Practice at Kyoto University

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I spent the day with Okusa Sensei and David, exploring some of Kyoto’s great sight-seeing spots, as this is David’s first time in the city. We had a brief rest at the house of a mutual friend before heading off together to Kyoto University. The recreational facilities at Kyodai are incredible! They even have a fencing team! I wish I could have watched the fencing practice a little, but I had to focus on kendo.

The heat in the dojo was absolutely phenomenal. A couple of guys were practicing their own martial arts while we were getting ready and there was not a dry spot on them!

Heat aside, it's actually a very nice dojo. It’s a wide, open space big enough for two courts with very nice, sprung floors. Unfortunately, the windows provide very little ventilation, and there were only two electric fans to save us from the heat.

As it turned out, it wasn’t a regular practice as it is currently a school break. An informal practice is a little more forgiving, and fortunately, Okushima-sensei suggested that we pace ourselves in the heat. As people began to trickle in we started practice with a few basic warm up drills. Frustratingly, as has been the case recently, the heat made my arms feel 5 times heavy than they are. What makes it more aggravating is that no amount of pushing myself seems to be able to resolve this.

Even pulling up my last reserves of strength and shouting with everything I have seems to produce only a sluggish motion that is half what my usual capacity is, after a very short time. It’s embarrassing and disheartening, and it makes me wonder if I’m not trying hard enough or if, having grown up in these conditions, my Japanese friends are simply used to the effects of summer heat and I need to catch up to that.

In any case, the warm up was embarrassingly exhausting and as more people came in, I caught my breath and watched. What was surprising (and a little uplifting) was that the members of the club came to me and asked me for matches. This doesn’t happen in my regular clubs because I’m the lowest on the totem pole and so it’s my responsibility to request the time of others. At Kyodai, however, as a guest most of the members there wanted to try me out. It gave me a bit of a boost which was sorely needed, however, I couldn’t keep up the energy for very long, which is a shame, because I wanted to keep practicing with them.

To their credit, they are very fast, and energized. They move quickly and seem to have limitless stamina. One thing I did notice, however, is that they don’t hit very hard. In fact, I barely felt I was being tapped. It was a strange experience considering that some of the guys I practice with at Fuchou hit me like a sledgehammer. Still, it’s invigorating to practice with someone who can always keep me on my toes. It would be nice to practice with them again, but only if I can do so in the winter.

Friends from Home

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Okusa Sensei and David are in town this week and they’ve managed to secure us some practice time at Kyoto University! This is a big thing for me, as it’s difficult to get into a university practice. Unlike in Canada where the university club and the public recreational kendo practice all together, in Japan, you have to be a member of the university to be able to practice with their club. Unless you have a special invite. Okusa Sensei said that he met the head teacher of the Kyodai club, Okushima Sensei, during the world championships in Italy. This is going to be quite the experience!

I must admit though to a little pre-keiko intimidation. I’ve had it relatively easy so far doing kendo in Japan. Fuchou is exactly the kind of kendo club I was hoping to find; recreational and focused on personal growth, not so much competition. University clubs are notorious for focusing on how to win at kendo, and are, from what I hear, highly competitive. Not to mention we’re still in the middle of the oppressive summer heat. This is going to be difficult and exciting all at once!

Wish me luck!

Achievement! Ni-Dan

Yesterday was my grading for ni-dan here in Kyoto. It’s the second test I’ve taken in Japan, so I had a better idea this time of what to expect.

Exams from shodan to go-dan are performed at the Budo Center, near Heian Jingu which is on the same property as the Butokuden. Registration starts at 8am, opening ceremonies are at 9 and the exam begins from around 9:15. It is usually an all day event, from 8 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon, with no official lunch breaks, but generally, the atmosphere is so anxious that I don't think anyone has the stomach for food anyway.

Tests in Japan are a lot different from the tests in Vancouver, at least from my experience. Granted, I only tested for ikkyu in Canada, but there I was graded on kirikaeshi, shiai and kata (the written portion was added the year I left for Japan) as well as the basic etiquette and overall neatness of appearance. 

My tests in Japan have been only shiai, written, and kata. Furthermore, testing in Vancouver took every element into account in the final grade, where as in Japan, if you do not perform well in the shiai, you are disqualified from the rest of the test and automatically failed. The same is true if you fail the subsequent written portion. So essentially in Japan, you have to pass three consecutive tests, where as in Vancouver, it's all just one big test.

Finally, the scale of testing in Japan is much larger than in Canada, which is to be expected. There are many more practitioners in Japan than in Canada, but to see so many people all in one place, all dressed for kendo still amazes me sometimes.

I went into this test with mixed feelings. On one hand, I had been reassured that my kendo was good enough to pass by many people in different dojo. However, on the other hand, in recent weeks my kendo had taken a nose dive from both the increase in heat and humidity and the increase in stress. My suddenly lack of ability to perform even basic moves for any sustained time has been an increasing frustration and worry that I had to fight with myself to overcome at the test.

Particularly worrisome was the advice I was given the week before my test to relax, to think about my strikes, to use large motion strikes, observe proper distance and show strong zanshin. While this is all, very good advice in a test situation (at least for shodan and ni-dan) where everyone wants the test over quickly, strikes come fast and furious and taking the time to think about a move takes a back burner to simply reaction and hoping that instinct isn't taking a nap.

Fortunately, I had the opportunity to talk with the person I was to do my shiai with. I was grouped with the same young women as last years exam which is comforting. It's always a little nerve racking to fight against someone new. We watched the shiai before us and came up with a workable strategy for a well timed shiai. 

Testing in the lower levels is not about winning, or even about getting a perfect hit. Rather, a lot more of the shiai grade is based on spirit, correct awareness and correct basics. To have an opponent who understands that it is mutually beneficial to not be flailing about in a mad attempt to strike as many times as possible is best.

As is usually the case, I don’t recall much of my actual shiai after the official called “hajime”. It was fast paced and intense. The 40 seconds of both rounds seemed to take an eternity as much as they seemed to be over in an instant, and after it was over, the stress lifted up from me, and I felt fine and at peace with whatever grade I was given.

It doesn't actually take long for the results to be decided. In a panel of 5 judges per court on four courts, it needs to go fast if the test is going to be finished in a decent amount of time. Results are recorded on large sheets of paper. If your number is on the paper, you have passed, and will be tested on the written portion after all the shiai tests have been decided.

The written portion of the exam is probably the easiest for me. I have a lot of self conscious anxiety when asked to perform in front of other people. When writing an answer on my own, there is no problem. Tests are split by court, and a seating order is determined by the number given at the registration. Testees are requested to have their own pencils and erasers. The officials hand out the test papers once everyone has their correct seating and then the written test begins.

The ni-dan test was much like the shodan test. Out of the three possible questions released, two are tested. This year they were written on the paper we were given. Last year they were hung on easels. I prefer this year’s method.

After the written portion is finished, tests are graded, and those who fail are eliminated. During this time, though, most people retreat outside to practice their kata before the final leg of the examination.

Kata is tested 8 at a time; four uchidachi and 4 shidachi. I know many people don’t take kata seriously, and it is not something that is usually practiced in a normal practice session, but I’m always a little disappointed by the show of kata at the tests. There are so many people who do it lifelessly, with no enthusiasm or vigor. I think it’s because kata is my favorite part of kendo, and when one has a good partner, it’s a lot of fun and more energetic than a lot of people give it credit for.

For ni-dan, kata is tested from ippon me to gohon me. I ended up as shidachi this time which is the first time, actually, that I have ever been shidachi at a test. I tripped a bit on ippon me when my foot got stuck to the floor, and I missed the suriage men by a mile on gohon me, so I was sure I was going to fail, but apparently, my performance was very good comparatively, so I passed easily.

Unfortunately, none of my other friends passed. Granted they were all trying for yon-dan and higher which is where things start getting really difficult, if the pass/fail rate is any indication, so tonight, I was treated to victory geiko, which roughly means, congratulations, now we're going to stop taking it easy on you.

Suffice to say, practice tonight was pretty intense, especially considering it was 31 degrees in the dojo. Practicing in the summer heat makes it incredibly difficult to move but, as ni-dan now, I have to make it my effort to ignore all the uncomfortable things that would otherwise slow me down, and simply go, go, go.

Sabotage

Argh! You know how sometimes it feels like, despite your best efforts, the world just wants to pull you down? Three days until my ni-dan test and I wake up with pink eye. I can't see anything but blurs out of my left eye right now. I’ve already had to deal with a cold and another infection interfering with my exam training and now this? I’ve never had pink eye before, so I have no idea how long this will last, or if I’ll still have it for the test.

Today was my last practice before the exam. Fortunately, the blurriness cleared up, but the irritation and inflammation was still there. At least I could see, which is a blessing I'll gladly take.

Unfortunately, the ever increasing heat is making my limbs feel heavier and heavier. On top of pre-test stress and an irritated, swollen eye, not being able to perform anywhere near my top form over the past few weeks has been incredibly depressing. 

Despite my best efforts today, I just could not seem to be able to get my arms up high enough to actually strike the top of my opponent's men. I hit the grill more times than not. I should have just tried tsuki or kote waza all practice for how successful my men-uchi was. My arms felt lazy and my feet felt like they were dragging. How I long for some nice, mild Vancouver weather right about now!

I hope I’m able to shake this despondent feeling away before the test. The last thing I need is a bunch of negative emotions weighing me down further when the only thing I really need to concentrate on is “I can and will do this to the best of my ability”. Anything else is irrelevant.

Pre-Exam Judging

I went to practice at Ren Shin Kai today, hoping to squeeze in every last practice I can before the exam. I like the open format of Ren Shin Kai because I can get a good mix of the basic drills I feel that I need work on, the structured keiko with the high dan sensei and the fast paced harder keiko with some of the younger guys, in whatever order or focus, depending on how I’m feeling that day.

Today Majima-san introduced me to Tanaka Sensei who watched us drill and then keiko and gave some good advice and pointers.

According to him, essentially, there is little difference between judging for ni-dan and judging for san-dan. It is important, however, to maintain the proper distance from one’s opponent, so that when the time to strike comes, one strikes in the correct place. He said there isn’t as much need for ni-dan to complete strike after strike after strike in rapid succession as in the shodan exam, and that it’s more important to keep a correct distance, a correct posture and have a strong zanshin. As well, large, correct basic strikes are more important than complicated waza. In short, strong ki and correct kihon.

After watching us for over 30 minutes, he finally concluded that he would pass me with a 90%, which is a much needed bit of extra confidence. It’s felt that my last few weeks of practice have been horrible and almost counter productive. I feel now that I could pass the exam based on what I can do alone, but there’s still the unpredictability of my opponent to take into account.

I know I’m not the only one who gets nervous at these exams, and a natural reaction to nervousness is to go as fast as you can and hope that something looks good. I want to be able to get in some good, clean hits from a proper distance, but if my opponent crowds me, or doesn’t reset a proper kamae before striking, it will be difficult.

But, in the end, I am responsible for my own success or failure. If my opponent crowds me I'll have to use that to my advantage and strike before they do. If they can't keep a proper kamae I'll have to try and disable their shinai. I have two rounds of 40 seconds to prove my mettle; I'll have to make every second count.

The Rewards of Kendo

It’s so great to have the support of my friends while I’m training for this test. Especially the food bribes. Our next door neighbor has offered to buy me sabazushi if I pass my test! I LOVE saba! That’s incentive enough to rip right through the test. Likewise, a couple of the members of Fuchou have offered drinks if I pass.

Obviously, getting ni-dan is reward enough in itself, but having the backing of people both in kendo and outside feels great too. However, with so many people are cheering for me it makes the possibility of failure that much harder to deal with.

When I failed my very first ikkyu test, I remember the very crushing disappointment, but it wasn’t for me that I felt that way. I felt that I had let down my teacher and my club by not being able to achieve ikkyu.

I know that I’ve carried that first failure with me through the rest of my kendo career. It makes me very nervous about tests, very keenly aware of my own limitations, and what I can and cannot control. Who will I fight? Will they stay too close? Will they dodge? Will I trip during kata? Will I forget a kanji during the written test? Will the heat drag me down? Even though I know that having these fears and these doubts is a poison to my kendo practice, it’s very hard to shake them off. 

In the end, what it comes down to is faith in my own ability and a strong resolve to achieve my goal. There will be time for self reflection after the test, for good or for ill. The most important thing now is I can, and I will.... eat sabazushi.

The Calm Before the Storm

I'm taking a bit of a break today to spend the day in Arima Onsen in Kobe. I’ve been pushing myself hard recently in preparation for the exam, both studying for the written test, and the shiai. I’m going to take the day today to rest and relax my body and my mind, and hopefully revitalize myself into a state of no stress for the upcoming week.

That's a lot easier said than done. Fortunately, the super sento I'm at is huge, and packed with various massages, baths, steam rooms and relaxation rooms. I'm sure to be able to calm down and shrug at least a little of my anxiety off today.