News
& Events
February
27, 2010 found the Nihon Jodokai and the Capital Area
Jodokai in two different celebrations... Kaminoda Sensei
led the practice at the Kashima shrine dojo for the Spring
gasshuku while the D.C. group organized a (belated) Chinese
New Year meal for family and friends. We had 15 at a
post-practice lunch including Arianna (pictured above), who
arrived in a glamorous silk dress.
Happy Chinese New
Year! The past year was a good one for the Capital
Area Jodokai and for our friends of the Go Dai Ko
Jodokai in Milwaukee. In addition to Claude Gilmore
(photo below) and Karen Watson of Milwaukee receiving
their oku iri sho in Shindo Muso Ryu jodo, Corey
Comstock of Washington, D.C. received moku roku in
Isshin Ryu Kusarigama from Kaminoda Sensei.
The Nihon Jodokai conducted their annual opening
embu
at the
Meiji Jingu shrine in Tokyo on January 7. Joining Kaminoda
Sensei were senior members from the Tendai Ryu naginata
school.
On September 19, the Capital Area Jodokai held a small embu
for several distinguished guests, including Kishimoto
Sensei and his wife Sayaka-san and their son Kazu and
Motohasi-san with his wife Akiko-san and their baby son,
Itsuki. They are colleagues and family members who work
with one of our members. We took a celebratory photo
afterwards to mark the day.
24
jodo players gathered in Milwaukee over the weekend of July
25 to share our understanding of Kaminoda Sensei’s jodo
instruction. We worked on tanjo and jo kata at a local
school gym on Saturday as well as smaller practices at the
Fudoshin dojo of our host, Rich Friman both Friday and
again on Sunday. The Texas-shu and Capital Area jodokai
were well represented, but the majority of participants
were from Wisconsin. While not everyone could attend every
session, I think everyone had fun and I know they showed
great improvement. Some group photos can be found
here--including some from a mini-embu we did on Saturday
which was the first jodo embu ever for 8
participants:
http://www.shindomusoryu.org/page14/page14.html
The jodokai performed at “Swordfest” on June 20, hosted at
the Capital Area Budokai dojo in Alexandria. Performances
were turned in by our group and all the other arts of the
Capital Area Budokai. David Hall’s Hobyokan dojo turned in
terrific displays of Yagyu Shinkage Ryu and Jikishinkage
Ryu as well as Isshin Ryu Kusarigama. We also had the
pleasure to host Meik and Diane Skoss’s group for a display
of Toda-ha Buko-ryu naginatajutsu that was fantastic.
Finally, I have to mention Sang Kim Sensei’s battodo
display. He did some terrific cutting as well as explaining
the combative logic behind the cuts.
Sato Sensei (far left in photo at top), an enka singer in
Japan, and a strong jodo player, wrote a song in tribute to
Kaminoda Sensei called, “Otoko no Yume” (The Man’s Dream).
We understand that the song has been made available at
every karaoke bar in Japan now. The photo above shows
Kaminoda Sensei, Osato Sensei, and other senior instructors
of the Nihon Jodokai singing the song at a karaoke bar
after the Kyoto taikai. Karaoke has never really caught on
in the U.S., but it still seems pretty cool to have your
own song to sing.
Speaking of the Kyoto Taikai, the photo below shows Osato
Sensei and Kaminoda Sensei demonstrating sengachi from the
okuden set.
Also
after the Kyoto Taikai, the Nihon Jodokai group visited
Nakajima Sensei’s grave (co-author of Jodo Kyohan along
with Kaminoda Sensei).
The
Capital Area Jodokai recently performed at the 2009 Sakura
Matsuri in Washington, D.C. 15 of the jodo players in our
group participated in showing jodo, kenjutsu, tanjo, jutte
and kusarigama. A selection of photos
follows.
