|
Yoshiko Buchanan, AKR President, has written
a summary of the 2011 AKR National Seminar
|
http://www.kyudoproject.com/2011/08/2011-akr-seminar-report-from-president.html
The text of her report is also on the AKR web page but I
haven’t figured out yet how to post pictures in Drupal yet.
|
A Reminder For Those Going To The AKR Seminar
This Year, the Tourmanent Registration Deadline Is July 20th
|
You can read the tournament details here:
Kyudo Renmei Reminds Participants Of The May 27th Deadline For the 2011
American Seminar
http://www.mnkyudo.org/home/2011-american-kyudo-seminar/akr-2011-tournament
|
Japanology Segment on Kyudo
|
Minnesota Kyudo Renmei Reminds Participants Of
The May 27th Deadline For the 2011 American Seminar
Peter
Barakan hosts an NHK series called Japanology and one segment was devoted
to kyudo. This segment is all
English and the kyudo
segment can be seen here.
|
The Passing of Dr. Benjamin H. Hazard in San
Jose, California
|
It is with great
sadness that I must pass on this information about the passing of Dr.
Benjamin H. Hazard, a pioneer of the martial arts in America.
Dr. Hazard, along
with his wife Sumie were instrumental in teaching hundreds of students in
the martial arts of kyudo, kendo, iaido and naginata.
Dr. Hazards was
the first president of the Northern California Kyudo Federation and he will
be sorely missed especially by the Kendo association of Ameircan for which
he was so active in much of his life.
As he often told me, his first love was kendo. May he rest in peace.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Benjamin H. Hazard, 91 entered into rest on May 16, 2011
Son of Massachusetts , he became a world traveler, serving in
the United States Army during World War II and the Korean conflict as a
language officer in the Pacific Theater. He continued to serve as a reserve
officer and retired with the rank of Colonel.
After receiving a PhD in History from the University of California , at Berkeley he was a History Professor for
many years at San Jose State University .
A student of Japanese martial arts, he achieved 7th Degree Hanshi in
Kendo and was instrumental in fostering the growth of Kendo, Kyudo and
Naginata in California .
Preceded in death by his beloved wife Sumie Chikamori
Hazard, he is survived by his daughters Daian Hennington, Alyne Hazard,
Malyne Hazard, Francesca Custodia, three grandchildren and a host of loving
students, friends and extended family.
Note:
Visitation is at Oak Hill Funeral Home Saturday, May 21
from 1 pm until
9 pm .
Memorial Service at Oak Hill Chapel of the Roses on
Sunday, May 22 at 2 pm .
Oak Hill Memorial Park
300 Curtner Avenue
San Jose , CA
95125 (408) 297-2447
Reception Follows Immediately at
1523 Altamont Avenue
San Jose , CA 95125
Alyne
|
Minnesota Kyudo Renmei Reminds Participants
Of The May 27th Deadline For the 2011 American Seminar
|
Registration
documents, including test application and waivers are due on May 27th.
|
Kyudo Event Cancellations In Japan.
|
The ANKF has cancelled the following event and test due to the influence
from the earthquake.
1) The 29th All Japan High School Tournament (March 18 - 20 at Kagoshima
city)
2) Special Chuo Shinsa (March 28 at Miyakonojo)
|
US Government Issues Japan Travel Alert.
|
The
US Statement Department Of State has just released this updated travel
alert for US citizens advising them to avoid travel to Japan at this
time. You can see the alert here:
http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_5377.html
I
have heard that one kyudo test in Tokyo scheduled for today, March 13th,
was canceled because the gym was converted into an evacuation center. Starting on Monday the Tokyo Electric
Company is scheduled to begin rolling blackouts to conserve electric power. These blackouts will include Tokyo
itself. International sports events
scheduled for next month in Japan have already been canceled. Although I have not read them myself I
have heard that the governments of France and Germany are going further
than the US government and are advising their citizens to leave Tokyo. Clearly this is all being driven by the
dangerous situation surrounding the damaged nuclear power plants so archers
traveling to Japan for promotion tests should double check with authorities
in Japan to make sure the event will actually be held. As of now I have not heard anything about
next month’s takai in Kyoto. If I hear anything then I will post it.
Our
thoughts and prayers are with the Japanese survivors and their families and
we pray for a fast and safe resolution to the current problems at the nuclear
power plants.
Update:
Here
are the travel advisories from other countries:
(Reuters) -
Following are travel warnings from several countries following the
earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
UNITED STATES
The U.S. State Department urged U.S.
citizens to avoid tourism and non-essential travel to Japan at this time
and also requests all non-essential official U.S. government personnel
defer travel to Japan.
BRITAIN
Britain's Foreign Office advised against
all non-essential travel to Tokyo and the northeast of Japan.
"Our advice is people should take
their lead from the Japanese authorities," Foreign Office minister
Jeremy Browne told Sky News. "The Foreign Office travel advice is not
to go to that part of Japan in any case unless you have an extremely
compelling reason for doing so."
FRANCE
France recommended its citizens leave the
Tokyo region, citing the risk of further earthquakes and uncertainty over
damaged nuclear plants.
A statement on the website of the French
embassy in Japan noted that Japan's meteorological office saw a 70 percent
chance of a strong fresh aftershock in the north of the Kanto (Tokyo)
region in the next three days.
"We strongly advise our nationals
not to travel to Japan and we strongly recommend delaying any journey
planned," the embassy website said.
GERMANY
Germany's
foreign minister advised Germans to consider if their travel to the
Yokohama/Tokyo region was really necessary.
"Given the current situation, the
foreign ministry warns against staying in the crisis region and advises all
Germans near nuclear plants or in the greater Tokyo/Yokohama area to
consider whether staying in Japan is necessary," the foreign ministry
website said.
|
Brazil Kyudo Kai on Television.
|
A very nice TV
interview of the Brazil Kyudo Kai:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tv0uOmzaLZg
|
2011 European Kyudo Federation Seminar
Canceled.
|
Apparently the rental of
facilities in Belgium this year would have made the seminar financially
infeasible so the EKF seminar has been canceled. An effort to have a test only event in
Paris is being discussed now. I’m
sure this is very unfortunately for European archers so I hope the French
Kyudo Federation is successful in organizing the test only seminar.
|
Kyudo Blog Now On Blogger!
|
The hand
editing of this page is just too time consuming so I’ve started a kyudo
blog on blogger. Here is the
address:
www.kyudoproject.com
E
I’ve started the blog with pictures from the recent
eruption of the Shinmoedake volcano near Miyazaki in
Japan.
|
First Asia-Oceania Kyudo Seminar Web Page Is
Online (with English!)
|
The ANKF
has published a web page in Japanese and English giving details of the
seminar. Here is the link:
http://kyudo.jp/contents/code/information
You have
to page down to see the English translation.
|
I Think We All Need A Kyudo Break
|
Tragedy fills the news in
America, flooding of biblical proportions in Australia and my wife’s email
inbox is getting breathtakingly rude emails from her kyudo juniors. I think we need to take a break here. A video being passed around on facebook
is perfect. A man strings a Japanese
bow backwards (!) and gives it to his girlfriend to shoot. Amazingly she gets a straight shot
off. The little dance of joy at the
end is just adorable:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwhSZ3hJ4Gg
ar of
the Rabbit.
|
The 1st Asia, Oceanic Kyudo Seminar In Japan,
April 14th Thru 16th.
|
Clearly
the IKYF is expanding activities to asian countries. This is a heck of a deal cost wise and the
big news is that it includes Foreigners living in Japan! For something like 60 dollars US you get a three day
seminar and you can take a promotion test at the end. Wow!
Here are the details:
In the
January 2011 edition of the Kyudo magazine, page 11, is the announcement “ The First Asia, Oceanic Kyudo Seminar is Announced”.
Dates:
2011
April 14 thru 16 – seminar
17th –
test
Sponsored
by the IKYF and co-sponsored by the ANKF.
Hosted by
the Ichiken Kyudo Federation.
Place: Nippon Gaishi Sports Center Kyudojo (I
may be misreading the “gaishi” kanji).
5-1-5
Higashi Matabei-Cho
Minami
Ku, Nagoya Shi, Aichi prefecture
Eligibility:
1)
New
Zealand federation members.
2) Taiwan kyudo association members.
3) Those foreign students who reside in
Japan and belong to a local federation that is a member of the ANKF.
4)
Others: Those countries who have unformed
associations should consult with the IKYF.
Cost:
5000 yen
per person plus test fee which is separate.
Transportation and lodging is not provided.
Questions:
ikyf (at)
kyudo.jp
I’m use
‘(at)’ instead of ‘@’ to foil email spammer’s harvesting robots.
|
The Premier Issue of the Journal of the South Carolina Kyudo
Renmei Is Online.
|
The
format is a handsome one and subscriptions are only 10 dollars a year. The journal can be found at:
http://sckrjournal.org/
|
2011 is the Year of the Rabbit.
|
If
you are like me, around this time of year you start looking for Japanese
New Year clip art to decorate new year tournament sheets, certificates,
team badges and so on. As usual,
Little House Graphics has great traditional Japanese New Year clip art.
Just
click here: Little House
Graphics
The
rabbit clip art starts on page 5.
For
the typically ultra cute Japanese new year clip art try this site. Just click through the selections on the
left hand side of the web page. At
one point the new year’s rabbit puts on a cape and starts
flying like superman. I have no idea
why, in Japanese clip art you just don’t ask:
http://www.wanpagu.com/top.html
|
Online Kyudo Terminology Flash Card Site
|
Michael
Wert, the head of the Milwaukee Kyudo Kai, has informed me that he is
adding kyudo terms to an online Japanese vocabulary web site. I’ve tried the site and it does allow
guests to take the kyudo word test so you don’t have to log into the site
unless you want to save your test results from one session to another. You will need a flash player installed on
your computer to run the test however.
And the terms are pronounced so you’ll want your speakers turned on
too.
Dear Mr. Buchanan:
I'm passing along a kyudo vocab builder on a
well-known language learning
website that has been used by my students and some
people in Southern California
to work on kyudo vocab.
The link below allows one to choose either the basic vocab
list or the advance one.
I'll be adding to both in the coming months.
There's a simple version, for those who don't know any
Japanese kana
or kanji, and a full version
for those familiar with Japanese language.
The website (which is not mine) is free, nothing to
download, no ads, etc.
Just various vocab exercises meant to be used about five
minutes a day to
remember terms, other
languages, even geography, etc.
I wondered if you could put this up on your website so
others could benefit. Thank you much.
http://smart.fm/goals/search?keyword=kyudo
Sincerely,
Michael Wert
----------------------------
Marquette University
History Department
Assistant Professor of East Asian History
|
Budokan Visit to Mexico Report by Mr. Mauricio Salazar
|
REPORT ON BUDOKAN VISIT TO
MEXICO
By Mauricio Salazar (Uemura Kyudo
Mexico City)
photos:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=33245&id=100000654969573&l=77871728b1
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=33175&id=100000654969573&l=f33554752c
Videos:
http://www.facebook.com/v/167112559987242
My name is Mauricio, I am from Mexico City and I am a Kyudo student at Uemura
dojo.
This is the story of the Visit of the Budokan to Mexico last
November and how our group of Kyudo participated in this important
event.
Whats Budo
Budo is the modern name to the traditional martial arts of Japan. Its formed by the traditional combat techniques used by
the Samurai with weapons and body combat. The most well known are: Kendo,
Naginata, Aikido, Judo, Karate, Sumo and of course Kyudo. But there still
exist thousands of traditional Budo schools and inside Japan. It is
estimated that there are 50 million students of budo students all over the
world.
The modern focus of budo is to build character and physical
development by the application of the philosophy and discipline of ancient
Samurai tradition.
The Nippon Budokan
It was established in 1964 with the mission to promote
traditional Japanese Budo martial arts, to promote physical and mental
education of the children, to contribute to the development of the nations
and the world peace. The Budokan is working to assure the correctly budo
teaching to future generations.
Why Budokan Visited Mexico
The Nippon Budokan visits those countries that celebrate an
important event. In this case for our luck, we celebrated the 400 years of
relations between Mexico and Japan, also it was
the 200 anniversary of Mexico independence from Spain.
How we got involved
We were contacted directly by the Organizers. We were asked
to budget and construct the target zone for the expo. I tailored the
curtain, and acquired the material to built a wall
for hanging the targets and acquired a backstop net for the arrows behind
the target area according to Budokan specifications.
The welcome
After a stressful period of preparations we were ready for
the visit. The delegation of almost 80 budo masters arrived at the
reception hall. There was a welcome committee conformed by All Mexican Budo
Federations The Cultural ambassador of Japan, Mexico Japanese Association
president and the Budokan Dancho the Nippon Budakan representative. After a
warm welcome and protocol speech we received the Kyudo Masters, Mrs. Kuwata
Hideko, Kyoshi 7 dan, Mr. Fukumachi Yoshihiro, Kyoshi 7 dan, Mrs. Takahashi
Ryoko, Kyoshi 7 dan, Mr. Sato Chosen, Kyoshi 7 dan, Mr. Okamoto Jin, Kyoshi
7 dan and Mr. Shimizu Masanori, Renshi 5 dan member of the ANKF. We had a
very good evening talking about Kyudo. I exchanged meishi with the sensei.
We enjoyed a small exhibition of Shorinji
kempo, Kendo and Saburi Ryu Sojutsu. This was the best moment in
my budo journey.
The seminar
The Kyudo seminar took place the next Saturday 13th at the
CNAR facilities. It started at 10:00 am with almost 40 students from
different dojos in Mexico. One student traveled 8 hours to be in that event
from Guadalajara. Also we had the visit of a kyudo student from Japan, 3th
dan, who was visiting Mexico City that weekend.
The Sensei
did an exhibition of Hitotsu mato za sharei. After this the 40 students
were divided in two groups, for makiwara and matomae. For 5 hours the two
groups had the opportunity to review their form and ask for tips on
training.
After the bento dinner, the sensei did a rehersal for the
next day expo. After this we had a makiwara intensive with the sensei. We
had opportunity to work on our personal form.
At the end the event Kuwata Sensei commented about the
excellent organization and thethey were surprised by spirit showed from all
the students, from makiwara to matomae.
Also this was perhaps the first Kyudo Seminar webcast of the
Americas. We had 27 viwers. Elmer Clay Buchannan, from USA reported that he
could saw it.
A personal achievement to share
I was so happy when Kuwata Sensei commented that my form has
level of a 3th dan and Sensei’s Uemura of a 4th dan (we are officially
shodans). This was a very special moment for me because even our group has
been called by some important people as “non orthodox ANKF style”, this
comment by a Kyoshi Nana dan as Kuwata Sensei says that Kyudo is Kyudo
after all. We have grown, not so bad for a small “non-affiliated,
non-orthodox” Kyudo group in Mexico.
The Expo
For three hours more than 4 thousand Mexicans had the
opportunity to view a budo expo. With 80 sensei from
modern: Judo, Kendo, Kyudo, Sumo, Karatedo, Aikido, Shorinji kempo, Naginata,
Jukendo. And thee traditional Budo schools: Saburi-ryu- Sojutsu,
Tatsumi-ryu Heiho Daito-ryu Aiki-Jujutsu Yakumakai.
During the Kyudo exhibition, the public responded with a big
applause after each Sensei shots Mexican. Kids had the opportunity to
practice with the Sumotori and 8 dan Judo Sensei.
At the end of the expo they did a workshop with all the public. For 30
minutes the public had the opportunity to shoot arrows to the targets with
the sensei instruction.
The result
This was an historical event for Kyudo and Budo in Mexico
that hardly will be ever repeat again. 80 Sensei for a weekend is a dream come true.
The visit was a big success, the sensei felt at home and
want to return, as Jorge Ito san, President
of Mexico Japanese Association said. The Mexican Kyudo has earned new friends and
contacts with Japan. After all the differences between our groups we could
get together and work for this event.
Recognitions
I want to recognize the work of Uemura Kyudo Club members:
Uemura Sensei, Yoshino, Sakura, Jorge, Alejandra, Zuelen, Sergio for the
support during the installation of the target zone for the expo.
--
Mauricio Salazar
|
Brazil and Argentina Seminar Trip Report from Yoshiko
Buchanan
|
Yoshiko
returned from her South American kyudo seminar trip and wrote a nice report
with pictures which I’ve posted on the AKR web page that you can see by clicking here.
There were many pictures taken of
the seminar in Brazil which you can see by going to the Brazilian Kyudo Kai
web page and viewing the “galleria” hyperlinks. The web page is here but I’ve copied the direct links
to the Brazilian seminar photo albums:
Galeria
do Igor Prata
Galeria
da Paula Nakamura
Galeria
da Simone Delgado
Fotos da Aki Kato
Junko Kurita traveled with Yoshiko to
assist with teaching and has a photo album on picasa with pictures from the
entire trip you can see by clicking here.
Yoshiko came back with a case of
bronchitis but enjoyed the trip. She
looks a little stern in the Brazilian pictures and she said that she was
pretty strict with the students there.
The Brazil organizer did a good job in creating the dojo by covering
the shajo with a rented tent.
The Argentina dojo is in a
basketball court with a stunning hardwood parquet floor.
Interest in kyudo was very high
during the trip with three people traveling from Uruguay I believe just to
observe the Argentine seminar.
Yoshiko also received email from a group in Equador who are also
interested in kyudo. Yoshiko also
thought about what a good experience it was for Junko to travel overseas
and experience instructing kyudo to such a wide level of students.
As always the trip was tiring but
another trip next year is always possible. J
Update 1: A Japanese language newspaper in Brazil
has published an article on the Brazil seminar. The online version is here!
|
The Kyudo Alliance announces a national seminar for Jan. 13
thru 16, 2011, Long Beach, California
|
I was forwarded this information
from Marcus Bossett in California announcing a national kyudo seminar from
the Kyudo Alliance, an independent kyudo study group founded by Aaron
Blackwell sensei in South Carolina and Ed. Symmes sensei in Georgia. Note the price is too be decided so if
you are interested in going please contact Mr. Bossett and indicate your
interest. I’ve taken this text from
the full announcement which you can read as a Microsoft word document by clicking here. There is also a flyer which you can see by clicking here.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Hello,
Friends of Kyudo
This is the first wave of announcements about this
event... please take a moment to read it ..
We had a less than great showing in Japan with the USA Team
and we wish to do something about it. We want to make Kyudo in the Americas
great. We want to improve our overall training practices, improve our
personal technique and shooting hitting percentage. Also we wish to build
pride and respect for our art in the Americas.
The big question is how?
Taira Takahashi Kyoshi 6th Dan from Kumamoto, Japan
will be the lead instructor. We have asked him to teach us the best
technique for shooting 28
M and 60 M.
We will also go over equipment and teaching Kyudo to a higher level. This
will be one of the best intense seminars in the USA.
We have a commitment to bringing high level instruction
to American Kyudoka more than once a year.
We want to make this a notable event for Kyudo. Our goal
is not just to host another event but help get Kyudo in the Martial Arts
Public Awareness here in the America’s..
We are inviting all of the local and national media and all of the martial
arts magazines to our event.
Please let me
know what you think.. Your voice counts …I hope to
see you there..
The Kyudo Alliance along with University of Archery and
the El Dorado Park Archers will host:
The National Kyudo Alliance Seminar in January
2011
The event will
take place in Long Beach, CA from January 13-16 (Thurs-Sun).
The event will begin with demonstrations for first
timers and people curious about kyudo with questions and answers
afterwards. (There will be media invited) club sign up’s welcome…
|
Special Test In Germany, September 2010, Open to American Kyudo
Renmei Members!
|
This information has just been posted to the AKR web
site and using the normal guidelines of filing test paperwork the time is
short. Blackwell sensei has received
information saying that, possibly for the first time ever, Americans can
travel to Germany and participate in a special promotion test given by IKYF
judges. This is a bit of a milestone
in the development of the IKYF and is significant news in its own right but
with a deadline of the end of July there isn’t a lot of time and what’s
more, we don’t even know which town in Germany the test is going to be
at! But here is the announcement.
All,
SPECIAL TEST IN GERMANY ON
SEPTEMBER 11 OPEN TO AKR MEMBERS.
According to the IKYF information center I have been
informed by Aaron Blackwell sensei that American Kyudo Renmei members will
be allowed to participate in a Special Test in Germany on September 11,
2010. I believe this may be the first time that AKR members are
officially allowed to test outside of the US other than in Japan.
Considering that Germany is one of the IKYF federation countries, like
Japan itself, those who want to take the test in Germany should prepare
their test application forms in the same manner as that of someone applying
to a test in the US or in Japan. Application forms should be
signed by the appropriate federation head.
Unfortunately we do not yet know the name of the city in Germany
where the test is to be held but the deadline is the end of July which is
very soon.
Please contact Blackwell sensei (SCKYUDO@aol.com ) for
further details such as the place to send application , test fees and the
location. He will need your name and
the name of your federation.
Sincerely,
Yoshiko Buchanan
AKR president
|
Kyudo Seminars in Brazil and Argentina, September 2010
|
Yoshiko Buchanan, President of the American Kyudo Renmei
along
with Junko Kurita, will be giving kyudo seminars in Buenos
Aires, Argentina,
and
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which will take place in September, 2010.
The Brazil Kyudo Kai is offering
a weekend seminar on the 18th
and the 19th of September in Rio. The BKK is
growing and their
friends will gather in Rio from Sao Paulo and also
Brasilia. Their web page is
here: http://www.kyudo.com.br/
The seminar in Buenos Aires has various programs: an
intensive
seminar on the 25th and the 26th, lectures during
weekdays
and a courtesy call to the Japanese embassy plus a lecture.
Instructor: Yoshiko Buchanan, renshi rokudan/NCKF
Assistant: Junko Kurita, godan/NCKF
|
Passing of Philippe Reymond, Renshi, 5th dan of the Swiss
Kyudo Federation
|
Dear National Representatives
It is my sad duty to inform you
that Philippe Reymond, renshi 5th dan, founding member of the Swiss Kyudo Federation
and Kyudojin of the early days in Europe died last week at the age of 93.
You will find an obituary (in
French) on the federation's website: http://www.kyudo.ch/informationsfr.php
Please feel free to inform
your members and old friends of Philippe's
Kind regards
Gérald Zimmermann
Association Helvétique de Kyudo
Schweizerischer Kyudo Verband
Gérald Zimmermann, Präsident, L
Web: www.kyudo.ch
World Cup So
|
Hiroko Urakami,
Hanshi promoted to 10th Dan.
|
Earl Hartman sensei of the Seishinkan dojo in Northern California, made a facebook posting that deserves wider
notice. Hiroko Urakami, Hanshi, was
promoted to the rank of 10th Dan on May 1st. She has instructed at American national
seminars and as Hartman sensei points out, this may well be the first woman
ever promoted to that rank. Hartman
sensei also included a wonderful picture of sensei which you can see by clicking here!
From a facebook posting:
This is to announce that Urakami Hiroko Hanshi was
awarded 10th
dan in Kyoto on May 1st.
I believe that this makes Urakami Sensei
the first female Hanshi 10 dan in history. It is an honor richly
deserved, and is of special significance to me personally, since I am
lucky enough to be able to call her my teacher.
I hope you will join me in celebrating this important milestone.t ALL
World Cup Soccer in South Africa!
|
It’s not ALL World Cup Soccer in South Africa!
|
Mr.
Jade Thorpe of the Kyudo Renmei South Africa emailed me to say that last
month they were invited to demonstrate as part of the Japanese embassy’s 100th
centennial celebration and the Japanese Ambassador was very pleased to see
this part of Japanese culture being shown to the public. And this weekend (June 26th and 27th)
there will be a kyudo seminar in Cape Town with 49(!) people
attending. That is a good size
seminar actually. Despite the impression you get from television not
everyone in South Africa is kicking a soccer ball this weekend!
http://kyudo.co.za/
The June, 2010, issue of the ANKF magazine had two
tables that I’ve been looking for ever since I heard from Yoshiko that many
people could not make it to the first IKYF world tournament in Tokyo Japan
because of the volcano eruption in Iceland.
There were a LOT of people who could not
make it. Note that in the B seminar
some arrived late and were able to attend a special one day seminar that
was created just for them.
Update: John Born
and other A seminar attendees have told me that many of the B seminar
“late” attendees were able to participate in their own special mini seminar
which was created to run alongside the A seminar so they were able to get
more than just one day of instruction.
Also, some of these numbers seem a little off but I won’t change
them as this was published in the ANKF magazine. There are many stories in these
numbers. People from South America
getting stuck trying to connect through London and other people declining
to fly routes that were open on a test basis for example. I can’t imagine the uncertainty of people
stuck in airports wondering if they are going to make it to this once in
four years event!
Update
2: Mr. Marcelo Frischknecht of the
Kyudo Kai Bariloche, Argentina, has emailed me comfirming some significant
errors in the Group B seminar table concerning Argentina attendance. Despite the listing of all six of the
Argentina participants as absent in the table Mr. Frischknecht says that in
reality only one participant was absent for personal reasons. Three attended from the beginning and another
two managed to arrive the last day of the seminar despite volcano
delays. Mr. Frischknecht mentions
the effort required for his group to reach Japan. It required some three days of travel
from a country that isn’t a formally recognized member of the IKYF
yet. The sheer size of Argentina is
something that is hard to appreciate until you’ve visited the country and
I’ve only been to Buenos Aires. I
remember looking out of the plane’s window and being astonished at just how
vast the steppes of Argentina are and how sparsely populated, as a whole,
the country is. It is not surprising
it takes three travel days to reach Japan even when a volcano isn’t going
off! Here is a good map of just how
big an area we are talking about: Patagonia region of
Argentina. So the truth is that most of the Argentina attendees did
manage to reach Japan and did so by overcoming considerable obstacles of
distance and nature!
B Seminar
|
|
Actual
Attendees
|
Absent
|
Late
|
Registered
|
|
Italy
|
4
|
1
|
|
5
|
|
America
|
25
|
13
|
|
38
|
|
Argentina
|
|
6
|
|
6
|
|
Canada
|
4
|
|
|
4
|
|
Finland
|
4
|
|
|
4
|
|
Austria
|
1
|
|
|
1
|
|
Hungary
|
2
|
|
|
2
|
|
France
|
30
|
31
|
8
|
69
|
|
Taiwan
|
5
|
|
|
5
|
|
Germany
|
10
|
14
|
5
|
29
|
|
Latvia
|
|
2
|
|
2
|
|
Poland
|
6
|
|
|
6
|
|
Russia
|
8
|
|
|
8
|
|
Ukraine
|
1
|
|
|
1
|
|
Luxemburg
|
|
|
3
|
3
|
|
Holland
|
1
|
4
|
1
|
6
|
|
Spain
|
1
|
5
|
3
|
9
|
|
Sweden
|
5
|
7
|
1
|
13
|
|
United
Kingdom
|
5
|
11
|
4
|
20
|
|
New
Zealand
|
2
|
|
|
2
|
|
Belgium
|
1
|
2
|
5
|
8
|
|
Switzerland
|
24
|
4
|
1
|
29
|
|
Norway
|
|
2
|
|
2
|
|
Denmark
|
|
|
1
|
1
|
|
Total
|
139
|
102
|
32
|
273
|
A Seminar
|
|
Actual
Attendees
|
Absent
|
Registered
|
|
Argentina
|
1
|
|
1
|
|
Belgium
|
9
|
|
9
|
|
Finland
|
2
|
|
2
|
|
France
|
28
|
5
|
33
|
|
Germany
|
6
|
6
|
12
|
|
Iceland
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
|
Italy
|
4
|
|
4
|
|
Holland
|
5
|
|
5
|
|
New
Zealand
|
1
|
|
1
|
|
Norway
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
|
Spain
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
|
Sweden
|
2
|
1
|
3
|
|
Switzerland
|
12
|
|
12
|
|
United
Kingdom
|
7
|
1
|
8
|
|
America
|
21
|
1
|
22
|
|
Total
|
101
|
17
|
118
|
|
Kyudo seminar at Sonoma Zen Center in California
|
Don Symanski sensei will be leading kyudo retreats
for beginners and intermediates next week from June 3rd thru June 6th,
2010.
Flyer can be found by clicking here!
|
Post IKYF seminar thoughts and comments from Liam O’Brian
sensei of the UK
|
Thoughtful
and kind words from O’Brian sensei that he wished published:
Greetings
- Liam O'Brien
Dear E.Clay:
I would just like to say how having our American friends at the
International Kyudo event at the Meiji Shrine dojo this April made a
great difference. Their enthusiasm and sincerity was very moving and I
was glad to make new contacts there. I must especially thank your
wife, Yoshiko Sensei for her hard work and the support that she gave
to us and Hartman Sensei for his immaculate and clear interpretation,
which made things move very smoothly. I hope we have many more chances
to practice together.
Regarding the competitions, there must always be a winner and a loser,
but in kyudo (and in competition) it is more important to
always
reflect on our shooting more than to think about position. When I
returned home, I thought ah if only my daisan was higher and if I had
kept the expansion in the elbows, my shooting could have been better,
and also I recollected all the stupid mistakes that I made on the
shajo. But we learn -hopefully - from this and little by little we
make progress. My teacher always said that the dojo is the place to
get embarrassed, and this embarrassment make it more memorable so
that
we work on our errors. In this respect competition is a good place to
study our kyudo. President Suzuki Mitsunari said that the non-Japanese
need a better understanding of the difference of maai, nagari and
taihai between competition and examination, and this good advice was
further supported by Princess
Takamado. Also it is important to know
how to basically hit in kyudo and how important the focuses of the
tsunomi and use of hand power effect this as well as making
yurumi
(collapsing) in hanare. I remember when I practiced in Japan that high
school and university students had these elements in their shooting
and had a consistently high hitting average. They lacked other things
but these fundamentals were there. I noticed this especially on the
second day when the non-Japanese competed in the Individuals - with
the exception of one American, Cynthia Shannon.
Please excuse these thoughts on the event but I just wanted to share
them with you and hope that you will post them to your site.
Very best wishes
Liam O'Brien
|
Kyudo seminar at Daihonzan Chozen-ji in Hawaii
|
Dr. Kenneth Kushner sensei has just notified me
of a kyudo and zen seminar in Hawaii!
Here is the text of the announcement and the web page can be found at
http://www.institutezenstudies.com/Seminars.html
Issha
Zetsumei - International Kyudo Seminar
Daihonzan
Chozen-ji, 3565 Kalihi Street
Honolulu, Hawaii
Oct 7 - 11
Of all the Asian martial arts, perhaps none is as closely identified in the
West with Zen as Kyudo, the "Way of the Bow." Much of this
is due to the popularity of the book, Zen in the Art of Archery, by
Eugen Herrigel. In it Herrigel eloquently described Kyudo as a
"Way" beyond technical proficiency, leading the student to the
realization of his or her True Nature. Issha Zetsumei, an
international Zen Kyudo seminar, is intended for practitioners of Kyudo who
are interested in deepening their experience of Zen and Kyudo. In
addition to training in Kyudo on the grounds of a Zen temple,
instructionwill include zazen (sitting meditation), fine arts (calligraphy,
shakuhachi, chanting), and talks by Zen masters and experienced Zen
priests.
Instruction will be in English. The seminar is open to anyone with
the minimum rank of shodan (or equivalent)
in Kyudo and an interest in pursuing an experience in Zen and Kyudo
training.
Fee: $500
Update: Dr. Kushner just emailed an updated flyer
you can see here!
|
IKYF World Championship Team Competition Results.
|
#1 France
#2 UK
#3 Finland
This was just emailed to
me from Japan and I’ve asked for confirmation that in fact, team Japan, was
not in the top three but two separate emails have arrived with these
results so I’m going to post them. A
BIG CONGRATULATIONS TO THESE TEAMS at the first IKYF world championships!
Woo hoo!
|
New President and Vice President for the NCKF.
|
At the March 21st, 2010, board meeting of the Northern California Kyudo Federation new
officers were elected.
President: Maria Peterson
Vice President: Earl
Hartman
The board thanked Steve
Scott for his 10 years of service as NCKF president.
The board also discussed
who would be the NCKF representative to the American Kyudo Renmei and it
was decided that Maria Peterson would also fill that role.
Congratulations to the
new officers!
|
The Passing of Hirotako Ono, hanshi 10th dan.
|
A member of the first
group of kyudo teachers sent to America by the ANKF has passed away. I have heard from the family that
Hirotako Ono sensei has just passed away.
He came to American national seminars twice and many American
archers will remember him for his powerful shooting which would draw crowds
around the makiwara and his kind and supportive instruction. He instructed myself
and my wife, during our trips to Japan and we enjoyed staying in his home
and attending the Shado Kenshu Kai kyudo study group in the Okayama
area. No details about funeral
arrangements are available at this time.
(Evening of Jan. 10th, 2010, approx 7:45 PM).
Yoshiko and I would like
to extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Ono
sensei. Ono sensei touched so many
lives both inside Japan and overseas with his kyudo teaching that we are
sure there will be many people with fond memories of such a great archer
and teacher.
(Update – The funeral
will be on Jan. 13th).
|
“Shots in the Dark: Japan, Zen and the West” author, Prof.
Shoji Yamada, appearing at the Univ. of Berkeley, Nov. 3, 2009.
|
Earl Hartman Sensei
informs me that Prof. Shoji Yamada, author of “Shots in the Dark: Japan,
Zen and the West” will be in person at the Center for Japanese Studies at
Berkeley University.
From the book description
on Amazon.com:
Product Description
In
the years after World War II, Westerners and Japanese alike elevated Zen to
the quintessence of spirituality in Japan. Pursuing the sources of Zen as a
Japanese ideal, Shoji Yamada uncovers the surprising role of two cultural
touchstones: Eugen Herrigel’s Zen in the Art of Archery and the
Ryoanji dry-landscape rock garden. Yamada shows how both became facile
conduits for exporting and importing Japanese culture.
First published in German in 1948 and translated
into Japanese in 1956, Herrigel’s book popularized ideas of Zen both in the
West and in Japan. Yamada traces the prewar history of Japanese archery,
reveals how Herrigel mistakenly came to understand it as a traditional
practice, and explains why the Japanese themselves embraced his
interpretation as spiritual discipline. Turning to Ryoanji, Yamada argues
that this epitome of Zen in fact bears little relation to Buddhism and is best
understood in relation to Chinese myth. For much of its modern history,
Ryoanji was a weedy, neglected plot; only after its allegorical role in a
1949 Ozu film was it popularly linked to Zen. Westerners have had a part in
redefining Ryoanji, but as in the case of archery, Yamada’s interest is
primarily in how the Japanese themselves have invested this cultural site
with new value through a spurious association with Zen
http://www.amazon.com/Shots-Dark-Japan-Buddhism-Modernity/dp/0226947645
November 2009
"Shots in the Dark: Japan, Zen, and the West"
Shoji Yamada,
International Research Center for Japanese Studies
|
DATE:
|
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
|
|
TIME:
|
4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
|
|
PLACE:
|
IEAS Conference Room, 2223 Fulton Street, 6th Floor
|
|
FORMAT:
|
Colloquium
|
|
SPONSORS:
|
Center for
Japanese Studies
|
http://ieas.berkeley.edu/events/cjs.html
|
AKR Members are Invited to the 4th Open German
Enteki Kyudo Taikai.
|
Dear national
represantives, dear Kyudo-friends!
The German Kyudo
Federation (DKyuB) has the pleasure to invite kyudoka of your federation to
participate in the
4th OPEN GERMAN ENTEKI
KYUDO TAIKAI
and Training to be held in
Karlsruhe, Germany, during the weekend of the 12th/13th September, 2009.
Event and application details
together with the competition guidelines are attached.
Best regards
Sorin Jurma
vice-president of
Deutscher Kyudo Bund e.V. (German Kyudo Federation)
The enteki event cover is here:
Enteki09 cover.pdf
The event schedule is here: Enteki09 eventdetails.pdf
The application form is here: Enteki09 application.doc
|
Advance Information on the 2010 IKYF Seminar in Japan?
|
onal Seminar Now Open to Sandans Appar
All,
I
have received the following draft proposal for next years IKYF seminar in Tokyo
B
seminar
April 20 - 22 Up to
sandan
B
seminar
testing April
23
International
tournament April 24,25
A
seminar
April 26-28 yondan and up
A
seminar
testing April
29 testing through 6 dan
If
there is a great deal of interest they will make a C seminar.
Either
the 24th or 25th there will be a banquet. The banquet is only open to
yondan and up.
Fees
are seminar Y30,000 banquet Y5,000
taikai Y5,000 Test fee_____
Also
each "nation" will have a Y5,000 fee.
Registration
must be completed by the end of January.
I
have made the following inquirys:
Payment
method: By bank transfer or when we arrive?
Hotels:
Are they going to find hotels or do we need to provide our own and
transportation as well?
Taikai:
Will it be in the fashion of a typical Japanese taikai or more of a
demonstration as last time?
"Nation":
Is America one nation or does the Y5,000 fee apply
to each state renmei?
I
will let you know when I get more information.
Aaron
Blackwell
IKYF
|
US National Seminar Now Open to Sandans Apparently?
|
In an astonishing breach of Kyudo student/teacher
etiquette, the president of the South Carolina Kyudo Federation has
apparently been sending emails directly to American sandans (but not to the
instructors of the sandans!) inviting the sandans to the extended national
American seminar which officially is only open to yondan and up.
The lowering of eligible rank from yondan to sandan was
apparently motivated by both face saving, (small attendance for three
hanshi instructors) and the lower income from a smaller group.
There has been no official announcement but to quote
from one of Blackwell sensei’s emails “I am opening the extended
seminar to any sandan that can attend. If you are interested please let me
know.”
Sandans interested in attending the seminar should
DEFINITELY check with their sensei first about this!
The question about who is actually in charge of the
American national Kyudo seminar is left as an exercise for the AKR board. ☺
|
Open Invitation to the MNKR Mini Seminar – Saturday, June
20th.
|
Sent: Sunday, May 31,
2009 8:43 AM
Subject: Invitation to
MNKR Mini Seminar - Saturday, June 20th
Hi all,
I would like to extend this invitation to all AKR and
KAC members. Please share this with your dojo members.
The MNKR will be holding a small mini seminar on
Saturday, June 20th, to help it's members prepare
for the national seminar. There will be small
registration fee to help pay for the facilities, no more than $20. I
will fix the cost once I have an idea of how many people are coming (the
more that come, the less we need to charge each person).
The event will be held on June 20th at the Northfield High School gymnasium
in Northfield, Minnesota.
Here is the tentative schedule:
11-11:30am Dojo Setup
11:30am Shūgō
(Opening Assembly)
11:30 - 1pm Individually-paced, guided practice
1 - 3pm Taihai practice
3 - 4:30pm Open Shooting
4:30pm Kaisan (Closing Assembly)
4:30 - 5pm Dojo Teardown
If people are interested, we can go find dinner at a
restaurant downtown Northfield
after the seminar. If there are significant numbers attending the
seminar, I will arrange for a dinner of the appropriate size.
Those who may need lodging, can
visit the Visiting
Northfield website for information on local hotels,
etc.
All AKR and KAC members are welcome to join us, please
email Carly at carly (at) mnkyudo.org if
you are planning to attend. Those interested who are not already
members of the AKR or KAC are welcome to apply for membership to the MNKR
at the seminar. Please feel free to forward this to any eligible
person if you think they would be interested.
If you have questions, contact Carly at carly (at)
mnkyudo.org.
Carly J. Born
Minnesota
Kyudo Renmei
www.mnkyudo.org
|
Shots In the Dark by Professor Shoji Yamada is published!
|
Earl Hartman sensei sends word that his translation of
the book: Shots In the Dark, has been published and
should be available in book stores in 2 to 3 weeks and should be available
from Amazon now. He says:
"Shots in the Dark: Japan, Zen and the West"
is an interesting examination of how foreign perceptions of Japanese
culture ("all of Japanese culture is Zen") have influenced how
Japanese perceive their own culture. The author, himself a 5th dan in
kyudo, looks at how this process has played
out in the realm of kyudo and rock gardens.
He dissects in great detail how and why "Zen in the Art of
Archery" was written the way it was and offers the very first in-depth
research on its author, Eugen
Herrigel. Although the book is not strictly about kyudo only, it
sheds a lot of light on how the idea of "Zen archery" came into
being. It also has an extremely interesting chapter on the relationship
between kyudo and Western archery and how the desire on the part of the
ANKF to compete head-to-head with Western archery in the Olympics
affected that relationship."
The Amazon link for the English version is here.
And the Japanese version at Amazon Japan is here.
|
2009 American Seminar Information From Blackwell sensei.
|
Seminar applications are now posted
on the SCKR web site, http://www.sckyudo.com/Kyudo2009.htm
.
Note that I have sample test
application forms available for download on the left side of this
page. I put a lot of work into them
and added very useful notes at the bottom of the examples. It never hurts to review the notes before
filling out your test application forms!
Information copied from the SCKYUDO
seminar page:
Dear Kyudo friends,
I am glad to
be able to invite you to Kyudo 2009. Two extra days of training are being
offered to Yondan and up. The seminar will be held at the University of South
Carolina Upstate. The dates for the seminar
are July 27- 31, with testing on the Aug 1st. July 27 and
28 will be open only to Yondan and up.
If you are testing Rissha you must have a note from a
healthcare professional. Rissha must be written in red ink at the
top of the test application.
Here in the south we like to create a comfortable atmosphere.
We hope for a casual friendly atmosphere that encourages an easy exchange
of ideas. We have found this to be a successful format and hope you learn
many new things.
The cost of the seminar
will be $325.00 per participant for the three day seminar and $450.00
for the five day seminar. The cost for non participants will be $200.00
for the three day seminar and $300.00 for the five day
seminar. This cost will include room and board from supper on arrival
day to breakfast on Sunday (Aug 2ND ).
Since test applications must be in Japan 2 months before the test
applications must be received by May 15th. Late registrations
will be accepted only for those not testing until July 10th with
a $25.00 late fee. Registration for a successful test must be paid
in Yen.
All of the facilities
are air-conditioned and in SC we believe in using it. The dorms that we
normally use are being renovated. We do not know if we will be able to get
them. If we get them they will be arranged in blocks of two rooms, two
people to a room, with a common living study area. If we can get these
dorms there will be an extra fee for a single room.
The entire USC Upstate Campus is smoke
free.
We will be able to pick participants up from both
Greenville Spartanburg airport (GSP) and Charlotte NC (CLT). Since we will
be participating in the seminar ourselves the latest we will pick up is for
flights arriving no later than 11pm at GSP and 10pm for Charlotte.
Each
member is responsible for sending his or her own application back.
So, once you have obtained the proper signatures and filled out the forms
included in the packet, please place them in an envelope and return them to
me (with enough postage, please).
The president from one of the following organizations
will need to sign your application forms:
Georgia Kyudo Renmei
Indiana Kyudo
Renmei
Minnesota Kyudo
Renmei
Nanka
Kyudo Renmei
Northern California Kyudo
Federation
North Carolina Kyudo
Renmei
South
Carolina Kyudo Renmei
Aaron Blackwell
South Carolina Kyudo Renmei
|
Sad News From DeProspero Sensei.
|
Dan
DeProspero Sensei has just sent email to the American federation presidents
announcing the untimely death of his first student, D. Mark Gabel. Mark was a fixture in the American Kyudo
organization for many years serving as an officer in addition to being a
good friend and supporter to many students over the years. Anyone attending a national seminar will
probably remember Mark standing outside during breaks with his smile, his pipe,
and a kind word for anyone who wanted to talk about kyudo and spritiual
quests they were on.
Dan
Sensei gives this address for Mark’s widow:
Adriana Stralen
1318 Saint Mary’s Road,
Hillsborough, North Carolina 27278
Update
from DeProspero sensei:
I wanted to
inform you of the memorial service for Mark at 11:00 am
Saturday,
December 27th, at:
White Memorial Presbyterian Church
1704 Oberlin Road
Raleigh, NC
Sincerely,
Dan
|
Will you be in Duluth,
Georgia,
Sept. 27 and 28th?
|
If you are near the Convention Center at
Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Georgia, Sept. 27th and 28th keep an eye
out for the Georgia Kyudo Federation who are
planning demonstrations during the event.
The festival web page is here: http://www.japanfest.org
Contact the Georgia Kyudo Renmei here: http://www.kyudo.com/gkr.html
|
Will you be in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on
August 17, 2008?
|
If you are near St. Paul's Como Park then visit the Japanese Lantern Festival on Aug 17 and watch a
demonstration by the Minnesota Kyudo Renmei.
The festival web page is here: http://www.comozooconservatory.org/cons/jll.shtml
Contact the
Minnesota Kyudo Renmei here: http://www.mnkyudo.org/
|
Congratulations to the new officers of the American Kyudo
Renmei!
|
After many years as president of the AKR, Dan DeProspero
sensei decided not to run for relection this year. As a result several new officers were
elected:
President: Steve Scott sensei, Northern California Kyudo
Federation
Vice-president: Joseph Reid, Georgia Kyudo Renmei
Secretary: John Born, Minnesota Kyudo Renmei
Tresurer: D. Mark Gable, North Carolina Kyudo Renmei
Many thanks to DeProspero sensei for his many years of
help and guidence to the AKR and good luck to the new officers in their
efforts to lead and grow the AKR over the next two years.
|
Pictures from Kyudo USA 2008?
|
I’ve uploaded all my
pictures from Kyudo USA 2008. Click
on the thumbnail and a larger picture will appear. Click on that picture and the raw image
file from my camera will fill your screen.
If you want to make hard copies of the picture then that is the
image you want to save to disk.
http://www.ocdirect.net/eclay/html/kyudousa2008/index.html
And I see that Daniel Kim has been uploading
his pictures to his flickr account also:
http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=2008%20kyudo%20seminar&w=all
And Paolo
Moscatelli has uploaded the slide show to myphotoalbum!
http://kyudousa2008.myphotoalbum.com/view_album.php?set_albumName=album02&utm_source=share&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=album
And even MORE pictures, test day and banquet!
http://kyudousa2008.myphotoalbum.com/slideshow.php?set_albumName=album01&utm_source=share&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=slideshow
|
Flying into LAX for the 2008 American Kyudo Seminar?
|
Then all I can say is good luck!
Hi Doug and Jannette!
I have some last minute instructions to the people who
are flying. Can you please email to the renmei heads to give to their
members, and also if possible post on the website? It's important
that all those who are flying and getting transported by us see the letter
below. thank you very much!
Leslie
--------------------------------------------------------
Dear Seminar Attendees,
The seminar is only a few days away now, and we are
looking forward to your arrival. If you are arriving by airplane, I
have included a list of attendees with flight information and arrival/departure
times. Please take the time to review this list and email me with any
changes or corrections at lkoyama@verizon.net as
soon as possible.
There are a few items I have to clarify with you
all, regarding arrivals and departures by
plane:
1. LAX is quite a distance from UCI, perhaps 45 to
50 miles. In rush hour traffic, this trip one-way can take as long as
2-3 hours. Luckily there is a carpool lane on the 405 freeway, but
it can still take a long time. Due to the distance that LAX
is from UCI, and the sad fact that we are short of very large cars and
drivers to transport you all as you arrive, we cannot shuttle everyone to
UCI as soon as you arrive. I am very sorry, but some of you will
have to wait for the cars to arrive as we shuttle back and forth between
LAX and UCI. This delay time can be as long as an hour and a
half. For most flights, I will try to arrange for a person to meet
you at baggage claim when you arrive, but please be prepared to wait
there. Please make yourself comfortable, and bring a good book.
We will arrange for transportation to pick up attendees at 8:00 am, 11:30
am, 1:30 pm, 3:00 pm, 3:45 pm, 6:00 pm, 7:30 pm, 9:15 pm, and 11:00
pm. Pick-up times are subject to change depending on traffic
conditions. If you are concerned that no one has come by and that you
have been left at the airport without a ride, please contact Erin Rivera at (805) 390-4571.
She will have a list of drivers and pick-up times and can make sure you get
picked up.
2. SNA is a small airport and extremely close to UCI. There should not be any problem with
picking up seminar attendees flying into SNA. Please wait at baggage
claim and someone will be by shortly to transport you to UCI. If you
are concerned that no one has come by and that you have been left at the
airport without a ride, please contact Erin Rivera at (805) 390-4571.
She will have a list of drivers and pick-up times and can make sure you get
picked up.
3. Most of our drivers will be wearing
a kyudo tee shirt -- white with a black
circle, and the kanjis 'Ikkyu' (one yumi) in it. If they are not
wearing a kyudo tee shirt, they will have a little 'Kyudo' sign.
Hopefully this will help you spot them.
4. If your flight is delayed on the 15th or you
have any deviation (such as flight numbers, etc) from the information you
have previously given me (i.e. unexpectedly changing planes), please call
Erin Rivera as soon as possible to notify her, so that she can notify the
drivers of your change in schedule.
5. In the unfortunate event of a flight
cancellation and you cannot arrive until July 16th or later, after the
seminar begins, please call Rick Beal at 800-847-0332 and he will try to
arrange pick-up for you.
6. LAX requires a 2 hour time allotment for 911
security purposes for when you depart. This means you will be
arriving 2 hours before your flight is scheduled to depart. Since UCI
is 45-50 miles away from LAX, you will have to leave UCI 3 hours before
your flight is scheduled to depart. For attendees who have scheduled
departure flights at 7:15, this means you will have to leave
UCI at 4:15 am. Please be prepared to get up very early in order to
catch your ride. Please do not be late.
7. Again, because of the unfortunate lack of large
cars, we will be leaving in assigned groups on Sunday (much like
Tuesday). This means that some of you will be arriving at LAX very,
very early -- perhaps as much as 3 1/2 hours before your departure
time. Please be prepared for this, and bring a good book.
8. SNA requires a 1 hour time allotment for 911
security purposes for when you depart. You will be leaving UCI 1.5
hours before your flight is scheduled to depart. Again, because of
the unfortunate lack of large cars, we will be leaving in assigned groups
on Sunday (much like Tuesday), so some of you might arrive 2 hours before
departure time. Please be prepared for this, and bring a good book.
I deeply apologize for the inconvenience, and I
appreciate your patience and understanding in this matter. We will do
our best to accommodate you all.
Sincerely,
Leslie Koyama
|
Pictures From A Dojo Biraki in Paju, Korea.
|
Feliks Hoff sensei in Germany is attending MUCH more
interesting dojo biraki (openings) than I am. He seems to travel the world visting
Kyudo dojo openings and one of his recent outings was to a dojo biraki in Paju, Korea,
a city North of Seoul. Hoff sensei
attended the opening with Mori sensei of Tsukuba University
who brought two of his students.
Mr. Daniel Seong studied Kyudo at the Alster
Dojo in Hamburg, Germany, last year. He was an experienced archer in
traditional Korean archery and after studying Kyudo in Germany he returned to Korea and started a small dojo
in a portion of land located in a city park. Tents were used as the city did not allow
permanent structures to be built and he constructed a three target dojo.
At the opening ceremony there were
traditional Japanese archery ceremonies which Hoff sensei described as Meigen, Shiho-zume, the 7-5-3-ceremony and
Reisha/Yawatashi but there were also demonstrations of different kinds of
traditional archery and modern archery too.
In a news article published in an online Korean archery magazine you
can see some very interesting pictures.
Click
here to see the dojo biraki pictures!.
|
Web Page for A Heki Ryu Insai Ha dojo in Italy.
|
Mr. Giuseppe Costa emailed me recently to
announce a web page for an independent School in Italy of the Heki Ryu Insai
Ha. Not all Kyudo dojos, either
inside Japan, or outside
Japan,
are affiliated with the International Kyudo Federation (IKYF) or the All
Nippon Kyudo Federation (ANKF).
There are still traditional schools of archery in existence and
there certainly does seem to be a growing interest in Kyudo in Italy
lately.
Click here to see the Scuola delle quattro
Foglie web page.
Liam
O’Brien sensei has emailed me news of a significant
event. Ray Dolphin sensei of the UK passed the kyoshi exam this May in Kyoto. It is always news when someone passes
their kyoshi (senior instructor rank) test but even more so when it is
someone training primarily outside Japan with all the hardships
that implies. Congratulations to
Dolphin sensei! Formal awarding of
the rank will be upon acceptance of his thesis. For those not familiar with the kyoshi
exam, the candidate who successfully completes the shooting, written, oral
interview, and sharei portion of the
exam is then assigned a thesis to write and when that is submitted and approved
then the rank is formally awarded.
But there is certainly no problem in giving the congratulations now!
Also,
in the email, O’Brien sensei informs me that the UKKA
has received formal government recognition through membership to the
Central Council for Physical Recreation (CCPR) as the governing body for
IKYF Kyudo in the UK.
|
The Confusing Mushitei test!
|
As
Kyudo USA 2008 approaches those taking a Kyudo rank test for the first time
always have the same question: what rank do I write in that “Dan
Required” box on the test form?
The
answer is almost always “mushitei”,
but exactly what IS the mushitei rank anyway?
The
best answer to that question was written by Steve Scott, president of the
Northern California Kyudo Federation, as part of his excellent Kyudo USA 2005 Test Information instructions. His instructions were so good in fact
that I’m going to quote the mushitei instructions
here:
(begin
quote)
Dan Required: (Explained below)
The
ANKF promotion test will be given according to the ANKF test regulations as
explained in Chapter 6, Articles 20 thru 23 in the Zen Nippon Kyudo Renmei
Test and Regulation Book (Shinsakite).
The test will be given to the following categories of participants:
1)
Mushitei Shinsa (Open
Test): The Mushitei Test is given to
those who do not have any rank (neither Kyu nor Dan) and who are taking a
test for the first time in their Kyudo history. According to the result of the test, 5th
kyu thru 1st kyu or Shodan may be awarded.
THOSE APPLYING FOR THIS TEST SHOULD WRITE “MUSHITEI”ON THE TEST
APPLICATION FORM IN THE SPACE AFTER “DAN REQUIRED”.
2)
Shodan: No matter which
kyu the test candidate may currently have, 5th kyu thru 1st kyu, the
candidate may take the shodan test. This will be a pass/fail test for the
shodan rank. Alternatively, the
candidate may test for the next kyu rank by writing in the appropriate
kyu. (e.g. Ikkyu)
(end
quote)
Those
two items are the best explanations on the subject I have ever seen in
English. But another question then
arises, what test fee does the mushitei candidate pay? If they are awarded ikkyu then they owe
one amount but if they are awarded shodan then they will have to pay twice
as much. So what is the test fee
amount that should be sent in with the test application?
The
exact procedure and test amounts are, of course, up to the federation
hosting the test. In the case where
the NCKF hosted the test the mushitei candidate was asked to send in the
test fee for ikkyu and if they were awarded shodan instead (congratulations!)
then at the test site they were asked for the additional shodan test fee
money as an adjustment.
I
cannot speak for NANKA of course as I am not the seminar coordinator for
Kyudo USA 2008 but I would not be suriprised if this same procedure were
being followed. As always, check with
your federation president first if you have a question.
Sharp
eyed readers will note that one of the three sample,
correctly filled out, test application forms listed on the left side of
this page is a mushite test application example!
Good
luck to everyone testing in Kyudo USA 2008!
|
The 2008 American Kyudo Seminar Is Official!
|
Subject:
Official 2008 Seminar Announcement
Date:
Mon, 25 Feb 2008 22:53:30 -0800
Hello
Senseis, Board Members, and Representatives,
We hope you are all well and that you have
had a prosperous and
healthy start to
2008.
Please see the announcement from Sensei
Doug Sakurai below.
Thank you,
Jannette
Nanka
Nanka Kyudo Renmei would like to
officially announce the dates of the
American Kyudo Seminar for 2008 to be held
in Southern California. The
seminar dates are
July 16-18th and the test date is Saturday July 19th.
The banquet will be held on Saturday
night, so the seminar essentially
goes from the
16th-20th. We will be celebrating Kyudo's 100 year
history in Southern California.
The location is at the University of California,
Irvine in
the heart
of Orange County. The anticipated cost of the
seminar will be in the
$350.00 range. The nearest airport is John Wayne
Airport in Santa Ana,
but we will
provide transportation from LAX also. We can possibly arrange
transportation
from Long Beach Airport and Ontario Airport
too. We are
currently looking into scheduling dorm
rooms before the seminar for
those of you that
would like to come early and enjoy Southern California.
Registration forms and all other
information will be out in the next
few weeks. We
hope to see all of you there.
Doug Sakurai
President, Nanka Kyudo Renmei
|
Web page for the Bukyukai in Hungary.
|
Mr.
Ruszthy was kind enough to email me the URL for the web page of the
Hungarian Kyudo-club 'Bukyukai'. He
pointed out that it is maintained in Hungarian, English and German!
Click here to see the Bukyukai web page!
|
National American 2008 Seminar Dates Announced.
|
Email
received from Nanaka in Southern California:
Sorry this is getting out so late. We have confirmed the
dates for the kyudo seminar in Southern California
for 2008. I hope that everyone will come out and join us in celebrating 100
years of kyudo in Southern Cal. We are
excited to be hosting this event and look forward to seeing all of our
friends in kyudo. The dates are July 16th-18th with the test on July 19th.
The location is at the University of California,
Irvine at
the Bren Center. Yes, the dates are correct
and the test is on Saturday. We are trying to alleviate the problem of
arranging transportation immediately after taking the test and missing
flights. We tried every combination of days to accommodate everyone, and
this was the best way to do it. This will allow us to have our banquet on
Saturday night after the seminar, so everyone can truly relax and enjoy the
event. We are also working on having a couple of bow makers come out to give
demonstrations on how bows are made and also how to take care of your bow.
More information will be out shortly about airports,
transfers, dorm arrangements, cost and such. For now, all we can confirm
are the dates.
Hope to see you all in July!
Doug Sakurai
President, Nanka Kyudo Renmei.
|
IKYF 2009 World Championships Canceled.
|
In a
recent email sent to the European and American IKYF liason officers the
IKYF canceled the 2009 World Championship event. The reasons given were not specific but the
email mentioned that 2009 was the same year as a project to celebrate the
60th anniversary of the All Nippon Kyudo Federation. As a result of this, various factors
caused the IKYF to cancel the World Championships for that year.
One
obvious problem of the newly formed International Kyudo Federation is a
lack of almost any meaningful budget to finance events and immediately
after the formation of the IKYF overseas seminars were cut in half. Again, likely due to budget
considerations. It is reasonable to
assume that the world championships and the 60th ANKF anniversary
celebration would all take place at the yearly taikai in Kyoto and the IKYF
just doesn’t have the resources, money or otherwise, to hold both
events.
|
Web page for the South African Kyudo Federation.
|
Once
a year or so I receive an inquiry about kyudo in South Africa. Well, now I have a web page to refer them
to!
Click here to see the South African Kyudo
Federation web page!
I’ve
heard nothing official but if I’m reading this test result document
correctly that has just been posted on the ANKF web page, Aaron Blackwell
sensei of the South Carolina Kyudo Federation has just become the first
kyudo kyoshi in America! Can anyone confirm this?
Click here to see the
Japanese document.
Update:
It is official! I’ve just received
email from Mr. Phil Swain, the vice president of the American Kyudo Renmei,
announcing that Blackwell sensei did indeed pass his kyoshi test in Japan. Congratulations to Blackwell sensei who passed his kyoshi exam while living and practicing
in the kyudo wilderness of America. For those who may not know, Blackwell
sensei is the president of the South Carolina Kyudo Renmei.
|
Archers need (quickly!) for the Heroes TV show!
|
Alex
Reid, the Production Supervisor on the Heroes TV show, needs Japanese
archers and he needs them fast. If
you are in the Los Angeles
area, or you’re going to be visiting there next week and you look Japanese
and know kyudo he probably wants to hear from you immediately. Here is what he emailed to me today. I don’t feel safe posting his cell phone
number but anyone interested can email me and I’ll send it to you.
Good
luck!
I am looking for 6 male archers of Japanese decent that
are proficient in
archery who would be interested in working on our show. The first day
of work would be this Monday, June 25th and they would be
paid for
their time. There would
be additional work on upcoming episodes.
They
would need to come in for an interview and be fitted for
traditional
armor with our costume department. We are located at Sunset-Gower
Studios in the middle of Hollywood. Time is running out and I have
only heard back from one person so far.
I can be contacted via email at axlereid@verizon.net
or on my cell phone at (xxx) xxx-xxxx at
any time.
Thanks for any help you can give me.
Alex Reid
Production Supervisor
"HEROES"
|
The most absolutely breakable porcelain figurine ever!.
|
The
Lladro figurine company has just made the most fragile, most breakable
figurine ever. No kidding.
Click
here to see it!
Update: Okay, I finally saw one of these in the
Matsuya department store in Asakusa, Tokyo,
and the bow is actually made of metal so it is not as breakable as I
thought from looking at the picture.
The retail price was 64,000 yen I believe.
|
Retirement of IKYF president Kamogawa sensei.
|
Although
I have not heard an official IKYF announcement yet, an observer at the IKYF
board meeting on April 14th informs me that Kamogawa sensei officially
stepped down as the president of the IKYF and Suzuki Mitsunari sensei, the
current ANKF president, has assumed his duties as IKYF president.
For
those of you who, like myself, remember the
decades of service to kyudo that Kamogawa sensei has given to the art this
really is the passing of an era. I'm
told he left the board meeting when his resignation was accepted so I'm
sure this was all known in advance.
Given the recent events in his personal life his desire to retire
from public involvement in kyudo cannot come as a surprise but still, for
many overseas kyudo practioners, Kamogawa sensei was the distinguished
public face of the ANKF and the official representative of kyudo to the
world. His retirement will be marked
with a feeling of some sadness. I'm
sure that many people wish him well as he retires from his official kyudo
duties.
|
Saving the world through Kyudo!
|
Saving the world through Kyudo! Now I ask you, just how totally cool is
that!!!!!
Hello.
We will held the 7th
UNICEF Charity Kyudo Meeting(Taikai) in Fukui,Japan,
on April 29, 2007. Please see our official homepage and we are happy if you
will announce our activity in your homepage.
Thank you.
http://www.hokuriku.ed.jp/kyudo/unicef/english.htm
Hiroto Nakamura
Hokuriku Junior/Senior
High School Kyudo Club
1-8-1 bunkyo, Fukui City,
Fukui Prefecture, Japan, 910-0017
E-mail：h-nakamura<at>hokuriku.ed.jp
|
New web page from the Enshin Dojo in the Netherlands.
|
About 11 years ago Professor Naito retired from his job
at Sapporo University
and has traveled both to Europe and Asia
studying both Japanese archery and Asian archery. | 
