A sobering entry today, but hopefully a valuable lesson for me and anyone reading. Last weekend my dojo mates and I participated in the Kent Taikai in Kent, WA. I look forward to this tournament as it's a little smaller and more intimate than the PNKF Taikai we attended last month, and it's a chance to catch up with my kendo friends in the area as well as participate in some good matches. This year delivered in that regard. We had six competitors this year, ranging from 1-3 kyu up to the 3-4 dan divisions. One of our new-to-us members participated, as well, so that was fun to welcome him to our crazy taikai weekend trips. The trip itself went well, and the pass was clear for us so we had a smooth ride to the Seattle area and to training at the Bellevue Kendo Club on Friday night. It was a good night, and I was able to have a lot of quality keiko with the kodansha over there, as well as received some helpful feedback and advice that I'll be putting into ...
One man's Kendo journey