by Mark Kawabe | Feb 24, 2016 | Uncategorized
Brian getting his 1st kyu certificate Dylan getting his shodan certificate Proud sensei moment 🙂 In kendo we don’t wear belts as part of the uniform. The only thing that distinguishes one kendoka’s ability from another is – their ability 🙂 That being...
by Mark Kawabe | Feb 23, 2016 | Uncategorized
It’s been my experience at several dojos that when a student leaves, there is a special “goodbye” keiko with that person. This is usually done with people who anticipate continuing kendo elsewhere. For those who are leaving because they fine...
by Mark Kawabe | Feb 7, 2016 | Uncategorized
It’s been a week since last weekend’s FIK Shimpan Seminar held in Toronto. I jotted down some notes after the seminar, but wanted to reflect on them a bit before putting them online. One point emphatically made at every shimpan seminar I have been to is...
by Mark Kawabe | Jan 1, 2016 | Uncategorized
Thank you to everyone who joined us for Toshikoshi Keiko this year. For those who haven’t experienced one, the term “toshikoshi keiko” refers to a practice that is held over the new year. Our version went something like this: Eat, drink & be...
by Mark Kawabe | Dec 2, 2015 | Uncategorized
I was fortunate to have been in Japan long enough to have enjoyed a couple of New Year’s eve and New Year’s day celebrations there. One year was with friends and the other was with friends in the dojo. New Year’s eve practice (Toshikoshi Keiko) at...
