Hitting people with sticks (again)
For the first time in over a year, I’ve started to do Keno again. I did it for the few months I was in Japan, but then stopped because the closest Kendo Dojo to Kalamazoo in Battle Creek (an hour away) and being car-less, I had no way to regularly attend practices. After moving back to Detroit I did some research and found that there was a Kendo group that meets (relatively) close to where I live, so I decided to check it out.
Wow, if you ever want the full gaijin experience right here at home, go to a Kendo practice. Now, I’m not the only non-Japanese person who attends, but not by much.
Anyways I’ve gone twice now and my body seems to more or less remember what to do. The first time out sitting seiza (with my legs folded under me) was pretty painful but by the second time I was used to it again.
Since I’m a newcomer (I neglected to mention that I did this for 3 months already) I’m in the remedial section. We practice off to the side so we don’t accidentally get hit/hit someone while we practice the basics.
Having seen how two clubs act now I can make some comparisons. First, both seem to have a head sensei and an… understudy (for lack of a better word). The head sensei resides over the main practice while the understudy shows the newbies what to do. The club here has; maybe, four or five times the number of people as the one in Japan. Also this club seems to be tournament oriented, where as with the other one all we did were basics.
On the first time out I got recruited by one of the parents (there are people of all ages, but some younger kids have parents who sit on the side and watch) to help with an upcoming tournament that is to be held in the place where we practice. It looks like I will get to time Kendo matches for a day. Pretty easy stuff: raise the yellow flag, wait three minutes, lower the yellow flag.
The first two sessions were free. For the next one I need to pay dues (a.k.a. join) to the club and two Kendo Federations (the All US and the Midwest). Seems like pretty serious business. While it’s not terribly expensive, I do feel that I got off lucky getting three months free the last time.
Well, that’s all for now.
Ja Mata Ne.
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