Nanseikan Kendo Club 南西館剣道クラブ

These are courtesy of Kyohei and Tomoko.

Congratulations to Soon for passing his 3rd dan in Brussels yesterday! Apparently it was quite a strict grading with a low pass rate. Soon has been living and working in London for the past 18 months. You can often see him at training via London Kenyukai's Instagram . Well done Soon and we hope to see you Melbourne again soon!

Thanks to Anna for sharing these photos. We had such a wonderful time I think we might have to do it again! Nanseikan end-of-year training, Blairgowrie Community Hall.

There are a number of seminars coming up in 2019, some of them before we start back at training, so please be advised. artist's impression of expected 2019 hatsugeiko at Kenshikan Hatsugeiko (first training) at Kenshikan, 31 December/1 January The Kenshikan has established something of a tradition of New Year's training and all VKR members are welcome to attend. " The dojo will open at 10:30pm and then training will start before a small pause just before midnight to allow the participants to have a celebratory drink to usher in 2019 and then training will continue for about 45 minutes or so.   After training has concluded, participants are welcome to remain to have a bite to eat and drinks as per last year….or should I say this year?  Therefore people attending this event are encouraged to bring food, drinks, dessert to share with everyone.  We hope you can make it!"  Kristine Ventura, MBK Secretary Fujiwara sensei: 17 to 22 January 2019

Next Saturday 15th December will be our trip to Blairgowrie. We can use the St Pius bus which can fit 12 people plus luggage. Please let me know in the comments if you are coming and if you want a seat on the bus, or whether you are planning to drive. I've decided we can meet up and leave a little later than previously mentioned. We will meet at the dojo at 7.00am and leave at 7.30am . This will make it a little easier for people like Chie who have to travel further. It means we will start a little later (probably arriving by about 9.30am) but I think we can still do plenty of keiko. We will also finish a little earlier than usual, about 3.30pm. The weather forecast at this stage is 28 degrees and chance of showers. Leave a comment below with your name and how you wish to travel. All food for the day BYO and dinner will be purchased from Blairgowrie shops (either f&c or pizza). There is no extra charge for the training for Nanseikan members. For non Nanseikan mem

As usual, St Pius X Hall with be a polling booth on election day. Although it might be fun to try and run training at the same time, I have a country wedding to go to that day. So I think the easiest thing will be to cancel training rather than relocate for the day. To make up for it, term fees will cover the whole day of shochugeiko. In the meantime, we were doing suriage waza last night and I showed everyone this video again. Chiba sensei is a great example to have in mind, and you can never share this video too much!

This year's end-of-year summer training, or shochugeiko , will be held at Blairgowrie Community Hall, 8 William Rd.  View Map We will meet at the dojo at 6.30am and set out at 7.00, aiming to arrive at Blairgowrie by 8.30. We will train until around 3.30-4pm, then head to the beach which as you can see from the map is about 100m away! St John's Wood Rd shops are also walking distance, which means fish and chips and/or pizza for tea I reckon. It looks like we will have access to a 12-seater bus, but even so we will probably need to do some car-pooling as well. The hall is about the same size as our dojo, perhaps a tiny bit smaller. The date for shochugeiko is Saturday 15 December.

An ongoing issue for me is how to best reach everyone with information about the club and Kendo-related events, particularly at short notice. I was hoping that the email subscribe feature here on Blogger would work but it seems people aren't always getting notification of new posts in their email. If you've a notification about this post in your email, could you leave a brief comment below? I suspect that some are not receiving them because the notification is going straight to their junk mailbox. I'm hoping this is the problem, not some more fundamental issue with cnames and anames and DNSs and stuff I generally don't understand. Blogger's online help community is not super up-to-date. Also, if anyone knows of another platform that might work, and that's not too 'needy', could they let me know? I've tried Twitter and TeamApp, but Twitter especially is way too intrusive and very hard to delete. 

The remaining junior trainings with Matsumoto sensei at the Kenshikan are: Sunday October 28: 12:30 – 2pm Sunday November 18: 12 – 2pm

It's a 10 week term (my mistake earlier, apologies). Much appreciated!  :)

Congratulations to Sean on passing his 3rd dan grading last Sunday at the Kenshikan! It is a great achievement and testament to Sean's commitment to regular training. His Kendo is informed by the depth of his experience in other martial arts. From 3rd dan, in Australia at least, the expectation is that you will start to move into a mentoring role. Sean is already doing that through his teaching at Parade College. From now he will also be expected to attend shinpan seminars and experience life on the other side of the red and white flags. In Kendo, the gap between each grade gets bigger the higher you go, so it's no shame to fail. Whether you pass or fail, each grading offers a unique chance to learn more about your Kendo. Congratulations also to Eric, who passed his 2 kyu. While not a Nanseikan member per se, Eric has become a familiar face at Nanseikan through his consistent attendance on Wednesday nights and Saturday mornings. Well done Eric! Komeda sensei seminar Th

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LFqtbbMnZjE

As well as the links in the previous post , this Youtube channel will be televising the WKC. Above is from the Korean National 8 dan final. And for a complete schedule of which members of the Australian squad will be competing when, go to the Australian Team Support page:  http://www.kendoaustralia.asn.au/content/?page_id=4122

Namdong Stadium, Incheon Here are some links to get you in the WKC mood. Australian team facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/akrteam/ Australian team Instagram: @australian_kendo 17 WKC schedule:  http://17wkc.kr/sub/Schedule.php video stream (available when competition starts):  http://17wkc.kr/sub/Video.php There may also be a live Youtube channel, IG-TV channel or Facebook Live. Will keep you posted. Other places to watch out for highlights packages: Kendo World's Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuEFJrxMVIzIix3QVD5mkUA AJKF's Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/ZennipponKendoRenmei Let'sKendo's Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/letsKENDO

Well done to everyone who passed their grading last Sunday, especially those whose first grading it was. Commiserations to those who didn't pass but as they say in Japanese 七転び八起き "Knocked down seven times, get up eight." (Thanks to Anna for the great pic!) Also, for Jordan in particular but everyone in general, this: https://shugo-nanseikan.blogspot.com/2017/02/lessons-from-hokkaido-police.html

These guys are not amateurs. This is the 2015 national comp of the All Japan Battodo Renmei, a branch of iaido that does tameshigiri regularly. Admittedly they're pretty good with the single mat, it's the multiples that seem to defeat most comers. I think I noticed some of the successful ones using extra large blades. Enjoy!

Next week training will be at Kenshikan. Training will be normal time 9am to 11am. Beginners also will be training for the two hours. The Kenshikan is 91-99 Rosslyn St, West Melbourne. Our training will be overlapping with the first session of the annual Interhigh Gasshuku. Part of that will be a naginata demonstration and workshop. Depending on numbers and resources, Nanseikan members may be able to join in. This will be from about 10.30 or 11am. This is an important opportunity for those who haven't been to the Kenshikan before to become a little bit familiar with the place prior to their first grading on the Sunday. Below is an excellent video by Andy Fisher, CEO of Kendostar, showing how to correctly wear the kendogi and hakama (together they are called dogi ). Take note of everything he does EXCEPT wearing a black tshirt under the kendogi. This is a big NO-NO in my book. The only kind of undershirt that should be seen under the kendogi is a v-neck uwagi, and that&#

Pick My Project is a Victorian Governnment initiative to distribute grants to projects in the community. If you live within 5km of the dojo then please go to  https://pickmyproject.vic.gov.au , create an account and vote! You must choose three projects and can only vote for each once, so make sure one of them is the St Pius X Hall upgrade: https://pickmyproject.vic.gov.au/rounds/pick-my-project/ideas/west-heidelberg-community-our-upgrade-for-our-future If you're not sure how close you live, the website will tell you once you register whether you can vote for the hall upgrade or not. Let's hope we get it across the line!

The next VKR Junior Kendo Keiko will be held on  August 26 from 1 to 3 pm at the Kenshikan, West Melbourne. Future keiko dates will be on: October 28  1-3pm November 18  12-2pm

Due to some administrative issues on both sides, the Nanseikan kyu team has had to be withdrawn from the competition. I'll speak to this more in person next Saturday. We will still be fielding Mick, Sean, Andrew, Chie and me in the Veterans' comp, Chie and Sean in the Kata and Ben, Sean, Andrew, Mick and me in the Open team. Even though no-one is now competing in the first event Sunday, it is necessary for everyone who is competing to be there to register between 8.00am and 8.45am . This is also the time for the shinai check. So thanks Mick for the offer to take everyone's shinai but you will all need to be there anyway! The running order for Sunday is: men's kyu team women's kyu team veteran's indiv. kata women's open team men's open team The day is scheduled to go from 9am to 5pm with 45 min for lunch, subject to change! Exact start times for each event or lunch are not yet finalised. At this stage the day will probably go longer, but

Firstly, don't forget your bokuto (as well as shinai and bogu). Secondly, the seminar will be on Netball courts 1 and 2 at MSAC. Registrations at 9am, seminar start at 9.30. The morning session will finish at 12.30. Lunch will be an hour, then arvo session from 1.30 to 4.30. There will be a mide-morning and mid-afternoon break as well. Sunday's schedule is identical. Yano sensei of MBK has let me know that they are happy to waive the seminar fee for anyone who can only attend the morning session. This is very kind of them. You may however still feel like making a donation of some kind to the running costs of the event. This is what I'll be doing. See you there!

This Saturday we will all be attending the morning session of the Okada sensei seminar at MSAC Albert Park. This is partly because there will be no electricity at our dojo while the electricity company does repairs. Please be there on time! Seminar will start 9.30am sharp. Also, you will need a bokuto as well as shinai. Okada sensei will look at the following areas across the weekend: bokuto kihon kendo kata kihon waza shiai technique jigeiko The cost for one day is $40, children 15 and under are free. There is no half day fee unfortunately, but think of it as a donation to the Melbourne Budokai. I assure you, as the organisers they won't be making money out of this weekend!

Next Saturday there will be no training at Nanseikan. Instead we will be at MSAC Albert Park to take part in the Okada sensei seminar . In recognition of this, this term will be reduced to eight weeks instead of nine, for the purposes of our dojo fees. This change our schedule is to make use of a great opportunity to learn from an excellent Japanese 8th dan sensei. For those of you who haven't seen really high level Kendo before, it will be quite amazing. This is something that not a lot of martial arts practitioners have access to. The seminar is $40 for one day, or $70 for both Saturday and Sunday. If you can only stay for the morning that's fine, just note that there is no half day fee. Considering that the Melbourne Budokai is bringing out Okada sensei and three assistant instructors I think it's reasonable price to pay. The only other way to get this kind of instruction is to go to Japan. Kids under 15 and under are free. We need to be at MSAC by 9.00am, dres

This term is a busy one! With the Victorian Kendo Championships on the 11-12 August and the gradings on 2 September (6-3 kyu) and 30 September (2 kyu- 4 dan), there will be lots of opportunity to demonstrate what you've learned in training. We will also have a new group of beginners starting on 11 August . Lastly there is the Interhigh Gasshuku on 1 and 2 September . Phew! Below are the details of the VKC. Entries need to be in by Friday 27th, so we will decide this weekend on what events we will enter as a club. So have a think about your availability and what you would like to enter this week! Lastly but not leastly, there WILL BE training on this Wednesday!

This is a new video of demonstrations and interviews with members of the Tatsumi Ryu, including the current soke (headmaster). It's in Japanese, but there's a lot of interesting stuff to observe.

More details about the upcoming seminar with Okada Morimasa sensei.   Okada sensei seminar, further details: Official Seminar Saturday 28th July and Sunday 29th July Melbourne Sports & Aquatic Centre 30 Aughtie Drive, Albert Park VIC Arrive by 9:00am Start 9:30am and finishing 4:30pm both days Lunch: B.Y.O. Dinner: To be confirmed Seminar Fees: • Adults $70 for both days • Students $50 for both days • Adults/students $40 for one day • Students under 15 years old are free. Seminar content: To be advised, but please bring bokuto/bokken. We also anticipate that there will be a chance for an informal keiko session as follows. As this will be at Kenshikan Dojo, we may limit the number of participants on a first come, first serve basis due to the size of the dojo: Friday 27th July Keiko Session for 1 hour Kenshikan Dojo Arrive by 5:30pm, Keiko Start 6:00pm Keiko Finish 7:00pm Here is an example of Okada sensei's teaching from a previous visit to Melbourne: http://shugo-nan

This year's Kangeiko was a great success and topped off a successful term. The turnout at this year's Kangeiko held in Ballarat was fantastic. Special thanks to Oliver, Barnett and Goletsos senseis for their help. It was so cold even the Ballarat locals stayed away: apart from Oliver sensei and Daniel! The early meeting in the cold at Southern Cross; finding that the training hall was colder than the outside air temperature; lots of kirikaeshi variations (see above), lots of shiai practice, lots of mawarigeiko (well done Kyoka and Josh for not dropping out) and finishing off with bokuto kihon, the day was full and varied. We started with feet like blocks of ice and then at the end they almost froze up again. There was lots to share for lunch ( too much for some...), and a delicious dinner at Brown Grain Thai in the evening. They were great to fit us all in and find space for our bogu and shinai. The train ride home was wonderful not having to worry about traffic and

This plum blossom was picked today, in the absolute 'dead of winter'. This is why the plum blossom, or 'baika' is revered in Japan. It is the first sign of new life, the first of the dormant fruit trees to put forth the effort to bloom. As a result, they make it look like everyone else follows their lead; that the other trees are reminded to wake up by seeing the plum and its flowers. This is a great example of the transformative power of effort. It's especially a reminder of how lonely it can be if you're the first to step up, but what amazing positive impact that has on the others around you who you thought were asleep. They will be able to draw on your strength and will be inspired, consciously or unconsciously, by your example. You can be the sign that things are going to get better. Let's keep this in mind tomorrow!

Kangeiko is almost upon us! Here are the latest details for quick reference. Meet : 7.00am Southern Cross station with your shinai , bokuto and dogu (uniform and armour). Don't forget your tenugui. Or maybe two if you have them. We will be catching the 7.16am train which arrives at Ballarat at 8.40am. If you miss the train for whatever reason, there is another at 8.16 that arrives at 9.40am. You will still get to do plenty of Kendo! Cost : Training is free but BYO lunch and snacks. Adults need a Myki with at least $40.00 credit. Children/students need their pre-paid school myki or a standard myki (+their student card) with at least $20.00 credit. Dinner will be everyone paying for themselves. Venue : Eastwood Leisure Complex,  20 Eastwood St, Ballarat Central VIC 3350 Start/finish : Kangeiko will start at 9am and go all day until 5pm, with breaks for morning and afternoon tea and also lunch. Dinner : has been relocated to Brown Grain Thai Restaura

Membership fees for MY2019 are now due. Thanks to everyone who has already paid. Below is a list of those people who my records show haven't yet paid ($70 adult, $45 junior): Sean, Greg, Alex D., Price family, Donovan family, Josh G., Josh C., Jack T., Shan, Yuta, Jordan Please email me if you have any queries: nanseikan at gmail dotcom We have a monster list this year of 30 people! That's $1800.00 into VKR/AKR coffers: money that also helps these champs get to the WKC in Korea in September!

Just a reminder that this year's Kangeiko is not far away! It will be held at the Eastwood Leisure Complex in Ballarat. The date is Saturday 23 June which is also our last training for term 2. The plan is to meet at Southern Cross Station at 7.00am to catch the 7.16am train. The train arrives at Ballarat station at 8.40am and from there it is a 5-10 min walk to the venue. We will finish training at around 4pm, shower nd change then will head to dinner nearby. The closest Japanese option is not open on Saturday evenings (Google says they are but I rang and they said no). Squire's Loft is within easy walking distance and on the way to the station. It is good for meat-eaters, however vegetarians would have to make-do with salads and vegetable side orders. Asahi Restaurant is a bit more of a walk but is an option.  Please let me know your thoughts with your RSVP. We will catch the 9.15 pm train back to Melbourne. The train is scheduled to arrive at Southern Cross at 10

Shinoda sensei (standing far right) in 2012 on the occasion of Takizawa sensei's visit) Shinoda sensei is visiting Melbourne this week with some other high-ranked Japanese sensei. There will be training at the Kenshikan Thursday and Friday, details below. The fee is $10 per training. All VKR members are welcome to attend. 7th Jun (Thur)  - Normal MBK Kendo Keiko (7:30pm - 9pm) 8th Jun (Fri)  - Special MBK Kendo Keiko  (warm ups at 6:30pm, keiko 7pm til approx. 8:30pm)  Visiting Senseis: Iwaya sensei (kyoshi 7th dan) Kajihara sensei (kyoshi 7th dan) Shinoda sensei (renshi 6th dan) Sanada sensei (6th dan) Kawakami sensei (5th dan)

This is where I stayed when I took the family to Japan in 2014. Just sayin'... And this is where Mariko's Kendo club in Kyoto goes for their gasshuku: http://www.iwashimizu.or.jp/top.php (the shrine itself) http://www.80003.com/training/   (the venue and accomodation) Kato soke performing Iai kata "Muko" at the three different levels: jo, ha and kyu.  . Kato soke and Kato Hiroshi sensei performing "Marui" in the manner I described this morning (although I couldn't find their version of "Muko" in this style).

This competition is open to all VKR members who meet entry crtieria: It will be held in the  West Stadium of the Melbourne Uni Sports Centre. The format of the competition is a mixed individual knock-out, with the top two winners of each division progressing to the next division. There will be five divisions: Beginners  (For members who began their kendo training in  2017  with   no prior experience) Junior Kyu  (6th Kyu – 3rd Kyu) Senior Kyu  (2nd Kyu - 1st Kyu) Junior Dan  (1st Dan - 2nd Dan) Senior Dan  (3rd Dan - 4th Dan) *Subject to change Opening ceremony will open at   11:45pm on   the day. However, this is subject to change.   More details to be sent out later. There will be a  $15 entry fee  for each competitor. Please fill in the registration form (spreadsheet) with all the competitors name from your club and make the payment to the   club's (muken's)bank account  BY  Friday  16 th  May. 

I will not be at training this Wednesday but training will go ahead, from 8 to 9pm

These kendogi and hakama are recommended for our newest members. The "Musashi" pattern kendogi at bottom is recommended for kids as the fabric is not so bulky and easier for small arms to move in. There is also a white Musashi kendogi available. There are no rules out which is more suitable, just a matter of personal choice. https://www.michimartialarts.com.au/shop/single-layer-blue-kendo-gi https://www.michimartialarts.com.au/shop/cotton-hakama https://www.michimartialarts.com.au/shop/musashi-whiteblue-kendo-gi

OK, so the forecast isn't great, but it's OK. 20 degrees and 10% chance of rain... so we'll go ahead with our barbie at Malahang.  The BBQ will go from  12.30 to 2pm , and I suggest that everyone brings what they need in the way of food and drink to training that morning. It can be stored in one of the fridges in the hall's kitchen. Then we can go to Malahang as soon as we pack up and get changed. I think keep it simple and light. Bring enough to feed yourself and any offspring/family you may have with you, but don't worry about catering for everybody. If your thing is salads, just bring salad. If it's sausage-in-bread then do that. I'm going to bring some of this to celebrate with, you might want to bring something soft. See you at training!

Last week we went to Cragieburn Martial Arts centre and filled their Kendojo to bursting. It was wonderful to meet Kevin and Leanne and admire the beautiful training space they have built with lots of hard work and love of budo. I think they also enjoyed seeing the dojo used to its absolute maximum! I'll attach all of the action shots at the bottom of this post. If you would like a higher resolution version of any of these images, please email me. Conversely if you would like any of them removed from this page or from our IG, please also don't hesitate to get in touch. 2019 membership fees due 15 May Annual membership fees are due soon. Fees are (still) $70.00 for adults and $45.00 for juniors. Fees are payable to me and I will forward a single club payment to the VKR by the due date. The AKR AGM was held over Easter. As you may already know Stilts was elected unopposed to be the new President of the AKR. Congratulations! The minutes, outgoing President's Repor