Photo courtesy of D. Pan Last weekend was the PNKF's Winter shinsa. I was fortunate enough to be able to participate, going over to Seattle to test for the rank of sandan (3 Dan, the "black belt" ranks). I've been training hard for the past couple years since I tested for nidan, and I was about to put it all to the test again in front of five judges that would deem me ready or not for the new rank I was challenging. I felt confident, and was hoping I could relay to the judges once my time came. Before the test, though, we had a chance to train with our friend at the UW Kendo Club, as well as a chance to give their college team some good practice before their big event at the Harvard collegiate taikai next month. Elizabeth Marsten Sensei put together a team and team lineup for us, and we would face off against the UW team in a couple of practice team matches. Without going into too much detail, we gave them a good fight, stressed them a bit, and ...
One man's Kendo journey