Volume 32, number 1/2/3

PNKF DATEBOOK

April 2018
* 4/8: 2018 AUSKF Jr. Nationals, Sun, Marina High School, Huntington Beach, California. The gym will
be open the day before(April 7) for preparation.
* 4/14: UW Taikai, Sat, 10am, Intramural Activities Building (IMA), Montlake Boulevard NE.
* 4/14-15: AUSKF Board meeting and Kodansha shinsa, Sat-Sun, SCKO venue TBD.
* 4/21: PNKF Shinpan Seminar, Sat, 1-6pm, Highland Park Community Center, 14224 Bel-Red Road,
Bellevue.
* 4/22: Cherry Blossom demo, Sun, 11:30am-12:00noon, Fisher Pavilion, Seattle Center. Participants please be there by 11:00am. Coordinator is Alick Law, alaw01@hotmail.com.
May 2018
* 5/5: PNKF Board meeting, 9-11am, Sat, Kent Commons Recreational Center, 525 4th Avenue N. (corner
of 4th and James), Kent.
* 5/19: Bellevue Junior Taikai, Sat, 9:30am-3pm, Highland Park Community Center, 14224 Bel-Red Road,
Bellevue.
* 5/26: 52nd Vancouver Kendo Tournament, Sat, 10am-6pm, Byrne Creek Secondary School, 7777 18th
Street, Burnaby,BC.
* 5/26-27: Georgia Kendo Association Shinsa (Sat), banquet (Sat), and 8th Annual Taikai (Sun).
Shinsa: Sat, 4:30-6:30pm, with Godo keiko 6:30-7:30pm at Lifetime Fitness Center, Johns Creek, 11555
Johns Creek Parkway, Johns Creek, Georgia.
Banquet: Sat, 8pm, Hong Kong Cafe, 10820 Abbotts Bridge Road, Ste 110, Johns Creek, Georgia.
Taikai: Sun, 8:30am, South Forsyth High School, 585 Peachtree Parkway, Cumming, Georgia.
Deadline to apply: May 11. For info write: information.gka@gmail.com
* 5/31-6/4: AUSKF Iaido Seminar, Salt Lake City.
June 2018
* 5/31-6/4: AUSKF Iaido Summer Camp and Jodo Seminar, Thu-Mon, with Iaido Hanshi 8th Dan Teruo
Mitani and Iaido Kyoshi 8th Dan Atsumi Hatakenaka, Eccles Student Life Center, University
of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT.
Schedule:
• Thursday (May 31, 2018) – Iaido Seminar (9:00 AM – 4:45 PM)
• Friday (June 1, 2018) – Iaido Seminar (9:00 AM – 4:30 PM)
• Saturday (June 2, 2018) – AUSKF Iaido Championships (9:00 AM – 4:30 PM)
• Sunday (June 3, 2018) – Iaido Shinsa (9:00 AM – 11:45 AM), Jodo Seminar (1:00 PM – 4:00 PM), Jodo Shinsa (4:00 PM – 5:00 PM)
• Monday (June 4, 2018) – Jodo Seminar (9:00 AM – 11:30 AM)
* 6/9: Rose City Taikai, Sat, doors open at 8am, opening ceremonies at 9am, PCC Sylvania Campus Gym -2nd floor west end of the Health Technology building – (Room 266), 12000 SW 49th Avenue, Portland, OR 97219
* 6/14-17: 11th Annual US Nito Kendo Camp, Seminar, and Shinsa, Thu-Sun, with Ryoichi FUJII, Yamaguchi, Kyoshi
8 dan, Yoshihiro UGAJIN, Tokyo, Kyoshi 7 dan,Futoshi SATO, Chiba, Kyoshi 7 dan, Mitsuyoshi WADA, Tokyo,
Kyoshi 7 dan, Taichi KISA, Osaka, Kyoshi 7 dan, and Ako FUJII, Yamaguchi, Renshi 6 dan, College of Idaho,
J.A. Albertson Activities Center, Caldwell, Idaho.
Schedule:
* Thursday, (June 14, 2018) – 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm, Welcome Keiko
* Friday, (June 15, 2018) – 10:00 am – 5:00 pm, Seminar
* Saturday (June 16, 2018) – 9:00 am – 5:00 pm, Seminar (Banquet 6:30 pm)
* Sunday, (June 17, 2018) – 9:00 am – 3:30 pm, Shinsa and Taikai
July 2018
* 7/21: PNKF Board meeting, 9-11am, Sat, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 1610 S. King Street, Seattle.
August 2018
* 8/11: PNKF Kendo Shinsa, Sat, 12noon-4pm, open keiko 4-5pm, Kent Commons Recreation Center,
525 4th Avenue N. (corner of 4th and James), Kent.
September 2018
* 9/8: PNKF Senior Kendo Seminar, Sat, 8:30am-4pm, Bitterlake Community Center Annex, Thompson Broadview.
Elementary, 13052 Greenwood Avenue N., Seattle.
Tentative agenda: doors open 8:30am; 9-10:30am, injury prevention; 10:30am-12noon, Competition;
12noon-1pm lunch; 1-1:30pm warm up; 1:30-3pm shinsa; 3-4pm open keiko.
* 9/14-16: 17WKC, Fri/Sat/Sun, Seoul, Korea.
* 9/15: PNKF Board meeting, 9-11am, Sat, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 1610 S. King Street, Seattle.
* 9/28-9/30: PNKF Iaido Seminar, Tournament, and Shinsa, Fri, Sat, Sun, Rain City Fencing, 1776 136th Place NE, Bellevue.
Teachers: Iaido Kyoshi 8th Dan Hideo Noguchi; and Iaido Kyoshi 7th Dan Shigehiro Aoki and Kaoru Suzuki.
Tentative Schedule: Fri, 7-9pm Jodo/Iaido; Sat, 9am-5pm Iaido; Sun
9am-12noon Iaido Tournament; 1-5pm PNKF Iaido Shinsa.
October 2018
* 10/6: PNKF Shinpan Seminar, Sat, 12noon-5pm, Kent Commons Recreation Center, 525 4th Avenue N. (corner of 4th and James), Kent.
* 10/20: Tacoma Taikai, Sat, 9:30am Opening Ceremonies (doors open at 8:30am), Curtis High School, 8425 40th Street West, University Place, WA 98466 (tentative).
November 2018
* 11/3: PNKF Taikai, Sat, Kent Commons Recreation Center, 525 4th Avenue N. (corner of 4th and James St.)
Kent.
* 11/10: AUSKF Board meeting, Sat, venue TBD.
* 11/11: Kodansha Shinsa, Sun, venue TBD.
* 11/17: PNKF Board meeting, 9-11am, Sat, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 1610 S. King Street, Seattle.
December 2018
* 12/1: Kent Taikai, Sat, Kent Commons Recreational Center, 525 4th Avenue N. (corner of 4th and James St.)
Kent.
* 12/9: PNKF Jodo Shinsa.

PASSAGE

Three legendary kenshi recently passed away.
John Kazuo Yamamoto Junior, Kendo 4th Dan, died on January 31, 2018, at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego, California. He had been born in the same hospital on March 22, 1939 to John Kazuo Yamamoto Senior and Sue Tsuyako Nakasuji. In 1942 at age eleven he and his family were taken into the Santa Anita assembly center and relocated to Granada, also known as Camp Amache, in Colorado, returning to Chula Vista in 1945. In 1957 he graduated from Chula Vista high school, and in 1959 he was drafted into the US Army. He was stationed at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and then at Fort Lewis, Washington, where he met his future wife, Amy Emiko Ann Sanbo, who was attending the University of Washington. Yamamoto Sensei was fond of recounting how he had stolen away the love of his life from a young philosophy student from Hong Kong, Bruce Lee. After the Army, he again returned to Chula Vista, and attended San Diego (now City College). He and Amy married December 31, 1964. Yamamoto Sensei transferred to San Diego State University, and was subsequently accepted to dental school at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Upon graduation, Doctor Yamamoto once again went back to Chula Vista where he went on to practice dentistry for 44 years. In 1974 he was involved in helping rehabilitate young Japanese American drug parolees, and heard that Shigeo Yamanishi Sensei was starting a new Kendo Club, supported by Maki Miyahara Sensei, so he brought ten of them to the Dojo to learn about their Japanese heritage. That’s when Kendo turned into his way of life. At this San Diego Kendo Bu the head instructor was Yamanishi Sensei, and Yamamoto Sensei spent a lot of time with Kikuo Uyeji Sensei, and after Yamanishi Sensei tragically died early on a diving accident, they led the practices. Other members of the club included his brother Carl Yamamoto, and his brother-in-law Kichi Hayashi. Yamamoto Sensei was also on the University of California San Diego Kendo Team at Nationals. In addition to Kendo, Yamamoto Sensei was active in many other arts, including karate, ballet, music, Little League baseball, technical rock climbing, fly fishing, and kayaking. A genuine renaissance man, he carried it all with a light, deft spirit of fun, humor, deep affection, and infectious enthusiasm. Services were February 10 at Greenwood Mortuary. Our deepest condolences to his dear wife Amy, his children Lisa and David (who are Kendo yudansha), and all his many friends and students.

Kenneth Yuji Ogami, Kendo 4th Dan, died on January 31, 2018, while attending a conference in Vancouver, B.C. Born March 10, 1957 in Fukuoka, Japan, to Benjamin Keiji Ogami and Reiko Nishi, Ken joked that he was an Issei/Sansei, since his father was a native of California. After graduating from South Pasadena Senior High in 1974, he entered a special joint college program, and in 1979 had earned a BA with Honors in Physics and Math from Occidental College, and a BS in Engineering from California Institute of Technology. He said the two best teachers he ever had were Richard Feynman, Nobel Laureate in Physics, and Linus Pauling, double Nobel Laureate, in Chemistry and the Nobel Peace Prize. Coming to Seattle in the summer of 1979, he worked full time in the defense side at Boeing, while simultaneously earning an MS in Electrical Engineering, which was awarded in 1982 from the University of Washington. He had begun Kendo at about the age of six, at the Pasadena Buddhist Temple Kendo Club under Kendo and Iaido Kyoshi 7th Dan Pat Yoshitsugu Murosako Sensei, and Kendo Hanshi 8th Dan Bob Akio Hara Sensei. Around that time Murosako Sensei’s son Kendo 5th Dan Jim was also beginning Kendo there, and Jim and Ken became inseparable lifelong friends. Another person in that Dojo with them was Kendo Renshi 6th Dan and Iaido 4th Dan Jean Kodama, who flew to Seattle to take part in Murosako Sensei’s memorial service July 24, 2016. Meantime he had met Dori Kobayashi through an extra ticket to the Rose Bowl, and the two of them first showed up at Kendo Club at UW practice in the HUB Ballroom on January 23, 1980, and from then on became deeply involved in the Club. They married June 28, 1980. Ogami Sensei has been a major contributor and inspiration to the WSKF (the earlier name of the PNKF). In November 1982 he joined the WSKF Board, and was elected Secretary of Internal Affairs, an office which in those days entailed many heavy responsibilities, most notably organizing the shinsa. In November 1986 and again in November 1987 he was elected WSKF President. Dori became a huge asset in the leadership of the UW Club and rose to Kendo 1st Dan prior to becoming pregnant. On July 17, 1988, Ogami Sensei resigned from the WSKF Board and Presidency, and the Vice President, Kendo Kyoshi 7th Dan Jeff Marsten Sensei, assumed the Presidency. With first son Kyle having been born in January 1988, by July he said he needed a leave of absence and couldn’t come to Kendo for a while, because he just wanted to spend every possible moment looking at his beautiful baby. Shortly after that, he expressed his realization that looking at his son had made him understand the enormity of designing potentially catastrophic nuclear weapons delivery systems, and he simply could not morally or spiritually do it any longer. Actually, this awakening was entirely in keeping with his lifelong orientation to enlightenment, and his many words over the decades about enlightenment. That’s when he moved to Spacelabs to put his energy and talent into peaceful applications from then on. Korwin (Korry) and Kendo 3rd Kyu Midori followed in 1989 and 1992. He has subsequently worked for Intermec, Cypress Semiconductor, Apollo Video, and Bluetooth SIG, all of whom sent eulogizers to the celebration of life March 3, 2018 at Seattle Betsuin. He never really came back to Kendo, but rather in the spirit of Kendo went on to become very supportive of his children in Scouting, soccer, and calligraphy. Throughout his life Ken Ogami Sensei always showed the deep cheerfulness of enlightenment. We miss him intensely, and offer our deepest condolences to his beloved wife, children, and many devoted friends.

Mozart Haruhisa Ishizuka, Kendo Renshi 6th Dan, died March 5, 2018 age 88. He was born December 8, 1929 in Pasadena, California. During the 1950s he attended Pasadena College, Los Angeles State College, and the University of California Santa Barbara. On September 6, 1958 he married Ayako Osawa in Los Angeles. In the 1990s they moved to New York, where he established a distinguished legal practice, and was deeply involved in the local Kendo scene. In 1974, he formed a Kendo Dojo in Mount Kisco, New York, and in 1977 founded the Hartsdale Kendo Club, now known as the Scarsdale Dojo. Ishizuka Sensei was the Founder and President of the Eastern United States Kendo Federation. He and Ayako’s children include the noted Kendo 5th Dan Akiko Ishizuka Kato Sensei, wife of Kendo Kyoshi 8th Dan and Iaido Kyoshi 7th Dan Shozo Kato Sensei, and mother of 4th Dan Taishi and 3rd Dan Mirei Kato. For decades he was a faithful reader of the PNKF Kenyu, and a loyal friend of the editor. Our deepest condolences to all of the great Ishizuka Sensei’s family, friends, and students.

PNKF BOARD NEWS

At their November 18, 2017 meeting, the new 2017/2018 Board was seated, and Officers were elected.
President – CJ Chaney (Sno-King), Vice-President – Doug Imanishi (Seattle), Treasurer – Mary DeJong (Highline), Secretary – Tom Bolling (Bellevue). UW Advisor – CJ Chaney.
Other Board members are: Sean Blechschmidt (Bellevue), Cougar Capoeman (Tacoma), Frederic Fourie (AiShinKai), Mark Frederick (Northwest), Noelle Grimes (Sno-King), Mart Hughes (Obukan), Taryn Imanishi (Cascade), Michael Mabale (Seattle), Curtis Marsten (Elizabeth Marsten (Highline), Vicki Marsten (Federal Way), Tiarnan Marsten (Kent), Edward Olson (Tonbo), Chris Ruiz (Spokane), Russ Sinclair (Spokane), Robert Stroud (Idaho), Val Vulfson (Northwest), Francis Walsh (UW), and David Yotsuuye (Bellevue).

14th ANNUAL PACIFIC INTERCOLLEGIATE TOURNAMENT – January 27, 2018, University of Victoria

Non-Bogu                             1st Dan and Below
1st place - Sonia Kung, Langara      1st place - Anthony Yorita, UW
2nd place - Anthony Lee, Langara     2nd place - Leo Gao, UW
3rd place - J. Bartels, UBC          3rd place - Jason Nguyen, UW
3rd place - Jessica Sun, UBC         3rd place - Minh Dao, U Vic

2nd Dan and Above
1st place - Tiarnan Marsten, UW
2nd place - Andrew Chen, UBC
3rd place - Jane Higa, UW
3rd place - 
Consolation - Tiffany Huang, U Vic

Team
1st place - U Vic A
2nd place - U Vic B

Women's Team
1st place - UW (Jane Higa, Abby Tan, Elysia Midorikawa)

56th ANNUAL STEVESTON KENDO TOURNAMENT – February 10, 2018, McMath High School

10 Years and Under                   11 to 13 Years                       14 to 15 Years
1st place - N. Son, Renbu            1st place - T. Ariga, Butokuden      1st place - R. Kim, Renbu
2nd place - I. Hwang, Renbu          2nd place - R. Homma, Renbu          2nd place - A. Shimizu, Tozenji
3rd place - I. Lancelot, NCKF        3rd place - C. Robillard, Steveston  3rd place - M. Fukuoka, Tozenji
3rd place - F. Benson, Youshinkan    3rd place - D. Chui, Steveston       3rd place - J. Kim, Federal Way

0-4 Kyu                              1-3 Kyu                              Women 1 Dan and Under
1st place - T. Miyamoto, Northwest   1st place - K. Fukuda, Cascade       1st place - B. Park, Bellevue
2nd place - S. Lu, Steveston         2nd place - K. Underhill, Cascade    2nd place - A. Kojima, Bellevue
3rd place - M. Miyamoto, Northwest   3rd place - A. Yorita, UW            3rd place - J. An, Tozenji
3rd place - F. Lancelot, NCKF        3rd place - J. Nguyen, UW            3rd place - N. Harris, Highline

Women 2 Dan and Over                 1-2 Dan                              3 Dan
1st place - A. Fukushima, Vancouver  1st place - K. Muramatsu, Renfrew    1st place - I. Miki, Steveston
2nd place - K. Darbyshire, Vancouver 2nd place - E. Lee, Renbu            2nd place - T. Marsten, Kent
3rd place - E. Marsten, Highline     3rd place - E. Chui, Steveston       3rd place - T. Adachi, UVic
3rd place - K. McManus, Kent         3rd place - S. O’Sullivan, Steveston 3rd place - T. Okitsu, Tozenji

4 Dan and Above
1st place - R. Asato, Vancouver
2nd place - Y. Tsuchikawa, Youshinkan
3rd place - G. Suzaka, Seattle
3rd place - M. Rose, Renfrew

Junior Team                                    Senior Team
1st place - Renbu A (H.Homma,A.Son,            1st place - Vancouver (K.Darbyshire,G.Gao, 
             K.Squance,Y.Lee,R.Kim)                         A.Fukushima,R.Asato,T.Yamada)
2nd place - Steveston A (J.Hung,C.Robillard,   2nd place - Youshinkan (J.Jeong,Y.Tsuchikawa,
             B.Miki,R.Nakano,M.Iwai)                        A.Xie,J.Chien,B.Huber)
3rd place - Renbu B (N.Son,I.Son,              3rd place - Tozenji (G.Kitamura,J.An,
             K.Yoshimura,E.Cho,H.Tominaga)                  T.Okitsu,K.Suzuki,T.Hamanaka)
3rd place - Steveston B (E.Chui,D.Chui,        3rd place - Steveston A (S.O’Sullivan,D.Yao,
             L.Takahae,A.Chang,A.Iwai)                      T.Okitsu,K.Suzuki,T.Hamanaka)

Sportsmanship Pledge - Tenny Chui

42nd ANNIVERSARY HIGHLINE MUDANSHA CHALLENGE CUP – March 17, 2018, White Center

Yudansha                          Mudansha
1st place – B. Park, Bellevue     1st place – K. Fukuda, Cascade
2nd place – B. Liao, Bellevue     2nd place – V. Blancarte, Sno-King
3rd place – C. Capoeman, Tacoma   3rd place – L. Gao, UW
3rd place – A. Yuen, Seattle      3rd place – T. Miyamoto, Northwest

Teams
1st place - Bellevue, 35 points   2nd place – UW, 31 points   Northwest - 16 points

Shinpan Cho - Elizabeth Marsten, Highline
Sportsmanship Pledge – Laura Ohata, Highline

2018 INTERNATIONAL CITY KENDO COMPETITION, March 18, 2018, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Women’s Division                  Men’s Individual Group A
1st place – Aki Kitamura          1st place – Guohui Qiu
2nd place - Keiko Ikata           2nd place - Curtis Marsten
3rd place - Yoko Nikono           3rd place - Noboru Kataoka
3rd place - Kayoko Otani          3rd place - Akio Mukoe

Men’s Individual Group B          Team Competition
1st place – Kenji Isobe           1st place - Kyuseikan
2nd place – Jialun Cai            2nd place - Taiwan Kendokan
3rd place – Guancheng Liu         3rd place - Niigata Shoshikan A
3rd place – Chengkun Shen         3rd place - Taiwan Dragon Society A

Kantosho
Keeley McManus
Kazushige Adachi
Kazuo Hirohito
Jiahong Liao

SHINKYU SHINSA

PNKF IAIDO SHINSA, January 7 2018, Boise State University, Kinesiology Gym, Boise, Idaho
3RD KYU: Andy Webster (RMKIF). 1ST KYU: Rhett Atagi (Idaho), Jared Bowler (RMKIF), Philip Sevin (RMKIF). 2ND DAN: Ryan Atagi (Idaho), Sangki Lee (SWKIF), Ashley Moore (SWKIF), Sean Zhu (SWKIF). 3RD DAN: Edwin Muranaka (Hawaii).

PNKF IAIDO SHINSA, February 24th, 2018, Tyee Educational Complex, SeaTac, Washington
3RD KYU: Jennifer Erichsen (Tonbo) 2ND KYU: Abigail Benoit (Tonbo) 1ST KYU: Nikhil Varma (Seattle), Nicodemus Edwin Widjonarko (Obukan) 1ST DAN: Mikako Barlow (Musokai), Khoi Duong (Kent), Sean Horita (Musokai), Hiroyuki Maeda (Idaho), Robert Neff (Tonbo) 2ND DAN: Frank Hauser (Alaska).

PNKF KENDO SHINSA, February 24th, 2018, Tyee Educational Complex, SeaTac, Washington
6TH KYU: Kaito Ayers (Sno-King), Conrad Steelman (Bellevue), Mia Grove (Northwest), Zane Laupati (Kent) 5TH KYU: Kenjiro Maxfield-Matsumoto (Highline), Issei DeBlieck (Sno-King), Kai Kubal-Komoto (Federal Way), Seohee Jeon (Bellevue), Christine Son (Federal Way) 4TH KYU: Dan Terao (Cascade), Aneurin Mabale (Seattle), Daniel Shilov (Highline), Masazo Ayers (Sno-King), Thabit Ahmed (Edmonds), Jeremy Chu (Bellevue), Aaron Fung (Seattle), Ashley Garr (Cascade), Krysta Hart (OSU) 3RD KYU: Daniel Kao (Tacoma), Ian McAbee (Meadowbrook), Seira Kojima (Bellevue), Matheus (Kai) Bandur (Honda) (Cascade), Téo Dage (Bellevue), Taiki Miyamoto (Northwest), Esther Law (UW), Zhengnan Liu (OSU), Suepapone Vanasouk (UW), Yuning Gao (OSU), Jennifer Wong (Bellevue), Nathan Westlund (Spokane), Timothy Blaydon (Spokane), Gen Li (OSU), Yue Chen (Seattle), Krystal McIntosh (Federal Way), Emilio Peralta (Obukan), Haoran Su (Bellevue), Brandon Yorker (Kent), Scott Moon (Spokane), Matt Miyamoto (Northwest), Justin Davis (Northwest), Dan Rosanova (Seattle) 2ND KYU: Ffion Mabale (Seattle), Isabella Lee (Federal Way), Nagato Orita (Seattle), Timaeus Ting (Northwest), Kyle Hale (Seattle), Kassidy Ting (Northwest), Alex Rossi (Spokane), Noah Larson (Federal Way), Leo Gao (UW), Khang Le (UW), Aidan Chervin (Portland), Anthony Yorita (UW), Jacob Weese (UW), Michael Ciesielski (Spokane), Helen Fukuda (Cascade), Michele Soleimani (Portland), Tom Fukuda (Cascade), Bruce Alter (Portland) 1ST KYU: Joshua Paik (Tacoma), Josh Kim (Federal Way), Kiana (Ai) Fukuda (Cascade), Leonardo Ohata (Bellevue), Simon Lee (Federal Way), Shota Wetlesen (Obukan), Kengo Underhill (Northwest), Kamia Acoba (Everett), Kasey Kitchel (Sno-King), Kyle Fukuda (Cascade), Blake Sprenger (Obukan), Jason Nguyen (UW), Elijah Lam (Kent), Francis Walsh (UW), Timothy Okamura (Bellevue), Athena Epilepsia (Bellevue), Nicodemus Edwin Widjonarko (Obukan), Victor Blancarte (Sno-King), Jin Ho Jeon (Bellevue), Ann Rubin (Tacoma), James Faulkner (Edmonds), Poul Nichols (Edmonds), Sandra Mizuno (Seattle) 1ST DAN: Shun Wetlesen (Obukan), Hien Katayama (Edmonds), Edward Park (Sno-King), Young-ki Paik (Tacoma), Victor Whitman (Seattle) 2ND DAN: Gregory Vielhaber (Portland), Alick Law (Sno-King), Betty Park (Bellevue), Allison Kojima (Bellevue), Brian Liao (Bellevue), Kenshin Higo (Kent), Cougar Capoeman (Tacoma) 3RD DAN: Daniel Anzai (Obukan), Tomoko Iwanaga (Obukan), Ayumi Kojima (Northwest), Marek Nelson (Spokane), Mary DeJong (Highline), Dean Yamada (Seattle) 4TH DAN: Justin Lamb (Spokane), Chris Ruiz (Spokane).

THE LAST WORD

Military Service

I longed to return to Hawaii, but early the next morning, I left Kyoto and traveled to my paternal grandfather’s house in Hayashiyama (now Miharashi-Cho) in Kure in Hiroshima Prefecture. Although I was born in Wahiawa, Hawaii, in the Koseki Tohon, the official Japanese Family Register, I am registered in Hiroshima-ken, Kure-shi. Therefore, I had to depart for the military from Kure. My trip to Kure was not for family good-by parties or last farewells. In fact, I had never met my grandfather before that day. I walked to the farm in the early afternoon, and my grandfather, Omoto Umenosuke, fondly called Omoto No Ojii-chan (Grandpa Omoto) by his neighbors, was working in the rice paddy by the sea. He looked up, slowly walked toward me across the terraced vegetable patches, wearing straw sandals, his shoulders slightly stooped, his head covered by a straw hat. We bowed, and he said, “Nobuto?” He seemed to know me, but whether he was expecting me or not, I don’t know. Most of the neighbors were my father’s brothers and sisters. I recognized them because they looked like my father, so maybe I looked like my father and that is how my grandfather recognized me. He led me to his one hundred-year-old two-room house with no running water, a Japanese deep bath-tub, an attached outhouse, and one dangling electric light that lacked a light bulb. He nodded toward a corner for me to deposit my pack. He then made tea and we drank together, quietly. He knew why I was there and he was a man of few words. Then he returned to the rice paddy. I followed and worked beside him until sundown. We returned, and he gave me rice with bits of fish. The fishermen in the village threw few small fish on the beach, knowing he would gather them for his meal. He never bought anything but sake, which we drank together before sleeping. He lit a lantern, chanted the Shoshinge, the chant of True Faith of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, before the butsudan, and we slept. At dawn the next morning, after he chanted Shoshinge, we boiled water drawn from the cistern to cook the rice and make tea. After breakfast, he returned to the fields, and I walked to town to register with the army. The next day I left for Hiroshima for basic training. Japanese boot camp was tough. It is designed to turn a man into a fighting machine, to make him tough. Soldiers were run until they dropped, and then told to run more. There was no sympathy; for there is no sympathy in war nor excuses or escapes. If a man fell, he was pushed up and received a “binta” or hard smack as punishment and often extra physical tasks. In addition, trainees were harassed; even if futon was laid out perfectly, an officer might throw it apart and require it to be redone. Men who complained were taunted as being “monkus” meaning whiners. To get used to punishment, soldiers were punished. Orders need to be followed without question, no matter how seemingly absurd or inhumane. We practiced against straw enemies consisting of bodies without faces, or paper targets with demonic faces. If a soldier hesitates before attacking can mean life or death. The Budo philosophy focuses training equally on mental strength so that actual physical contact becomes unnecessary. But the physical and mental pressures are similar. Because of my physical training at Busen, the mental pressure of trying to learn and write the Japanese and doing household tasks for Ogawa Sensei’s children, for me, Japanese boot camp was easy. In fact, I had to learn to be tough even on the Seiho High School Kendo team. Even when we won, our instructor, Tanaka Tomoharu Tomokazu “Chiichi” Sensei, would shout, “That’s not the way to win!” and whack us on the rear end with chunks of firewood. Chiichi Sensei had formerly served in the Japanese army, as had other instructors at Busen, and brought military discipline to the team. “Urusai na! Gamanshiro!” “Shut up! Take the pain!“ Strength is not only in giving a punch but also in taking a punch. Boot camp trained soldiers in the use of weaponry. I had learned this at Busen. I was especially good at juken jutsu, bayonet. The Principal of Busen was General Hayashi Senjuro. As in any school, he administered all the departments, but was especially enthusiastic for juken jutsu, and those of us in the Kendo and Judo sections of Busen were offered the training. “Offer” and “volunteer” at Busen, however, were generally considered commands, especially for the Kendo students who enjoyed higher status. I think we all learned it as a practical military skill taught by one of the General’s sergeants. During boot camp, I beat everyone, even the instructors, with the bayonet. Between deployments, I also enjoyed bayonet and sword “play” practice at the base in Hiroshima. The waza of Kendo training were not only applicable but assured success against opponents. The samurai sword was modified for the army, a “gunto” which was used for ritual and saluting. We also trained with guns and rifles. Nevertheless, I was not put in a cadet group, where all the other college students were placed. After basic training, all the other cadets were sent to Tokyo for officer training. After their training, they returned as “Minarai Shikan” (apprentice officer) and I was only a sergeant and had to salute them, even though I could whip them at bayonet practice. I was angry when I had to salute those less talented; nonetheless, I followed military training and saluted. But after apprenticeship when they were ranked Second Lieutenant, they were all sent to combat. Few returned. I was the only one stationed in Hiroshima and in the Transportation Corps, certainly not considered a prestigious assignment. Combat is always the way of advancement in the military, not motor pool. This was my home base for three years, and I never experienced combat. I was assigned to the Transportation Corps, the “Shicho Tai” base located about a thousand yards from the atomic bomb ground zero.
–Rod Nobuto Omoto, Autobiography, edited by Charlotte Omoto, 2014, p. 32-34. 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

Volume 31, number 11/12

November/December 2017

PNKF DATEBOOK

December 2017

• 12/10, 12/24, and 12/31: no practice at Seattle Kendo Kai.

January 2018

• 1/1: Hatsugeiko, Mon, 6:30am Seattle, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church Gym, 1610 S. King Street, Seattle.
• 1/1: Hatsugeiko, Mon, 9:30-11am, Obukan, Fulton Community Center, 68 SW Miles Street, Portland, OR.
• 1/6-7: Iaidaho 2018, Sat 12noon-5pm/Sun 10am-2:30pm, Iaido Seminar, on Seitei topics, competition, group enbu, and shinsa, Boise State University, Kinesiology Gym, Boise. Kendo Fri 1/5, 6:30-8pm, West Boise YMCA.
• 1/13: PNKF Board meeting, 9-11am, Sat, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 1610 S. King Street, Seattle.
• 1/27: PNKF Kata Seminar, Sat, 12noon-5pm, Chinook Middle School, 18650 42nd Avenue S., Seattle.
• 1/27: 2018 Intercollegiate Taikai, Sat, 10a, McKinnon Gym, University of Victoria, 3800 Finnery Road, Victoria BC.

February 2018

• 2/10: 56th Steveston Taikai, Sat, 9am, McMath High School, 4251 Garry Street, Richmond BC.
• 2/10-11: FIK America Zone Kendo Referee Seminar, Sat-Sun, Centre sportifETS, 1111 Notre-Dame Street West, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
• 2/10-11: Hoshu Dojo Jodo Mini-Camp, Sat 10am-5pm and Sun 7am-12pm, Justice Institute of British Columbia, New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada. Schedule: Sat 10am-5pm and Sun 7am-12pm.
• 2/24: PNKF Shinsa, Sat, Iaido 9am-12noon; Kendo 12:30-4pm, open keiko 4-5pm Tyee Educational Complex, 4424 S. 188th Street, SeaTac, located right off I-5 at S. 188th Street.

March 2018

• 3/17: Highline Taikai, Sat, doors open 8:30am, opening ceremonies 9:30am, White Center Community Center, 1321 SW 102nd Street, Seattle.
• 3/17-18: 22nd Annual Shoryuhai, Sat/Sun, Malkin Athletic Center, 39 Holyoke Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
• 3/24: PNKF Board meeting, 9-11am, Sat, Kent Commons Recreation Center, 525 4th Avenue N. (corner of 4th and James St.) Kent.
• 3/31: 30th Anniversary Kendo Tournament / GNEUSKF Championships, Sat, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland OH.

April 2018

• 4/1: GNEUSKF Kendo Education Seminar led by Masaharu Kakehashi Sensei, Hanshi 8th Dan, former chief instructor of Tokyo Metropolitan Kendo as well as GNEUSKF shinsa and Iaido seminar led by Shozo Kato Sensei, Kendo Kyoshi 8th Dan Iaido Kyoshi 7th Dan, Sun, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH.
• 4/8: 2018 AUSKF Jr. Nationals, Sun, Marina High School, Huntington Beach, California. The gym will be open the day before (April 7) for preparation.
• 4/14: UW Taikai, Sat, 10am, Intramural Activities Building (IMA), UW campus, Montlake Boulevard NE.
• 4/14-15: AUSKF Board meeting and Kodansha Shinsa, Sat-Sun, SCKO venue TBD.
• 4/21: PNKF Shinpan Seminar, Sat, 1-6pm, Highland Park Community Center, 14224 Bel-Red Road, Bellevue.
• 4/22: Cherry Blossom demo, Sun, Seattle Center.

May 2018

• 5/5: PNKF Board meeting, 9-11am, Sat, Kent Commons Recreation Center, 525 4th Avenue N. (corner of 4th and James St.) Kent.
• 5/19: Bellevue Junior Taikai, Sat, 9:30am-3pm, Highland Park Community Center, 14224 Bel-Red Road, Bellevue.
• 5/26: 52nd Vancouver Kendo Tournament, Sat, 10am-6pm, Byrne Creek Secondary School, 7777 18th Street, Burnaby, BC.
• 5/31-6/4: AUSKF Iaido Seminar, Salt Lake City.

June 2018

• 5/31-6/4: AUSKF Iaido Summer Camp and Jodo Seminar, Thu-Mon, with Iaido Hanshi 8th Dan Teruo Mitani and Iaido Kyoshi 8th Dan Atsumi Hatakenaka, Eccles Student Life Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT.
  Schedule:
  • Thursday (May 31, 2018) – Iaido Seminar (9:00 AM – 4:45 PM)
  • Friday (June 1, 2018) – Iaido Seminar (9:00 AM – 4:30 PM)
  • Saturday (June 2, 2018) – AUSKF Iaido Championships (9:00 AM – 4:30 PM)
  • Sunday (June 3, 2018) – Iaido Shinsa (9:00 AM – 11:45 AM), Jodo Seminar (1:00 PM –
  4:00 PM), Jodo Shinsa (4:00 PM – 5:00 PM)
  • Monday (June 4, 2018) – Jodo Seminar (9:00 AM – 11:30 AM)

• 6/9: Rose City Taikai.
• 6/14-17: 11th Annual US Nito Kendo Camp, Seminar, and Shinsa, Thu-Sun, with Ryoichi FUJII, Yamaguchi, Kyoshi 8 dan, Yoshihiro UGAJIN, Tokyo, Kyoshi 7 dan,Futoshi SATO, Chiba, Kyoshi 7 dan, Mitsuyoshi WADA, Tokyo, Kyoshi 7 dan, Taichi KISA, Osaka, Kyoshi 7 dan, and Ako FUJII, Yamaguchi, Renshi 6 dan, College of Idaho, J.A. Albertson Activities Center, Caldwell, Idaho.
  Schedule:
  * Thursday, (June 14, 2018) – 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm, Welcome Keiko
  * Friday, (June 15, 2018) – 10:00 am – 5:00 pm, Seminar
  * Saturday (June 16, 2018) – 9:00 am – 5:00 pm, Seminar (Banquet 6:30 pm)
  * Sunday, (June 17, 2018) – 9:00 am – 3:30 pm, Shinsa and Taikai

July 2018

• 7/21: PNKF Board meeting, 9-11am, Sat, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 1610 S. King Street, Seattle.

August 2018

• 8/11: PNKF Shinsa, Kent Commons Recreation Center, 525 4th Avenue N. (corner of 4th and James St.) Kent.

September 2018

• 9/14-16: 17WKC, Fri/Sat/Sun, Seoul, Korea.
• 9/15: PNKF Board meeting, 9-11am, Sat, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 1610 S. King Street, Seattle.
• 9/28-9/30: PNKF Iaido Seminar and Tournament, Fri, Sat, Sun.
  Teachers: Iaido Kyoshi 8th Dan Hideo Noguchi; and Iaido Kyoshi 7th Dan Shigehiro Aoki
  and Kaoru Suzuki.
  Schedule: Fri, 7-9pm Jodo/Iaido; Sat, 9am-5pm Iaido; Sun
  9am-12noon Iaido Tournament; 1-5pm Iaido.

October 2018

• 10/6: PNKF Shinpan Seminar, Sat, 12noon-5pm, Kent Commons Recreation Center, 525 4th Avenue N. (corner of 4th and James St.) Kent.
• 10/20: Tacoma Taikai, Sat, 9:30am Opening Ceremonies (doors open at 8:30am), Curtis High School, 8425 40th Street West, University Place, WA 98466 (tentative).

November 2018

• 11/3: PNKF Taikai, Sat, Kent Commons Recreation Center, 525 4th Avenue N. (corner of 4th and James St.) Kent.
• 11/10: AUSKF Board meeting, Sat, venue TBD.
• 11/11: Kodansha Shinsa, Sun, venue TBD.
• 11/17: PNKF Board meeting, 9-11am, Sat, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 1610 S. King Street, Seattle.

December 2018

• 12/1: Kent Taikai, Sat, Kendo Commons Recreation Center, 525 4th Avenue N, (corner of 4th and James St.) Kent.
• 12/9: PNKF Jodo Shinsa.
  

  PNKF BOARD NEWS

  At their November 18, 2017 meeting, the new 2017/2018 Board was seated, and Officers were elected.

  
  President – CJ Chaney (Sno-King), Vice-President – Doug Imanishi (Seattle),
  Treasurer – Mary DeJong (Highline), Secretary – Tom Bolling (Bellevue). UW Advisor –
  CJ Chaney.

  Other Board members are: Sean Blechschmidt (Bellevue), Cougar Capoeman (Tacoma), Frederic Fourie
  (AiShinKai), Mark Frederick (Northwest), Noelle Grimes (Sno-King), Mart Hughes (Obukan), Taryn Imanishi (Cascade), Michael Mabale (Seattle), Curtis Marsten (Kent), Elizabeth Marsten (Highline), Vicki Marsten
  (Federal Way), Tiarnan Marsten (Kent), Edward Olson (Tonbo), Chris Ruiz (Spokane), Russ Sinclair (Spokane), Robert Stroud
  (Idaho), Val Vulfson (Northwest), Francis Walsh (UW), and David Yotsuuye (Bellevue).

  18th INVITATIONAL TACOMA KENDO TAIKAI – October 21, 2017, Curtis High School, University Place

  
  9 and Under                               10-12 Years Kyu
  1st place - Ezra Cocoro-Marx, Federal Way 1st place - Jonathan Yu, Northwest
  2nd place - Kaito Ayers, Sno-King         2nd place - Nicholas Chu, Bellevue
  3rd place - Owen Kaufman, Portland        3rd place - Hana Koob, Bellevue
  Participant - Maddy Day, Kent
  Participant - Joey Oday, Tacoma
  Participant - Karis Kim, Tacoma
  
  13-15 Years Kyu                           16-18 Years Kyu 
  1st place - Taiki Miyamoto, Northwest     1st place - Kengo Underhill, Northwest
  2nd place - Josh Kim, Federal Way         2nd place - Kyle Fukuda, Cascade
  3rd place - Danny Chung, Cascade          3rd place - Michizane Ohata, Bellevue
  
  Adult 0-2 Kyu                             Adult 1 Kyu-1 Dan
  1st place - Victor Blancarte, Sno-King    1st place - Cougar Capoeman, Tacoma
  2nd place - Leo Gao, UW                   2nd place - Philbert Lin, Bellevue
  3rd place - Anthony Yorita, UW            3rd place - Gregory Vielhaber, Portland
  
  Youth Dan                                 Adult 2-3 Dan
  1st place - Andy Yuen, Seattle            1st place - Tiarnan Marsten, Kent
  2nd place - Allison Kojima, Bellevue      2nd place - Koyo Yoshida, Everett
  3rd place - Drake Imanishi, Seattle       3rd place - Koichi Toshima, Portland
  
  15 and Under Team
  1st place - Northwest A (J. Yu, Keiji Underhill, Taiki Miyamoto)
  2nd place - Bellevue A (H. Koob, L. Ohata, S. Kojima)
  
  Senior Youth Team
  1st place - Seattle (A. Yuen, Kengo Underhill, D. Imanishi)
  2nd place - Cascade (K. Fukuda, T. Seyduzov, D. Yip)
  
  Mudansha Team
  1st place - Bellevue (J. Jeon, H. Su, L. Ohata)
  2nd place - UW (A. Yorita, L. Gao, T. Lee)
  
  National Anthem Singer - Alisa Yoshikawa
  Sportsmanship Pledge - Daniel Kao
  Shinpan Cho - David S. Yotsuuye
  

  43rd ANNUAL PNKF KENDO TOURNAMENT – November 4, 2017, Kent Commons Recreation Center

  
  10 Years and Under                        11-12 Years
  1st place - E. Chui, Steveston            1st place - H. Homma, Renbu
  2nd place - N. Son, Renbu                 2nd place - J. Hung, Steveston
  3rd place - D. Buckham, UVictoria         3rd place - O. Benson, Youshinkan
  3rd place - F. Benson, Youshinkan         3rd place - E. Cho, Renbu
  
  13-15 Years                               High School Boys
  1st place - R. Kim, Renbu                 1st place - B. Liao, Bellevue
  2nd place - A. Son, Renbu                 2nd place - A. Yuen, Seattle
  3rd place - B. Miki, Steveston            3rd place - E. Chui, Steveston
  3rd place - T. Miyamoto, Northwest        3rd place - M. Ohata, Bellevue
  
  0-4 Kyu                                   3-1 Kyu
  1st place - H. Su, Bellevue               1st place - KE Underhill, Northwest
  2nd place - G. Li, OSU                    2nd place - C. Pak, Portland
  3rd place - T. Chui, Steveston            3rd place - A. Yorita, UW
  3rd place - J. Davis, Northwest           3rd place - Y. Paik, Tacoma
  
  Women Kyu                                 Women Dan
  1st place - K. McIntosh, Federal Way      1st place - W. Robillard, Steveston
  2nd place - E. Law, UW                    2nd place - N. Grimes, Sno-King
  3rd place - J. Wong, Bellevue             3rd place - H. Yamada, Vancouver
  3rd place - A. Tan, UW                    3rd place - M. Oya, Palouse
  
  1-2 Dan                                   3 Dan
  1st place - E. Lee, Renbu                 1st place - D. Miura, Hawaii
  2nd place - B. Pae, Northwest             2nd place - T. Marsten, Kent
  3rd place - D. Anzai, Obukan              3rd place - M. Yoneda, Kent
  3rd place - D. Imanishi, Seattle          3rd place - I. Miki, Steveston
  
  4 Dan and Above
  1st place - H. Kim, Hawaii
  2nd place - T. Yamada, Vancouver
  3rd place - K. Kobayashi, Youshinkan
  3rd place - S. Harris, Hawaii
  
  Junior Team
  1st place - Renbu A (K. Squance, Y. Lee, A. Son, K. Itagaki, R. Kim)
  2nd place - Steveston A (R. Nakano, C. Robillard, E. Chui, B. Miki, J. Hung)
  3rd place - Renbu B (N. Son, KE Yoshimura, E. Cho, I. Son, H. Homma)
  3rd place - Bellevue A (H. Koob, T. Koob, M. Tawara, T. Dage, S. Kojima)
  
  Senior Team
  1st place - Vancouver (K. Darbyshire, J. Schmidt, H. Yamada, S. Jung, T. Yamada)
  2nd place - Hawaii (V. Yancy, D. Miura, S. Harris, H. Kim, T. Buntin)
  3rd place - Renbu (E. Lee, A. Espiritu, E. Kita, O. Young, D. Taguchi)
  3rd place - Youshinkan (K. Kobayashi, K. Takeuchi, C. Takeuchi, J. Chien, T. Nakamura)
  
  Taikai Co-Chairs - CJ Chaney and Taryn Imanishi
  Shinpan Cho - Tatsuhiko Konno
  Court Manager - David S. Yotsuuye
  Sportsmanship Pledge - Allison Kojima
  Shoji Trophy - Kengo Underhill
  Presidential Service Award - Daniel Ichinaga
  Presidential Service Award - Darrick Lew
  

  AIEA TAIHEIJI KENDO TOURNAMENT 2017 – November 19, 2017, Halawa Gym, Aiea, Oahu

  
  Yonenbu (11 Years and Below)              Shonenbu (12-14 Years Old)
  1st place - Caden Matsumoto               1st place - Nobuhiko Tamura
  2nd place - Ethan Amano                   2nd place - Zachary Yamamoto
  3rd place - Jacob Amano                   3rd place - Mari Shimabukuro
  3rd place - Ethan Suyama                  3rd place - Brandyn Matsumoto
  
  Seinenbu-Nidan                            Women's
  1st place - Brycen Kawakami               1st place - Nicole Chun
  2nd place - Joshua Amano                  2nd place - Megan Watanabe
  3rd place - John Pitts                    3rd place - Gale Mejia
  3rd place - Eric Young                    3rd place - Tina Kaku
  
  Yudansha 3+                               Yudansha Masters
  1st place - Hyun Kim                      1st place - Iwao Sato
  2nd place - Wesley Fujimoto               2nd place - Ken Sugano
  3rd place - Christopher Goodin            3rd place - Bert Shibuya
  3rd place - Daiki Miura                   3rd place - Carl Nakamura
  
  Children's Team                           Adults' Team 
  1st place - Kenshikan A                   1st place - Mililani A
  2nd place - Kenshikan B                   2nd place - Aiea
  
  Grand Champion
  Hyun Kim
  

  21st KENT INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT – December 2, 2017, Kentwood High School, Kent

  
  10 Years and Under (Jr A)            3-1 Kyu
  1st place - N. Chu, Bellevue         1st place - Ken Underhill, Northwest
  2nd place - I. DeBlieck, Sno-King    2nd place - A. Yorita, UW
  3rd place - JU Paik, Tacoma          3rd place - E. Lam, Kent
  3rd place - D. Shilov, Highline      3rd place - B. Sprenger, Obukan
  
  11-12 Years (Jr B)                   1-2 Dan
  1st place - H. Koob, Bellevue        1st place - J. Yamauchi, Cascade
  2nd place - A. Mabale, Seattle       2nd place - B. Park, Bellevue
  3rd place - P. Jewett, Spokane       3rd place - J. Higa, UW
  3rd place - J. Yu, Northwest         3rd place - S. Sinclair, Spokane
  
  13 to 15 Years (Jr C)                3-4 Dan
  1st place - T. Miyamoto, Northwest   1st place - K. Yoshida, Everett
  2nd place - T. Koob, Bellevue        2nd place - B. Imanishi, Cascade
  3rd place - Kei Underhill, Northwest 3rd place - I. Morgan, Kent
  3rd place - SA Wetlesen, Obukan      3rd place - T. Marsten, Kent
                                       4th place - S. Day, Kent
  Women                                4th place - T. Imanishi, Cascade
  1st place - K. McManus, Kent         4th place - D. Huynh, Seattle
  2nd place - M. Suzuki, Sno-King      4th place - M. Suzuki, Sno-King
  3rd place - E. DeJong, Highline
  3rd place - B. Park, Bellevue
  
  4 Kyu and Under
  1st place - H. Su, Bellevue
  2nd place - T. Elliott, Spokane
  3rd place - K. McIntosh, Federal Way
  3rd place - B. Yorker, Kent
  
  Junior Team
  1st place - Northwest (J. Yu, N. Underhill, Kei Underhill, T. Ting, T. Miyamoto)
  2nd place - Cascade (DV Chung, D. Terao, A. Fukuda, C. Baker, D. Chung)
  3rd place - Seattle (A. Mabale, S. Wetlesen, A. Fung, F. Mabale, K. Hale)
  3rd place - Federal Way (E. Corcoro-Marx, M. Day, S. Lee, I. Lee, J. Kim)
  
  Senior Team
  1st place - Kent Red (I. Morgan, K. McManus, S. Day, M. Yoneda, T. Marsten)
  2nd place - Seattle (L. Durkan, A. Yen, D. Huynh, S. Guidi, M. Mabale)
  3rd place - Bellevue (A. Kojima, M. Blechschmidt, B. Park, E. DeJong, L. Tsybert)
  3rd place - Sno-King (D. Lew, T. Patana, A. Zee, M. Suzuki, CJ Chaney)
  
  Sportsmanship Pledge - Keeley McManus
  Head Shinpan  - Curtis Marsten
  

  SHINKYU SHINSA

  AUSKF KENDO KODANSHA SHINSA, November 12, 2017, Athletic Club Northeast, Atlanta, Georgia

  6TH DAN:

  Elizabeth Marsten, (PNKF).

  PNKF JODO SHINSA, December 10, 2017, Mitchell Activity Center, Seattle Central College, Seattle

  1ST KYU: Abigail Benoit (Tonbo), Duane Benoit (Tonbo), Robert Neff (Tonbo), Thomas Valencia (Yamakage Dojo
  SWKIF), David Zambrano (Hoshu).

  THE LAST WORD

  May 2004, marked the 100th Anniversary of Butoku Kai. I cannot travel any longer, and most of my
  classmates are gone. Yet after all these years, I remember each word of our school song. It was composed
  by Yabe Osamu of Ehime Prefecture, a student of the twenty-first graduating class in l935.

      Kanmu no Mikado itsu kimasu
      Miyai wa chikaki manabiya ni
      Yamato gokoro wo iya migaku
      Kore zo Busen no hokori naru
  
      Meiyo Renchi wo inochi to shi
      Shitsu Jitsu Koken Mune to shite
      Hibi ni isoshimu shuyo wa
      Warera kenji no tsutome zoya
  
      Tagai ni kitou tetsu wan ni
      Fukutsu no chisho atsuku moe
      Yama o mo nukan sono iki wa
      Hiroku Tenka wo doyomosan
  

  The rough translation of the three verses is:

      I'm proud to be learning and polishing
      my Yamato gokuro Japanese spirit
      at Busen, this institute of higher learning
      located near the Heian Jingu shrine.
  
      This is Busens pride.
      It is our duty to diligently and vigorously train daily
      to forge and temper our bodies and spirit
      together with honor, grace and simplicity.
  
      The world will sense that we have a tremendous force
      that never quits, the power to move mountains
      that will result in calming the world.
  

  I sang our school song in Japanese for my few remaining classmates at Busen, and recorded it on videotape.
  In that way, despite all the years in the United States, I am with them as they celebrate and grieve, for
  I am Japanese in spirit even though I know a wider world and love the plumeria and gentle breezes of my
  boyhood in Hawaii as well as the cherry blossom.

  Last Days at Busen

  I lived day by day and waited for the inevitable day I would leave Busen to report to the army. I didn’t
  feel disloyal or even conflicted about serving in the Japanese army. To me it was just another war between
  two countries. Neither my classmates nor the Japanese authorities questioned whether I was loyal to the
  United States or Japan, even though I had dual citizenship. However, my Hawaiian background was likely
  responsible for the government deciding not to send me to Tokyo to become an officer like my classmates.
  Thus I never fought directly or in the Pacific Theater. My Hawaiian background likely saved my life.

  Discussions with my classmates were not abstract. When we ate together or had a few minutes of spare time,
  we would celebrate, drink sake and talk Kendo. But Kendo talk was specific: how clever it had been to
  divert a kote hit by a feint and win with a men hit. The superior player opens and is missed only by
  inches when he goes for the men; he has to be very fast or be defeated at the kote or do.

  Kendo training is about action, not thinking; thinking requires time and distance from the practice. When
  training, there is no room to think about yesterday or tomorrow, just this cut and that cut. When
  fighting, thinking will kill you. Despite the books written about Kendo and other martial arts, words can
  only delude us into, at best, partial understanding. There is “comprehension” that one cannot put into
  words. We practice and that is educating the body in action. Miyamoto Musashi wrote that “you must study
  this well” as he writes about methods, but always associates the “study” with comments such as: “You
  must train hard to understand it” and “With detailed practice you should be able to understand it.”
  Yes, listen, reflect and study but it requires physical practice; with enough “doing” the Do may become
  part of you.

  So at Busen there was no time for book “study” of Kendo. Our “study” of Kendo was to watch, do, and do
  over and over again, training our body to have “muscle memory”. Reflection is a part of Budo. It would
  come, if ever, later. In fact, about 50 years later for me.

  So even though I don’t recall political discussion about going to war, I do remember my going away party.
  We knew where I was going, and that those remaining would be following soon. In fact, mine was the last
  party where a group could be gathered for a solitary send-off; the remaining students left en masse. So it
  was a grand celebration! We laughed and played and ate and drank until we were literally rolling on the
  floor, falling down laughing and dizzy with sake.

  –Rod Nobuto Omoto, Autobiography, edited by Charlotte Omoto, 2014, p. 30-32.
  Available as free download at lulu.com.

  PLEASE NOTE – THIS KENYU ONLINE IS THE EDITION OF RECORD

  Kenyu – Monthly Newsletter of the Pacific Northwest Kendo Federation
  Tom Bolling, Editor – 7318 23rd Avenue N.E., Seattle, WA 98115

  ---

Volume 31, number 7/8/9/10

July/August/September/October 2017

PNKF DATEBOOK

October 2017

• 10/21: Tacoma Taikai
  • 9:30am Opening Ceremonies (doors open at 8:30am), Curtis High School,
    8425 40th Street West, University Place, WA 98466.

November 2017

• 11/4: PNKF Taikai, Sat, 9:30am,525 4th Avenue N. (corner of 4th and James St.) Kent.
• 11/11-12: AUSKF Board and Kodansha Shinsa, Sat/Sun, TBD.
• 11/18: PNKF Board, Sat, 9-11am, St Peter’s Episcopal Church, 1610 S King St, Seattle, WA 98144.

December 2017

• 12/2: Kent Taikai, Sat, report time 9am, start 9:30am, Kentwood High School, 25800 164th Avenue SE, Covington, WA.
• 12/10: PNKF Jodo Shinsa, Sat, 11:30am, 1st Kyu only, Mitchell Activity Center,
  Seattle Central College, 1701 Broadway, Seattle, WA 98122.

January 2018

• 1/6-7: Iaidaho 2018, Sat 12:noon-5pm/Sun 10am-2:30pm, Iaido Seminar, on Seitei topics,
  competition, group enbu, and shinsa, Boise State University, Kinesiology Gym, Boise.
  Kendo Fri 1/5, 6:30-8pm, West Boise YMCA.

February 2018

• 2/10-11: FIK America Zone Kendo Referee Seminar, Sat/Sun, Centre sportifETS, 1111 Notre-Dame
  Street West, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

June 2018

• 6/4: AUSKF Iaido Camp will be held on the campus of the University of Utah in
  Salt Lake City, Utah on May 31 – June 4, 2018.

September 2018

• 9/14-16: 17WKC, Fri/Sat/Sun, Incheon, Korea.

CHANGES IN GOVERNANCE OF THE PNKF

For over a year, the Board has been working hard to forge new By Laws for the PNKF. Finally, at
their July 22, 2017 meeting, the Articles of Amendment and the Restated Article of Incorporation were
approved. As a result, this fall the composition of the Board will reflect the changes, and we are
using a new process for Board Member nominations. PNKF Clubs with permanent status having 10-30
members may appoint one individual to the Board, while Clubs with 30 or more members may appoint two
individuals. Club representation count is based upon each Club’s membership as of September 1, 2017.
Each Club has been sent notification requesting their selected Board Members, as well as outlining
the process for selection of five at-large Members. Requested response date is October 28, 2017. At
the November 18, 2017 Board meeting, the new Board will vote for five Members at large from the pool
of nominees. Then the new Board, including the five at-large Members, will elect Officers for the
new fiscal year of 2017-2018.

USNF 17th CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT AND 1st PANAMERICAN MATCH, July 29, 2017, Sonoma State University

Dangai Engi                                         Yudansha Engi
1st place - Xinyuan Lai/Yuki Nishimura, NCKF        1st place - Shannon Lew/Andrew Hong, SCNF
2nd place - Karl Spargur/David Huynh, NCKF          2nd place - Kei Tsukamaki/Karen Schmucker
3rd place - Simon Wan/Alex Lin, GNYNF               3rd place - Josh Sloan/Frank DiMarco, RMNF

Zen Nihon Naginata no Kata                          Dangai Women's Individuals
1st place - Bryce Harrop/Chris Coppeans, PNNF       1st place - Yuki Nishimura,NCNF
2nd place - Andrew Hong/Shannon Lew, SCNF           2nd place - Amy Coppeans, PNNF
3rd place - Karen Schmucker/Kei Tsukamaki, PNNF     3rd place - Michelle You, PNNF

Dangai Men's Individuals                            Yudansha Women's Individuals
1st place - Alex Lin, GNYNF                         1st place - Katie Roche, GNYNF
2nd place - Xinyuan Lai, NCNF                       2nd place - Andrea Vyas, RMNF
3rd place - David Huynh, NCNF                       3rd place - Emily Ewen, ECNF

Yudansha Men's Individuals                          Women's Team
1st place - Axel Noorman, ECNF                      1st place - Pacific Northwest Naginata Federation
2nd place - Ruben Ramirez, SCNF                     2nd place - Greater New York Naginata Federation
3rd place - Saiyou Ohshima, NCNF                    3rd place - Southern California Naginata Federation

Men's Team
1st place - Pacific Northwest Naginata Federation
2nd place - Greater New York Naginata Federation
3rd place - Northern California Naginata Federation

PanAm Match Women                                   PanAm Match Men
Winners                                             Winners
Yuki Nishimura, NCNF                                Andrew Boyd, CNF
Veronica Gunawan, NCNF                              Alan McDougall, CNF
Manon Dozois, CNF                                   C.L. Chen, GNYNF
Mary Phan, CNF                                      Eduardo Pereira, BNA
Jenny Bernot, SCNF                                  Bryce Harrop, PNNF
Tomomi Hasegawa, BNA                                Antoine Fromentin, CNF
Kaori Kubo, CNF

10th ANNUAL PNKF IAIDO TAIKAI – September 22, 2017, Rain City Fencing Center, Bellevue, Washington

Mudansha                                  Yudansha 1-2 Dan
1st place - S. Horita, Musokai            1st place - G. Pillei, AiShinKai
2nd place - K. Duong, Musokai             2nd place - K. Tekin, Norwalk
3rd place - M. Barlow, Musokai            3rd Place - V. Whitman, Seattle
3rd place - N. Varma, Seattle             3rd Place - Joe Cabrera, Palo Alto

Yudansha 3-4 Dan (Noguchi Cup)            Teams (Murosako Cup)
1st place - H. Fukumoto, Seattle          1st place - Musokai B (G. Goerlitz, S. Horita, K. Duong)
2nd place - C. Parkins, Renma             2nd place - Musokai A (L. Miyauchi, G. Pillei, M. Barlow)
3rd place - B. Blomquist, Everett
3rd place - C. Goeke, Renma

SHINKYU SHINSA

5TH KYU: Ryley Leach (RMKIF). 4TH KYU: Amanda Ellers (SWKIF0, Avery Grubbs (Idaho),
Taisei Summerhays (RMKIF), Jacob Velasco (SWKIF). 3RD KYU: Nathan Grubbs (Idaho), Tyler
Morris (RMKIF). 1ST DAN: Carlos Mutates (Idaho), Tyler Peterson (Idaho). 2ND DAN:
Eric Marquart (Idaho). 3RD DAN: Wesley Horn (Idaho), Jonathan Kaufman (Portland), Jeff Lamb
(Spokane), Ken Tawara (Idaho), Ireneo Rodriguez Torres (Mexico). 4TH DAN: Ronald Sentany
(SWKIF), Christopher Tilt (Portland).

1ST DAN: Andrew Boyd (CNF), David Huynh (NCNF), Xinyuan Lai (NCNF), Adam Lew (SCNF), Alan
McDougall (CNF), Marie-Angelique Metzger (SCNF), Wolfgang Metzger (SCNF), Michelle You (PNNF).
2ND DAN: Yves Crepeau (CNF), C.L. Chen (GNYNF), Jessica Espinosa (ECNF), Richard Metzger
(SCNF), Rebecca Pomeroy (ECNF), Talanda Williams (NCNF, Grace Wu (SCNF). 3RD DAN: Johanne
Chalifour (CNF), Manon Dozois (CNF), Axel Noorman (ECNF), Eduardo Pereira (BNA), Rytis Prekeris
(RMNF). 4TH DAN: Chris Coppeans (PNNF), Sasha Corchado (GNYNF), Frank DiMarco (RMNF), Bryce
Harrop (PNNF), Juan Hernandez (SCNF), Andrew Hong (SCNF), Saiyou Ohshima (NCNF), Antoni Rossi (SCNF),
Kelsey Shamrell-Harrington (PNNF).

AUSKF KENDO KODANSHA SHINSA, August 6, 2017, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, Michigan

5TH DAN: Julie Chen (PNKF).

PNKF IAIDO SHINSA, August 12, 2017, Kent

3RD KYU: Abigail Benoit (Tonbo), Duane Benoit (Tonbo), Zehran Li (Musokai). 2ND KYU:
Nikhil Varma (Seattle), Nicodemus Edwin Widjonarko (Obukan). 1ST KYU: Adam Clark (AiShinKai),
Khoi Duong (Kent), Donald Wentworth (Tonbo). 2ND DAN: Thane Mittelstaedt (AiShinKai), Ken
Tawara (Idaho). 3RD DAN: Christopher Parkins (RenMa).

PNKF KENDO SHINSA, August 12, 2017, Kent

6TH KYU: Madeleine Day (Kent), Owen Frederick (Northwest), Ezra Corcoro Marx (Federal Way),
Kenjiro Maxfield-Matsumoto (Highline). 5TH KYU: Juah Paik (Tacoma), Hoeun Son (Federal Way),
Dan Terao (Cascade). 4TH KYU: Carolyn Baker (Cascade), Nicholas Chu (Bellevue), Devin Chung
(Cascade), Teo Dage (Bellevue), Justin Davis (Northwest), Brandi Heyer (Edmonds), Matthew Hutchins
(Seattle), Daniel Kao (Tacoma), Sean Kim (Seattle), Ian Krupp (Cascade), Takakazu Maxfield-Matsumoto
(Highline), Krystal McIntosh (Federal Way), Matt Miyamoto (Northwest), Taiki Miyamoto (Northwest),
Emilio Peralta (Obukan), Maro Sciacchitano (Portland), Alec Yuen (Seattle). 3RD KYU: Robin
Allen (Portland), Bruce Alter (Portland), Aidan Chervin (Portland), Danny Chung (Cascade), James
Fadell (Portland), Raymond Fish (Edmonds), Leo Gao (UW) Kyle Hale (Seattle), Chizuko Heyer (Edmonds),
Daniel Heyer (Edmonds), Allyson Hinzman (Tacoma), Yeh Seo Jung (Portland), Hana Koob (Bellevue),
Isabella Lee (Federal Way), Jierong James Lee (UW), Laura Ohata (Bellevue), Neo Smith (Bellevue),
Royce Sessions (Tacoma), Abigail Tan (UW), Sun Terao (Cascade), Kassidy Ting (Northwest), Timaeus
Ting (Northwest), Nikhil Varma (Seattle), Jacob Weese (UW), William Wellborn (Bellevue), Anthony
Yorita (UW). 2ND KYU: Kamia Acoba (Everett), Victor Blancarte (Sno-King), James Faulkner
(Edmonds), Kiana (Ai) Fukuda (Cascade), Kyle Fukuda (Cascade), Hyunjun Jang (Cascade), Jin Ho Jeon
(Bellevue), Raymond Kao (Tacoma), Eugene Kim (Seattle), Kasey Kitchel (Sno-King), Daniel Lee
(Tacoma), Simon Lee (Federal Way), Elysia Midorikawa (UW), Jason Nguyen (UW), Poul Nichols (Edmonds),
Timothy Okamura (Bellevue), Joshua Paik (Tacoma), Catherine Park (Bellevue), Jonah Redaja (Edmonds),
Blake Sprenger (Obukan), Francis Walsh (UW), Fred Wang (UW), Shota Wetlesen (Obukan), Nicodemus Edwin
Widjonarko (Obukan). 1ST KYU: Eric Bortz (Alaska), Hien Katayama (Edmonds), Evan Kriechbaum
(Portland), Michizane Ohata (Bellevue), Young-ki Paik (Tacoma), Chi Pak (Portland), Edward Park
(Sno-King), Shun Wetlesen (Obukan), Victor Whitman (Seattle), Donna Wilson (Seattle), Binah Yeung
(Seattle). 1ST DAN: Drake Imanishi (Seattle), David Nash (Edmonds), Bryant Pae (Northwest).
2ND DAN: Clyde Bailey (Portland), Maya Blechschmidt (Bellevue), Kenneth Gordon (Obukan),
Soo-Hyung Kim (Seattle), Sadako Markle (Idaho), Keeley McManus (Kent), Andrew Miller (Portland),
Stephen Ting (Northwest), Andrew Yuen (Seattle). 3RD DAN: Jennifer DeJong (Highline), Laurel
Durkan (Seattle), Jongwon Lee (Portland), Maina Oya (Northwest), Dan Park (Bellevue). 4TH
DAN: Paul Gattone (SWKIF Tucson), Yoshihito Kanamori (Alaska), Lei Yu (Northwest).

BCKF/PNKF JODO SHINSA, August 19, 2017, Justice Institute of BC, Vancouver, BC

1ST KYU: Michael Harris (Tonbo), Jessica Hilliam (Hoshu Vancouver), James Jerrard (Calgary
Iaido), Josh MacDonald (Calgary Iaido). 1ST DAN: Rhona Mae Arca (Calgary Iaido), Roy Gawlick
(Hoshu Vancouver), Elena Kay (Calgary Iaido), Ronen Totonchi (Everett). 2ND DAN: Denis Boko
(Hoshu Vancouver), Kathleen Jorgensen (Tonbo), Keith Simpson (Calgary Iaido), Bruce Vail (Hoshu
Seattle). 3RD DAN: Brian Blomquist (Everett), Hiroaki Fukumoto (Seattle), Gao Gaitian (Hoshu
Vancouver), Jeffrey Kamo (Hoshu Vancouver), Kathleen Newcomer (Tonbo), Michael Park (Hoshu
Portland).

THE LAST WORD

My father always considered himself Japanese. During the War he was
threatened with prison. But not for long. My five sisters were nurses and their contributions were
needed desperately in the hospitals filled with wounded soldiers. They threatened to quit if he were
jailed. Their nursing skills trumped any perceived threat from my father and he returned home. His
longing for Japan, and to die in his homeland, was finally realized after the War when he returned to
his ancestral lands in Kure, leaving my mother behind. He lived there until he died at the age of 79.
In Japan, when a man went to war, it was assumed he would die, not that he “might” die. That is
something to ponder well, so I’ll say it again: “In Japan, when a man went to war, it was assumed he
would die.” The samurai warrior of old considered himself already dead, so he could be clear and
calm. Because I am a human being, I will die, but because I am a human being, like all human beings,
I don’t want to die. I don’t know when or under what circumstances I will die, but as I was a
soldier, I knew I would likely die sooner rather than later. This is a fact, “mono no aware” the
realization of being human. This is an acceptance. I accepted my fate, and when death came, I would
die with honor. That was part of being a traditional Japanese, and Busen was certainly traditional.
It is said that the sword and the brush – and the cherry blossom – reflect the soul of Japan. This is
a soul that is reflective of nature that all that live must die, but that while living, life can be
contemplative, discerning and beautiful. These natural qualities form the ideals of martial arts
which emphasizes skill but also wisdom, harmony and serenity. This is “Yamato” (Japan) “Damashi”
(soul). “Yamato Damashi” is difficult to explain. It is a term indicative of the people’s will. It is
the fighting spirit of the Japanese soldier. But it is not just a fighting spirit. It is part of the
great soul of the people, tied to the very origins of the Japanese. When I was at Busen, Yamato
Damashi spirit was very much alive. The Emperor was the spiritual head of Japan. Japanese believed
the Emperor was descended from the gods through unbroken line of descent and many could cite the
whole lineage. No one questioned any sacrifice required by the gods or the Emperor. Like a father,
the people were “his people” and his love for his people and theirs for him was sacred. As a Japanese
son would not disobey his father, so the Japanese people would not disobey their Emperor. But the
Yamato Damashi is hard to define. Thus, if I am pushed for a definition, my response would be a
comparison to the cherry blossom. It blooms abundantly for a brief moment, and then flutters down
with no regret. That is how the brave Japanese should be:

    Shikishima no
    Yamato gokoro wo hito towaba
    Asahi ni niou
    Yama zakura kana
    Asked what a Japanese heart is,
    just say it is like the fragrance in the morning sun
    of the mountain cherry blossom Long after the War, in 1998, I received a letter from Tomano 

Kenzan (Keitaro), a famous artist in Osaka, who recalled the story of an Australian Navy General. The
General gave a memorial service, from a podium draped with an Australian flag, for a brave Japanese
soldier who had tried to bomb an Australian warship from a suicide submarine. The General spoke with
the mother of the soldier, and was moved by the bravery of the young man, even though he was the
enemy, and even more by the bravery of his mother who assumed her son would die. He learned a lesson,
he said, from the enemy and began to understand much of the Japanese spirit from Mother Matsue’s
bittersweet waka, a 5-7-5-7-7 syllable poem:

    Kimi ga tame
    Shine to sodateshi
    Hana naredo
    Arashi no ato no
    Niwa sabishi kere
    For the Emperor,
    raised you to die
    like a cherry blossom
    yet after the storm
    how lonesome my yard

–Rod Nobuto Omoto, Autobiography, edited by Charlotte Omoto, 2014, p. 29-30.
Available as free download at lulu.com.

PLEASE NOTE – THIS KENYU ONLINE IS THE EDITION OF RECORD

Kenyu – Monthly Newsletter of the Pacific Northwest Kendo Federation
Tom Bolling, Editor – 7318 23rd Avenue N.E., Seattle, WA 98115

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