mogri : network

Kendo Ikkyu Written Exam

I’ve never had an official rank in kendo and I’ve decided to take shinsa this year to get ikkyu. This is my written exam for tomorrow’s shinsa. Because I am not familiar with Japanese terms (actually I am not familiar with Korean terms, either. ^_^;;), I had to look up wikipedia to get detail on Japanese terms.

Describe the parts of the Shinai and how to keep the Shinai in good condition.

The Shinai is usually composed of four pieces of Take, bamboo slats, held together by three leather fittings. The fitting at the tip of the Shinai is called Sakigawa, and inside Sakigawa, there is a rubber piece called Sakigomu to align four pieces of Take together. The leather strip binding four take is called Nakayui, which placed about one-third of the length of the Shinai from the tip. Nakayui marks Monouchi, proper striking portion of the Shinai. The handle fitting is called Tsukagawa. In Tsuka, there is a small square metal piece called Chigiri to hold Tsuka of Take together. Three fittings are secured with a string. Tsuba, hand guard, is placed at the top of Tsuka and then the rubber piece called Tsubadome is placed after Tsuba to hold Tsuba from slipping down.

It is very important to inspect the Shinai prior to every practice and the Shiai as even the Shinai with minor damage can cause serious injury. Before and after use, every the Shinai needs be inspected for splinters and breaks. Monouchi portion needs special attention because it is the most used portion of the Shinai thus it is potentially damaged the most. The string holding the three leather fittings together also needs to be inspected if it is loose. If so, it needs to be tightened up to prevent Sakigawa from slipping off as it can cause serious eye injury.

When the Shinai is not in use, Tsuba and Tsubadome are taken out to store the Shinai in a carrying case.

How to fold Hakama and Keikogi

I have been practicing Kendo for about 3 years now (7 years total on and off actually) and I never cared about folding Hakama and Keikogi properly. The biggest reason was because the first dojo I practiced for a year and half did not require it to be done so I’ve become careless about it. However, I now feel bad because every Kenshi folds them properly after every practice and I feel I am being disrespectful. Moreover, all the wrinkles on Hakama makes me a bit embarrassed. ^_^;

So I decided to learn it quickly and do it after today’s practice and this video was very good for quick crash course. Maybe I ironed my Hakama a bit but it felt much better without much wrinkle today. However, it doesn’t mean the practice went better. ^_^;