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20^th Kodokan International kendo seminar

Looking back I’ve written reports for this seminar for the last nine years (since 1996) although I’ve lost the first few of these. The others can be found on the KODOKAN website or the Do Shin Ken Yu Kai website

The seminar has been running since 1985 with reports on the earlier seminars being sporadic and then later on being written by Frank Dutton.

As I remember, the first two seminars were run by the Thames valley kyokai who invited Junpei Matsumoto (then a dashing young Godan) to teach and lead the practices.

I missed the first of these but vividly remember the second: running round the grounds of Green Park at 6.30 in the morning and training in mawari style until nauseous. Each of the practices concluded with 100-120 tonde suburi in full armour. It was very hard, character building even.

The participants of the 2nd seminar in 1986

The next year the seminar was lead by Shoji Enomoto. (Rokudan at the time). At this point my kendo was very limited. I liked to hit people (hard) and didn’t really mind how I did this. I was unfortunate to have a little talent and this had led me to believe that because I could beat people in shiai my kendo was improving. Enomoto sensei started the seminar with a talk on SEME (what’s that I wondered). He introduced and demonstrated such concepts as using Maai to defeat the opponent and showed a whole variety of ways to open the opponent’s centre. He talked about different timings and showed how to stymie or encourage attacks from the opponent. In short he opened my eyes to what kendo was really about (I still have my copy of the notes that he left at the end of the seminar). This was really an excellent seminar/event. For me the high point of the kendo year. However the best was yet to come….

The following 17 years of the seminar have each been led by Masatake Sumi sensei. Initially as a Nanadan, later as a Hachidan and most recently as Hanshi. Over the years Sumi sensei’s technique has matured and developed. He started out as an excellent teacher refining over the years to be come one of the great teachers with a true insight into our exact requirements

Each year Sumi Sensei has started with a theme, shared with the participants at the opening address. The seminar then unfolds, with practices used to tease out the strands of the theme.

The majority of what I have learned about kendo has been learnt during these well crafted sessions. I owe Sumi Sensei a great deal. I believe in fact that the BKA owes Sumi Sensei a great deal as many other members have benefited from his teachings and for this we must thank Paul Budden and the Kodokan dojo.

Sumi Sensei's opening address

This year the seminar took very much the form of a retrospective. Junpei Matsumoto returned as did Tashiro sensei and Kumamoto sensei. Also visiting from Japan were Nagao sensei and Shinbo sensei. As usual the team of teachers was strengthened by Howell sensei, Yanai sensei, Holt sensei and Honda sensei.

In his opening address Sumi Sensei looked back at events from previous years. Several of the teachers received gifts and there was a general feeling of satisfaction with what had been achieved and how the nature of the seminar and the nature of the practices had changed. However we must not become complacent so expect next year’s seminar to break new ground.

The usual format was employed with participants being put into teams. Each team has a general and a captain. A slight difference this year was that each team had a 7^th Dan leading it. Much of the practice centred round alternative ways to use the Kihon Keiko Ho. The general of my team was Kumamoto sensei. He suggested alternative waza to replace the ones generally practised in the kihon. We practised these waza with bokuto to learn the movements and then put on armour and used the same set of adaptations in shinai kendo. There was much discussion of timing, distance, use of seme etc. with each team getting slightly different fine detail, but everyone getting the overall message (Kihon keiko ho is not fixed. It is a tool for teaching waza to beginners and experienced fencers alike. It is an excellent way to develop good form and appreciation of distance and timing).

As always we used shiai matches and refereeing to decide which of the teams was the best.

All of the practices followed the same format with the generals doing the bulk of the teaching and Sumi Sensei/Tashiro Sensei circulating and giving advice and demonstrations on fine points.

Sumi Sensei teaching about the triangulation of the referees

A particularly interesting feature of this year’s seminar was a lecture on the history of the shinai and Bogu led by Nagao Sensei.

He suggested that the rise of modern Kendo can be largely attributed to the development of the equipment used.

It was realised during the Edo period by most sword teachers that students needed a practice weapon that was less dangerous than the bokken (wooden sword), if they were to practice without restraints on their technique. It seems likely that several different traditions all hit on similar ways of solving this problem at roughly the same time.

Nagao Sensei lecturing on the history of kendo

The earliest form of the bamboo shinai may have been developed by Hikida Bungoro (approx. 1537-1606) of Hikida Ryu (Hikida-Kage Ryu). This weapon was almost like a bokuto in its weight and stiffness.

Kamiizumi Ise no Kami (1508-78) founder of the Shin-Kage Ryu and Yamada Heizaemon (d 1578) founder of Jikishin-Kage Ryu also both used a form of shinai in their training. And even at this early date Yamada was experimenting with head and arm protectors.

The shinai was also used in the Maniwa Nen Ryu and in the Yagyu Shinkage Ryu.

In the early eighteenth century the Jikishin-Kage ryu was regularly using shinai-geiko to supplement the kata practice associated with bokken training.

What is clear is that KENJUTSU was dangerous. It was not unusual during training or KATA for the participants, masters and pupils alike to be seriously wounded, maimed or even killed. So it was necessary in the spirit of nurturing the arts to adapt the weapons used and to develop protective equipment.

Early armours and practice swords were the work of several masters of the EDO ERA (1603-1867). The armour was inspired by that worn by great generals and included a helmet (KABUTO) to protect the head and shoulders, chest/waist protectors and fencing gloves.

ONO TADAAKI of the ITTO RYU developed or adopted for his school an artificial sword made of bamboo strips. A pupil of Ono Chuichi, NAKANISHI CHUTA added to and improved his teacher’s efforts. His practice weapon was made of bamboo reeds, 16 to 32 strips, covered with cloth and was roughly the same weight as a live sword. It was known as a FUKURO SHINAI and was the forerunner of the YOTSUWARA SHINAI (Four Section) used in KENDO today.

By about the middle of the eighteenth century CHUTA had developed the sword glove or KOTE and remodelled the artificial sword into a supple but strong version made of four strips of bamboo. In the period 1765-1770 Nakanishi developed a "DO" chest/waist protector.

NAKANISHI CHUTA was a very gifted fencer and founder of the Nakanishi Ha Itto Ryu, a new tradition.

The various branches of the ITTO RYU in which pupils were compelled to wear armour and use a SHINAI gained in popularity. The great advantage was that the pupil could be confident of striking without wounding. He could concentrate his efforts on the force and rapidity of his blows, so making considerable progress in a short time. Eventually, in spite of some reservations and a great deal of debate most of the other RYU in Japan in turn adopted the SHINAI and protective equipment, although these would have varied greatly in design.

By 1760, swordsmen could choose between; Wooden Swords (BOKKEN), the SHINAI or the more traditional KATANA

Later developments in protection were the separation of the TARE from the chest protector. There were also many changes and refinements to the MEN (Head/throat protector).

In the 1800s there were hundreds of ryu practicing "shinai-geiko" as the art became more and more popular with the non-samurai classes.

At this time there were no regulations governing the length or weight of shinai, or the design of BOGU. Some people used very long shinai. Nagao sensei showed a photo of one owned by the British museum that is perhaps 2 metres long. Very long shinai were mainly used for thrusting at the opponent from long distances and probably used techniques borrowed from SOJUTSU (Spear art).

There was an example shown of a shinai from the Muto ryu (Yamaoka Tesshu’s school). In this school a very short but heavy shinai is used mainly for cutting at close range. Using such a short weapon develops spirit.

Different lengths and weights of shinai obviously led to a huge variety of techniques and methods. This in turn led to variations in protective equipment.

Three Dojos gained great popularity towards the end of this era of development. They became known as the “Three Great Dojos of Edo.”  They were: Genbukan led by Chiba Shusaku Sensei, Renpeikan led by Saito Yakuro Sensei and Shigakkan led by Momoi Shunzo Sensei.

There were of course many other successful dojos at this time but due to location or the austerity of the training regime they did not draw such large numbers of followers.

Chiba sensei attempted to systematize the Waza (techniques) of bamboo sword training by establishing the “Sixty-eight Techniques of Kenjutsu” which were classified in accordance with striking points. Techniques such as Suriage-men were named by Chiba Sensei and are still used today.

(The above is based on the discussion led by Nagao Sensei and my own further reading into this subject. Errors of understanding are of course my own).

IPD lecture

Iain’s lecture this year looked back on some of the topics covered over previous years. Doing the research and preparation for these lectures has caused him to question many preconceptions. Working with PE students in a university and more recently school children has led to a greater understanding of his own kendo.

Steve Bishop Training lecture

This year Steve looked at training methods from outside the traditional approach. For emphasis he used the example of Jonathan Edwards (triple jump world and Olympic champion, world record holder).

For most of his career Edwards was a journeyman competitor. He was quite talented. Generally doing quite well, never really performing at the highest levels. Things changed when he began to use a scientifically planned program of power-lifting to develop his strength and power in specific muscle groups.

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Steve Bishop lectures on strength conditioning

The exercises employed by Edwards are just as applicable to kendoka. Using the whole body to lift a weight to the chest uses the same muscles as those used in a kendo cut. By diligent training in the right proportion one can greatly increase the power and efficiency of one’s movement, to the benefit of one’s performance (contact S. Bishop for more details).

In conclusion

Once again we were treated to the highest quality of training and were given the opportunity to see and feel what the very best standard of kendo is like.

The high point of the seminar for me this year was being able to practise all of the Nihon Kendo No Kata with either Sumi sensei or Tashiro Sensei. Anyone who knows me knows of the importance that I place on Kata in developing quality kendo. To feel the intensity, experience my own weaknesses and be given insights into how I can improve was very motivating.

The attendees of this years seminar

As usual the seminar ran smoothly (thanks to Paul Budden and the members of the KODOKAN). Everyone trained hard and took away new ideas to incorporate into their own practice. I’m looking forward to 2006 and another decade of training with Sumi Sensei.

G.O’Donnell (Do Shin Ken Yu Kai)