Introduction myself (by Asuka)

Hello, I am Asuka Kondo. I am learning English now at UC Irvine in the USA.
Taro Ariga is my Kendo Sensei at the Butokuden Dojo, located in Irvine, USA. I will begin to write this Ariga Sensei’s blog, Kendo Magazine” as much as I can from my perspective.

I started practicing Kendo during my High School years in Japan.
My high school was a public school and it was not that strong in Kendo, however it was strong enough for me to fall in love with Kendo.  I quit practicing Kendo after graduating from High School, however, I started again last year, when I quit my job to prepare myself to move to the USA, since I had more time to practice.

After practicing for only 3 months, I acquired the level of 3rd Dan in Japan!!!!!
It was a miracle! Nobody expected me to pass! I was able to pass because I have the best KIAI at that place! When I passed 3rd Dan, my Sempai told me that it was time for me to start KENDO again because he noticed that I was not qualified as a 3rd Dan at that time, and it was a gift from the Judges. Yes, I totally agreed with that. I am not a good player even though I have 3rd Dan.

Kendo is like a life journey.

It is a long way to get the goal. Who knows what the goal is? There is no single way to reach that goal. That is why I decide to start over again. Every practice, I have to think about how to improve myself. Kendo is more than a sport.

Think about other sports.

Young players can beat older players in most sports, except for Kendo. Isn’t it amazing? How would you describe this phenomenon to someone unfamiliar to Kendo?

This is what motivates us to practice Kendo. We can improve after every practice.

Kendo is amazing because everyone can practice at their own level. It doesn’t matter how old you are. You can start over whenever you want. Each practice may have a similar routine, but I bet you can learn something new!

I am lucky to practice with Taro Ariga in the USA. Not only because he is strong, but also because he taught us many tactics to improve. What I will do is to write down what he told us in our Butokuden Dojo and share these ideas with all Kenshi in the world. As I mentioned above, I have just came back to KENDO, so my view point is for people who are thinking about starting over.

I am so excited about that!

I have another practice tomorrow! So you can join me on my journey starting at practice tomorrow or you can begin your own journey with KENDO!

See you then!

Oh-my Dou is red! Can you tell? How cute it is! I love it!