Forest City Kendo Club

Hey everybody! during this COVID-19 shutdown, we are hosting online keiko for members (same time as always). Western has also graciously invited us to participate in their online keiko as well. email me for the link!

Ever wanted to try Kendo? FCKC is now taking beginners! We will be holding introductory Kendo classes starting in July and August! Message us or stop by at practice to find out more!

What's more satisfying than carving your own Kodachi? Carving your own Kodachi using free wood salvaged from an old shipping pallet!

The Kendo Universe

As we move into Autumn, and Canadian Kenshi turn themselves to the grading examinations that come with the changing of the leaves, it is worth taking a moment to ponder the more abstract facets of Kendo.
In our modern times, the universe is a thing which is laid out for us in the form of theories, narratives, and interlocking dynamics. Kendo is no different. On this cool Autumn evening I find myself pondering a distinct congruence between Kendo and the larger universe, as laid out by modern science.
To wit; timing. As the famous patent clerk showed us, timing is not absolute but relative. This is a great place to insert a joke. It is an old philosophy joke, and it runs thus: a philosophy professor is asked by a colleague how his wife is, to which the professor replies, “compared to what?”
Kendo is no different. What matters is not how fast my men strike is, but how fast my strike is compared to whatever my opponent is doing. Or, put another way, ‘I don’t have to be faster than the bear, just faster than the other guy running from the bear.’ This concept, as it relates to Kendo, is beautifully illustrated at 2m 35 sec in the below clip from the final match of the 55th All Japan Kendo Championships:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4SHWXQBVL4

Takanabe, much faster than Teramoto, reacted to the latter’s men strike with a men strike of his own, and hit at almost the same time. In fact, modern cameras were unable to determine who struck first, until the film was slowed several times to finally reveal that Teramoto had struck first by a margin of only 0.009 seconds, or 9 milliseconds.
To me, the most remarkable part of this story is that the judges did not hesitate. 3 flags were simultaneously and decisively raised for Teramoto immediately following the strike. How could the judges, fallible humans as they were, have parsed such a short timespan? Surely the human eye is not capable of perceiving differences of less than a hundredth of a second?
In fact, it is not. Recent research has shown that the human eye can perceive images presented for only 13 milliseconds, or 0.013 seconds:
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/cheryl-g-murphy/how-fast-can-the-eyes-see_b_7749510.html

The difference between Termoto’s and Takanabe’s men strikes - 0.009 seconds, was faster than this. Yet the judges did not hesitate to award the point to Teramoto, and when the high-speed footage was analyzed, it was clear that Teramoto had indeed struck first. What, exactly, did the judges see?
In my (very amateurish) opinion, the answer lies with the aforementioned patent clerk. Not only did Einstein talk about the relative nature of timing, but he also talked about the metaphysical link between time and space. On a certain level, time is space, and vice-versa. Hence, to return to the 55th AJKC, what the Judges saw was not a difference of time, but a difference of space. If we take a second look at that moment of ai-uchi (2min 35 sec), it is clear that it is Teramoto, and not Takanabe, who closes the distance.
Lately, I have begun thinking about what my Senseis and Sempais mean when they speak to me about timing. Keeping our patent clerk in mind, perhaps it is not a question of when something happens, but more a question of the distance at which the thing happens, and how that distance is covered as the thing happens. I’ve been thinking about this idea specifically as it relates to debana waza, and I think I’m onto something, because it has given me a feeling that I’ve had many times before in Kendo; it’s a feeling that has yet to steer me wrong. It is the feeling that I have been doing keiko in a small room, and I thought that the room was my Kendo, and I have just opened a window that I did not notice was there before. Now I see a much greater space. The air is fresher, but I realize that I do not understand my surroundings as well as I thought I did. I have a clearer picture in my mind of just how little I know.

Ki Ken Tai, my friends.

Kendo in High Speed Camera(Slow Motion) This Kendo clip is from Japan Public Broadcasting's documentary on " A Human's reaction ablitiy".The show includeded a short track start,Pro Baseball batter ...

#06【警視流木太刀形】打太刀：教士八段 武藤一宏／仕太刀：教士八段 坂田敏郎【平成30年度全国警察剣道選手権大会】National Police Kendo Championship Tournam 大会の試合結果の詳細は、剣道総合サイトLET'S KENDO！！ http://www.letskendo.com ●大会の試合結果の詳細は、剣道総合サイトLET'S KENDO(レッツ剣道)！！ http://www.letskendo.com ※LET'S KENDO SNS ●【生中継！Fresh!abem...

A great big thank you to the Hamilton Kendo Club for doing a fantastic job hosting the S.W.O.R.D. Tournament this past Saturday. Great Kendo!

Just a reminder to all -
Forest City Kendo Club only accepts beginners during September. This Friday will be the last chance to come aboard for the year! If you are interested, send us a message this week and let us know.

Shiai-waza Seminar Announcement

Kendo players of all ages are invited to participate in a kendo seminar focusing on techniques and drills with an emphasis on improving tournament fighting skills. This seminar will be led by Jin Whan Lee-sensei and will take place at the University of Toronto's Athletic Centre Upper Gym. This event will be held on Saturday, October 13th from 1:00PM to 3:30PM, followed by Godo Keiko until 4:15PM.

As there will be no Markham Rensei-kai this year and with the Fall Junior Tournament and the JCCC Tournament coming up, we encourage everyone to participate. Students who may be attending a langauge school on Saturday mornings are still welcome to join when they can.

Shiai-waza Seminar, led by Lee-sensei, followed by Godo Keiko.

Event is for all ages.

Date/Time: Saturday, October 13th from 1:00PM to 4:15PM

Location: Upper Gym, University of Toronto Athletic Centre at 55 Harbord Street, Toronto

There will be no fee for this event.

Best Regards,
Kendo Ontario

SWORD Taikai 2018 2018 S.W.O.R.D. Taikai Saturday September 22, 2018 Ancaster Rotary Centre 385 Jerseyville Road West Ancaster Ontario. Hosted by the Hamilton Kendo Club. Divisions: Mudansha 1st Dan-2nd Dan 3rd Dan &...

Tsubazeria rule changes in high school kendo The following rule changes will probably not impact your kendo training any time soon nor in the near future. However, implementation of them in competition for young Japanese kenshi ensures that there will be a stylistic change in the kendo leaders of the future and it is also strongly hints at wha...

Our very own Mori Sensei was selected to be Shu-Shin for the WKC semi-final match between Ando and Takenouchi. Well done Sensei we are all very proud of you!!

Y.TAKENOUCHI(JPN8) -eM S.ANDO(JPN5) -17WKC Men's Individual / Tournament_Semi-Final 第17回世界剣道選手権大会 男子個人戦 トーナメント準決勝 平成30年9月14日（金）・【韓国仁川市】南洞体育館 17th World Kendo Championships ,Men's Individual / Tournament_Semi-Final 14,Sep,2018(Frii) ,Incheon ...