The 2014 Kitamoto
Kendo Summer Camp for foreigners was held from 25 July to 1 August 2014 in
Kitamoto, Japan, and was an event that I once again had the privilege to
attend. It was a great reminder of why I started kendo a decade ago. In my
quest for personal development, I wanted something that would cross geographical,
religious, political and cultural borders. Kendo was one such martial art.
Kenshi from 48 different countries descended upon the small town of Kitamoto, +-60
km outside of Tokyo, to participate in this week-long kendo seminar that
focused more on the basics of kendo and the instruction thereof. We were also
treated to an experience of Japanese culture and tradition, something that
Kendo still prides itself in upholding, From the 3-times-a-day delicious meals,
to just simple interactions with the Japanese sensei's and staff at the Gedatsu
Renshin-kan Dojo and training centre, to the Japanese styled, open bath areas,
all was a hint of the intricate Japanese culture and lifestyle. It was a rare
opportunity to fully appreciate what life in Japan would be like. The training
itself was not too bad. Being a past participant of the Kitamoto Camp some 6
years before, I was able to compare the training from then to what it is now.
Furthermore, in speaking to my sensei's back home in SA, it would appear it has
gotten a lot easier in the past 20 years. I discussed this with some of the
past participants of Kitamoto too and it was in their opinion that the reason
for this easing-up in training was largely due to the global rise in kendo
standards. Gone are the days when the “gai-jin” (or foreigner) was an outsider
and could not match the Japanese standard in kendo. Although not yet as good as
them, many non-Japanese countries are catching up fast and adopting Japanese training
methods to improve their Kendo. A good example would be from the 2008 World
Kendo Championships in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where the USA beat the Japanese team
in the semi-finals. In 2012, Novara, Italy, the Japanese team redeemed
themselves and won the team event against the Koreans in the finals. However,
the point is that the Americas, European and other Asian counties are starting
to give the Japanese a good run for their money! The 2015 WKC in Tokyo, Japan
will be an exciting event with many teams practising months, if not years
before! South Africa will again be represented by the National Kendo Team, and it
is my personal ambition to proudly represent my country one last time before I
hang up my competition zekken (or name badge). A bit more about the Kitamoto
camp - What can I say other than that this was probably the most enjoyable Kendo
experience I have had in a long time.
In my 1st decade of kendo, I have
been to a number of seminars and competitions around the world - Budapest &
Debrechen (Hungary), Prague (Czech republic), London (UK), Helsinki (Finland),
Sao Paulo (Brazil), Novora (Italy), Kitamoto (Japan). Most people say that I am
really lucky to have been to so many different places, but honestly, most of
the time, the time is so short and I mainly spend the time in the confines of
the training area (dojo). This is why Kitamoto camp was so enjoyable - As much time
I spent in training; I spend just as much time enjoying the Japanese culture
and experiences. Furthermore, having 61 other participants from around the
world doing the same camp, also made it more culturally diverse! My fellow roommates
from Room 304 (Hoo-Ahh) hailed from Italy, Mexico, Uruguay, Columbia, Spain and
(a fellow African) Mozambique. As much as we were different, we were all still
the same in our passion for Kendo! Our room camaraderie superseded any past experience.
I also had the “privilege” of being the group leader or manager (which I reluctantly
accepted). However, with that said, the team spirit of Room 304, and the brotherhood and camaraderie was so strong that
at times, as a leader, I had very little to do other than to inform the members
of the daily chores! I biggest and proudest task was perhaps coordinating the fighting
line-ups in the inter-room shiai /competition (which we won)! A testament that
with the correct mix of eager people, the right attitude, and a common
objective, anything is possible! We did everything together from the daily
chores, sitting together at every meal, and even the after-hours social
activities! However, we also gave each other sufficient space to meet other
people and do “other things” (……."what happens in 304, stays in
304"). I also had the privilege of meeting many other kenshi from other
parts of the world: USA, Finland, Singapore, Indonesia, France, Sweden, Serbia,
Brazil, Venezuela, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, Macau, China, Taiwan, Poland,
Germany, UK, Turkey, Iran, Hawaii. More on the kendo itself: I mentioned that
it was easier that my first experience at Kitamoto 6 years before, however, it
was by no means an easy camp. Training formally started promptly at 6:30am each
morning; however, for some eager-beavers who wanted to get some extra sparring
(Keiko) in before the start of the day, there was an hour of keiko from 5:30am
to 6:30 am each day. I managed one of these 5:30am sessions only. Anyway, the
morning session from 6:30am lasted till 7:30am. Training resumed again from
9:30am after breakfast till 1pm. The mid-day session resumed again after lunch
from 2:30 to 5:30pm. Each day ended off with more keiko either with each other,
or with the sensei's. On most evenings,
there were also evening session. These sessions were from 8-9:30pm and included
things like bogu-repair lectures and sessions. In total, it resulted in about 8
hrs of training each day - a long day by
any standard. The first 3 days I suffered badly from the jet-lag, heat and
humidity. I did not sleep at all for the first night arriving due to the hard
tatami mats on the floor, the freezing cold air conditioning in the room and
the bright light of that stupid exit sign on the door (that did not switch off,
even though there was an off-cord on it)! For the next 2 days I had about 4hrs
sleep in total. Also, at temperatures of 30-35 degrees Celsius and +- 80%
humidity each day, it was really difficult to breathe and adjust to the
Japanese climate, especially since coming from the dry Highveld air of South
Africa. Anyway, I eventually climatized and was able to put 100% into my
training. Most of the training focused on the basics (or kihon) of kendo; and the
proper forms and use both a bokken (wooden sword) and shinai (bamboo sword). I
had learnt a fair amount of new information from the kihon kata using bokken
that I hope to share with my fellow kendoka back home in South Africa. (A lot
of shiai-orientated wazzas (techniques) can be derived from these kihon kata,
as it is these shiai wazza's that we lack in international competitions). There
was also a day of kata practise that we used real swords (unsharpened, but
still pretty dangerous). This reminded me of a quote a work colleague once said
to me: "nothing focuses the mind like the sound of a guillotine".
There might not have been a guillotine anywhere near by, but my mind was indeed
focused! We also had a daily session of shimpan (referee) training that
entailed both understanding the rules and actually watching and refereeing
matches for each other. The one day we were very privileged to have been the shimpans
for the young school children of Gedatsu Renshin-kan Dojo. All I can say is
that these little fighting machines could probably whip anyone of us foreigners
a$$e$ with the speed and attitude of their kendo!
Our shimpan training was also
put to good use at the inter-room shiai / competition, where each room was to
compete with each other in a team competition. Our room (304) was initially
pitted against room 201, one of the girls room. Now, we had gotten quote close
to the girls on this camp, and it pained us to send them packing in the first
round, but it had to be done. Our next fight was against the "Asian"
room, room 305 (so named because most of the participants were from the Asian
countries of Singapore, Malaysia, Macao, Chinese Taipei and China). We had a
good match against them and took an early lead. My fight at the end was with a
kenshi from Singapore, with whom I beat with a hikkimen and kote strike. The comment
I got afterwards from one of the ladies was "wow, you can fight
too!"- I thought that was an
interesting comment! Lastly, we were in the finals against the Room 302. We
were lucky enough to get an early lead, a bit of a hiccup in the middle, and the
eventual win at the end! The hiccup was my match against Mr Lee from New
Zealand. I lost in 2 quick points (kote, men), even after being warned about
them by my other more experienced team members (on a personal note, I am happy
to say I lost to the only successful 6th dan candidate that passed the grading
examination at the end of the camp). All in all, room 304, as loud and as boisterous
as we were, were able to win a bag full of victory drinks (green tea) in good
spirit! It was great fun and so many lessons can be taken from this experience
that I can use for our South African kendo players back home. The only regret I
have was that we didn't get to referee any other matches since we won all ours.
Keiko (sparring) was also a much anticipated event after a hard days training
as it allowed us to put into practise all that we had learnt from the sensei's.
From applying the kihon wazza from the kata, to performing the proper
yukododatsu (scoring point), it was time to apply all that we learnt.
Admittedly, the 1st 3 days of jet-lag and non-climitisation left me rather lethargic
and sluggish, but I gradually recovered my gusto by day 4. However, than was when
injuries started to kick in, most painful was the skin on the soles of my feet.
Being hot and humid, training bare-footed eventually left my feet riddles with
blisters and split skin. I had to bind my feet most of the time with bandage
and tape to secure my feet. One time I even tried to use a kendo sock, but
since the floor was so slippery, I decided not to use it anymore (as I resembled
a hamster on a wheel - I was moving my legs, but I wasn't going anywhere as I
would just slide in the same position)! On the last few days, with painful
split feet, I just said, "just get over it", took all the bandages
off and just gave the hardest keiko I could against the sensei's.
That is what kendo is about - pushing at your boundaries and when you feel you have had enough, to just keep on pushing harder. Kendo is about personal development and is
by no means something that gives you a hard a fast rule as to how you go about
developing yourself - It merely gives you the guidelines and parameters, The rest
is up to you. Hard keiko taught me that - I had to face many of my own demons,
which included my personal insecurities, laziness, unclear ambitions and fears
of inadequacies. What I did learn was invaluable though for my own personal
development - always try my hardest; give it my all; pain is just temporary;
age is just an illusion; just keep on going; being a leader is a choice, but
when I decide to do so, I must step up and take responsibility.
In one of our
sessions with the camp's head sensei, Sato sensei, he mentioned 5 characteristics
of a great leader that he came across in some Italian literature: 1) Intelligence,
2) Power to persuade, 3) Healthy Body and Mind, 4) Self-Motivation 5)Self-Control.
Apparently Julius Caesar was the only leader in history with all these
qualities.
Lastly, a special mention of our excursion Tokyo, and specifically
to the Nippon Budokan (National Martial Arts Centre) to watch the national
elementary school kaitai (competition). With 16 shiai-jo's in a hexagon-shaped
building, I could not but be in awe of this massive arena and where the 16th
World Kendo Championships will be held in 2015. For 2 days, over 4000
elementary school kids took part in this event. It was later explained to me by
Chiba Sensei (one of the AJKF directors) is that children aged 7 to 10 years
old did basic kirrikaiesh and judged based on their form and technique. The 11
and 12 year old did shiai. Unfortunately we were not able to stay to the end,
but it was impressive to watch how the organization of over 2500 competitors
for the day was conducted! Truly inspirational!
All in all, the Kitamoto camp
was a unique and wonderful experience. I would encourage any aspiring kendo
players to attend the event at least once in their lifetime. However, as it is explicitly
stated, this is a foreign leader’s
camp, and the intension is that these leaders will take the teachings back with
them and instruct the kendo community in their country in this age-old martial
art's techniques and philosophy. I made that a very conscious decision when
signing up for this camp this time round, and although I was steadfast in
ensuring I was there for kendo exclusively, I met some wonderful people and
shared with them some amazing experiences that have touched me deeply. For
that, I am truly grateful and will cherish those memories for the rest of my
life. Hoo-ahhh!
