PNKF KENDO SHINSA, August 10th, 2019, Kent, WA
6 KYU: Koh Tapang (Highline), Louis Liang (Northwest), Atticus Slosson (Northwest), John Morse (Northwest), Yuanchang Liang (Northwest) 5 KYU: Hideaki Ito (Bellevue), Emerson Lau (Bellevue), Madeleine Day (Kent), Braeden Tapang (Highline) 4 KYU: Keegan Hirata (Federal Way), Truman Lau (Bellevue), Rina Yuan (Bellevue), Joe Kabeshita (Obukan), Denise Quach (Seattle), Yin Ouyang (Seattle), Brent Krupp (Cascade) 3 KYU: Nina Underhill (Northwest), Nicholas Chu (Bellevue), Juah Paik (Tacoma), Michinari Tawara (Bellevue), Anthony Kelsey (Edmonds), Yi Sun (Bellevue), Shen Ru (Everett), Demetria Spinrad (Sno-King), Hui Shen (Tacoma), Fei Yuan (Bellevue), Tory Kim (Northwest), Mi Jang (Tacoma), Rebecca Roland (Portland), Taka Kabeshita (Obukan) 2 KYU: Alec Yuen (Seattle), Aneurin Mabale (Seattle), Sean Kim (Seattle), Seira Kojima (Bellevue), Aaron Fung (Seattle), Juno Lee (UW), Dorrit Lin (UW), Brian Wong (UW), Abigail Tan (UW), Conrad Slater (UW), Ju Oh (Highline), Andrea Calhoun (Portland), Alex Kim (Bellevue), Yoji Konno (Meadowbrook) 1 KYU: Danny Chung (Cascade), Taiki Miyamoto (Northwest), Alexander Rossi (Spokane), Zhaoyuan Xu (Cascade), Espen Hellevik (UW), Connor Mulcahy (UW), Michael Rea (Spokane), Derek Woodward (Everett), Michael Ciesielski (Spokane) 1 DAN: Keiji Underhill (Northwest), Joshua Paik (Tacoma), Koki Takamatsu (Bellevue), Eugene Kim (Seattle), Kyle Hale (Seattle), Elysia Midorikawa (UW), Leo Gao (UW), Tommy Espinal (AEUSKF), Suepapone Vanasouk (Cascade), Emilio Peralta (Obukan), Matt Miyamoto (Northwest), Sung Won Ryu (Cascade), Michele Soleimani (Portland), Jin Pak (Northwest), Shoichi Kimura (Obukan) 2 DAN: Shota Wetlesen (Obukan), Blake Sprenger (Obukan), Athena Epilepsia (Bellevue), Kyle McDaniel (Seattle), Peter Palmer (Northwest) 3 DAN: Andrew Yuen (Seattle), Jacob Colter (Yamauchi) (Cascade), Dan DeLongChamp (Obukan), Soo-Hyung Kim (Seattle), Stephen Ting (Northwest)
PNKF Kendo Shinsa 08/10/2019
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Kenyu – May/June 2019 PNKF DATEBOOKJuly 2019
TEAM PNKF HEAD COACH IS ELIZABETH MARSTENAt their May 4, 2019 meeting the PNKF Board elected Kendo Renshi 6th Dan Elizabeth Marsten Head Coach of Team PNKF for the 2020 AUSKF Championships. The PNKF Head Coach oversees the assistant coaches of the men’s, women’s, and juniors’ Teams. For years she was the PNKF Advisor to UW, and has competed in many events, including at the World Kendo Championships in 2000, and in 2003, when her Team won the bronze medal in Glasgow, Scotland. She captained the PNKF Womens’ Team which won second place at the 2017 AUSKF Championships in San Jose, California.TOUBUKAN INTERNATIONAL FRIENDSHIP KENDO SUMMER PRACTICEIn the early Meiji Era, Toubukan Dojo inherited Hokushin Ittouryu, the origin of the modern Kendo. Takaharu Naito Sensei, who was sent to Kyoto Budo Senmon Gakko (Busen) from Toubukan, later produced many Kendo instructors. Through them, Kendo was introduced to the rest of the world. Gordon Warner Sensei, who taught Kendo in the USA, and with Junzo Sasamori Sensei wrote This Is Kendo, also spent time at Toubukan, which appears in his book. Practicing Kendo at this historical Dojo in Japan would be an unforgettable experience.Program: 1) Opening 2) Demonstration - Iai - Hokushin Ittouryu - Shin Tamiyaryu - Naginata 3) Kodansha Tachiai 4) KeikoPurpose: To nurture friendship through Kendo (Kou Ken Chi Ai). They are keen to hold a friendship Kendo match/keiko inviting Kendoists from overseas. Our friend Katsunori Osuga Sensei has practiced extensively overseas, including here in the PNKF, so they asked him to check if anyone is interested to come. The cost for the trip and stay in Japan will have to be borne by the participants. It will be held on Sunday, July 28, 2019, in Mito City, which is a two-hour bus ride from Narita. Practicing Kendo in this famous traditional Dojo will be an unforgettable experience. toubukan.or.jp Since time is pressed for planning, please let Osuga Sensei know if anyone is interested to come. The number of participants is not limited. Osuga Sensei’s address is: katsunoriosuga@hotmail.com 29th ANNUAL BELLEVUE JUNIOR KENDO CHAMPIONSHIPS – May 18, 201910 and Under 11 and 12 Years 1st place – S. Johnson, Seattle 1st place – J. Yu, Northwest 2nd place – V. Chen, Oakland 2nd place – N. Chu, Bellevue 3rd place – E. Cocoro Marx, Federal Way 3rd place – I. DeBlieck, Sno-King 3rd place – O. Kaufman, Portland 3rd place – D. Chung, Cascade 13 and 14 Years High School Girls 1st place – J. Paik, Tacoma 1st place – B. Park, Bellevue 2nd place – A. Mabale, Seattle 2nd place – A. Fukuda, Cascade 3rd place – M. Ayers, Sno-King 3rd place – S. Kojima, Cascade 3rd place – E. Kim, Seattle 3rd place – H. Son, Federal Way High School Boys 1st place – Keiji Underhill, Northwest 2nd place – Kengo Underhill, Northwest 3rd place – K. Takamatsu, Bellevue 3rd place – A. Yuen, Seattle Junior Teams 1st place - Bellevue (M. Tawara, H. Koob, K. Takamatsu, J. Chu, L. Ohata) 2nd place - Seattle (A. Mabale, S. Kim, A. Fung, E. Kim, N. Orita) High School Teams 1st place – Cascade (Da. Chung, K. Fukuda, A. Garr) 2nd place – Seattle (K. Hale, M. Hsu, A. Yuen) Awesome Spirit Award – Kyle Fukuda, Cascade Centurion Bellevue Highline Sno-King Youth Leadership Award – Issei DeBlieck, Sno-King Head Shinpan - David Yotsuuye; Taikai Chair – Michi Ohata; Sportsmanship Pledge – Michi Ohata 4th ANNUAL VANCOUVER KENDO TOURNAMENT – June 1, 2019, Byrne Secondary School9 Years and Under 10 to 12 Years 1st place – Y. Asaoka, Youshinkan 1st place – N. Son, Renbu 2nd place – A. Kobayashi, Youshinkan 2nd place – C. Liao, Renbu 3rd place – M. Ishizuka, Youshinkan 3rd place – B. Buckham, UVic 3rd place – M. Tanimura, Seattle 3rd place – Ke Yoshimura, Renbu 13 to 15 Years 16 to 20 Years 1st place – K. Underhill, Northwest 1st place – K. Muramatsu, Renfrew 2nd place – B. Miki, Steveston 2nd place – H. Shim, Renbu 3rd place – K. Squance, Renbu 3rd place – G. Kitamura, Tozenji 3rd place – R. Nakano, Steveston 3rd place – D. Imanishi, Seattle 21 to 30 Years 31 to 40 Years 1st place – K. Unzei, Aoi Budogu 1st place – K. Kobayashi, Yushinkan 2nd place – R. Asato, Vancouver 2nd place – G. Suzaka, Seattle 3rd place – T. Hamanaka, Tozenji 3rd place – J. Magaling, SFU 3rd place – A. Xie, Youshinkan 3rd place – A. Yen, Seattle 41 Years and Over Women 1st place – M. Rose, Renfrew 1st place – C. Takeuchi, Youshinkan 2nd place – HK Park, Century 2nd place – A. Fukushima, Vancouver 3rd place – F. Yoshimura, Renbu 3rd place – K. Darbyshire, Vancouver 3rd place – J. Schmidt, Youshinkan 3rd place – N. Fukushima, Vancouver Junior Team 1st place – Renbu A (N. Son, K. Squance, H. Tominaga, A. Son, Y. Lee) 2nd place – Steveston A (A. Iwai, C. Robillard, D. Chui, B. Miki, R. Nakano) Senior Team 1st place - Youshinkan (K. Takeuchi, A. Xie, K. Kobayashi, J. Chien, C. Takeuchi) 2nd place – Bellevue/Highline/Sno-King (E. Park, Y. Shim, F. Wessbecher, K. Unzei, L. Tsybert) Fighting Spirit - M. Shirai, Youshinkan and M. Underhill, Northwest Shinpan-Cho – Motoki Asaoka; Master of Ceremonies - Bill McMichael; Sportsmanship Pledge – John Leung 3rd TADAO TODA HAI MEMORIAL KENDO TOURNAMENT – June 16, 2019, Caldwell, IdahoLower Division (2 Dan and Below) Upper Division (3 Dan and Above) 1st place – Jordy Davis, Zenbukan 1st place – Fumihide Itokazu, Covina 2nd place – Tyler Peterson, Idaho 2nd place – Jason Steick, Edmonton 3rd place – Yumon Wei, NYC 3rd place – Ryan Atagi, Idaho 3rd place – Blake Sprenger, Obukan 3rd place – Paul Winters, New York Kenshinkai 2019 ROSE CITY TAIKAI – June 22, 2019, Conestoga Recreation and Aquatic Center, Beaverton, OregonWomen’s Open Juniors 12 and Under 1st place – A. Nakayama, Portland 1st place – J. Paik, Tacoma 2nd place – K. Croes, Portland 2nd place – J. Kabeshita, Obukan 3rd place – A. Epilepsia, Bellevue 3rd place – K. McIntosh, Federal Way Juniors 13-15 0-3 Kyu 1st place – J. Paik, Tacoma 1st place – L. Bobadilla, OSU 2nd place – T. Ting, Northwest 2nd place – A. Kim, Bellevue 3rd place – T. Kabeshita, Obukan 3rd place – D. Wildman, Portland 2-1 Kyu 1-2 Dan 1st place – A. Rossi, Spokane 1st place – Y. Paik, Tacoma 2nd place – M. Rea, Spokane 2nd place – Shun Wetlesen, Obukan 3rd place – T. Jaybush, Bellevue 3rd place – A. Law, Sno-King 3rd place – K. McIntosh, Federal Way 3rd place – G. Vielhaber, Portland 3 Dan 4 Dan and Above 1st place – K. Nakaya, Portland 1st place – I. Morgan, Kent 2nd place – D. Anzai, Obukan 2nd place – A. Nakayama, Portland 3rd place – N. Cook, Portland 3rd place – C. Ruiz, Spokane 3rd place – M. Price, Seattle 3rd place – E. Wain, Portland Junior Teams 1st place - Tacoma (S. Johnson, Juah Paik, Joshua Paik) 2nd place - Obukan (I. Ohayashi, J. Kabeshita, L. Jesequel) Senior Teams 1st place - Obukan (Shun Wetlesen, Shota Wetlesen, B. Sprenger, D. Anzai, M. Nakamura) 2nd place - Spokane (A. Rossi, I. Morgan, M. Nelson, M. Rea, C. Ruiz) 3rd place – Portland A (K. Nakaya, G. Nakayama, A. Nakayama, E. Waln, T. Toshima) 3rd place – Portland B (N. Cook, G. Vielhaber, J. Kaufman, A. Chervin, K. Croes) Head Shinpan - Doug Imanishi; Competitors’ Pledge – Joe Kabeshita; Master of Ceremonies – Kenneth Gordon LEEWARD OAHU KENDO TOURNAMENT – June 23, 2019, Mililani District Park GymYonenbu 8-11 Years Shonenbu 12-15 Years 1st place – Leland Hara 1st place – Devin Chung 2nd place – Takeshi Saito 2nd place – Abigail Mejia 3rd place – Zachary Yamamoto 3rd place – Ken Foltz Seinenbu Open Women’s Open 1st place – Ai Fukuda 1st place – Zidi Hiromoto 2nd place – Tom Fukuda 2nd place – Aki Stachiewiez 3rd place – N. Shimabukuro 3rd place – Tina Kaku 3rd place – Gina Kishimoto Yudansha 1-2 Dan Yudansha 3-4 Dan 1st place – Y. Park 1st place – James Okada 2nd place – Kyle Fukuda 2nd place – Keith Hui 3rd place – Jake Yamauchi 3rd place – Lonny Hancock 3rd place – Keone Rivers 3rd place – Koyo Yancey Yudansha 5-6 Dan Yudansha Masters 3 Dan and Over 50 Years 1st place – Chris Goodin 1st place – Garrett Matsumoto 2nd place – Bryan Imanishi 2nd place – David Kikau 3rd place – Jack Yamada 3rd place – Ken Sugano 3rd place – Grant Matsubayashi Team Match Parents/Kids Team Match 1st place – Mililani (Mark Miyamoto, Wesley Fujimoto, Lonnie Hancock, Gina Kishimoto, Andy Fujimoto) 2nd place – Kenshikan (Jack Yamada, Nicklas Matsumoto, Kevin Chun, Zidi Hiromoto, Yuichi Miura) Parents/Kids Team Match Parents – 2 Kids - 4 James Oka Fighting Spirit Award – Abigail Mejia THE LAST WORDMy final order was to return to Kochi to gather the supplies we had saved by scattering them in the hills in farmers’ warehouses. The roads were narrow, the drivers inexperienced and the trucks easily slid into the rice paddies. We had no towing tools so when a truck was stuck, everyone would work together to heave the truck upright and attempt to get it back on the road. But that was easy compared to rescuing our own men who would often become trapped inside the truck when it rolled. One time a truck rolled over and pinned a soldier. Gasoline spilled from the truck and covered his body. We finally rolled the truck off him, but he was in no shape to continue his duties. Due to the gasoline burns, his skin was peeling from his entire body. He suffered horribly, especially when he moved. I sent him back to Hiroshima. Then came the Atomic Bomb that released his pain completely! How perfunctory and cold my attitude now seems – he burned then died. No description of his unrelenting screams of agony, the calls to his mother, the terror in his eyes. But that is what happens in war. Too much suffering and death can drive a man insane unless the senses of pity and horror are numbed. Anger is acceptable. Soldiers are taught not to look in the eyes of an enemy if killing in close combat. Looking into the eyes creates a relationship. We are taught about relationship in Kendo. But there is no time in boot camp to learn how to create a life as well as take a life. In modern warfare, killing is, when possible, more distant. That is probably good for the mental health of soldiers, even though it avoids confronting the reality of death on a bloody battlefield. –Rod Nobuto Omoto, Autobiography, edited by Charlotte Omoto, 2014, p. 38-39. Available as free download at lulu.com. Kenyu – Monthly Newsletter of the Pacific Northwest Kendo Federation PLEASE NOTE: Kenyu Online IS THE EDITION OF RECORD FOR THIS NEWSLETTER – https://www.pnkf.org/ Tom Bolling, Editor – 7318 23rd Avenue N.E., Seattle, WA 98115
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Volume 33, number 3/4 March/April 2019 PNKF DATEBOOKPlease note, registration fees and bento fee are now separate this year (Vancouver club will not sell bento on tournament day). $12 per Bento (Donburi style lunch + water). Registered shinpan will get a free bento (both competing and non-competing shinpan). The entry fees for competitors are as follows: $16 per Junior Participants (15 and under), $20 per Senior Participants (16 and over). Tournament Categories: 9 Years & Under (modified based on number of participants), 10-12 Years, 13-15 Years, 16-20 Years, 21-30 Years, 31-40 Years, 41 & Over, Womens (16+), Junior Team, Senior Team. We are pleased to have the following sensei attend this year's camp: Ryoichi FUJII, Kyoshi 8 dan, Yamaguchi Japan Yoshihiro UGAJIN,Kyoshi 7 dan, Tokyo Japan Futoshi SATO, Kyoshi 7 dan, Chiba Japan Mitsuyoshi WADA, Renshi 7 dan, Tokyo Japan Hisashi NAGASAKI, Renshi 7 dan, Oita Japan Ako FUJII, Renshi 7 dan, Yamaguchi Japan TEAM PNKF HEAD COACH IS ELIZABETH MARSTENAt their May 4, 2019 meeting the PNKF Board elected Kendo Renshi 6th Dan Elizabeth Marsten Head Coach of Team TOUBUKAN INTERNATIONAL FRIENDSHIP KENDO SUMMER PRACTICEIn the early Meiji Era, Toubukan Dojo inherited Hokushin Ittouryu, the origin of the modern Kendo. Takaharu Program:
Purpose: To nurture friendship through Kendo (Kou Ken Chi Ai). PASSAGEFour people related to our Kendo community have left us in recent days. Ruby Ayako Yasui, the widow of the late head sensei of Seattle Kendo Kai, Kiyoshi Yasui, passed away peacefully on Lorraine Kathleen Sako Pai lost a protracted battle with glioblastoma, including surgery, and following that a Ray Murao Sensei’s mother Kimiyo Murao, born in Steveston, BC, passed away peacefully on March 23, 2019, at the age As reported in a courtesy note from his sister Mrs. Mildred James, Highline member from the 1980s and continuing 43rd ANNIVERSARY HIGHLINE CHALLENGE CUP – March 16, 2019, White CenterYudansha Mudansha 1st place – K. Underhill, Northwest 1st place – B. Wong, UW 2nd place – B. Park, Bellevue 2nd place – L. Gao, UW 3rd place – S. Enomoto, Kent 3rd place – T. Miyamoto, Northwest 3rd place – C. Chan, Highline 3rd place – A. Rossi, Spokane Teams 1st place - UW, 39 points 2nd place – Bellevue, 26 points Shinpan Sho - Jeffrey Marsten, Highline Sportsmanship Pledge – Nancy Harris, Highline 23rd HARVARD/RADCLIFFE SHORYUHAI INTERCOLLEGIATE KENDO TOURNAMENT – March 23/24, 2019Individuals 1st place – Akira Fujii, UW 2nd place – Sungha Park, Columbia 3rd place – Victor Peng, NYU 3rd place – Gen Takahashi, UCLA Teams 1st place - UW (Jason Nguyen, Leo Gao, Akira Fujii, Jane Higa, Brian Wong) 2nd place – UCSD (Angel Sambo, Kimi Sugino, Richard Garcia, Stephen Chang, Takashi Yubata) 3rd place – Stony Brook U A (Kyle Madison, J. Bolusi, Joshua Cho, Jirou Takahashi Duffy, Shay Hohokabe) 3rd place – UC Riverside A (Stanley Zhao, Noah Kim, Reid Watanabe, Robert Leevarinpanich, Andrew Gruhn) Also 1st place in the round robin – Mixed A (Andrew Hamilton from Drexel, Jason Kuo, Elysia Midorikawa, Abby Tan, Keeley McManus) 9th AUSKF JUNIOR OPEN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS – April 6, 2019, Cumming, Georgia9 Years and Under 10-11 Years 1st place – Luke Ido, SCKO 1st place – Kaiyu Sugiyama, SCKO 2nd place – Yamato Kongo, SCKF 2nd place – Kento Seto, ECUSKF 3rd place – So Otsuru, ECUSKF 3rd place – Issey Lancelot, NCKF 3rd place – Lei Tomatsu, SCKF 3rd place – Koki Mori, SCKO Kantosho – Masahiro Otani, SCKO Kantosho – Akimasa Hotta, ECUSKF Kantosho – Bailey Shinada SCKF Kantosho – Jioh Yun, AEUSKF Kantosho – Jorge Rincon-Hayashi, GNEUSKF Kantosho – Masamune Seki, ECUSKF Kantosho – Takuma Sakuno, MWKF Kantosho – Yoshihiko Shimada, SCKO 12-13 Years 14-15 Years 1st place – Taro Ariga, SCKO 1st place – Tomohide Katayama, ECUSKF 2nd place – Eisuki Koike, ECUSKF 2nd place – Keita Tanabe, NCKF 3rd place – Keigo Ishida, MWKF 3rd place – Jonathan Huang, NCKF 3rd place – Jonathan Yu, Northwest 3rd place – Dave Nam, SCKF Kantosho – Hugo Mizuhashi, SCKF Kantosho – Jeffrey Choi, SCKF Kantosho – Shosuke Arai, MWKF Kantosho – Danny Chang, Cascade Kantosho – Taisho Shiono, SCKF Kantosho – Josh Kim, Federal Way Kantosho – Alec Yuen, Seattle Kantosho – Fumihiko Shimada, SCKO 16-18 Years 13 Years and Under Girls 1st place – Tylor Wang, WKF 1st place – Sarang “Rachael” Yoon, AEUSKF 2nd place - Riki Okawa, SCKO 2nd place – Juah Paik, Tacoma 3rd place – Tyler Chao, WKF 3rd place – Shion Okawa, SEUSKF 3rd place – Elden Chao, WKF 3rd place – Miori Kino, AEUSKF Kantosho – Changhao Hou Kantosho – Stephanie Tada, SCKF Kantosho – Tomoki Horiuchi, ECUSKF Kantosho – Mai Sakamoto, SCKO Kantosho – Musashi Clark, SEUSKF Kantosho – Kanon Saito, SCKF Kantosho – Daichi Sakuma, MKF Kantosho – Kirsten Choi, MKF 14-18 Years Girls 1st place – Daphne Chen, SCKF 2nd place – Manami Hayashi, SCKF 3rd place – Sochiko Jinnaka, GNEUKF 3rd place – Hinako Yokohagi, AEUSKF Kantosho – Catherine Ikeda, NCKF Kantosho – Aika Onitsuka, NCKF Kantosho – Emi Ichimura, NCKF Kantosho – Carolyne Ikeda, NCKF Youth Team Boys Team Girls Team 1st place – ECUSKF A 1st place – SCKF A 1st place - SCKF A 2nd place – SCKO A 2nd place – SCKO A 2nd place - PNKF A (Maya Blechschmidt, Isabella Lee, Betty Park) 3rd place – SCKF B 3rd place – GNEUSKF B 3rd place – NCKF B 3rd place – SCKF A 3rd place – WKF B 3rd place – SCKO 43rd ANNUAL UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON INVITATIONAL KENDO TOURNAMENT – April 6, 2019Women's 0-4 Kyu 1st place – W. Robillard, Steveston 1st place – S. Dang, UW 2nd place – K. Darbyshire, Vancouver 2nd place – R. Wang, UW 3rd place – M. Suzuki, Sno-King 3rd place – X. Liang, UW 3rd place – N. Grimes, Sno-King 3rd place – R. Long, UBC 3-1 Kyu 1-2 Dan 1st place – T. Miyamoto, Northwest 1st place – D. Yao, Steveston 2nd place – C. Slater, UW 2nd place – S. O’Sullivan, Steveston 3rd place – L. Gao, UW 3rd place – E. Chui, Steveston 3rd place – A. Yorita, UW 3rd place – P. Lee, Steveston 3 Dan 4 Dan and Above 1st place – K. Nakaya, Portland 1st place – K. Unzei, UBC 2nd place – J. Ocada, Cascade 2nd place – T. Hamanaka, UBC 3rd place – B. Lin, Highline 3rd place – R. Asato, Vancouver 3rd place – F. Wessbecher, Highline 3rd place – SH Jung, Vancouver Teams 1st place - UBC (E. Cheng, Y. Chen, C. Chiang, K. Unzei, T. Hamanaka) 2nd place - Kent (I. Morgan, K. McManus, J. Frazier-Day, T. McManus, S. Day) Head Shinpan - David Yotsuuye Taikai Chair – Jason Nguyen Sportsmanship Pledge – Jane Higa UW Most Improved – Abby Tan Kazuo and Tomo Shoji Inspirational Award – Jane Higa 2019 WKF CHAMPIONSHIP – April 28, 2019, John Burroughs High School, Burbank10 and Under 11-12 Years 1st place – Luke Ido, Gardena 1st place – Taiyo Ariga, Butokuden 2nd place – Masahiro Otani, Butokuden 2nd place – Yoshihiko Shimada, Gardena 3rd place – Jonathan Lee, Jungnoo 3rd place – Euvene Kae, Ildo 3rd place – Christian Kawano, Torrance 3rd place – Nathan Park, Jungmoo 13-15 Years 16-18 Years 1st place – Eugene Kae, Ildo 1st place – Riki Okawa, Long Beach 2nd place – Brandon Cho, Jo-Chun 2nd place – Shinnosuke Mizutamari, Gardena 3rd place – Han Yi, Las Vegas 3rd place – Nathan Lee, Ildo 3rd place – Haru Sakamoto, OSULA 3rd place – Elden Chao, Ildo Girls 18 and Under Adult Kyu 1st place – Kotone Ariga, Butokuden 1st place – Fei Ou, Butokuden 2nd place – Seowoo Hong, La Canada 2nd place – Abraham Ruiz, Torrance 3rd place – Seo Young Hong, La Canada 3rd place – Jai Park, Las Vegas 3rd place – Cassie Kim, Jo-Chun 3rd place – Ki Wan Kim, UCLA Women's Senior 1st place – Sunmi Lim, Jungmoo 1st place – George Lee, Jo-Chun 2nd place – Ryoko Sato, Gardena 2nd place – Atsushi Kajioka, West LA 3rd place – Isabel Lorimer, Butokuden 3rd place – Michael Yoon, Tustin 3rd place – Haruna Ariga, Butokuden 3rd place – Dongsuk Park, Tustin 1-3 Dan 4th Dan and Up 1st place – Daniel Lee, Ildo 1st place – Munik Zo, Las Vegas 2nd place – Brendan Wang, Ildo 2nd place – Kenneth Song, Las Vegas 3rd place – Tylor Wang, Ildo 3rd place – Julian Williams, Torrance 3rd place – Jonathan Han, Las Vegas 3rd place – Arashi Steele, Torrance Women’s Team Best 3 1st place – Butokuden A (Isabelle Lorimer, Filipa Ab Borges, Haruna Ariga) 2nd place – La Canada (SW Hong, S. Hong, HS Kim) 3rd place – Gardena (Shiori Segawa, Yumi Nagakashi, Ryoko Sato) 3rd place – Jo-Chun Team Best 5 1st place – Torrance 2nd place – Ildo A 3rd place – La Canada 3rd place – Butokuden A (Steve Hsueh, Sean Park, Howard Kim, Justin Park, Taiyo Ariga) SHINKYU SHINSAAUSKF KODANSHA SHINSA, April 14, 2019, Tyee Educational Complex, 4424 S. 188th Street, SeaTac5TH DAN: An Giang (PNKF), Noelle Elizabeth Grimes (PNKF), Bryan Yoshio Imanishi (PNKF), Nozomu Ishimori SEUSKF), Jason Kim (SCKO), Suhyun Kim (AEUSKF), Younhwa Ko (AEUSKF), Sayaka Masuko (AEUSKF), Motoya Nakamura (PNKF), Ryo Nameshida (AEUSKF), Hiromi Akaya Robinson (SEUSKF), Victor Shin (SCKO). 6TH DAN: Tomohiko Hayashi (MWKF), Robert Gene Peterson (MWKF). 7TH DAN: Shuntaro Shinada (SCKF), Kotaro Yoshida (MWKF). RENSHI: Agustin Dionicio Martinez (NCKF), Elizabeth A. Marsten (PNKF), Naoaki Tanimura (PNKF). PNKF IAIDO SHINSA, April 13, 2019, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Seattle3RD KYU: Maurice E. Benas III (Tonbo). 2ND KYU: Shamina Chang (SUSKIF), Derek Reynolds (Alaska), James Thorne (AiShinKai). 1ST KYU: Abigail Benoit (Tonbo), Brian Burton (AiShinKai), Michi Kaifu (San Mateo/Palo Alto), Teran Manuel (AiShinKai). 1ST DAN: Adam Clark (AiShinKai). 2ND DAN: Mikako Burton (Musokai), Khoi Duong (Musokai), Sean Horita (Musokai). 3RD DAN: Ahmed Gaballa El Sayed (Shidogakuin Miami), Steven Touchi (Palo Alto). SCKO KENDO SHINSA, April 21, 2019, Butokuden, Irvine3RD KYU: Insiya Bambot (UCLA), Heng Chen (UCLA). 1ST KYU: Kiwan Kim (UCLA), Akira Suzuki (UCLA). 1ST DAN: Steven Yang (UCLA). 3RD DAN: Hana Luciana Ariga (Butokuden), Isabelle Lorimer (Butokuden), Kimi Wang (UCLA). 4TH DAN: Daisuke Furukawa (UCLA). THE LAST WORD
Once an intake sergeant came to me with a picture of a lady. He said one of the old soldiers who had just been minutes after loading for the return trip. The warehouse was now half empty and seemed luxurious compared to our
Kenyu – Monthly Newsletter of the Pacific Northwest Kendo Federation PLEASE NOTE: Kenyu Online IS THE EDITION OF
Posted in Kenyu
Kenyu – Jan/Feb 2019
Volume 33, number 1/2 January/February 2019 PNKF DATEBOOKMarch 2019
April 2019
May 2019
June 2019
July 2019
August 2019
September 2019
October 2019
November 2019
December 2019
TOUBUKAN INTERNATIONAL FRIENDSHIP KENDO SUMMER PRACTICE.In the early Meiji Era, Toubukan Dojo inherited Hokushin Ittouryu, the origin of the modern Kendo. Takaharu Naito Sensei, who was sent to Kyoto Budo Semmon Gakko (Busen) from Toubukan, later produced many Kendo instructors. Through them, Kendo was introduced to the rest of the world. Gordon Warner Sensei, who taught Kendo in the USA, and with Junzo Sasamori Sensei wrote This Is Kendo, also spent time at Toubukan, which appears in his book. Practicing Kendo at this historical Dojo in Japan would be an unforgettable experience.
Program: 1) Opening
2) Demonstration - Iai
- Hokushin Ittouryu
- Shin Tamiyaryu
- Naginata
3) Kodansha Tachiai
4) Keiko
Purpose: To nurture friendship through Kendo (Kou Ken Chi Ai). They are keen to hold a friendship Kendo match/keiko inviting Kendoists from overseas. Our friend Katsunori Osuga Sensei has practiced extensively overseas, including here in the PNKF, so they asked him to check if anyone is interested to come. The cost for the trip and stay in Japan will have to be borne by the participants. It will be held on Sunday, July 28, 2019, in Mito City, which is a two-hour bus ride from Narita. Practicing Kendo in this famous traditional Dojo will be an unforgettable experience. toubukan.or.jp Since time is pressed for planning, please let Osuga Sensei know if anyone is interested to come. The number of participants is not limited. Osuga Sensei’s address is: katsunoriosuga@hotmail.com 14th ANNUAL PACIFIC INTERCOLLEGIATE TOURNAMENT – January 19, 2019, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BCNon-Bogu 2nd Kyu and Below 1st place – Daniel Vera, UBC 1st place – Brian Wong, UW 2nd place – Jiho Kim, SFU 2nd place – Espen Hellevik, UW 3rd place – Lily Zhang, UBC 3rd place – Abby Tan, UW 1st Kyu Shodan and Above 1st place – Tyas Kinati, UBC 1st place – Akira Fujii, UW 2nd place – David Wu, Langara 2nd place – Jane Higa, UW 3rd place – Jason Tang, Langara 3rd place – Michael Hong, SFU Seniors 2nd Dan and Above 1st place – Ryota Kuki, Langara 2nd place – Tsuyoshi Hamanaka, UBC 3rd place – Kentaro Komoto, UBC University Team 1st place – UW1 (Jason Nguyen, Jane Higa, Akira Fujii, Elysia Midorikawa, Leo Gao) 2nd place - SFU (Sean Lu, Will Wu, Gina Gu, Gene Ju, Michael Hong) 3rd place – UBC (Tyas Kinanti, Kanami Suzuki, Rory Long, Lily Ruan, Sara Lowes) 3rd place – UW2 (Brian Wong, Espen Hellevik, Abby Tan, Esther Law, Connor Mulcahey) Senior Team 1st place – UBC (Ellis Cheng, Andrew Chen, Kentaro Komoto, Joon Young Suk, Tsuyoshi Hamanaka) 2nd place – Langara (David Wu, Jason Tang, Noel Gardiner, Anthony Lee, Ryuta Kuki) Fighting Spirit Award Rory Long, UBC and Lily Ruan, UBC Ted Davis Fighting Spirit Award Gina Gu, SFU 2019 EAST COAST OPEN IAIDO TAIKAI – February 17,2019, CERC (Community Education and Recreation Center), Jersey City, NJMudansha A Mudansha B 1st place – A. Zheng, Ken-Zen 1st place – P. Markunas, Ken-Zen 2nd place – S. Hess, Ken-Zen 2nd place – L. Thauvin, Ken-Zen 3rd place – P. Kim, Cherry Hill 3rd place – S. Stadtlander-Miller, Ken-Zen 3rd place – K. Ng, SeiZan 3rd place – C. Colbert, Ittokai Kantosho – Y. Seong, Cherry Hill Kantosho – D. Darlington, Shidogakuin Shodan Nidan 1st place – D. Song, Ken-Zen 1st place – M. Buonadonna, Shidogakuin 2nd place – R. Higham, Ken-Zen 2nd place – H. Cousin, SeiZan 3rd place – J. Chen, Nichibukan 3rd place – F. Domingo, MuMonKai CKF 3rd place – P. Kim, Doshikai 3rd place – A. Milton, Ken-Zen Kantosho – C. Merizalde, Shidokan CKF Kantosho – K. Kolodij, RaiUnKai CKF Sandan Yondan 1st place – W. Wagler, Kenshokan CKF 1st place – K. Miyamori, Ken-Zen 2nd place – W. Gallo, SeiZan 2nd place – D. Yang, Cherry Hill 3rd place – M. Botey, Doshikai 3rd place – J. Ni, Hichibukan 3rd place – S. Lee Goyne, Shidokan CKF 3rd place – S. Corchado, Nichibukan Kantosho – C. Matchuk, MuMonKai CKF Kantosho – T. Furuta, Ittokai Godan 1st place – P. Suen, MuMonKaiCKF 2nd place – P. Shin, Shidogakuin 3rd place – G. Hall, Zen-Ken 3rd place – M. Hodge, MuMonKai CKF Kantosho – S. Naji, Shidogakuin 57th ANNUAL STEVESTON KENDO TOURNAMENT – February 23, 2019, Hugh McRoberts Secondary School, Richmond, BC
10 Years and Under 11 to 13 Years 14 to 15 Years
1st place – L. Ido, Butokuden 1st place – J. Yu, Northwest 1st place – K. Underhill, Northwest
2nd place – Y. Onitsuka,NCKF 2nd place – R. Ido, Butokuden 2nd place – A. Son, Renbu
3rd place – K. Yoshimura, Renbu 3rd place – F. Benson, Youshinkan 3rd place – J. Kim, Federal Way
3rd place – D. Buckham, UVic 3rd place – N. Son, Renbu 3rd place – C. Robillard, Steveston
0-4 Kyu 1-3 Kyu Women 1 Dan and Under
1st place – B. Wong, UW 1st place – L. Gao, UW 1st place – T. Huang, UVic
2nd place – S. Dan, UW 2nd place – A. Yorita, UW 2nd place – A. Tan, UW
3rd place – J. Kuo, UW 3rd place – A. Rose, Renfrew 3rd place – N. Harris, Highline
3rd place – J. Lee, UW 3rd place – J. Peters, Edmonds 3rd place – K. Onosato, Calgary
Women 2 Dan and Over 1-2 Dan 3 Dan
1st place – M. Kitamura, Butokuden 1st place – S. O’Sullivan, Steveston 1st place – A. Fujii, UW
2nd place – B. Park, Bellevue 2nd place – D. Yao, Steveston 2nd place – I. Miki, Steveston
3rd place – C. Takeuchi, Youshinkan 3rd place – S. Suda, Renbu 3rd place – H. Shim, Renbu
3rd place – H. Yamada, Vancouver 3rd place – R. Koyama, Vancouver 3rd place – M. Uto, NCKF
4 Dan and Above
1st place – K. Lee, Chinook
2nd place – K. Unzei, Aoi
3rd place – D. Ara, Renbu
3rd place – R. Asato, Vancouver
Junior Team Senior Team
1st place - Butokuden (L.Edo,T.Miyamoto, 1st place - Hawaii (B.Fukutomi,C.Goodin,
S.Imura,R.Ido,T.Ariga) D.Miura,G.Matsubayashi,G.Matsumoto)
2nd place – Steveston A (R.Nakano,C.Robillard, 2nd place - Youshinkan (K.Takeuchi,A.Xie,
J.Hung,A.Chang,B.Miki) K.Kobayashi,J.Chien,C.Takeuchi)
3rd place - Northwest (N.Underhill,J.Yu, 3rd place - NCKF (K.Fukumoto,M.Uto,
K.Underhill,J.Kim,T.Ting) K.Hamayama,M.Jao,S.Choi)
3rd place – Renbu B (N.Son,K.Yoshimura, 3rd place - Butokuden (R.Okawa,H.Ariga,
Y.Kawabe,L.Cheung,I.Son) M.Kitamura,K.Ariga,T.Ariga)
Sportsmanship Pledge - Elliott Chui
16TH KENSHIKAN KENDO CLUB TOURNAMENT IN MEMORY OF SHIGEO YOSHINAGA AND KATSUMI YAMADA, March 3, 2019, Manoa District Park Gym, Oahu, HawaiiNovice Yonenbu Shonenbu Seinenbu 1st place – Jesse Jong 1st place – Maiki Uda 1st place – Caden Matsumoto 1st place – Joshua Simpkins 2nd place – Andrew Kim 2nd place – Kosuke Toeda 2nd place – Zachary Yamamoto 2nd place – Neil Shimabukuro 3rd place – Kanon Park 3rd place – Andrew Tomas 3rd place – Brandyn Matsumoto 3rd place – Gariel Hart 1-2 Dan Women’s Open 3 Dan 4 Dan and Above 1st place – Yunsang Park 1st place – Mari Shiveley 1st place – Daiki Miura 1st place – Hyun Kim 2nd place – Andy Cheng 2nd place – Malia Stachiewicz 2nd place – Taiyo Kanemitsu 2nd place – Jack Yamada 3rd place – Kai Kikishita 3rd place – Tina Kaku 3rd place – Nicklas Matsumoto 3rd place – Billy Kang Masters 5 Man Team 1st place – David Kikau 1st place – Kenshikan A 2nd place – Bert Shibuya 2nd place – Aiea Taiheji 3rd place – Carl Nakamura Katsumi Yamada Kantosho Award – Malia Stachiewicz SHINKYU SHINSAAUSKF KODANSHA SHINSA, November 11, 2018, Dallas, Texas 5TH DAN: Hiroki Fukui (ECUSKF). 7TH DAN: Brandon Harada (SCKF), Yutaro Matsuura (MWKF), Song Choi Yang (SCKF). RENSHI: Nathan Makino (SCKO), Song Choi Yang (SCKF). KYOSHI: Brandon Harada (SCKF), Christopher Yang (SCKF). PNKF KENDO SHINSA, February 16, 2019, Tyee Educational Complex, 4424 S. 188th Street, SeaTac, Washington6TH KYU: Hideaki Ito (Bellevue), Owen Kaufman (Portland), Emerson Lau (Bellevue). 5TH KYU: Keegan Hirata (Federal Way) Truman Lau (Bellevue), DongYun Ryu (Cascade), Jonathan Yu (Northwest), Rina Yuan (Bellevue). 4TH KYU: Issei DeBlieck (Sno-King), Seohee Jeon (Bellevue), Anthony Kelsey (Edmonds), Timothy Kim (Northwest), Tory Kim (Northwest), Juah Paik (Tacoma), DongHyun Ryu (Cascade), Shiori Tano (Obukan), Daniel Theophanes (Obukan). 3RD KYU: Thabit Ahmed (Edmonds), Lucas Bobadilla (OSU), Jeremy Chu (Bellevue), Devin Chung (Cascade), Aaron Fung (Seattle), Ashley Garr (Cascade), Lucian Jesequel (Obukan), Alex Kim (Bellevue), Yeoun Hee Kim (Bellevue), Jason Kuo (UW), Alexander Lam (Bellevue), Ethan Law (Portland), Juno Lee (UW), Maoyang Li (Bellevue), Dorrit Lin (UW), Emily McCracken (Bellevue), Mara Poor (Tacoma), Sung Won Ryu (Cascade), Daniel Shilov (Highline), Conrad Slater (UW), Hoeun Son (Federal Way), Dan Terao (Cascade), Brian Wong (UW). 2ND KYU: Matheus (Kai) Bandur (Honda) (Cascade), Danny Chung (Cascade), Espen Hellevik (UW), Esther Law (UW), Taiki Miyamoto (Northwest), Connor Mulcahy (UW), Kate Rice (Portland), Neo Smith (Bellevue), Willard Wiseman (OSU), Derek Woodward (Everett), Zhaoyuan Xu (UW), Brandon Yorker (Kent). 1ST KYU: Robin Allen (Portland), Yue Chen (Seattle), Justin Davis (Northwest), Helen Fukuda (Cascade), Tom Fukuda (Cascade), Leo Gao (UW), Yuning Gao (OSU), Kyle Hale (Seattle), Noah Larson (Federal Way), Isabella Lee (Federal Way), Gen Li (OSU), Krystal McIntosh (Federal Way), Matt Miyamoto (Northwest), Nagato Orita (Seattle), Jin Pak (Northwest) Emilio Peralta (Obukan), Jonah Redaja (Edmonds), Dan Rosanova (Seattle), Michele Soleimani (Portland), Suepapone Vanasouk (Cascade), Anthony Yorita (UW). 1ST DAN: Kamia Acoba (Everett), James Faulkner (Edmonds), Jin Ho Jeon (Bellevue), Josh Kim (Federal Way), Daniel Lee (Tacoma), Simon Lee (Federal Way). 2ND DAN: John Kliem (Tacoma), Yuriko Lee (Obukan), Hien Nguyen (Edmonds), Bryant Pae (Northwest), Young-ki Paik (Tacoma), Edward Park (Sno-King), Shun Wetlesen (Obukan). 3RD DAN: Nicholas Cook (Portland), Trinh Ho (Northwest), Van Le (Obukan), Mahya Okita (Seattle), Jason Yu (Northwest). 4TH DAN: Taryn Imanishi (Cascade), BumSoo Lee (Bellevue), Richard Lei (Seattle), Takao Yamashita (Seattle). 2019 EAST COAST IAIDO SHINSA, February 17, 2019, CERC (Community Education and Recreation Center), Jersey City, NJ4TH KYU: E. Kwak (Cherry Hill), J. Kwak (Cherry Hill), S. Kwak (Cherry Hill). 3RD KYU: J. Burton (Wahsinkan), A. Fromqel (Shidogakui), J. Kwak Jr (Cherry Hill), D. Lin (Cherry Hill), Zhuoran Long (Ken-Zen), C. Lu (Cherry Hill), S. Scherr (Agassiz), Y. Seong (Cherry Hill), Tom Wendling (Ken-Zen), A. Zheng (Ken-Zen). 2ND KYU: P. Kim (Cherry Hill), I. Kuznetsova (Shidogakui), J. Kwak Sr (Cherry Hill), D. Ovsyannikov (Nichibukan), E. Seong (Cherry Hill). 1ST KYU: Sean Hess (Ken-Zen), K. Ng (SeiZan), J. Xie (Cherry Hill). 1ST DAN: SC Bang (Cherry Hill), C. Colbert (Ittokai), D. Darlington (Shidogakuin), K Ding (Cherry Hill), Nathalie Jaspar (Ken-Zen), C. Kim (Cherry Hill), Philip Markunas (Ken-Zen), Joshua Stadtlander-Miller (Ken-Zen), Louis Thauvin (Ken-Zen). 2ND DAN: D. Abrams (Cherry Hill), J. Chen (Nichibukan), Richard Higham (Ken-Zen), P. Kim (Doshikai), H. Maeda (Idaho). 3RD DAN: M. Buonadonna (Shidogakuin), David Ducek (Ken-Zen), Alec Milton (Ken-Zen). THE LAST WORDWhen I returned, I trained more new recruits. But this time, they were old, feeble men, often disabled and sick. All the men, college students and young men had already been drafted, leaving only the “Han” squad, these sad old men. The Japanese army was obviously in poor condition, and it was becoming apparent that Japan was losing the war. These old soldiers were throwaway men. I thought that training these old people to fight, some of whom actually belonged in a nursing home, was absurd, a waste of energy, and cruel. So I gave them time to rest and recuperate. I would lead them out of the barracks with great gusto for training, but as we approached the training field, we just lay down and rested. If I had been caught doing this, I would have been court-martialed. But I guess the happy-go-lucky Hawaiian boy had emerged, and I thought, “What the heck! These old people can’t fight. They need rest more than anything else to merely survive.” I felt very sorry for the old soldiers. –Rod Nobuto Omoto, Autobiography, edited by Charlotte Omoto, 2014, p. 37. Available as free download at lulu.com. Kenyu – Monthly Newsletter of the Pacific Northwest Kendo Federation PLEASE NOTE: Kenyu Online IS THE EDITION OF RECORD FOR THIS NEWSLETTER – https://www.pnkf.org/ Tom Bolling, Editor – 7318 23rd Avenue N.E., Seattle, WA 98115
Posted in Kenyu
Kenyu – December 2018
Volume 32, number 12 December 2018 PNKF DATEBOOKDecember 2018
January 2019
February 2019
March 2019
April 2019
May 2019
June 2019
July 2019
August 2019
September 2019
October 2019
November 2019
December 2019
PNKF BOARD NEWSAt their November 17, 2018 meeting, the 2018/2019 Board was seated, and Officers were elected.
Other Board members are: Masa Ando (Alaska), Jonathan Bannister (AiShinKai), Sean Blechschmidt (Bellevue), Steve Choi (Portland), Sean DeBlieck (SnoKing), Mary DeJong (Highline), Rory Elliott (Everett), Karin Fedderson (Tacoma), Mark Frederick (Northwest), Jane Higa (UW), Michael Mabale (Seattle), Curtis Marsten (Kent), Tiarnan Marsten (Kent), Vicki Marsten (Federal Way), George Nakayama (Portland), Ed Olson (Tonbo), Chris Ruiz (Spokane), Russ Sinclair (Spokane), Blake Sprenger (Portland), Stephen Ting (Northwest), Frank Wessbecher (Highline). 2018 NORTH AMERICAN IAIDO PARTNERSHIP EVENT – December 2, 2018, Canadian Kendo Federation, Etobicoke, Toronto
Pan-American Iaido - National Team Taikai
1st place - USA
Senpo - Thane Mittelstaedt (AiShinKai Fudo Myoo-Ji Dojo)
Chuken - John Mullin (Ken Zen Institute)
Taisho - Paul Shin (Shidogakuin)
2nd place - Canada
Senpo - Greg Fenton (Mu Mon Kai)
Chuken - Warren Wagler (Kenshokan)
Taisho - Juan Vasquez (Shidokan)
3rd place - Chile
Senpo - Cristian Zumelzu (Asociacion Metropolitana de Kendo)
Chuken - N/A
Taisho - Julio Villareol (Asociacion Metropolitana de Kendo)
3rd place - Mexico
Senpo - Ireneo Rodriguez (Asociacion de Kendo de Nuevo León)
Chuken - Saul Rocha (Asociacion de Kendo de Nuevo León)
Taisho - Oscar Mendez (Asociacion de Iaido y Kendo del Instituto Politecnico Nacional)
Pan-American Iaido – Goodwill Taikai1st place - Atsuki’s Fantasico
Senpo - Oscar Mendez (Mexico)
Chuken - Flavia Silva (Chile)
Taisho - Hanna Ikeda-Suen (Canada)
2nd place - Senshin
Senpo - Jennifer Mayo (USA)
Chuken - Ignacio Lorca (Chile)
Taisho - David Cheng (Canada)
3rd place - Olivia’s Fantasico
Senpo - Saul Rocha (Mexico)
Chuken - Sandy Lee-Gonye (Canada)
Taisho - Gordon Hall (USA)
3rd place - Espados Hermanos
Senpo - Ireneo Rodriguez (Mexico)
Chuken - Edward Vierk (USA)
Taisho - Guillermo Vargas (Chile)
Pan-American Iaido – Embu Taikai3rd Dan - Darwin Chan (Mu Mon Kai, Canada) 4th Dan - Tak Furuta (Ittokai, USA) 5th Dan - Patrick Suen (Mu Mon Kai, Canada) 6th Dan - Carole Galligan (Mu Mon Kai, Canada) KENT TAIKAI – December 8, 2018, Kent Commons Recreational Center, 525 4th Avenue N., Kent10 Years and Under 11-12 Years 1st place – K. Maxfield-Matsumoto, Highline 1st place – A. Mabale, Seattle 2nd place – Y. Ryu, Cascade 2nd place – J. Yu, Northwest 3rd place – K. Ayers, SnoKing 3rd place – J. Paik, Tacoma 3rd place – O. Kaufman, Portland 3rd place – S. Kim, Seattle 13-15 Years 0-4 Kyu 1st place – J. Kim, Federal Way 1st place – A. Kim, Bellevue 2nd place – K. Underhill, Northwest 2nd place – YI Sun, Bellevue 3rd place – D. Chung, Cascade 3rd place – J. Lee, UW 3rd place – L. Ohata, Bellevue 3rd place – A. Lam, Bellevue 3-1 Kyu 1-2 Dan 1st place – T. Miyamoto, Northwest 1st place – KE Underhill, Northwest 2nd place – N. Smith, Bellevue 2nd place – D. Imanishi, Seattle 3rd place – E. Midorikawa, UW 3rd place – K. Fukuda, Cascade 3rd place – H. Su, Bellevue 3rd place – A. Yuen, Seattle 3-4 Dan Women’s 1st place – I. Morgan, Kent 1st place – T. Imanishi, Cascade 2nd place – Y. Shim, Highline 2nd place – B. Park, Bellevue 3rd place – R. Ono, Cascade 3rd place – R. Ono, Cascade 3rd place – M. Yoneda, Kent 3rd place – M. Blechschmidt, Bellevue 4th place – T. Marsten, Kent 4th place – T. Patana, SnoKing 4th place – F. Wessbecher, Highline 4th place – B. Shieh, Cascade Junior Teams 1st place – Bellevue (H. Koob, K. Takamatsu, L. Ohata, J. Chu, C. Park) 2nd place – Northwest (Ju. Paik, N. Underhill, J. Yu, Jo. Paik, K. Underhill) 3rd place – Seattle (A. Yuen, E. Kim, A. Mabale, S. Kim, K. Hale) 3rd place – Mixed (S. Johnson, M. Day, O. Kaufman, L. Jesequel, F. Mabale) Senior Teams 1st place – Northwest (K. Underhill, T. Miyamoto, B. Pae, X. Wang, V. Vulfson) 2nd place – Bellevue (B. Park, M. Blechschmidt, L. Tsybert, M. Ohata, H. Su) 3rd place – SnoKing (D. Lew, M. Suzuki, A. Zee, T. Patana, N. Grimes) 3rd place – Kent (S. Day, J. Orwig, M. Yoneda, I. Morgan, T. Marsten) Shinpan Sho – Curtis Marsten Sportsmanship Pledge – Terry McManus SHINKYU SHINSAAUSKF KODANSHA SHINSA, November 11, 2018, Dallas, Texas 5TH DAN: Satoko Boettcher (ECUSKF), Hiroki Fukui (ECUSKF), Eui Rae Ro (SEUSKF), Mark Masakuni Sasaki (MWKF), Mitsukuni Yoshida (MWKF). 6TH DAN: Masanao Fukuno (SCKO), Pau H. Shin (GNEUSKF). 7TH DAN: Yutaro Matsuura (MWKF). RENSHI: Russell M. Ichimura (SWKIF), Nathan Makino (SCKO), Song Yi Yang (SCKF). KYOSHI: Brandon Harada (SCKF). MWKF FALL SHINSA, October 21, 2018, Oveland Park, Kansas 2ND KYU: Nick Karstens (Moline). 1ST DAN: Kate Classy Duffus (Moline). 4TH DAN: Seong Kim (Moline). 2018 NORTH AMERICAN IAIDO PARTNERSHIP SHINSA, December 2, 2018, Canadian Kendo Federation, Etobicoke, Toronto 6TH DAN: Jonathan Bannister (PNKF). CKF WEST SHINSA, December 8, 2018, Steveston 5TH DAN: Jakob Schmidt (Vancouver). THE LAST WORDWhen I returned, I trained more new recruits. But this time, they were old, feeble men, often disabled and sick. All the men, college students and young men had already been drafted, leaving only the “Han” squad, these sad old men. The Japanese army was obviously in poor condition, and it was becoming apparent that Japan was losing the war. These old soldiers were throwaway men. I thought that training these old people to fight, some of whom actually belonged in a nursing home, was absurd, a waste of energy, and cruel. So I gave them time to rest and recuperate. I would lead them out of the barracks with great gusto for training, but as we approached the training field, we just lay down and rested. If I had been caught doing this, I would have been court-martialed. But I guess the happy-go-lucky Hawaiian boy had emerged, and I thought, “What the heck! These old people can’t fight. They need rest more than anything else to merely survive.” I felt very sorry for the old soldiers. Once an intake sergeant came to me with a picture of a lady. He said one of the old soldiers who had just been inducted a couple of days before had the photograph in his wallet. It was typical that the old soldiers were harassed for trivial things. To try to “shape them up,” they were given a “Binta,” a hard whack on both sides of the face. But taking the picture was psychological cruelty. I called for the old man and asked him to identify the lady. “My wife,” he answered softly, shaking because he thought I would give him another Binta. “Okay.” I said. “Put this back in your wallet and go back to your bunk.” Then I called the soldier who had taken the picture from the old man. I reprimanded him, and came close to calling him a bully. “Don’t do that to the soldiers. They have the right to carry their wives’ pictures in their wallets,” I barked. “And before you give Binta to any of them, see me first. I want to know why, and it better be a good reason!” Long after the War when I was living in Matsue, this nameless old soldier found me and came to thank me. Early spring, 1945, I had full responsibility for the welfare of my troops; all were novices, the very young and the elderly. My troop consisted of four six-cylinder Toyota trucks, and four squads, a total of eighteen soldiers including two sergeants, a driver, an assistant, and two flaggers. We were assigned to serve in Kochi City in Kochi Prefecture on Shikoku Island. We rarely stayed in the city, however, and usually camped in scattered places on the hillside surrounding the city. Our mission was tough, beginning before dawn and ending late at night; some days we worked around the clock. Our rations were minimal, and we were always hungry, but we kept on moving and rested only when we were completely exhausted. We cut and loaded logs from the mountains with no towing tools of any kind, and then hauled them to the Kochi shoreline to furnish barricade materials for the infantry soldiers protecting the Japanese Mainland from invasion. The Allies were at our borders. On the return trip, we hauled food and supplies from the Kochi warehouse for redistribution to the farmers’ warehouses located throughout the hills. Food was critical and in this way we tried to avoid losing all our supplies to bombs and create more access points. We kept moving through the dark one night, long after we all wanted and severely needed to rest. One of the sergeants asked me to allow the soldiers to sleep in the shoreline warehouse, where we had stopped for a few minutes after loading for the return trip. The warehouse was now half empty and seemed luxurious compared to our usual sleeping conditions. I rejected the request and after a rest of only a few minutes, started up the hill with very unhappy soldiers. About midway, we heard B-52 bombers flying over very high, but they didn’t drop any bombs. “Turn off the lights,” I ordered, “and sleep right where you are!” Shortly thereafter, from way out in the Pacific, a swarm of P-151’s sprayed some kind of liquid flame accelerant on the Kochi warehouse. Then the second line dropped flare bombs. In seconds the entire warehouse exploded, lighting the shoreline of Kochi. They ignored our little convoy, or perhaps never spotted us. No one complained about lack of sleep that night! Once again, luck was with us. My final order was to return to Kochi to gather the supplies we had saved by scattering them in the hills in farmers’ warehouses. The roads were narrow, the drivers inexperienced and the trucks easily slid into the rice paddies. We had no towing tools so when a truck was stuck, everyone would work together to heave the truck upright and attempt to get it back on the road. But that was easy compared to rescuing our own men who would often become trapped inside the truck when it rolled. One time a truck rolled over and pinned a soldier. Gasoline spilled from the truck and covered his body. We finally rolled the truck off him, but he was in no shape to continue his duties. Due to the gasoline burns, his skin was peeling from his entire body. He suffered horribly, especially when he moved. I sent him back to Hiroshima. Then came the Atomic Bomb that released his pain completely! How perfunctory and cold my attitude now seems – he burned then died. No description of his unrelenting screams of agony, the calls to his mother, the terror in his eyes. But that is what happens in war. Too much suffering and death can drive a man insane unless the senses of pity and horror are numbed. Anger is acceptable. Soldiers are taught not to look in the eyes of an enemy if killing in close combat. Looking into the eyes creates a relationship. We are taught about relationship in Kendo. But there is no time in boot camp to learn how to create a life as well as take a life. In modern warfare, killing is, when possible, more distant. That is probably good for the mental health of soldiers, even though it avoids confronting the reality of death on a bloody battlefield.
We were so isolated in Kochi that we had lost communications with our base in Hiroshima. We didn’t know about the Bomb or the end of the War until few weeks after Japan surrendered. But we weren’t surprised. The old soldiers were tired and already felt defeated, and most of us had known for some months that the war was lost. We just didn’t know the form that loss would take. –Rod Nobuto Omoto, Autobiography, edited by Charlotte Omoto, 2014, p. 36-37. Available as free download at lulu.com. Kenyu – Monthly Newsletter of the Pacific Northwest Kendo Federation PLEASE NOTE: Kenyu Online IS THE EDITION OF RECORD FOR THIS NEWSLETTER – https://www.pnkf.org/ Tom Bolling, Editor – 7318 23rd Avenue N.E., Seattle, WA 98115
Posted in Kenyu
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