JAPANESE SWORD

I first got involved in Japanese sword arts through Aikido, which I began practicing in 1980 at the University of Guelph with Mr. Bruce Stiles (currently 5 Dan Aikikai). By the great feat of hanging around for 11 years or so I earned a shodan degree. In 1983 I was introduced to Iaido at an Aikido Summer Camp in Amhurst Mass. where I practiced for the week with Takeshi Mitsuzuka sensei. In 1987, in one of those introduction stories involving "waiting at the temple gate" I became a student of Goyo Ohmi sensei (currently 6 dan iaido, 6 dan kendo) and have remained a student ever since. Along the way from then to now I've met a lot of other sensei and practiced with whoever I could. I now practice Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryu Iaido, Shindo Muso-ryu Jodo, Hyo Ho Niten Ichi-ryu Kenjutsu, and even a little bit of Kendo once in a while when I'm feeling young and frisky.

The Sei Do Kai is a sword club operating mostly out of the University of Guelph. The club provides training in Iaido (Zen Ken Ren Iai and Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryu), Kendo, Niten Ichi-ryu kenjutsu, and Jodo (Zen Ken Ren Jo and Shindo Muso-ryu). Kim Taylor sort of looks after things and teaches all but the Kendo classes.

The Sei Do Kai is a member of the Canadian Kendo Federation and the Ontario Kendo Federation.

The Sei Do Kai sponsors numerous small seminars throughout the year, and a couple of big ones, including the Spring Seminar with Matsuo Haruna sensei (7dan kyoshi from Ohara, Okayama in Japan) and the Guelph School of Japanese Sword Arts, a multi-disciplinary school held each July at the U. of G.

To support these activities we sell various training aids, including manuals, videos, and equipment to swordsmen all over the world. These are from Sei Do Kai Productions.

You can take a look at the latest version of The Iaido Newsletter in html form here if you wish.

Here's a cartoon by Jeff Broderick, otherwise known as Iaijinx

U.G. Jodo

Here's an early photo, posted just the day after by Natan Cheifetz, of the Rick Polland Jodo seminar Feb 28, Mar 1, 1998. That's Rick on the left, and Richard Strausbaugh on the right. The clown practicing his swing instead of watching the instruction in the background is Kim Taylor. The class was being held that day in our aircraft hanger of a gymnasium. Great floor but you gotta kiai pretty loud to get an echo going. My voice was gone the next day.

UG HYO HO NITEN ICHI-RYU

Here's the intrepid crew of the Jan 25 Niten seminar. Check out the fancy handles on that set of bokuto, Padauk on hickory.

1998 SPRING SEMINAR

With, L to R seated second row: Kim Taylor, Masakazu Oshita (7dan kyoshi), Matsuo Haruna, (8dan kyoshi) Katsuhiko Ide (8dan hanshi iaido, 8dan kyoshi jodo) Goyo Ohmi, and Takeshi Kimeda. This year we had over 90 participants in the seminar, this is all that were left by the end of the third day. Thanks to Natan Cheifetz for the video capture.



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Last Updated May 20, 1998 by Kim Taylor
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