Ikebukuro

Last weekend was the gasshuku (roughly translated as "stay together," it's basically a nice way to say "intensive, we-kick-your-ass training camp.") in Okinawa, which, thankfully I didn't go on. In lieu of participating, I was asked to lead practice in Ikebukuro on Saturday morning as a sub for Sakaguchi san who is about to take Gyokufukai independent (to some extent).

Sakaguchi san was asked by Gosoke to start his own organization that would still be connected (to some extent) with Gosoke's organization while not still being considered "under" Gosoke's organization (to some extent). Yeah, I don't get it either. Sakaguchi san will more than likely take a core group of his closest students to help him get Gyokufukai off the ground, but everyone will still get their rank from Gosoke since he's the head of Meishiha Mugairyu. A lot of the top students of Niina Gosoke are starting their own "kai," but many of them have been ordered to do so and are reluctant to separate from Gosoke too much. Personally, I think it's pointless. There aren't any real changes taking place. Just a lot of fancy new names for groups that have already been meeting weekly for - in some cases - as long as five years. All of these new "kai" will be "under" Gosoke (to some extent) and different students from different "kai" will be free to move about from place to place for a small donation or mat fee of about 500 yen ($4). Gosoke's organization will actually be LOSING money since all members affiliated directly with Gosoke will be considered Hombu people and will have to pay an extra 2000 yen a month. Basically, if people leave his organization for a satellite "kai" with cheaper membership fees that means fewer members directly under Gosoke and therefore, less money. We all be stressin' out 'bout now.

Another reason why I'm glad that I didn't go to Okinawa would have to be the dan tests that were conducted there. I don't want to say too much on a blog that I know fellow iaido people read, so I'll say only this: If you train for only two and a half years, why do you think you even deserve to even THINK about testing for a shihan-eligible rank (6th dan)? Absolutely ridiculous. This is one reason why I've reconsidered becoming a jikimon (direct pupil who's "sworn allegence"). To promote inexperienced people whose budo isn't even in their bodies yet to such high ranks is an embarassment to the style. Do you really want someone with only a few years experience going independent, saying that they're your student, and teaching other people? Wow. That's all I have to say. I'm glad Gosoke failed everyone who tested above shodan.

Anyway, I decided to get up this morning to go back to Ikebukuro to train with Sakaguchi san since he needs a lot of support at the moment. I realized this afternoon that I had come and gone to and from Ikebukuro four times since yesterday. Once for work, then back to Shinjuku for aikido, then back to Ikebukuro for a teachers' party last night, then back home to Nikotama, then back to Ikebukuro this morning. I should have just stayed there!

How Not to Cut No-okuri

Not good for two reasons: I didn't get off the line until AFTER I had drawn. And: I completely decapitated the roll. No-okuri is supposed to be a slight cut to the neck, nicking the artery and causing death by massive blood loss over a short period of time. Well, either way he's dead.