Nanseikan Kendo Club 剣道クラブ南西館

Hashimoto-s. on left Keichi Hashimoto (Renshi 6 dan) will be visiting Melbourne for four days next weekend. Here is his training itinerary: Friday 3rd May  - VKR Friday night keiko (7:00pm warm up, 7:30pm start keiko) Saturday 4th May  - Open training at Kenshikan Dojo (2:00pm - 4:00pm) Sunday 5th May  - MBK training at Kenshikan Dojo (9:30am - 11:30am) After doing a little Google jutsu, I also found his Twitter account, his competitor profile on the All Japan Kendo Federation website, and an interview where he shows off his Hummer and talks about starting Kendo in kindergarten (!) and how his other passion is music. He apparently had a band and for a while considered giving up Kendo to focus on music. All bogu-wearing kenshi are welcome to join in training with him. Even newer members could benefit from watching him in action. Hungarian hansoku from this year's European Kendo Championships It looks like the video keeps getting deleted. F...

Momiji (Japanese maple) in Sakura City, Chiba Prefecture, Autumn 2009 Autumn Term 2 starts this Saturday. It's a 10 week term and on the last Saturday we will have our annual Kangeiko , a special training that goes from 9am until 5pm. This term our focus will be on 1) integrating our new beginners  and 2) looking at the nuts and bolts of shiai , or competition. The aspects of shiai that we will look at most closely will be: correct procedure for competitors: reiho (etiquette) and basic rules yuko datotsu or what makes up a correct scoring point for more advanced students: competition strategy against different opponents introduction to being shinpan (referee) VKR AKR membership fees due Also, please be aware that in addition to term fees all membership fees will be due for Victorian Kendo Renmei and Australian Kendo Renmei. This is a single fee which members pay to the club and then I forward it to the VKR. It covers insurance, gr...

This morning I went to MUKEN training. They have a training session every Wednesday morning from 7am til about 8.30am. It's a little different to some Kendo trainings because people tend to leave early if they have to go to work or lectures. But, like every VKR club, their training sessions are open to all VKR members, so feel free to join in if you have the time. There was also a very special visitor to training. We decided if he did Kendo he'd be a 9th dan sensei, based on his incredible self-control and lack of wasted movement! He is a tawny frogmouth ( podargus strigoides ) and as well as being incredibly cute, he is a nocturnal hunter related to, but different from an owl. Another surprise I received at today's training was the gift one of the new MUKEN tenugui . The story of the tenugui is below. Thanks to Viet and the the rest of the MUKEN Kendo club for the gift. These tenugui were designed by Takahiro Ueno, a calligrapher from Chiba, Japan. He is currently ...