Training in Japan
By Ramon Lawrence, Australian Kendo Federation
I
have been traveling quite a lot lately and teaching different arts as well as
learning some.
During the past three years
I have been studying Tamiya Ryu Iaijutsu under Yoshinari Aiko Sensei (Kyoshi
Hachidan), Vice Chairman of Tamiya Ryu Iai in Japan. Sensei has a small but
effective dojo in Matsuda, Kanagawa, Japan. During my recent visit I stayed
at an apartment loaned to me by Fujii San, a Kendo exponent who lives in Tokyo
but has a holiday home on the beach at Oiso - about halfway between Kamakura
and Odawara--which he has kindly
loaned me during my visits to that part of Japan to train with Yoshinari Sensei.
During my one-on-one training
week with Sensei I had a visit from Shoji Toyoko Sensei (Judan Tessen; Kyoshi
Nanadan in Tamiya Ryu Iai - and many other styles) and Nagayama Kumiaki Sensei
(Kyoshi Nanadan Kendo, Iaido, Jodo) who is my Jodo Sensei. Shoji Sensei requested
and received approval to assist me during her Australian visits with the teaching
of Tamiya Ryu Iai in my expanding schools of swordsmanship. We will only be
teaching advanced
students of iaido this ancient art of swordsmanship and wish to retain all the
cultural significance of the system carefully. Tamiya Ryu Iaijutsu was founded
by Tamiya Heibei Narimasa during the Tempo Era (1573-1591) and is currently
headed by Soke Grandmaster Tsumaki Seirin.
During my training Yoshinari sensei was assisted by his Dojo Sempai, Enomata Sensei (Kyoshi Nanadan) who was most helpful in finding that one English word that explained the situation when our communications become "stuck". I was also tested out for my skills with Seitei Iaido to make sure that I had not allowed them to lapse as I am due to attempt Godan Shinza in Tokyo next September.
During my training I finalized the basic skills for both Omote-no-maki and Koran-no-maki techniques which make up the Shoden and Okuden of Tamiya Ryu Iaijutsu.
During my previous visit
to Japan I was taken to the Jinya Restaurant not too far from Odawara where
the hotel in the same gardens houses the private museum of the owner. In this
museum there is one of the famous sword's formally belonging to Miyomoto Musashi
who wrote "Go No Rin Sho" and was known for his famous ability with
the sword and the founder of the Nito Ryu
two-sword system.
The visit to Japan was once again the ultimate in training experience. Yoshinari Sensei is one of the most skilled sword teachers I have come across in Japan to date--of which I have trained with many. His inability to speak English and inability to speak Japanese never seems to prevent our mutual understanding in the dojo when training. Shoji Sensei will be visiting Australia in January 2003 to assist with the teaching of Jodo and Tamiya Ryu Iaijutsu at the Australian National Seminar.
(Please, visit the website of Lawrence sensei on http://www.wantree.com.au/~rosimel )