Friday 14 June 2013

2013 Ottawa Kyudo Workshop

Kyudo, the Japanese art of archery, is a martial art that uniquely balances both cultural and spiritual training, with the technical aspects of a martial based discipline. Since the Kyudo Association of Canada's (KAC) inception in 2010, the Vancouver and Toronto clubs have worked tirelessly to develop their students and make an impact on the world stage. With over 20 delegates at the International Kyudo Federation's (IKYF) America Seminar each of the last two years, and another large group expected this year in South Carolina, the potential for Kyudo to grow in Canada is starting to be realized.

It was an exceptionally pleasant Sunday afternoon on June 9, 2013, as the KAC hosted their first introductory workshop and demonstration in the city of Ottawa. Held at the Japan Karate Association’s (JKA) beautifully-detailed private dojo in the heart of our nation's capital, participants of the workshop were ushered onto floor promptly at 1pm and regaled with an hour-and-a-half of history, culture, and martial philosophy.
The session began with an overview of Kyudo as a Japanese martial art. Topics in the slideshow included:

  • The history of Kyudo and modern influences
  • The different styles of Kyudo
  • Organizations and Globalization
  • Equipment and Uniforms
  • How to make Kyudo a part of your life

Subsequent feedback was largely positive, as a survey revealed over 3/4 of the participants had interest in learning more about the history and martial theory.
                                        
Patrick Suen – 2 dan
Up next was a special demonstration of “Hitotsu Mato (Makiwara in this case) Sharei”, a single target ceremonial shoot. Everyone present (including the organizers) was in for a treat; as the two highest ranked Kyudo practitioners in Canada would be performing this routine together for the very first time. KAC’s only shogo (teacher title) holder, Mie Takahashi (Renshi 5 dan) was joined by KAC president, Motomasa Mori (4 dan) for this special two-person sharei. They did not disappoint, as the level of physical and mental focus was breathtaking.

Mie Takahashi – Renshi 5 dan
Motomasa Mori – 4 dan
Following the demonstration, participants were encouraged to ask questions and discuss their impression of Kyudo. Several audience members talked about the similarities they see within other practices; as Zen, meditation, firearm training, and cultural rituals were brought up. Current students were asked their opinions of the most difficult and most rewarding aspects of the training, with passionate responses from KAC Toronto volunteers Hanna Ikeda-Suen (2 dan) and Cathy Tang (mudan) rounding out the day.

There are many organizations and individuals that need to be recognized for the successful hosting and promotion of this event: 

·      Ottawa Japan Karate Association for allowing us to hold this ground-breaking event in their dojo;

·      Tateyama Iaido and Jodo club for donating their regular class time and space;

·      Ottawa JET Alumni Association for promoting this event through an article in their May newsletter;

   Hanna Ikeda-Suen – 2 dan & Cathy Tang - Mudan
·      The following organizations also need to be thanked for advertising the workshop through their classes, building, social media and word of mouth. Attendance from each of these groups also showed a diversity of interests and backgrounds.
o    Ottawa Japanese Language School (OJLS)
o    Ottawa Japanese Community Association & Cultural Centre (OJCA/OJCC)
o    Embassy of Japan
o    Ottawa Sogetsu Ikebana School
o    Ottawa Kendo Club (Takahashi Dojo)
o    Ottawa Aikikai

The KAC and Seikyu Kai (Toronto JCCC Kyudo Club) look forward to growing our relationship with each of these clubs and centres to promote and spread Japanese Culture and Arts in the future.

Photographs courtesy of Stan Vardomiskiy, Tateyama Dojo


Sunday 9 June 2013

2013 Guelph Recap Notes

On Saturday, May 25 - the first weekend following Victoria Day - Mu Mon Kai held a special "recap" class to review the specific instruction and comments made to our senior members (4 Dan+) . The goal was to consolidate the information and ensure key points are focused on for the year leading up to the 2014 Guelph Iaido Seminar. While mostly consistent, a couple of points came up that require further analysis and commitment by Sensei on which alternative to adhere to. 

The following notes are beneficial to everyone, but are especially relevant to individuals in the following groups in decreasing order:MMK Students

  1. Students with direct lineage under Goyo Ohmi Sensei
  2. Eastern Canadians
  3. All Canadians
  4. North Americans
  5. Rest of the world - excluding Japan

Having said that, we would very much welcome input from anyone regarding their perspective on any of these points.

Enjoy!
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General Theory and Observations by Sensei

1)       RESPECT and ETIQUETTE
         Attitude is crucial, even when not practicing
         Sitting and standing posture while Sensei is talking shows respect – Do not cross arms. Always have thumb on tsuba or hand on tsuka.
         The sword is used to protect yourself, your family, and your country.

2)       PURPOSE OF IAIDO
         To develop personal character rather than killing the opponent
         The goal is to make the opponent give up – to destroy their “killing intention” rather than their life
         The body is the target, but not the purpose
         The Japanese sword can be used for both offense and defense, unlike other weapons that are only offensive
         Don’t think about the killing – Iaido is a heart-to-heart conversation with your opponent – this differentiates Iai-jutsu from Iai-do
         You can take this philosophy into your everyday life

3)       FOCUS POINTS
         Beginners – Form and Technique. Students should understand the philosophy and purpose of Iaido (mentioned above) so they do not abuse it – otherwise, society would reject Iaido. (get rid of crazy students)
         Intermediate – Distance and Timing – ki-ken-tai-ichi and rational as budo (understand the scenario)
         Advanced – Feeling – kihaku (dignified presence) and riai (theory)

4)       BREATHING
         With proper breathing, all kata can be performed correctly
         Exhale on every cut – should be forceful then stop quickly – matching the timing of the cut
         Exhale when standing up after noto and when hand comes off tsuka.
         Use “belly breathing” (using abdominal muscles) on both inhale and exhale – full abdomen expands on inhale – lower abdomen pushes out on exhale  (upper abdomen squeezes in and pushes out lower abdomen)
         Actions during keiko:
o    Kata 1-4 – On hajime, exhale wherever you are in the breath cycle, then inhale, put hands on tsuka and start exhale on breaking of koiguchi with thumb
o    Kata 5-12 – On hajime, exhale wehever you are in the breath cycle, then inhale, start to walk at start of exhale
         Point of Contention – Timing of hands starting
o    Inhale to 50%, then start with hands reaching at 80%
o    Inhale to 80%, then start hands and exhale
         Ideally, kata should finish in one breath, but you may inhale at key times when stationary if this is not possible.

Grading and Judging

On Sunday afternoon at the Guelph seminar, the 6th Dan+ participants were called into a judging class with Kishimoto Sensei. Hanna was asked to help with translations, and a few lower ranked members were asked to be examples.
         Justin Lee (MMK) – No rank eligible for 1 Kyu in December
         Joe Oliveira (MMK) – 1 Dan eligible for 2 Dan in December
         Martin Stabler (Kenshokan) – 2 Dan eligible for 3 Dan in December

Basic (non-kata) Judging points were explained followed by a breakdown for specific ranks.

Grading Standards
      In Japan, gradings up to 5 Dan are held locally. In Canada it is the same.
      In some countries certain levels are harder/easier than others. It is very important to have consistent standards world-wide. Therefore, judges must have uniform understanding.
      The number of judges required for pass/fail and who are eligible to judge is different in different countries, but basically follow the guidebook
      Chakuso, dress code, is part of etiquette and is crucial judging point. Ushers and administrators should help graders prior to entering the grading area. (eg. Help ensure the hakama back is higher than front)

Grading Tape/Line
      The tape is 30cm and with its corners stretching back (away from judges) forms a square 30cm x 30cm
      The challenger’s toes must be within this box (preferably feet inside the box) for ONLY opening and closing shomen-rei
o    Q: What if knees go over line on to-rei? That’s ok
o    Q: What if feet are over line after closing to-rei? Take steps back until you are inside box before closing shomen-rei.
      Tape disappears afterwards in terms of start/end of kata and to-rei
      Disclaimer: In a shiai (tournament match) it could make a difference in terms of awareness, but not in gradings

Rank
Judging Points
   1 Kyu
     Level should be close to 1 Dan
     Judged on Reiho, Dress code, and Basic technique
     Dress code is a major deduction, but not a fail point (unlike all other ranks)
     Challenger can make lots of small mistakes, but not large ones
     Errors in reiho may be corrected by the judges (i.e. koiguchi is open during to-rei, starting walking with wrong foot)
     Most 1 Kyu challengers should pass
   1 Dan
     Judging should be stricter than 1 Dan
     Dress code MUST be correct from this rank onward
     Etiquette MUST be correct from this rank onward
     Technical points: Correct nukitsuke, kiritsuke, chiburi, and noto
o    Accuracy should be the focus, not speed or power (i.e. finishing positions of the tip)
o    Correct form is more important than good technique
   2 and 3 Dan
     There seems to be a large variance in skill between countries – some are stricter than others, some have longer time periods between eligibility to test.
     Accuracy is even more important at this level. (i.e. Toes need to be aligned when sitting in seiza)
     Challenger should have some idea of having an opponent (i.e. metsuke and timing should be evident) – doesn’t have to be good, just evident
     Being weak is ok as long as waza is correct (i.e. proper grip)
     For 3 Dan, overall technique should be stronger, smoother, and show a better understanding of opponent
   4 and 5 Dan
     Challenger should not be nervous and make nervous mistakes
     Need ki-ken-tai-ichi and ­kihaku
     General attitude and character is important
     Technique should make sense as a budo

Review of Kata

The focus of this session was to recap the corrections/instructions we specifically received for each kata. We are not going over points that are written in the seitei manual. Several pointers (especially from Hatakenaka Sensei) mentioned “Too many people” – indicating general faults that everyone needs to fix; other points may be person or dojo specific and should be reviewed with your Sensei before attempting.

Variations in opinion are marked as “Points of Contention” and require clarifications or decisions from 6 Dan and above.

0)       GENERAL
      Too many people have their stance forward rather than equal between both feet.
o    Q: Where should knee be in relation to foot? Depends on the person’s anatomy. Key is that you are balanced.
      Sword Tip – In the Japanese manual, it differentiates between kissaki and ken-sen. Unfortunately, that’s not the case in the English version. Need to pay attention to kata the specify the difference.

1)       MAE
      On furikaburi, need more emphasis on blade turning upwards
      On furikaburi, need to bring body under tsuka
      Too many people making an additional hip shift (eg. Okuri-ashi) on cut – This is MJER Koryu, NOT seitei
      Too many people do not have their knees at 90. Most stances are too long.
      Too many people have their tip ending above knee on O-chiburi. This has been a repeating point for several years now.
      Need to have strength in the back foot – this is something you lose as you get older so needs extra work

2)       USHIRO
      Right foot must be planted behind right knee before nukitsuke
      Too many people do not have sufficient sayabiki as opposed to in Mae. Need to pay attention.
      On turning:
o    Beginners – Hands on, look over left shoulder, raise toes under before starting the turn
o    Advanced – Hands on with minimal movement (don’t give away your intention to teki). Rise in a “corkscrew” motion – movement of head leads/initiates the turn of the body – all of this is done in a smooth motion.

3)       UKE-NAGASHI
      Timing: Different than other seitei kata since go-no-sen requires immediate and quick reaction. Unlike others where the goal is to pressure and stop the opponent’s killing intention.
      Point of Contention – After the cut, the tip of the sword should be centered in front of your navel, unlike Kesa-giri where the tip is outside your left hip.
      Too many people’s metsuke is incorrectly looking straight beyond the tip after the cut. The opponent is not directly in front of you like other kata, but slightly to the right
      The uke and nagashi are both equally important => ½ block and ½ flow. The trick is to have kime left hand and not right.
      Your body does not face the opponent until the uke moment. Until then, it stays pointed to the right (no angle specified)

4)       TSUKA-ATE
      Too many people using right hand to draw – instead must use left hand and sayabiki, this will allow the tip to snap onto chest
      Too many people have incorrect timing. Too robotic without jo-ha-kyu.
      Too many people are using hands/arms to perform hiki-nuki­ rather than the turn of the body
      Loosen wrists after tsuki to allow for a proper blade angle when bringing the sword up
      Too many people are opening their knee out when performing noto (like MJER Koryu), must keep it in.

5)       KESA-GIRI
      First and second cut are on the same line
      Too many people have their hands ending farther from body than regular cut. Need to pull into a fist/fist-and-a-half.
      Too many people are leaning forward because they’re not using their left-hand to draw
      Too many people squaring up the sword before bringing back to Hasso-no-kamae – it should be one smooth motion
      Q: When does the sword start turning back to the down angle after first cut? Start turning the sword as soon as it’s out of the body, but do it gradually so it ends up at the right angle only just before the second cut starts.

6)       MOROTE-TSUKI
      On nuki-uchi, the kensen (actual tip), rather than the kissaki should end just under chin.
      Point of Contention – Footwork on 180 turns – Rotate hips and turn on balls of your feet until you can no longer do so due to position of left foot, then step out (left) and through (right). This is unlike ganmen-ate where the right heel must be square before starting the movement towards rear opponent.
      Too many people have incorrect timing. Too robotic – described as gobu-nuki (plucking a carrot) – sudden movements without the continuity and jo-ha-kyu. Need to have a flow – mix up the timing – meri hari.
      Timing is important as the opponents could be close or far. Need to show by keeping hands relaxed and free to bring above head and cut quickly.
      On tsuki the stance should be shorter than standard to make it easier to perform hiki-nuki
      On tsuki, the body should move first, then the action. Same for all tsuki like in #8 and #10
      Too many people are not using enough arm motion on tsuki – need to show commitment by extending the arms

7)       SANPO-GIRI
      Too many people are doing okuri-ashi on first cut resulting in an incorrect shift forward.
      Too many people have their jodan flat – need to point higher
      On transition from first to second cut, bring hand naturally up beside face and do not block vision to fron
o    Too many people are bringing the sword in then upwards in a square motion rather than smooth and straight.
       After second cut, the “parrying motion” does not have to be overhead – in fact, it is below head height during the turn and only reaches centre line just as the final cut is initiated

8)       GANMEN-ATE
      Perform an inward-twisting motion with the right hand on the tsuki – Just before the edge facing slightly down, after the edge is facing slightly up
      Sayabiki motion is and draw should be performed solely with the left hand
o    Beginners – Turn saya with left-hand before turning body which finishes the draw
o    Advanced – Turn saya at same time as body turn – more difficult (not safe for beginners)
      When sword is on hip, it is the thumb that touches the hip bone so the tsuba is in-line with the front of the hip
      Point of Agreement – Sayabiki is performed on ~45 angle down and around
      Too many people have feet angled – need to work hard to ensure both feet are always pointed straight

9)       SOETE-TSUKI
      Too many people are not drawing high enough – must be above head
      Too many people are moving their foot in during the recovery – foot should move back a bit, but not in towards the other foot (maintain hip width)
      Use a short-sharp exhale on tsuki and make sure front kneed does not move past heel. (maintain weight centered)
      Just like in Ganmen-Ate, the thumb should be on hip, not the tsuba
      Point of Contention – Where does the cut start
o    Hatakenaka Sensei – Cut starts on monouchi, but not any specific point. Depends on distance to opponent.
o    Kishimoto Sensei – Cut starts at tsubamoto
      Chiburi – hand is not at hip height – stays at chest height.

10)   SHIHO-GIRI
      On the turn for tsuki prep – left foot needs to be adjusted back and body rotates around balls of the feet with kiseme
      Q (to Hatakenaka Sensei) When sword is on chest just before tsuki how does the hand hold the tsuka (using pinky as leverage)? Not necessarily, this all depends on body structure. What matters is where tip is and that the left-hand is used to get the sword to snap into place.
      New Point (Kishimoto Sensei) – Do not have to return to starting point at the end – do each technique rational as Iai without contortions to get back
      Point of Contention – Waki-gamae is not square to opponent and do not stop or pose

11)   SOU-GIRI
      Draw-and-step-back once right hand is fully out, the rest of the draw is done with the left hand
      Too many people are bringing the sword straight up after the 3rd cut, rather than following the line back around and above before preparation of the horizontal cut.
      Point of Contention – Just before horizontal cut:
o    Instructed by both Sensei (180⁰) - Sword starting position is pointed directly out to the left and ends directly out to the right before recovery for last cut
o    Demonstration from Kishimoto Sensei (Greater than 180⁰) - Sword may start pointed backwards a bit before starting cut

12)   NUKI-UCHI
      Point of Contention – Distance on step back
o    Further – return to starting point on final step
o    Closer – return to starting point on cut
      Too many people are rushing this technique