The AKR has requested seminar stories and reports to share with those who could not attend the 2010 IKYF tournament and seminar in Japan. Here is the report of Maria Peterson, Renshi, Rokudan.
My IKYF 2010 Experience
Maria Peterson, Shiseikan
This was my 41st trip to Japan. Many of these trips have been for business, but I have been fortunate to have experienced several Japan visits dedicated to kyudo practice, seminars or tests. This trip was exciting because I was able to be part of Team USA in the First IKYF World Cup Tournament.
I arrived in Tokyo toward the end of the B seminar, for those up to sandan rank. I was so happy to see all the B seminar participants from Shiseikan pass their tests! (Thank you, Yoshiko sensei!)
The tournament day, like the days during the B seminar, was quite cold, but we had nervous energy helping to keep us warm. Unfortunately for Team USA, we did not do so well, and the tournament was won by France (#1), UK (#2) and Finland (#3). Team Japan also did not do well, and we all guess they were nervous because Princess Takamado was sitting just 10 feet in front of them! We were honored to have the Princess watch the tournament and provide comments to us afterword, both in the Chuo Dojo and at the banquet that evening. She assured us that Team Japan would do better next time!
The A seminar included students of yondan rank and above, but it was also expanded to allow a special group for those B seminar students whose flights were delayed due to the volcanic activity in Iceland. Chuo dojo was the seminar site for those of yondan and godan ranks; shogo holders and the san-dan and below group were in the Shiseikan dojo. Each day began with a sharei, and each sharei was an event in itself.
Tournament Day 1 featured a makiwara sharei by Yamashita sensei (ite), Nakatsuka sensei (dai-ichi kaizoe) and Kubota sensei (dai-ni kaizoe). I was anticipating this performance, since the makiwara sharei is such a formal sharei. As ite began to raise his bow in uchiokoshi, however, it was clear that he was in great pain. Dai-ichi kaizoe approached him from behind to try to help support ite’s arms in hikiwaki and kai, but the pain was too great. After two attempts to shoot, ite retired and moved back to the sadamenoza position with the kaizoe and did their bow out and exit. It was a very dignified, moving performance to see.
In the A seminar, shogo group, our instruction was from Ishikawa sensei, Usami sensei and Kawamura sensei. Earl Hartman provided excellent translation.
As always, each day began with a sharei. Day 1 featured a hitotsumato sharei, first performed by 3 hanshi hachi dan archers, then performed by 3 senior ranked American and European archers. I was entranced by the smooth, elegant performance of the hanshi, particularly Akiyama sensei who gave us tasuki sabaki instruction later during the seminar. These hanshi move together as if they are one person.
Our training in the shogo group started with each archer performing 2 arrows in test style. On Day 1, we shot those two arrows and received critique. I think all of us were told to open larger. On Day 2, we shot 2 arrows in a sharei. The more junior members of the group, including myself, performed mochi mato sharei. The more senior members of the group performed hitotsumato sharei. Later that day, we were able to shoot another 2 arrows, with personal instruction, plus we were instructed in tasuki sabaki by Akiyama sensei. On Day 3, we were able to shoot 6 arrows, and received personal instruction during the shooting. This final day of the seminar was focused on test style, as the tests were the following day. Of course, sometimes waiting for one’s instruction sometimes took a while, so once in a while our muscles would fail us as we waited in kiza; other times our arrows went astray as the hanshi were working to get our form in the proper position. One archer’s arrow landed in the grass of the yamichi. Koji Okabe, President of the Argentina kyudo association, who was watching from the stands, kindly went out to search for it, but the problem was it was raining very, very heavily, and the arrow had buried itself in the grass. The arrow was bamboo, so to avoid having the arrow ruined in the wet turf, the hanshi and several students all took up umbrellas and joined the search! I watched in kiza, as I was in the next group to shoot, but it was quite the sight seeing hanshi hachi dan out there with umbrellas in the drenching rain to retrieve the arrow.
The last day was the A seminar test day for those testing for go-dan, renshi, and roku-dan. Here is the list of those passing from the A seminar:
Go-Dan
Jose-Maria Riaza (Belgium)
Pascal Olivereau (France)
Michel Dupont (France)
Patrick Philippe (France)
Tom Thomassen (Norway)
Ruedi Kocher (Switzerland)
Kazutaka Ito (Switzerland)
George Nakashima (USA)
Junko Kurita (USA)
Cynthia Shannon (USA)
Marcelo Frischknecht (Argentina)
Renshi
Leonardo Squicciarini (Italy)
Gerald Zimmermann (Switzerland)
Masatsugu Owaki (USA)
Keiko Iimura (New Zealand)
Roku-Dan
Maria Peterson (USA)
Earl Hartman (USA)
I was pleasantly surprised to see the “pass board” with my number up there! My deep appreciation goes out to my teacher Yoshiko Buchanan, who has passed on to me her passion for kyudo through detailed instruction. I was honored to see that her students had a 100% pass ratio in these IKYF 2010 exams (A and B seminars).
My Shiseikan friends and I also are grateful to Kubota sensei for his kind instruction outside of the seminar. Kubota sensei reminded me to open large.
I met many new friends from European countries during this seminar. It was a pleasure to see the fine form of the French kyoshi roku-dan archers, Claude Luzet and Laurence Oriou, and I enjoyed the opportunity to meet Liam O’Brien from the U.K.
My thanks go out to our instructors, to the IKYF and ANKF and to all those from far away places that dedicated their time, effort and finances to participate in this international seminar. All in all, it was a great experience. I have much to study.
Respectfully submitted,
Maria Peterson
Morning lineup of the tournament participants for the Team and Individual (Click for picture).
Ed Symmes, with Usami sensei teaching(Click for picture).
Earl Hartman, with Usami sensei teaching(Click for picture).
Doug Sakurai, with Usami sensei teaching(Click for picture).
Yoshiko Buchanan, with Ishikawa sensei teaching(Click for picture).
Tomio Kato, with Usami sensei watching (Koji Okabe outside watching)(Click for picture).
Laurence Oriou (France) (Click for picture).
Ishikawa sensei (Click for picture).
Usami sensei with Earl Hartman (translator) (Click for picture).
Kawamura sensei (Click for picture).
Closing gathering, Chuo Dojo, Meiji Jingu, Tokyo (Click for picture).
