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On a balmy (by Invercargill standards) evening at the end of October, Graham Sayer sensei (NZKF President), Alan Stephenson sensei and Hisashi Ikemoto sempai, all of the Auckland Kendo Club, and Karl Hitchcock sempai of the Canterbury Kendo Club made the pilgrimage south. Once they had recovered from the shock of the cold, they joined IKC Chief Instructor Tatsuya Fukuda in bringing a seminar and grading to the southern-most Kendo club in the world.
The Seminar
We began with a jigeiko on Friday evening, and it was quickly apparent that we would be learning a lot. Saturday opened with extensive work on the Bokuto Ni Yoru Kendo Kihon-waza Keiko-ho. We were encouraged to practice these waza with the same intensity as we would jigeiko. While the junior class was put through its paces, deeper instruction was provided to the senior students with respect to seme and the exploitation of breathing patterns in our opponent. Finally, senior students were asked to create their own kihon waza using shinai, kote and do cuts as the criteria. This led to some entertaining waza! We also practiced the Nihon Kendo Kata during Saturday afternoon.
The majority of the rest of the seminar split the class along three lines; the junior class practicing reigi and kihon for grading under Stephenson sensei; two-thirds of the senior class forming a shiai squad under Ikemoto sempai; and the final (elder) third of the seniors forming a shimpan group under Sayer sensei. The shiai squad and the shimpan group provided training to each other that culminated in an intense shiai on Sunday morning, preceded by asa geiko. Along with the brain-burning experience of judging shiai, the shimpan group also had a session learning what was later termed ‘old people’s kendo’. The shiai squad learned of the importance of controlling oneself, holding the centre, and of the mental commitment required.
The Grading
Grading was a new experience for many of our members and Sayer sensei also took the opportunity to introduce the local senior grades to the fine art of judging a grading. Though we all graded separately, the degree of consistency in our judgement was very high.
Kyu Grading Panel:
Graham Sayer Renshi 6th Dan
Dave Rodgers 2nd Dan
Robyn Middleton 2nd Dan
Bruce Middleton 2nd Dan
Shane Robinson 2nd Dan
Ricky Hartley 2nd Dan
John Benn 2nd Dan
Motodachi: Tatsuya Fukuda 5th Dan
Tachiai: Alan Stephenson Renshi 6th Dan
Kyu Grading Results:
1st kyu: Flora Brown
3rd kyu: Sotaro Ueda
4th kyu: Eslin Worthington, Shea Emett
5th kyu: Kohsuke Ueda, Stuart Crichton, Brent Crichton
6th kyu: Shelley McDougall, Tate Kennington, Jack McKenzie, Hayden McClymont
7th kyu: Christian Hardy, Bryn McKenzie, Daniel Priest
Dan Grading Panel:
Graham Sayer Renshi 6th Dan
Alan Stephenson Renshi 6th Dan
Tatsuya Fukuda 5th Dan
Hisashi Ikemoto 5th Dan
Karl Hitchcock 4th Dan
Motodachi: Tomohiro Shikama 2nd Dan, Joanne Fukuda 1st Dan
Tachiai: John Benn 2nd Dan
Dan Grading Results:
1st Dan: Corey Sutton
2nd Dan: Chris Harvey
We would all like to extend our thanks to our visitors for an intense and stimulating learning experience.
- Shane Robinson, IKC Secretary.
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