The Iaido Newsletter
A publication of shared distribution dedicated to the Japanese sword arts, Iaido, Kendo and the Koryu A Sei Do Kai Publication (Incorporating the OKF News)	Vol 10/1 #88 Jan 1998 $5.00 per issue PHOTOCOPY AND SHARE THIS NEWSLETTER!

AUSTRALIA David Kolb, 3/18 Pine Street, Bulimba Qld. 4171 Australia.

BALTICS Tonis Kunnus, As PreDe, Pirita tee 20, Tallinn 0001, Estonia.

BELGIUM: Erik Pooters Wittestraat 9 Kiel, Antwerpen 2020 Belgie.

CANADA CENTRAL Sandra Jorgenson, 77 Harbour Sq. #3310 Toronto Ont. M5J 2S2.

CANADA EAST Robert Miller, 45 Cedar Cr. Beaconsfield, Quebec H9W 4S9.

CANADA WEST Barry Wiseman, 11038 Greenwood Dr. Mission B.C. V4S 1A9.

CENTRAL EUROPE Zsolt Balassy, H-1046 Budapest, Toth A. u. 19. Hungary.

DENMARK Bjarne Blichfeldt Katholm 210 3670 Vekso Denmark.

ENGLAND Douglas Evans 10 Daglish Close, New Romney, Kent TN28 8XF.

FINLAND Pasi Hellsten, Luuvaniementie 4 D 126, SF-00350 Helsinki, Finland.

GERMANY Klaus Wissmath, Rathenaustrasse 9A, D-91052 Erlangen.

HOLLAND Johan Smits, Dunant Straat 866 Zoetermeer Netherlands 2713 XJ.

JAPAN Colin Hyakutake, Matsubara 4 Chome 6-19, Saga City, Saga Ken, Japan 840.

NEW ZEALAND Hamish Robison 15 Logan Tce. Parnell, Auckland.

SWEDEN Arne Oster, Akerogatan 2, S-417 28 Goteborg.

SWITZERLAND Nicolae G. Bialokur, 18 ch. Champ-Soleil, 1012 Lausanne, Suisse.

USA EAST J.S.S. PO Box 1116 Rockefeller Stn. New York, NY USA 10185.

USA HAWAII Hunter Armstrong, 315 Foothills Dr., Sedona, AZ 86336.

USA S-CENTRAL John Ray, 1909 Archer Trail, Denton TX, 76201.

USA WEST COAST Bill Howell, 2525 NE 23rd St. Portland Oregon, 97212.

SEMINAR/EVENT ANNOUNCEMENTS

IAIDO/JODO IN RALEIGH, NC

Seibukan Aikido dojo in Raleigh will be hosting Martyn Price for another Iaido/Jodo weekend January 17 & 18, 1998. Iaido on Saturday and Jodo on Sunday.

Call (919)832-9990 for times and pricing info.

IAIDO: AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

1997/98 Australian Zen Ken Ren Iaido Championships

January 23-25

Gradings, Championships and Workshop

De La Salle college, 544 Chapel Rd, Bankstown , NSW

Cost $110 full Seminar, $30 for Friday evening only, $60 per single full day. All welcome

Contact Ruth Franklin 02 96511005

SEMINAR REPORTS

CKF PRE-SHINSA IAIDO SEMINAR; ANNUAL KENDO & IAIDO SHINSA IN TORONTO.

by Raymond Sosnowski, NH

Introduction. This year (1997) the Iaido Division of the CKF (Canadian Kendo Federation) sponsored a half-day long Pre-Shinsa Iaido Seminar on 29 November, the day before the annual CKF Kendo & Iaido Shinsa for the eastern half of Canada. I flew into Toronto the morning of the Seminar, and then flew out the following evening after the Shinsa. I was there to challenge Shodan, having successfully challenged Ikkyu at the Shinsa in Guelph in May during the Haruna-sensei Seminar [see my article "Haruna-sensei in Guelph for the 7th Annual Seidokai Summer Seminar & Shinsa" in the JOURNAL OF JAPANESE SWORD ARTS #82, 9(6/7), 19-22, June/July 1997].

Instructors. Four of the five members of the Iaido Grading Committee were the primary instructors at the Pre-Shinsa Seminar. They included Messers. Goyo Ohmi (Iaido Rokudan; Kendo Rokudan), Stephen Cruise (Iaido Godan; Kendo Yondan), Kim Taylor (Iaido Godan) and Bill Mears (Iaido Yondan). They were joined by four senior students who were not going to challenge a grade at the upcoming Shinsa. In total, we had eight instructors during the seminar. During the seminar, at least two local Japanese instructors slipped in to help as well.

Seminar Location. The seminar was held at the Yoshinkai [Aikido] Dojo in Toronto, where Ohmi-sensei teaches Iaido. Using an Aikido Dojo to practice Iaido is a mixed blessing; on the one hand, knee pads are unnecessary, but on the other hand, one's footing is thrown off by the mat and its surface texture, especially if all you have ever trained on is a hardwood floor. However, the ceiling is certainly high enough for almost any "metal swinger" (always a *very* important consideration).

Practitioners. At one point at the beginning of the Seminar, I counted fourteen Juniors (Mukyu and Ikkyu challengers for Ikkyu and Shodan, respectively) and ten Seniors (Yudansha challengers Nidan and Sandan) in attendance; a few more slipped in later. Many were from either the Toronto, Guelph or Montreal areas. I saw many familiar faces, undoubtedly from my attendance at several seminars in Guelph in 1996 and 1997.

Pre-Shinsa Seminar. The seminar began with Taylor-sensei leading warm ups. First on the agenda was Reiho (etiquette). Both the Juniors and the Seniors did both initial and final Reiho in their respective groups.

Mears-sensei gave a demonstration of Reiho, and explained the "do's" and "don't's" from the point of view of the Iaido Grading Committee. Because Reiho would be emphasized at the Shinsa the following day, this part of the Seminar was *very* important; for those who attended and took this aspect of grading to heart, there were no surprises at the Shinsa the next day.

The seminar continued with the Juniors and the Seniors doing Seitei Iai Gata (aka Zen Ken Ren Kata) in their respective groups. Both Taylor-sensei and Mears-sensei critiqued each Kata, pointing out common faults that needed to be corrected. For the rest of the seminar, we broke up into groups according to the grade being challenged: Ikkyu, Shodan, Nidan and Sandan. Mears-sensei worked with the Ikkyu challengers, Taylor-sensei with the Shodan challengers, and Ohmi-sensei and Cruise-sensei with the Nidan and Sandan challengers. For the Ikkyu challengers, all the Seitei Gata were stressed; for Shodan, five Seitei Gata of choice were practiced; and for Nidan and Sandan, both Seitei Gata and Koryu were practiced.

Having practiced with the Shodan challengers, I can comment on details from that group only. Taylor-sensei had two senior students to help him since the Shodan challengers constituted the biggest group (11). We split the group in two. Those who were practicing got individual attention when corrections were necessary. I think it went well for all of us in the group. There were several comments made to the group that made an impression on me. I have included paraphrased versions of five of them:

- Keep total defense during O-Chiburi ("big" or circular Chiburi) -- the Kashira (end of the hilt), Hasaki (edge of the blade) or Kissaki (tip of the blade) always faces the fallen "Uchi Tachi." [During Keiko (practice), try to cut the fallen "Uchi Tachi" at various times during O-Chiburi, imagining a last-gasp attack.]

- In Kendo, you go to your "opponent," while in Iaido, [the virtual] "Uchi Tachi" comes to you; therefore, there is no need to reach, that is, overextend, while cutting in Iaido.

- In Iaido, in that "space" between the initiation of the "attack" and its anticipated conclusion (yourself being wounded or killed), you draw and cut "Uchi Tachi" down.

- Metsuke (gaze) is extremely important in Seitei Gata #2 - 4, and #6 - 10; in these cases (with a single "Uchi Tachi" not in front in Kata #2, 3 and 9, or multiple "Uchi Tachi" in #4, 6, 7, 8 and 10), the eyes lead the head and the head leads the body.

- Where-you-gaze is where-you-cut [Metsuke Is Extremely Important II] -- look up and out, not down, when delivering Nukitsuke (single-hand draw and cut) and Kiritsuke (two-handed finishing cut); drop the gaze only after the final Kiritsuke to watch for a last-gasp attack by the fallen "Uchi Tachi" while you are doing Chiburi (ritual blade cleaning) and Noto (resheathing).

I also got a personal lesson in how to grab the Tsuka (handle) for a single- hand cut, and how this differs from the grasp with the right hand for a two- hand cut; it's subtle, but makes a big difference.

Apres-practice. After the seminar, the Guelph crew and several other descended on a local Chinese restaurant for food and drink. We talked about the upcoming Grading, events since we last met, and events to come in the new year (Jodo in February, Haruma-sensei in May, and the *new* Guelph School of Japanese Sword Arts in July). It was good to see so many of the Seidokai people again.

Shinsa Location. The Shinsa took place at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre in Don Mills (Toronto), Ontario. Gradings took place in the large central auditorium with a hardwood floor and seating set up for spectators. Classes in Aikido, Judo, Karate-do, Kendo and Kyudo are offered at the Centre. Events such as Aikido Seminars, and Kendo and Karate Tournaments also take place at the Centre throughout the year.

Kendo Shinsa. Gradings in Kendo took place first; they started about a half hour late (9:30 AM) due to the influx of last minute challengers (which was blamed on the Canadian postal strike, which meant that test application forms could not be mailed in). Over 100 challengers appeared before the Kendo Grading Committee for ranks from Ikkyu through Rokudan. Most were successful; only the few challengers for Godan and Rokudan were all unsuccessful. The Kendo gradings took almost four hours to complete.

I remained in the lobby during the Kendo Gradings, talking to people and helping out a bit at the Iaido Registration table. For most of that time, there were always Kendo-ka in the lobby practicing Kendo no Kata (at Doshikai, my local Dojo in Acton, MA, my instructor, Mr. Barry Poitras, has both the Kendo and Iaido students practice Kendo no Kata). It was obvious that this may have been initial training or hurry-up refreshers for some Ikkyu challengers, and hurry-up refreshers for some of the Yudansha too. I'm told that this happens all the time, everywhere [sigh...].

Iaido Shinsa. At 1:30 PM, the Iaido Gradings began and continued for almost two and a half hours; there were fifty-eight challengers for Ikkyu through Sandan, and fifty were successful. Results were finally posted at 4:30 PM, three-quarters of an hour after the end of the Gradings. The Iaido Grading Committee consisted of Ohmi-sensei, Cruise-sensei, Taylor- sensei, and Mears-sensei, who were joined by a Mr. Chue (Rokudan Iaido; Yudansha Kendo).

Ikkyu challengers were required to do any five of the Seitei Iaia Gata, and Shodan challengers were allowed to do any five of the Seitei Iaia Gata or any four of the Seitei Iaia Gata plus one from Koryu. Nidan and Sandan challengers could choose one Kata from Koryu, and were required to do four specific Kata from Seitei, #2 - Ushiro, #4 - Tsuka Ate, #5 - Kesa Giri, and #7 - Sampo Giri. Koryu Kata had to be done first. (All this information was posted in the lobby before registration had begun.) Because of the large number of challengers, Ikkyu and Shodan challengers generally tested four at a time, and Nidan and Sandan challengers three at a time; group numbers were adjusted so that no one tested alone.

To give the Grading Committee an adequate view of the challengers, the Reiho [except for the Tachi-rei (standing bow)] and the Kata were done on center lines oriented 45 degrees to the left of the Committee (45 degrees to the right with respect to the challengers). Starting positions were marked by tape strips on the floor. The results of the CKF Eastern Canada Gradings are as follows:

16 of 17 passed for Ikkyu,

20 of 23 passed for Shodan,

11 of 11 passed for Nidan,

and

3 of 7 passed for Sandan.

I was generally impressed by the level of effort on the part of all the challengers; there were no spectacular failures (dropped Iaido, cracked Saya during Noto).

Congratulations to all who passed; to those who did not, there is next year -- with some more practice, you will surely be successful next time. It was a long day for all; several people challenged rank in both Kendo and Iaido too. I think the real test was to endure the wait -- I was in the last group of Shodan challengers (over an hour and a half wait).

Editorial. With respect to Reiho, and failing to make the grade because of poor etiquette, I believe several points are in order. Reiho is part of Iaido as is Kata. Challenging rank is five parts Kata and two parts Reiho (almost 30% of total). Reiho does not change as rank increases -- more practice should translate into smoother execution. Testing begins when you step onto the floor and ends when you leave it (this is the emphasis of my local Iaido instructor). At the Pre-Grading Seminar at Yoshinkai Dojo in Toronto on the afternoon before the grading, it was stressed to all the attending challengers that Reiho would be very important.

The bottom line: DO NOT NEGLECT REIHO, because you are responsible for it. [In my local Iaido Dojo, we have mock tests once a week for several weeks before grading, which includes everything. One or two are also videotaped, for later review by the individual challengers. Personally I have found the mock tests and associated videotaping to be of great importance with respect to grading.]

Odds & Ends. This wonderful bit of insight is from Mr. Bill ("the hard bastard") Mears that he gave me prior to the Iaido Shinsa:

Move [the Iaito] from the tip; this is a fairly advanced concept and we normally don't teach it to beginners who are caught up in learning the mechanics, like gripping. But once you learn this, your Iai improves immensely.

>From Dr. Bob Miller of Montreal, here is an answer to that question "What have you got in the box?" when asked by a border guard or airline ticket agent, referring to the container that your Iaito is in:

"It's an unsharpened practice sword."

It works; I used it when I left from Toronto Airport after the Shinsa. Also on those declaration forms, that you fill out to enter the country, an Iaito is *not* a weapon -- they are looking for handguns and the like. [I don't know about Shinken and Katana, but I don't think I'd travel with one anyway, especially to another country, since they would have to be checked in like any other baggage, and I would not want to risk one being lost.]

To Mr. Ed Chart (Nidan Iaido; Ikkyu Kendo), who asked for a Shinai-Naginata Jigeiko (practice sparring), my response is, "You're on."

Finally, I had the opportunity to briefly leaf through the latest draft of the CKF Iaido Handbook. My impression is that Mears-sensei and company have done a very nice job pulling this Handbook together. It now goes to the CKF for review; if they approve, then the Handbook should be available for distribution sometime next year.

Special Thanks. Thank you to Yoshinkai Dojo for hosting the Pre-Grading Seminar, to the four (of five) grading committee members who taught at the seminar, and to the other non-challenger Yudansha who also taught. [BTW, there was no fee for this seminar.]

On a personal note, thank you to Mr. Ed Chart, and his parents, Mr. & Dr. Chart, for their hospitality during my brief stay in Toronto; it is much appreciated. Thank you to Mr. Kim Taylor for his help and his faith in me, and allowing me to test before the CKF as a member of Seidokai. Thank you to my local Iaido club and instructor, Mr. Barry Poitras, for their support in my successful challenge for Shodan.

ONTARIO JUNIOR KENDO CHAMPIONSHIPS

by Stephen Cruise, Etobicoke

Date: Sunday Dec 7 1997

Location: Etobicoke Olympium, 590 Rathburn Rd. Etobicoke. Hosted by the Etobicoke Olympium Kendo Club.

Results:

A) Basic Skills, 15 years and under (non-bogu)

1^st A. Spinelli, JCCC

B) Individual 9 years and under (bogu)

1^st E. Kimura Toronto

2^nd K. Kibe Etobicoke

3^rd M.S. Ma Etobicoke

J. Harada Etobicoke

C) Individual 10-12 years (bogu)

1^st Y. Chavez Etobicoke

2^nd J. Luy JCCC

3^rd P. Nakashima JCCC

R. Chan JCCC

D) Individual 13-15 years (bogu)

1^st A. Kimura Toronto

2^nd C. Hao JCCC

3^rd K. Miura JCCC

C. Chan JCCC

E) Team, 3 players per team

1^st JCCC B

2^nd Buffalo/Burlington A

3^rd JCCC A

JCCC C

F) Fighting spirit awards

M.S. Ma Etobicoke

R. Frigon Burlington

Participating clubs:

JCCC, Etobicoke, Toronto, Burlington, Buffalo.

Total number of participants:

27. Thanks to all for joining us.

IAIDO PRACTICE TOPS

100% cotton, sized to you and supplied at cost through the Sei Do Kai. $70 (includes postage). Black or white, other colours may be extra. Measure the chest size at nipple height, shoulder point to shoulder point, and from neck to mid-thigh. Send your measurements to Sei Do Kai. 44 Inkerman St. Guelph, Ontario Canada N1H 3C5.

ARTICLES

JAPAN'S 'SAMURAI' SCREEN ACTOR TOSHIRO MIFUNE DEAD AT 77

(from Yahoo!)

By Teruaki Ueno

TOKYO (Reuters) - Acclaimed screen actor Toshiro Mifune, star of the Japan's classic movies "Rashomon" and "The Seven Samurai," died Wednesday in a Tokyo hospital.

Mifune, 77, also starred in the popular 1980 television series "Shogun."

A spokesman for his family had no immediate details on the cause of his death, but he had been ill for some time.

For nearly 40 years, Mifune, with his vivid portrayals of powerful warlords, noble peasants and disillusioned modern men, ruled Japanese cinema, becoming the country's best known film actor abroad.

His swaggering rendition of the peasant-turned-samurai (warrior) in the 1954 Akira Kurosawa classic "The Seven Samurai" and his cynical bandit in Kurosawa's 1950 "Rashomon" established his reputation as one of cinema's greatest actors.

In a 1984 magazine survey, Mifune was chosen the most Japanese man among men, the one whose face expressed the best of Japanese pride, power and virility.

Mifune got his start in movies in 1947, at Toho Studios in Tokyo. Born in Tsingtao, China, on April 1, 1920, and raised overseas, he worked as an aerial photographer during World War Two.

When he first set foot in his new homeland at age 25, he faced the poor job prospects of poverty-stricken postwar Japan. He called on a friend at Toho to introduce him as a technician.

But just at that time, directors were eager for a new face, and Mifune's resume was shunted to the casting department, which appreciated his burly looks as a contrast to the more delicately handsome stars of the day.

"They told me, 'You have a gangster's face, you ought to do well in this,"' Mifune said later. "But then they told me to cry, and I said, 'How can I cry when I'm not sad?' Then they asked me to get angry, and I got too angry and failed the test."

Kurosawa intervened, however, and Mifune's career took off.

"Mifune had a kind of talent I had never encountered before in the Japanese film world," Kurosawa wrote in his autobiography, recalling "Drunken Angel," their first film together, made in 1948.

"It was, above all, the speed with which he expressed himself that was astounding. The ordinary Japanese actor might need 10 feet of film to get across an impression: Mifune needed only 3 feet..."

"He put forth everything directly and boldly, and his sense of timing was the keenest I had ever seen in a Japanese actor," Kurosawa continued. "And yet with all his quickness, he also had surprisingly fine sensibilities."

Within three years, they made "Rashomon," a film which has been called "the ultimate statement of the unknowability of truth."

"Rashomon" introduced Kurosawa, Mifune and Japanese film to the West when it won the Grand Prix award at the 1951 Venice International Film Festival.

During his career, Mifune won more than 60 individual acting prizes, and more than 70 of his 134 films have won Japanese or international awards. Among the films honored abroad were Kurosawa's "Yojimbo," made in 1961, and "Red Beard," made in 1964, both of which won Mifune the Venice Film Festival Actor's Prize, making him the only actor to have received the prestigious prize twice.

Mifune appeared in many foreign films, first as a drunken peasant in the 1961 award-winning Mexican film, "Animas Trujano: El Hombre Importante," and as a warlord in the American television series "Shogun" in 1980. He starred with Alain Delon and Charles Bronson in the Franco-Japanese "Red Sun" in 1972.

Although Mifune's name became synonymous with samurai and historical dramas, he also appeared in many films about the plight of modern man in Japan.

Mifune established Mifune Productions in 1963, when he also took his only stab at directing in "Gojumannin no Isan" (The Inheritance of 500,000 People), a box-office flop and personally exhausting, he said.

Reuters/Variety

Yearly subscriptions (12 issues) to the Journal of Japanese Sword Arts are $36 cdn in Canada, $36 US in USA, and $48 overseas. Subscriptions, stories, news, views, and anything else should be sent to Kim Taylor Editor JJSA, 44 Inkerman St. Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1H 3C5.

MEDIA REVIEWS

It never rains but it pours, lots of items this month after the postal strike. - Kim.

ABSOLUTE ZERO

Newsletter of the White Wind Zen Community, 240 Daly Ave Ottawa Ont. K1N 6G2 www.wwzc.org

This journal has grown to 36 8½" by 11" pages over the years. News of the community, poems, inspirational stories and photos. Anyone interested in Zen training will want to check out this thrice yearly publication.

AIKIDO JOURNAL

Quarterly, 50-B Peninsula Center Dr. #317 Rolling Hills Estates CA 90724 USA office.

Vol 24:3

I see the Aikido purists are still complaining about the expansion into the classical Japanese arts. Don't listen to them guys! We like the expanded coverage just fine. In fact, the article on Heisuke Wada of ShinTamiya-ryu Iai was almost a shock to see. Part three of the article on Yoshio Sugino is presented, as is a small letter to Sugino from Dave Lowry, apologizing for his accusations of teaching Katori Shinto without permission. Must have caught some flack over that one. Koichi Tohei, Seiichi Sugano, Shoji Nishio, and Lou Periello are also interviewed. Book reviews, event calendars, and lots more here.

FURYU: THE BUDO JOURNAL

Quarterly, PO box 61637 Honolulu HI 96839 USA

Vol 2:4

It's always a relief to get the next issue of Furyu, I don't have much input, and support it mainly by subscribing, (is it time to re-up yet Wayne?) but I feel like I've got a personal stake in it. I suspect a lot of folks feel the same way, which is why I expect some letters in the next issue commenting on one subscriber's complaints that the magazine didn't arrive when expected. Hell most of us are happy that it gets here at all! Lots and lots in this issue, as in every issue, I won't list it all, you can go to www.furyu.com if you've got web access. It was fun to browse through the magazine and see my buddy Mike Chinadi posing for the Daito-ryu piece at the Peterborough Budokan. Hi Mike! Small world. I talk about myth-busting in the review of Hammerterz Forum and Wayne does a bit here with an analysis of Chin Gempin's contributions to Jujutsu. It all came from China originally of course, didn't it?

HAMMERTERZ FORUM

Quarterly, Box 13448, Baltimore MD 21203 USA.

Vol 3:4 and 4:1

As soon as Christoph remembers, you'll be seeing an ad or an insert in the JJSA for this journal. It's always a delight to read since the editor takes such evident pleasure in puncturing the myths and urban legends of modern Western sword arts. This double issue (yes the JJSA isn't the only journal that gets behind in the schedule) is 44 pages long and is another of our little band of kitchen table efforts... we should form a society or something, if we had a budget we could have meetings! This issue contains a collection review by S. Matthew Galas where he finds some new and interesting information and discovers a similarity between Jeet Kune Do and rapier. Ought to be an article in there somewhere, and maybe even a new urban legend about Bruce Lee. Perhaps I'll start it. Other articles include an item on the development of the fencing handle, the German basket-hilted saber, and a strangely familiar story of a fencing exhibition in 16^th century Germany (be sure to check out Christoph's new book "Secrets of the Sword" I didn't see one ad for it in HF but details can be found in the last issue of JJSA). John Clements sums up the current level-headed thought on the old "katana vs rapier" argument (the one that starts out with "what if...."). He also comments on which weapons are suitable for Renaissance rapier fencing and which will simply not do. We'll be reviewing John's new book just as soon as I can get time to read it. Amberger gives some details of some wooden "dussack" weapons discovered in Northern Germany that date from 50 BC to 15 AD. That might put the art of Dussack back a couple of years earlier than the Katori Shinto Ryu! Steve Hand's article on Saviolo's manual of fencing gave me a big insight into how those not heavily involved in Iai must react to my manuals. Yeow, I could follow the movements from the text well enough but it sure gave me a headache. Of course Amberger ends with a couple of items on dueling, making some very interesting comments on the thrust vs the cut. Book reviews and the usual collection of cranky letters round out the issue. Another good one, we need someone in the Japanese arts to get out a pin and pop some of our bubbles.

JOURNAL OF ASIAN MARTIAL ARTS:

ISSN 1057-8385, Quarterly, orders at 1-800-455-9517.

Volume 6 number 4 (1997) contains articles on Randai folk theatre in West Sumatra, and Hong Kong's southern Praying Mantis cult. Joe Long writes on the first flowering of Japanese Jujutsu in the USA and Yung Ouyang makes some excellent points about the importance of lineage (and reasons for the lack thereof) in tracing the development of Taekkyon from a folk game to a martial art. John Donohue follows that with some comments on the relationships between Karate, Judo and Aikido. I've gotta argue with John some time about his placement of Aikido in the close range (in-zone) and Judo at the mid-range (mid-zone). I think we can all agree that Karate belongs at the long range (outer zone). Several book reviews round out the issue.

KIM'S KORNER

In the last couple of weeks I've heard of one more or less well-known martial arts figure who called some students out of the blue to tell them their teacher doesn't know very much. I've listened to a senior person tell me that one of my instructors is a troublemaker. I've been told that two supposed koryu, (one I practice) aren't. And I've been told that a senior instructor in yet another art has no right to be teaching.

All of these things were said by senior people in the Japanese Sword world. All were said by members of one school about a member of another, and all were said by westerners.

I'd very much like to know what all this is about, I really would. The Sword arts are supposed to be the senior arts of Japan. The koryu arts are supposed to be steeped in tradition and etiquette, and what do I hear? "My dad's bigger than yours."

Why? Are these instructors and seniors so insecure in their own practice they need to tear down the other guys? Are they jealous of the instruction somebody else might have had? Is there a certification society out there somewhere I haven't heard of, one that says who's kosher and who's not? Do I need to be concerned with the lineage of Daidokoro-ryu?

I may be a bit cranky in my old age but I'd like to serve notice now that my father died quite a few years ago, I can't play those games and I'd just as soon not listen to complaints about who's "legit" and who's a "pain in the ass". I really don't care, I honestly don't. But I don't have time to explain it over and over.

May I suggest to everyone that if you has a problem with someone else, the best thing to do is to talk to that person directly. Not through their students or a third party. May I suggest that personal opinions are just that?

SEI DO KAI TIMES AND EVENTS

Classes (Iai) Wed. 8:00pm, Sun. 3:00pm

Classes Niten Ichi-ryu Sun 1pm

Classes Jodo Mon, Fri noon

Workshops: (noon to 5pm, cost is $10)

Jan 11: Oku Iai

Feb 8: Tachi Uchi no Kurai

Mar 15 & Apr 12 Tsumi Ai no Kurai

Seminars: (10am to 5pm)

-cost is $50 per day, $75 if 2 days

Jan 25: Hyo Ho Niten Ichi-ryu

Feb 28-Mar 1: Jodo with Rick Polland of Baltimore

Apr 26: Self defence with the cane.

Other Events:

Jan 24: SWORD Regional Kendo Tournament

All events at University of Guelph, contact Kim Taylor for details.

FROM THE SEI DO KAI PRESS

IAIDO MANUALS

BBI-1 KIM'S BIG BOOK OF IAIDO (I):The Manual

8X11" 108 pgs. Kim Taylor:

BBI-2 KIM'S BBI (II): Seitei Gata

8x11" 100 pgs. Kim Taylor

BBI-3 KIM'S BBI (III): Omori Ryu

8x11" 94 pgs. Kim Taylor

BBI-4 KIM'S BBI (IV): Eishin Ryu

8x11" 127 pgs. Kim Taylor

BBI-5 KIM'S BBI (V): Oku Iai

8x11" 100 pgs. Kim Taylor

OTHER BOOKS

PH-1 SONGS OF THE SWORD

5X8" 100 pgs. by Kim Taylor

SD-1 RESISTING SEXUAL ASSAULT

8x11" 130 pgs. by Kim Taylor

SD-2 STUDENT GUIDE TO SELF DEFENCE

8x11" 150 pgs. by Kim Taylor

VIDEO TAPES

VHS/NTSC format only.

VID-1 SEITEI GATA IAI 1993

VID-2 SPRING SEMINAR/TACHI UCHI NO KURAI

VID-3 THE 1994 SENIOR CLASS, SEITEI GATA

VID-4 THE 1994 SENIOR CLASS, KORYU

VID-5 CKF YUDANSHA GRADINGS 1991, 1992

VID-6 CKF YUDANSHA GRADINGS 1993

VID-7 CKF YUDANSHA GRADINGS 1994

VID-8 CKF YUDANSHA GRADINGS 1995

VID-9 THE 1993 UG SUMMER IAIDO SEMINAR

VID-10 THE 1995 JOHN RAY SEMINAR AT UG - 1

VID-11 THE 1995 JOHN RAY SEMINAR AT UG - 2

VID-12 1994 SEMINAR WITH HARUNA SENSEI

VID-13 OMORI RYU AND SENIOR CLASS 1995

VID-14 1996 SEMINAR WITH HARUNA SENSEI

VID-15 CKF YUDANSHA GRADINGS 1996

VID-16 TACHI UCHI NO KURAI (includes material from VID-2)

COMPANION VIDEO TAPES TO THE BBI MANUALS

VIDBBI-1 BEGINNING IAIDO I

VIDBBI-2 BEGINNING IAIDO II

VIDBBI-3 SEITEI GATA IAIDO

VIDBBI-4 MUSO JIKIDEN EISHIN RYU SEIZA NO BU

VIDBBI-5 MJER TATE HIZA NO BU

VIDBBI-6 MJER OKU IAI IWAZA

JJSA Journal of Japanese Sword Arts $36 Cdn in Canada,

$36 US in USA, $48 overseas.

JINX-1 IAI JINX WRITING CARDS

SEI DO KAI ORDER FORM

Please send me:

BBI-1. $30 __

BBI-2. $30 __

BBI-3. $30 __

BBI-4. $30 __

BBI-5. $30 __

BBI-SET. $120 __

JINX-1 $7 __

PH-1. $17 __

SD-1. $25 __

SD-2. $25 __

SD-SET. (1&2)$45 __

JJSA $36 __ Can/USA

$48 __ Overseas

VID-1. $25 __

VID-2. $25 __

VID-3. $25 __

VID-4. $25 __

VID-5. $25 __

VID-6. $25 __

VID-7. $25 __

VID-8. $25 __

VID-9. $25 __

VID-10. $25 __

VID-11. $25 __

VID-12. $25 __

VID-13. $25 __

VID-14. $25 __

VID-15. $25 __

VID-16. $25 __

Any 5 Vid tapes $100 __

VIDBBI-1. $25 __

VIDBBI-2. $25 __

VIDBBI-3. $25 __

VIDBBI-4. $25 __

VIDBBI-5. $25 __

VIDBBI-6. $25 __

6 Vidbbi tapes $150 __

TOTAL $_____

Address:

Prices include postage, Send order form to: Kim Taylor 44 Inkerman St. Guelph Ontario N1H 3C5. Payment in Canadian or US funds. Make checks or money orders payable to Kim Taylor or to Sei Do Kai Iaido.

For price quotes on weapons contact Kim Taylor at the above address,

tel 519-836-4357, or email kataylor@uoguelph.ca