Asia Trip 2012: Iaido in Tokyo - Day 3

FRI 20-JUL: Third day of practice in a row.

Since we weren't planning to meet with Hatakenaka Sensei and Tsubaki Sensei until mid-afternoon, we decided to visit the Meiji Shrine for a bit of site-seeing. In 2009, we had the opportunity to watch a Kyudo practice and do a bit of makiwara shooting. Unfortunately, the dojo schedule did not show a class in the morning, so we hoped to at least get a look at the building again.

The Meiji Jingu park was as grand as we remembered. With wide paths were brushed clear of all but the evenly laid gravel, and the foliage trimmed to perfect symmetry.  Massive Torii divided the various sections of the park.

After visiting the main shrine, we made our way up to the Kyudojo. Turns out there were at least a dozen elderly men and women training. They were all decked out in Kimono, and based on the way they moved, it was clear they all had at least 5 Dan. An even older man was watching and giving corrections. We assumed he was the Sensei leading the class.

Hoping to get a closer look, Hanna went to the reception to ask about getting inside. From our last experience, it seemed to be a very exclusive and strict place to go, so we wouldn't be surprised if they denied us entrance.

Luckily, it seems that mentioning we were from abroad helps a bit. Although we still couldn't enter, because a couple of us were not wearing socks, they did allow us to watch the practice from the "side entrance".

Pictures were not allowed past this point, but it was interesting to see that the upkeep was not as we had remembered. In fact, looking at it now, it would seem the Tamano City Kyudojo is kept in much better condition than it's Tokyo counterpart. While the dojo itself was clean and shiny, the grass and shrubbery around the shooting area had many loose strands and spider webs could be seen all over. Perhaps they're going for the natural look? =)

With time running out and the skies clouding in, we made our way to the Shinjuku Cosmic Center for Iaido practice. This venue is also located off the Fukotoshin subway line near Nishi-waseda station. We got there a bit early so waited at the Tully's coffee shop for Tsubaki Sensei, knowing he would have to walk by us.  Walk by he did, but on the other side of the street... We were confused. Why did he cross away from the Cosmic Center?

Our questions were answered as he entered the Uniqlo clothing store, so we waited for him on the other side of the street. A couple minutes later, as he walked by a window and glanced out, we took this opportunity to wave. Boy was he surprised!! "How did we know he was in there and going to look out the window?!" Haha. But enough with the fun, let's start the practice!

The dojos here, while smaller, are much better quality and climate controlled than the Sports Center we trained at yesterday. Located across the hall of the Wood and Tatami dojos was a full sized, indoor Kyudojo.  Wouldn't it be nice to train in there!

The afternoon session is from 3:40pm - 6:40pm and cost 300yen. We got our tickets from the machine and attached it to our Uwagi to be easily visible when the guard comes in to do his security check. As with the other public spaces, we shared the floor with a couple of other martial arts practitioners. A woman doing Taichi and a elderly man doing Karate kept to themselves mostly, but I felt compelled to occasionally stop to watch them. Even with my little experience, I could see that both were of extremely high level in their arts, and it was truly inspirational watching them in action. Their balance, grace, power, and flexibility was simply amazing. Not much different from watching Hatakenaka Sensei in her own practice, which she did much more of today, than in her own class.

Like the last couple of days, we started with a general discussion from Tsubaki Sensei before getting into our own free practice. Hatakenaka Sensei arrived 10 minutes later, and one of her students (Iaido 4 years) from Waseda University also showed up. We each found our own space in the room and worked hard for two and half hours straight. The only speaking consisted of the occasional instruction from Hatakenaka Sensei and Tsubaki Sensei.

Nearing the end of the session, Hatakenaka Sensei requested an embu of all 12 Seitei Kata from the four of us, before wrapping up with closing etiquette. This day was, by far, the best training I've had in a while. Several factors contributed to this:

- Excellent climate control
- Excellent floor
- Sufficient personal space
- Exceptionally high level martial artists practicing in close proximity

My energy, enthusiasm, and motivation is sky high right now! ^_^

The bell tolled and a PA system announced the end of the afternoon session. Tomorrow morning, we get to see swords!

Asia Trip 2012: Iaido in Tokyo - Day 2

THU 19-JUL: Barely 24 hours after our first Iaido class with Hatakenaka Sensei, we are at it again.

This second venue for training is the Shinjuku Sports Center, located a short walk from the Nishi-waseda subway station of the Fukotoshin Line. The dojo space itself was a large wood floor room that was shared with anyone who purchases the 400yen ticket. This day, we were joined by a two dancers doing ballet and something that looked like modern performing art. An elderly man practiced an Iaido koryu that I could not recognize, and another pair of individuals were mixing it up with some sticky hands and bokken work.

While the rest of the building was comfortably air conditioned, the training rooms were void of this luxury. Even with all the windows open, there was barely any wind to cool us down from the 36C day.

Our training was scheduled from 1pm - 3:30pm, with Tsubaki Sensei leading us through warmups followed by some free practice with instruction.

We took a break around 2pm to refresh and took this opportunity to ask about purchasing Iaito and Shinken. Tsubaki Sensei had already mentioned our interest to Hatakenaka Sensei, so after a short discussion on our preferred length and weight, he gave her a call to book the retailer. We would be meeting him on Saturday to test out several options.

With the excitement of a new sword in the horizon, we went back to work on two selected kata for Tsubaki Sensei to help us on: Morote Tsuki and Sanpo Giri

At 4pm the chime rang for the end of the afternoon session and we all had to vacate the rooms. As we passed the reception desk, the ticket we purchased earlier was placed in the basket marked "Martial Arts dojo #1". What a convenience to have such inexpensive spaces in the city for public use. A similar facility in Toronto would cost almost 50 times as much.

We celebrated our second straight day of practice with a tempura dinner at "Tsunahachi".

Asia Trip 2012: Iaido in Tokyo - Day 1

WED 18-JUL: Iaido training begins!

Our first training venue is located at the Yotsuya Hiroba in Shinjuku. It's about a 5 minute walk from the Yotsuya 3-chome subway station which happens to be the next closest stop from our apartment, so we decided to make the trip on foot.

The class is scheduled from 6pm - 9pm, but we showed up early to greet Tsubaki Sensei (Kyoshi 7 Dan), who may or may not be staying for practice. We arrived around 5:30, and already saw a couple of students getting the small school auditorium ready. Preparation involved moving some furniture around, opening the windows and doors, and setting up fans. Unfortunately, this also let in all the mosquitos who were thirsting for hot Iaidoka blood, but in a scorcher like today every little bit of airflow is a necessity.

Tsubaki Sensei arrived around 5:45 and with no sign of Hatakenaka Sensei (Kyoshi 8 Dan) yet, we changed and started warm-ups. Several more students gradually appeared, and finally, midway through our suburi practice, Hatakenaka Sensei made her entrance and was greeting warmly by all. She directed Tsubaki Sensei to continue our warm-up until she finished changing, then we all moved onto free practice.

Over the next hour and half, several other students arrived, and a couple of them left. In total, there were about 15 of us at the class tonight; less than usual due to university exams. Each new attendee first bowed to Hatakenaka Sensei and Tsubaki Sensei before starting their own practice. Hatakenaka Sensei would rotate between her own practice and giving some pointers to each of her students.

Nearing two hours into the class, Kikkawa Sensei (Kyoshi 8 Dan) showed up. It seems his presence is a common one, as a student immediately brought over a chair for him to sit on. He didn't stay there long, as he seemed to take a lot of interest in helping out Hatakenaka Sensei's son, Kei (5 Dan)

At 8:00pm Hatakenaka Sensei called for an embu:

Group 1 consisted of 2 Dan and below. Five members.
Group 2 consisted of 3 Dan and 4 Dan. Five members, including Hanna and I.
Group 3 consisted of 5 Dan. Three members, including Peter, Momoko (5 Dan), and Kei.

We each did two Koryu followed by three Shitei Waza from ZNKR Seitei. I felt a bit nervous going in, but the overall positive energy of the class gave me strength.  It was a great feeling training with other such high-level and dedicated individuals.

The ending of class was as exactly as we remembered from previous trips. Everyone gathers in a circle facing each other and go through the 12 Seitei Kata as one student calls them out. We wrapped up with closing etiquette and got a quick group photo before the students went to work putting the gym back to the way it was.

After several minutes of changing out of our sweat soaked, uniforms, everyone gathered at the front before leaving in small groups in all directions. We made plans with Tsubaki Sensei for practice tomorrow, and went back to hotel for some much needed food and rest. First things first: LAUNDRY!!!

Asia Trip 2012: Iaido and Kyudo Shopping in Tokyo

TUE 17-JUL: Martial Arts equipment stores have been popping up all over North America in the last decade. While they cater primarily to the more popular activities like Karate, Judo, and Kendo, it is still possible to find Gi, Hakama, and Tabi that can be used for the arts that we do.

For the more customized equipment like Iaito, Yumi, and Ya, online stores that ship from the States or Japan have become an important resource, but are still prohibitive due to shipping and import fees. Even as the quality of selection increases, nothing beats the ability to see, touch, and choose in person.

Our stores of choice in Tokyo are Asahi Kyuguten for Kyudo, and Shobu-Do Sangyo Co. for Iaido. Asahi is located approximately 10 minutes by foot from the Otsuka JR station. The service was exceptional, as a friendly, elderly lady catered to our every whim.

We shopped for over an hour, trying on Gi, Hakama, Shita-gake, and looking through a variety of Ya and Nigirikawa. As we completed our purchases, one young women brought out a folder filled with order forms. Apparently, this huge stack of paper represents all the business our club in Toronto has had with them. Go Seikyu Kai!!! ^_^

After a quick stop for lunch at Yoshinoya, we continued on to our Iaido shopping. The Shobu-Do shop is located about 5 minutes by foot from the Suidobashi JR station in the direction of the Tokyo Dome theme park. From our current location, we simply hopped back onto the JR Yamanote line to Sugamo station, then switched to the Toei Mita subway line to Suidobashi.

We spent considerably less time here, as there really isn't all that much equipment required for Iaido practice. We got some extra Gi, Juban, and Obi, and were asked to come back in four days to pick up the Hakama which are to be embroidered with our names.

It was such a great feeling having accomplished our major equipment purchases with so much time left in our trip, that we decided to celebrate with some Kaiten Sushi! This huge restaurant is located in the second basement of the Shinjuku 2nd Building. It had five chefs working in different corners of conveyor belt as they worked specific orders. The service was extremely quick, allowing entering patrons to find a seat in short order. Needless to say, the food was Oishiiiiiii~~~~

Tomorrow, training begins!

Asia Trip 2012: Ohara - Iaido lineage & French bread!

FRI 13-JUL & SAT 14-JUL: Our time in Tamano City ended all too quickly, we had barely gotten to know the great people there, but the journey must continue. Our next stop would be Ohara, birthplace of the legendary Miyamoto Musashi and becoming quite the ghost town if not for the tourism and state-of-the-art budokan. We were met at the station by Trevor Jones-Sensei (Iaido Renshi 7 Dan) who, once again, offered to host our short stay.  With less than an hour before he had to go to work, we made a brief stop at Haruna-Sensei's house to pay our respects.  His wife was expecting our visit, and greeted us warmly at the door. 

It was Hanna's first time visiting the house of our Iaido Sensei' Sensei, but even with this memory, the architecture was no less impressive. The finishing of the beautiful front foyer/dojo has been maintained as if brand new, and the tatami rooms that lead to Haruna Sensei' shrine would've put the best ryokan to shame. Following Trevor's example, we performed a shinto ceremony to the shrine, then retired to the living room to admire the wall of trophies and to chat for a bit. There aren't as many visitors these days, as Haruna Sensei' students have moved on to other dojos. It is primarily foreigners who still wish to honour their lineage that stop by a couple of times a year. Trevor says she appreciates that the few of us still remember him this way, and we're sure Ohmi Sensei will feel good about hearing this.

That night, we had a very satisfying Ramen and Gyoza dinner before returning to Trevor's house. We chatted about various interests with conversations often returning to our shared involvement in the Iaido community. It is always great to hear about the past and how each of us that do Iaido in the Western world are connected by only a few degrees of separation.  Fellow Mu Mon Kai student, Michael H, has participated in recent BKA Iaido seminars and has nothing but praise for the organization and the people. We must not forget that the Canadian Iaido history is closely linked to that of the UK and while we've lost connections, it is my hope of re-establishing the communication to help each other grow to the level of the Japanese. 

The next day, Trevor brought us to a hidden French Bakery/Bed & Breakfast less than 10 minutes from his house. It was only a chance meeting at the bank that lead to this amazing discovery. Apparently, he was having a little trouble translating a phrase when a Japanese women, Hiromi, speaking near-perfect English came to his assistance. After a brief chat, it turned out that she lived with her husband and two kids, Hugo and Leo, in the adjacent city of Nishiwarakura. The family had moved back to Japan only two years ago from London, where her husband Olivier was a trained French baker and Yoga instructor. There they set up a local business next to the home, named it after the kids, and Olivier spends time baking twice a week, and teaching English, French, and Yoga in the nearby cities.

It was an amazing feeling, stepping in to this small bit of France in the middle of a village in Okayama. We ended up staying a lot longer than expected, having a great time chatting with the family about how they ended up here and what our plans were for this trip.  The discussion somehow lead to them asking if we knew a certain individual from Quebec that had visited their shop recently. Of course, in our minds we were thinking:

"If you asked if we knew someone in Toronto, it is still highly unlikely we'll know them, let alone another province"

but we humoured the question as they continued:

"Yeah, he was apprenticing under a Japanese swordsmith..."

.... what? ....really!?

That could only be one person!

Pierre Nadeau, who, along with his Sensei was invited to the JCCC in Toronto several years ago to do a demonstration on swordsmithing.  Lo and Behold!

What a small world! ^_^

When our plans were set to come to Ohara, we would have never expected such a turn of events, and this has immediately become one of the highlights of this trip. With the day moving on, we signed the guestbook and hope them good business in the future as we moved onto the Musashi Tourism area of Ohara.

Our first stop was at the Musashi Budokan, a marvel of architecture, with the roof shaped like a helmet from the side, and the Musashi Tsuba from the top. We wandered the emtpy halls, looking into the large auditorium and smaller sub-dojos imagining what it would be like to have such a facility back in Toronto. One can only dream....

As we passed by one of the sub-dojos used by the local Kendo club, we came across an interesting motto from the Musashi Budokan Kendo Club. Interestingly it reminded us of a key point in Kyudo, and is a great indication of how all the Japanese Martial Arts are related by culture and history. 

Our next stop was the Musashi Dojo, the original training spot for Iaido and Kendo in Ohara, and also the home dojo of Haruna Sensei. The building hasn't changed since our visit almost 5 years ago when our journey in Iaido had only recently began. A quick search into a closet revealed an Oar/Suburito prop used in re-enactments of the Musashi vs Sasaki Koijiro fight. We had a little fun with it as Trevor described the excitement and fun the locals put into the show. While the dojo remains empty most of the time, we are happy to hear that it still gets the occasional use, as a non-Kendo Federation Iaido group from Osaka had booked some training there in a couple of hours.

These two days were quite refreshing as we prepared ourselves for the hectic environment of Japan capital.  It's hard to believe that we're only halfway through this Asia Trip. We've already accomplished so much, now we must work even harder. So long, Okayama. Bring it, Tokyo!

Huge thanks to Trevor Jones Sensei for giving us a place to stay, taking us around town, and generally being great company!

Asia Trip 2012: Kyudo Instruction in Okayama

Our time in Tamano was very informative. Each of us received unique and effective tips for improving our Kyudo from a range of perspectives. I've listed out the overall focus for each of us below.

Disclaimer: Keep in mind that these are our interpretations of what was said to us. It may not be helpful to anyone else, nor can we say it is exactly what we were told. That being said, we all felt much more confident in our Kyudo following these two days of intense training and instruction.

For Patrick:

1) Must Aim! See the target. Place the target as your perform the technique. Release into the target at the conclusion of your technique - Only with this awareness will your Kyudo have meaning.

Up until this point, I've had lots of trouble aiming when doing Kinteki. I've had a lazy right eye since I was a kid, making it extremely difficult to focus or even use that eye when both are open. My left eye tends to take control. This was immediately noticed by the Sensei who could see that I wasn't aiming at any specific point for each shot. They suggested I close my left eye during Hikiwake->Kai until I'm able to use the right eye regardless, and this helped a lot. It will still be some time before I'm able to aim properly, but at least we've found a solution to work on.

2) Relax the hands and maintain the shape throughout. With a proper grip, left-hand on the bow and right-hand on the string, the equipment and body can do the work.

A lot of the tightness in my hands was due to trying to keep the bow and arrow level during Uchiokoshi. We worked on this for several minutes, gathering quite the crowd in the dojo. I think we came to a pretty good solution for this as well. ^_^

3) Hanare from the centre through to Tsunomi. Let everything flow through. Leave nothing behind. Even from a distance, the release will look beautiful.

For Michael:

1) Thumb for both hands must align with the target going in opposite directions.

2) To begin Hikiwake, must push the bow and allow the string to catch the groove of your glove and pull it. It is not initiated with the pull of the right hand.

3) At hanare, think about opposite motions. The thumb pushes forward, while the middle finger must pull in and the line of your arm extends toward the target.

For Hanna:

1) Relax body at Kai. Looking very tense. Use breathing: Before drawing, exhale everything and bring power to the lower body. As you get to kai, breath in to open up your chest. As you open up your chest, you open up your Kai.

2) Tsunomi needs to be correct. Her arrow has a tendency of going down because of incorrect use of Tsunomi.

3) Use entire body as a spring, especially at Hanare to allow for a natural release. The core of your spring is the middle of your body which is your heart. Physically and mentally you are releasing this spring. A spring expands both ways. If you're able to do it right, you will feel good about it, and the person watching will also feel good.

COOL TIP:

There was a lot of talk these two days on aiming and seeing the target. When asked how we can practice this aiming when using Makiwara, Sato T-Sensei was able to give this tip:

1) Find an aim point on the makiwara.

2) Arrow should end up 45 degrees to the top-right, about 4-5cm away.

If you can consistently hit that point, then you should be able to consistently hit the Mato.

Asia Trip 2012: Kyudo in Okayama - Day 2

The following day, Sugimura-san had arranged for us to receive instruction from Sato Kaoru-Sensei (Hanshi 8 Dan) at the Tamano City Kyudojo and arranged to pick us up at 12:15 at the hotel. His contribution to our trip so far has been exceptional. We cannot thank him enough for all he has done to make this stay fruitful and enjoyable. 

THU 12-JUL: Our first stop was at the Mitsui dojo where we trained the day before. We were to change into our dogi and hakama and pick up our equipment for transportation to the city dojo. It was only about a 10 minute drive, but Sugimura-san was able to fill us in on the history and importance of our intended destination.  In fact, the Tamano City dojo was the site of the 2005 Kokutai Kyudo Taikai. Every year, Japan holds a national competition that puts athletics at the forefront. The kyudo event is a show case of the country's up and coming talents, with each prefecture sending their best and brightest representatives. Two members of our Toronto Kyudo Club (Seikyu Kai) had the honour to participate in the general and student categories: Takahashi Mie-Sensei, our club founder, and Itokawa Yukiko-san, our head sempai. The building was impressive indeed. Reminicent of the one at Meiji-Jingu in Tokyo that we briefly toured in 2009. With such a storied history, we entered with a hint of trepidation, hoping our modest grasp of Japanese etiquette was enough not to embarrass our dojo.

It was a relief to be welcomed from Tanaka-Sensei whom had trained us the day before. After a brief tour, Sato Tadashi-Sensei and Watanabe-san (one of the female members at dinner) dropped by, and were eager to see how our session would go with Sato Kaoru-Sensei. Needless to say, we felt his presence right as he stepped through the doorway, and he wasted no time in slapping us into shape. And I mean that quite literally! It seems he is well known for having an "hands-on" approach to teaching Kyudo. With a firm slap to the lower back, my centre of gravity was shifted forwards. With another slap to the upper chest, my body was aligned top to bottom. He kept his hands at each of those points until I was almost into Kai. At which time, he gently tapped my left arm and slid his hand towards the target. *Soot* *Soot*. "Push towards the target!". "Feel the snap towards the target!". and BAM! My arrow flies true, if only slightly strong, landing just above the Mato. I didn't see how he instructed Hanna, but Michael got pretty much the same thing as me.

The onlookers seemed mildly amused, and later asked us how we felt. While it's a rather different approach than what I'm used to, I personally enjoyed it, and came away with quite a bit of satisfaction and awareness from the lesson. It would be interesting to feel the effects long term. After a bit more training and instruction, we broke for some tea and mochi that was kindly donated by Tanaka-Sensei. We sat down and chatted for a bit, before the other Sato-Sensei (Sato T) comes over to get us to try Enteki…..Really?….Cool!!!

In Kyudo, there are three shooting distances: (1) Makiwara, ~half a bow length distance, to practice basics, (2) Kinteki, 28 meter distance and is the typical length used for grading and Taikai, and (3) Enteki, 60 meter distance.  Since modern Kyudo is based around Kinteki, the goal is to hit at 60 meters with as little change of your technique as possible. A slight arch from the hip at Uchiokoshi is required so as not to lose the cross at our shoulders and spine. It is also important to ensure the release of the right hand continues along the downward angled path. 

Our results weren't very impressive, but the experience was definitely a lot of fun. The Sensei seemed to enjoy helping us out as much as we did taking the shots. Both are quite the characters. Sato-Sensei with his boisterous humour, and Tanaka-Sensei with his quiet, laid-back attitude. The spirit of Kyudo and the character of the Mitsui Kyudojo is so clearly represented by these two individuals. With such contrasting personalities yet exact same approach to training.  In the past two days, I've seen them each shoot over 20 arrows. Every single shot was preceded and concluded with full Taihai (Rissha) etiquette. From Nujo, to Taijo. Not a single step rushed. Not a single movement wasted. It is truly inspirational to see these Sensei embody the way of the bow.

Following our visit to the Tamano City Kyudo HQ, we returned to the more relaxing and familiar confines of the Mitsui dojo for another 3 hours of training. We received some final instruction, words of encouragement, and requests to come again soon. 

It has been an overwhelming couple of days in Okayama. Our first Kyudo training experience in Japan was memorable for the practice, the learning, but most importantly, the people.  We were welcomed with open arms and spirit, like members of their own family. For isn't that what the Martial Arts are about? Wherever there's a dojo, you will find family.