by Mark Kawabe | Aug 30, 2016 | Uncategorized
I’ve been away from the dojo for several weeks on vacation and work trips. While I was away, I received a phone call from Sensei Gill from the St. Catharines Kendo Club. He informed me that due to health reasons, he was closing the St. Catharines Kendo Club....
by Mark Kawabe | Jul 24, 2016 | Uncategorized
No matter your ability of level of kendo, you will experience challenges. There is a technique you haven’t mastered. There is a person you haven’t beaten. There is always something to improve. These challenges can be frustrating, and can lead one’s...
by Mark Kawabe | Jul 3, 2016 | Uncategorized
As mentioned in my previous post, I’ve been starting to wear some new tenugui. For those who’ve been around for a while, do you recognize where this tenugui comes from? Did you get it? Click here for another hint. ...
by Mark Kawabe | Jul 3, 2016 | Uncategorized
In kendo, a tenugui is Japanese term for the cloth that is wrapped around the head to provide additional padding and sweat absorption underneath the men (helmet). There are a few observations about them. One of the things that marks a newbie in bogu is the...
by Mark Kawabe | Jun 23, 2016 | Uncategorized
Kiai refers to the yell or shout made at the time of an attack. The kanji for kiai is made up of two characters. The first is “Ki”, meaning energy and the second is “Ai” which can be translated as “matching”, “meeting”...
by Mark Kawabe | Jun 5, 2016 | Uncategorized
“How has it come about that we are so bewitched by our self-hatred, so impressed and credulous in the face of our self-criticism, as unimaginative as it usually is? And why is it akin to a judgement without a jury? A jury, after all, represents some kind of...
