Nanseikan Kendo Club 剣道クラブ南西館

the late Sumitaka Nagae sensei, instructing young beginners at the old Nanseikan Dojo in Brunswick, c. 2004 At Nanseikan we now have two beginners' courses each year. This Saturday will see the start of the second beginners' course for 2012. Training for beginners will be from 9am til 10am. Seniors will continue until 11am. Everyone will start without bogu for the first hour, helping the beginners learn how to hold the shinai, stand in kamae and use Kendo footwork. After the first three weeks, beginners will join in for the whole of training. The beginners' course will continue until the end of term (15 Sept). The fee is $90, payable on the first training. Let's make everyone welcome and show them our best Kendo.

The VKR is having a special try-out training for all kenshi who would like to try the sister art to Kendo — Iaido. Learn how to draw, cut and sheathe the katana in one quick, smooth action, just like our awesome iaido colleagues! For sometime now, many kendoka in Victoria have expressed interest in trying iaido, but never got around to it due to other commitments (including kendo!). Now here's your chance to try; the VKR and its Iaido members are inviting all VKR kendoka to a one-off introductory course to iai; Details: Date/Time:  Saturday 4th August, 2:00pm ~ 4:00pm Venue:  Kenshikan Fee:  $10 (paid individually on the day) What to bring:  kendo-gi, hakama, bokuto, obi (if you have one) RSVP: Sunday 29th July (email: secretaryATkendovictoria.asn.au or vicepresidentATkendovictoria.asn.au) Places maybe limited so please respond early!

Training starts again for regular members this coming Saturday 21st. The first thing we will need to do is collect names and details for VKR-AKR memberships which are due now for the 2012-13 membership year. Membership fees are $60.00 for seniors (16 and over), and juniors are $35.00. The next beginners' course starts on 4th August. The beginners will train for the first hour for the first three weeks. Then they will train for the full length of training until the end of the term, 15 Sept. Term fees are also due on Saturday. It is a 9 week term, so that means $135 for regular members. Beginners' course costs $90.00.

the morning group Last Saturday we had one of our biggest Kangeiko . This was thanks to the members of various VKR clubs that supported us by coming for a day of frozen feet, miso soup and lots of keiko . The day's focus was metsuke , and we looked at a range of waza that tested our ability to maintain an even and impenetrable gaze. I was very happy when some of MUKEN's newest members thanked me afterwards for a training session where they got to do a lot of new things, including how to perform and receive tsuki . It was great to have a whole day to devote to a specific focus, and then to test that focus over a long period of time. Personally I found that I was good at keeping my metsuke general when it was kihon and uchikomi, but after a few jigeiko  with difficult opponents I noticed my gaze wandering around looking at all different things and definitely giving away my intention. Lunch was a great chance to chat with people I don't normally get to sp...

  Currawong in the snow by Trevor Harders UPDATE : a simple, vegan-friendly hot lunch will be available for the price of a donation.

Thanks to the wonder of the interwebs, you can watch the World Kendo Championships live, for the first time ever! They are streaming from Novara, Italy over the next three days. Competition has already started and goes until Sunday. You will have to work out time zone difference, so it will mostly be late at night. The other drawback is its just a single webcam. It's a reasonably good quality image, but the camera doesn't move! And there's no commentary, although there's a chat window where other viewers discuss what is going on. Here is the schedule of events and list of who is fighting whom: http://www.15wkc-italy.org/competition.html Here is the link to the streaming video: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/aj-kendo-f Enjoy!

Typical handicrafts of the CWA Just found out that the Diamond Valley Branch of the Country Women's Association are having their annual show next week in our hall. So we have to have a holiday. So no training on Saturday 19th May. We'll be back the week after. As compensation for those who have done the right thing and already paid their term fees, I will make the Kangeiko on 23 June free of charge. Interestingly there is another CWA-Kendo connection, and that is Kyohei san's club in Benalla, the Renshinkan, train in the historic Benalla CWA Hall! And it was good to see Kyohei, Tomoko-san and new Renshinkan student Jay at training today. They left Benalla at 5.00am to get to training! And there was ice on their windscreen when they left!

The new shipment of shinai and dogi have just arrived, thanks to Chee Jin and Taobao.com. The dogi look really good. As you can see the kendogi has a sweat-wiking lining. The hakama are cotton and very thick fabric. Both appear to be indigo dyed (if the blueness of my fingers in anything to go by!). The shinai are very thick and made from bamboo with very pronounced nodes. It will be interesting to see how all these things fare in practice. Those people who placed orders can get their items from me at next training.

training at MUKEN Melbourne University Kendo Club, aka MUKEN , will be holding their annual competition. It is open to all VKR members. Date : Saturday 26th May 2012 Time : 12pm-5pm Venue : The University of Melbourne     The taikai will be the same as last year, with 4 divisions (individuals) involved: Beginners (commenced learning Kendo after  1 Jan  2012 ) Up to 3 rd  Kyu 1 & 2 Kyu 1 & 2 Dan Registrations for the event will open at the end of April, along with more information regarding the event.  This is a great taikai for newer Kenshi because it pits them against people their own level. There is no other kendo taikai in Melbourne that has a division for beginners.

Each person who finds ten cringeworthy Kendo moments in this video wins a Nanseikan 10th anniversary badge. International readers included! Post your entry in the comments. I've tagged this as an "Instructional Video" because you can learn even by watching bad Kendo. :D

This video was taken from Takizawa sensei's recent visit. He demonstrates a technique called kiriotoshi This technique is the specialty of the Itto Ryu, which is an old style of Japanese swordsmanship that had a large influence on Kendo. The aim is to cut through you opponent's attack and steal the centre line from them, while they cut you . It is a very difficult and subtle technique. Watching how easy T sensei makes it look might inspire you to give it a try.

  pic of Melbourne's famous Elm trees, from "the Age" Today's blustery, icy winds and rain are a reminder that it really is autumn now! The upside is that autumn is the perfect time to do Kendo: cooler temperatures make it pleasant to get warm by training. Tomorrow's class is the last for the term. It is also the last class for the beginner's course. As of next term, all beginners are invited to join the second half of class, and also start to wear bogu. In the beginning only do and tare . So beginners are no longer beginners but part of the main class. We start again for term 2 on Saturday 21st April. If in doubt about any dates, please check http://www.kendo.org.au/p/training-dates.html .

It was a great turnout for Takizawa sensei's visit. There were kenshi of all ages and abilities: even three of my high school students (two current and one former). Kyohei from Benalla also brought three of his students. It was great to see his wife Tomoko return to training after injuring her hand. Many parents and even some passers-by stayed to watch. The little Dojo certainly felt full of people and there was a great energy. Before we got started, Steph handed out 10th anniversary badges to all NSK members. My own two angels were there. Jetta only lasted through the warm-up but Sholto did the whole beginners' section of training. The class started with basic running and footwork drills... ...including our patented kikentaiitchi stomp-clap drill! Note Shinoda sensei's immaculately straight posture! We did a great deal of shinai geiko in the first half. Takizawa sensei remarked how much like his own Dojo's training thi...

Badges commemorating our 10th anniversary are now available. The first badge is free if you are a currently training member or beginner. If you have more than one kendogi, or you want to put it on a jacket or other piece of clothing, extra badges are $5.00 each. Overseas orders are welcome too! Contact the Nanseikan email address for ordering details. Badges are 6cm x 7.5cm. For locals I will have them at training this Saturday.

Takizawa Kenji sensei on the left. Thanks to efforts of Shinoda sensei, we will be hosting a visit by Takizawa Kenji sensei, Kyoshi 8 dan. He is very interested in teaching Kendo to young people and he has asked specifically to visit our dojo! Takizawa sensei's father was Takizawa Kozo sensei Hanshi 9(!) dan. He is best known for winning one of the last Tenran Jiai , or special match in the Emperor's presence. Only selected high level kenshi were invited to compete, and in this case it was members of the Imperial Guard. You can read a report about this remarkable kenshi and the match itself here .

Jean-Paul Belhomme , head of the Noumea Kendo Club , has sent an invitation to all Australian kenshi to this year's Kendo, Iaido and Jodo seminar in Noumea (lovely pic above, thanks Wikipedia— looks like a video and the sail is the 'play' icon, hehe). The seminar will be run by Ota sensei (Kendo Hanshi 8 dan), Shioiri sensei (Kendo Kyoshi 7 dan, Iaido 4 dan) and Takagi sensei (Iaido 7 dan). Ota sensei is a regular visitor to Australia, and Shioiri sensei is well-known to Australian kenshi because he is one of the All Japan Kendo Federation's main English translators, and frequently attends the Annual Summer School in Kitamoto. If you and your family were thinking of a Pacific Island holiday sometime in the next six months, why not combine it with some excellent Kendo practice?  d(^ _^) Contact Jean-Paul via belhomme at canl dot nc if you are interested.

To all members of the VKR and AKR, The Kenshikan, Melbourne Budokai and Mrs Reiko Nagae request your presence at a special memorial service to honour, celebrate and remember the life and contributions of Sensei Sumitaka Nagae (1921 - 2011). The Memorial service will be attended by Mrs Reiko Nagae who will be travelling from Japan to attend this important event. The Memorial will be held on Sunday, 4th of March 2012 at the Kenshikan Dojo (91 Rosslyn St West Melbourne). The Ceremony will begin at 10am sharp. We look forward to your participation on this important day of remembrance. Kind regards, Tony Corrigan President - Melbourne Budokai

Just got an email from Andy Fisher at Miyako in Kyoto and they're having a half-price sale. These bogu are mostly made in China, but the difference is Miyako's Japanese craftsmen travel regularly to the factory in China to inspect and train the makers there. The bogu is also made to Japanese design and specification. Andy is well-known in the international Kendo community (I think he may be the current British Kendo Team captain, even though he lives in Japan). He is an experienced kenshi and has a reputation to protect, so he would not sell inferior product. If you are thinking of buying bogu, I would recommend you seriously consider these. They are also offering free international shipping, which is pretty bonkers and saves about $100. The bogu above is their "Tsubasa" which, at a sale price of about $584.00AUD is one of the more expensive bogu in the sale. It uses "pitch" stitching which produces a softer, more comfortable bogu, but is as protect...

Our first beginners' course started lasted Saturday with seven new beginners. Even though two of those were my own children, it has been no easy task to lure them into the dojo, so I'm doubly happy. Thanks to everyone for getting into the swing of the new admin and fee structure. A testament to the success of the first class is this drawing by my daughter Jetta who is five. She doesn't draw a lot, so imagine my delight was she produced this fantastic kendo man. Actually it's a probably a kendo girl, knowing Jetta!