-Kendo has moved away from the older traditions of only fifteen or so years ago. Maybe, without intending to be impertinent, an experienced ‘foreigner’ might see things clearer because of the distance from the centre and only intermittent contact. One of these points appears to be the move to slightly simplify the ubiquitous Kendo Kata, thus taking away or undermining the real teaching of some forms. For example: is irimi-seigan-no-kamae still present? Is the meaning of the hand mudra (ritual ‘seals’) explained to students at all? It certainly used to be. Lots of food for thought which can only be regarded as positive.
We thank Yasuda-sensei for her visit and trust that she found it worthwhile.
The British Kendo Renmei (Eikoku Kendo Renmei in Japanese) was founded in 1973 with the object of providing an alternative choice for Budo (Kendo) students who were more interested in practising and developing their understanding of the traditional arts and ways of the Japanese martial culture than those sword-Budo systems that interpret and present Kendo mainly in terms of competitive sport.
The following members have been advanced to Shodan rank under the authority of the British Kendō Renmei at the Shōdan Shinsa held at the Tunbridge Wells Dōjō on Sunday, 25th March 2012.
Virginie Bayle (Butokukan)
Melanie Carr (Butokukan)
Arran Crutcher (Butokukan)
David Munn (Butokukan)
Jessica Waring (Butokukan)
Congratulations from all our Kendōka and our Japanese Kendō friends.
