Nanseikan Kendo Club 剣道クラブ南西館

We've started to look at Tatsumi Ryu iai as a group in our Zoom training sessions. This is because it is something purposeful we can learn while in isolation. The movements relate to Kendo, whilst also teaching us more about the use and history of the sword. As I mentioned at training, one of the many things that iai teaches is how to use a sword safely. It is only once you have a sword in your hand that you realise they are very dangerous things: to the user as well as the user's enemy! This clip has some recent footage of the current Headmaster, Kato Takashi soke. He is the 22nd Headmaster in direct descent from Tatsumi Sankyo who founded the style in the 1500s. It is therefore one of Japan's oldest extant koryu bujutsu , or old school martial arts. Watch from 7:19 to 9:30 to see many of the basics I have mentioned, performed by Kato soke: muko (7:19)  - block from the draw then cut through  marui (7:45) - cut kote from the draw then cut through  yoto (8:08)  - bri...

The video of yesterday's training is up. Sorry I couldn't afford to buy any more pixels. Handy for anyone who wants a template of things to do at home during the week. See you next Saturday at the same time!

I hope this posting finds everyone well and making the most of the enforced seclusion of social isolation. It seems strange to be on such a long break from Kendo. Not only not training, but not making plans for the future. So to lighten your mood, here are a few fascinating and hilarious old newsreels from British Pathe. For those of us too young to remember, newsreels existed before most people had television. When you went to the cinema to see a movie, which for many was a weekly occurence, newsreels were played before the main feature and they were the news and current affair programs of their day. These ones from Britain have all the cultural attitudes of the day. It's quite amazing to see them from as early as the 1930s. And there's quite a difference between the film from 1962 and 1965. The 1962 group look like they learned Kendo from a book! Although the senpai has quite good tenouchi . The 1965 group look like they at least know how to wear their dogu. It would be w...