2021.9 KENDOJIDAI
Trends and strategies are essential to pass any examination. This is also required for Kendo Dan examinations, and Kamei Toru Hanshi is offering a course for common Kendo practitioners.
Kamei Toru, 8th Dan Hanshi
Born in Kumamoto Prefecture in 1954. After graduating from Kyushu Gakuin High School and Meiji University, he joined the Kumamoto Prefectural Police. His major achievements include: 2nd place in the All Japan Kendo Championship, participation in the World Kendo Championship, participation in the All Japan Prefectural Kendo Championship, participation in the All Japan East West Tournament, 1st place in the first division of the National Police Tournament, 1st place in the National Athletic Meet, 2nd and 3rd place in the All Japan invitational 8th Dan Championship, 2nd and 3rd place in the All Japan Invitational 7th Dan Kendo Championship in honor of Marume Nagayoshi and 3 titles in the Iwate Prefecture 7th Dan Governor’s Cup. He is a standing director in charge of strengthening programs by the All Japan Kendo Federation.
Attain the correct swing trajectory without a Shinai
As a non-professional Kenshi, you probably have limited time to practice. This is why I recommend practising alone at home.
At the time I was preparing for my 8th Dan examination, I had to work at a police station about a kilometre away from Kumamoto City.
As soon as I took the job, I looked for a place to do Keiko, but there was only one practice a week in the area. I looked for other places to practice, and managed to secure Keiko about three times a week, but it was not sufficient. So, in order to enrich my Keiko, I worked hard at solo Keiko.
First of all, please confirm the trajectory of your strikes without your Shinai. In Kukan-datotsu Men strikes, you swing straight along the midline of the body, and strike Men in a single motion while shifting the centre of gravity. The arms should be fully extended, the right hand should be at shoulder height and the left hand should be at chest height, but this may vary depending on the person.
The right and left side Men strikes are performed with both arms outstretched while swinging up the same as you would for regular Men strikes, but returning the blade diagonally over the head. Kirikaeshi is also done in this way, but it may be difficult to follow the basics when wearing bogu. It is important to perform Kirikaeshi, Kukan-datotsu and strikes without a Shinai with the same idea in mind.
Match the movements of the hands and feet
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