Damien_lucifer
18th August 2007, 08:22 PM
well ok, here's the final piece from Phil Wright Sensei, enjoy.
" Final Notes for Damien. Plus Epilogue. (Written as open, to Forum.)
What we must do now is, conclude the Kendo politics. You’ve had some egotism on the Internet, and had a good run of emailing and such things. You even had someone called Steve Bishop (?) replying to you, claiming that, along with others like him, he has been instrumental in imposing a totalitarian coaching regime on a whole Kendo association! His assumed justification for that gross discourtesy being, he claims… it’s his day job! Imposing his profession on all dojo leaders in Britain? And upon Kendo - an ancient Japanese art? Because he thinks it’s ‘his job’ to do so? We’re thankful he isn’t a chef; the BKA becoming a chain of burger restaurants? But it’s not our job, to listen to him. Nor to obey him, or other ‘jobbers.’
A Kendo wisdom exists: “You must not give up your career, for Kendo.”
As I always tell my students, Kendo is a study in two parts… The Ken. And the Do. And each of those two parts, are in themselves, independent studies of many other parts, abilities, and self attributes.
But, before any Kendo occurs, there’s one aspect of Kendo that we must not forget. A truth that can always take us out of silly politics, dispelling any intrusive rules and regs that may ever be imposed upon us…
So many Japanese people fought, suffered and died to perfect the system of swordsmanship we know as Kendo, that Japanese Kendo authority can never be successfully plagiarized. It would be a total absurdity for any nation other than Japan, to claim to hold the franchise of Kendo authority.
That doesn’t mean we all have to become Japanese! Nor do we have to give up any of our national identity. But, we do have to give up elements of ourselves that are oafen. And respect the courage, of those who created Kendo. And part of the acknowledgement of that past Kendo courage, is to refuse to surrender to present day Kendo politicians. The oafen people, (or frightened little boys) who believe that they’re the authority of Kendo.
I’ve practised Kendo long enough, in an ideal Kendo UK, to be 9th dan.
At my level, Kendo is a clerical (moral) study. The basis of the morality of Kendo is, the same as the other m/arts, which is firstly, physical self control. From that physical element of self authority, develops the mental self authority we know as morality. Or in other words: The physical self development, of Ken. And the mental self development, of Do.
The real authority of Kendo is, yourself. (You have to be, just yourself.)
The self respect you have, as a Kendoka. (You have to respect yourself.)
A Kendo wisdom: One way of defending your self respect is, to laugh at those who irritate you. Coaching Kendo is copying a Sensei, or someone great. Like jumping up, shouting, “I’m Spartacus!” To teach Kendo, you have to fight, and a Sensei impose the duties of being a Sensei, upon you.
Our Hatamoto Dojo (the Will Adams Kendo Club) is in Gillingham, in the UK, a town twinned with the towns of Ito and Yokosuka, in Japan.
The petty new rules and regs of the BKA politicians might soon make it impossible for us to hold Kendo sessions in the sports centre we’re based in. Or ‘officially’ anywhere else. But, that doesn’t mean we have to give up Kendo. Who needs ‘officers,’ like kendo traffic wardens, anyway?
All we do is walk over to the common land, and practise in the open. Or find some private venue; a beer garden, or someone’s garden maybe? In the past, I’ve run seminars sailing up the River Thames in big cruisers… all leaping out of the boats to do Kendo in parks and beer gardens. Ha!
Nowadays our seminar/holiday weeks are on beaches, plus formal dojo.
Our dojo may be viewed by some, as being the choteki (the rebels).
But really, and sadly for British Kendo, the truth is the exact opposite...
We are not so much being loyal, to Kendo. We are always that, anyway.
Our protest is, we refuse to be loyal, to those who are disloyal to Kendo.
Phil Wright. Hatamoto Dojo.
Post Script:
If there ever comes a day when a man walks into my dojo and says, “I’m a moral man; (hence a worthy opponent) I challenge you for your dojo.” And his Kendo is so good it could only be deemed that he’d defeated me. And if he would attend regularly to teach my students, I would surrender my dojo, gladly, and walk away. That process is an honourable tradition.
But, there is something I don’t know… A concept I wonder about, but I can’t understand, or even imagine. But, perhaps someone reading this in the WK Forum can tell me..? What does it take? What depths must a soul be dredged to? What compromises must a human mind make? And what amount of fears (of phantoms?) must be felt? How much perplexity, self pity and self doubt must there be? What appalling levels of cowardice in a ‘man’ and lack of shame in his dojo? For a Kendo teacher to surrender his dojo (his personal autonomous authority) to an authoritative myth of Kendo, that’s as valid as the myth of Santa Claus?
As far as I know, if you do a phone search for Kendo, in any directory in the UK, you’ll still only get one phone number. It won’t be Santa Claus’s. It will be mine. That’s because… I am Spartacus! Ha!
If you haven’t got the guile of Kendo, you haven’t yet found happiness.
“Strive to be happy.” Democritus. 5th c. BC.
If you’re now laughing, I’m winning. If you’re now angry, I’m winning.
(And if you’re now coaching, I hope you arrive at the seaside, safely.)
August 15th 2007. Epilogue: From Phil Wright. Hatamoto Dojo.
I’m impressed. Whoever runs the World Kendo Forum internet thing, is a free spirit, and has much courage. And understands a lot about Kendo.
My greatest respects to you. And thanks for your help. I will explain…
Damien, a large, powerful, highly intelligent man, with a great sense of humour, passed his 6th kyu grading tonight. The Internet banter, was just a project for him, as a study of the Do, of Kendo. He only did it, because he knew he could. But I knew that the political doughnuts and drop outs would crawl out of the woodwork. And we could all look at their ideas.
Yes, I’ve made mistakes, teaching people not intelligent enough to study Kendo. By example: In the early 1980s I was horrified by the amount of prejudice against the Japanese (and Kendo) in Gillingham. It was awful! I didn’t understand what was really going on, until a guy named Tadashi Makino, then Chairman of the Ito Tourist Association wrote a book about his research of Will Adams, “The Blue-eyed Samurai.” He was Japan’s senior representative, twinning our towns. In his book, he frankly states, that Gillingham is the last place on Earth any Japanese tourist should ever visit! He was looking for where Will Adams lived. Later I discovered the Gillingham Council knew where Will Adams had lived, but didn’t admit it, because there was to be a ‘Unitarian’ council. Against public opinion. Gillingham, being taken over by a university property development com. was not to have more unique character, such as a sword saint. But, at the time, I didn’t realize that, and just responded to what I saw as prejudice:
I began to write a Kendo thesis by which people interested in Oriental studies, could come to terms with the differences between our cultures. So I created a study theme: Catabasics. : Confucianism and Taoism, also Buddhism and Shintoism, in Christian Societies.
Every nation has its common Christ elements. And nations believing in evolution, advances of morality and social ethic, use the Christ icon, as a medium of describing a person capable of bringing about such evolution. Miyamoto Musashi was such a sword Christ personality, for the Japanese. There is, therefore, an onus when studying advanced Kendo, in the UK, to compare the theologies, and their origins, of the Christs of two nations.
The boast of unis is, that they teach a universe of info. But, do they.?..
You’ve read the silly claim, that I demanded to be acknowledged as the Messiah, by one of my drop out university drop ins. And there has been comment that I’m insane. Ha! I could say, “it’s all lies.” But the truth is much simpler than that. I mentioned to a student I was writing Catabasics. Not an academic, the only way he got into a uni was on a pottery course. My mistake. I should not mention the Do (theology) of Kendo to people who will never understand it. I’m not Jesus. Nor am I Hannibal Lector.
But, I am a humorous writer. I entertain the readers, and my students.
But some people, will always moan, about everything! (And Gami did.) Anyone reading garden gnome culture, such as Harry Potter, or Lord of the Rings, which are in the tradition of the kagamishin - the mirrors and jewels culture - instead of The Book of Five Rings, could never possibly agree with my Kendo, anyway.
For me, Damien achieved a total success. He has served his dojo well…
Catabasics 1983 became a very publishable book by 1986. Rewritten four times, the final edition is almost finished. I know I’ve got a brilliant best seller. It’s clever, interesting, and very funny. Publication is no problem. Loads of money! Build a huge dojo! A Kendo cathedral! But, authority has a problem. People who’ve known me, could claim that what they do, is what I’ve taught them. But now due to WK Forum, readers (and Japan) know I’m nothing what so ever to do with any UK university kagamishin. Nor am I responsible for anything even remotely like it, anywhere. Thank you for publication, especially ‘adverse’ opinion… A good result for me. For my dojo. And for my book.
Phil Wright. Hatamoto dojo."
" Final Notes for Damien. Plus Epilogue. (Written as open, to Forum.)
What we must do now is, conclude the Kendo politics. You’ve had some egotism on the Internet, and had a good run of emailing and such things. You even had someone called Steve Bishop (?) replying to you, claiming that, along with others like him, he has been instrumental in imposing a totalitarian coaching regime on a whole Kendo association! His assumed justification for that gross discourtesy being, he claims… it’s his day job! Imposing his profession on all dojo leaders in Britain? And upon Kendo - an ancient Japanese art? Because he thinks it’s ‘his job’ to do so? We’re thankful he isn’t a chef; the BKA becoming a chain of burger restaurants? But it’s not our job, to listen to him. Nor to obey him, or other ‘jobbers.’
A Kendo wisdom exists: “You must not give up your career, for Kendo.”
As I always tell my students, Kendo is a study in two parts… The Ken. And the Do. And each of those two parts, are in themselves, independent studies of many other parts, abilities, and self attributes.
But, before any Kendo occurs, there’s one aspect of Kendo that we must not forget. A truth that can always take us out of silly politics, dispelling any intrusive rules and regs that may ever be imposed upon us…
So many Japanese people fought, suffered and died to perfect the system of swordsmanship we know as Kendo, that Japanese Kendo authority can never be successfully plagiarized. It would be a total absurdity for any nation other than Japan, to claim to hold the franchise of Kendo authority.
That doesn’t mean we all have to become Japanese! Nor do we have to give up any of our national identity. But, we do have to give up elements of ourselves that are oafen. And respect the courage, of those who created Kendo. And part of the acknowledgement of that past Kendo courage, is to refuse to surrender to present day Kendo politicians. The oafen people, (or frightened little boys) who believe that they’re the authority of Kendo.
I’ve practised Kendo long enough, in an ideal Kendo UK, to be 9th dan.
At my level, Kendo is a clerical (moral) study. The basis of the morality of Kendo is, the same as the other m/arts, which is firstly, physical self control. From that physical element of self authority, develops the mental self authority we know as morality. Or in other words: The physical self development, of Ken. And the mental self development, of Do.
The real authority of Kendo is, yourself. (You have to be, just yourself.)
The self respect you have, as a Kendoka. (You have to respect yourself.)
A Kendo wisdom: One way of defending your self respect is, to laugh at those who irritate you. Coaching Kendo is copying a Sensei, or someone great. Like jumping up, shouting, “I’m Spartacus!” To teach Kendo, you have to fight, and a Sensei impose the duties of being a Sensei, upon you.
Our Hatamoto Dojo (the Will Adams Kendo Club) is in Gillingham, in the UK, a town twinned with the towns of Ito and Yokosuka, in Japan.
The petty new rules and regs of the BKA politicians might soon make it impossible for us to hold Kendo sessions in the sports centre we’re based in. Or ‘officially’ anywhere else. But, that doesn’t mean we have to give up Kendo. Who needs ‘officers,’ like kendo traffic wardens, anyway?
All we do is walk over to the common land, and practise in the open. Or find some private venue; a beer garden, or someone’s garden maybe? In the past, I’ve run seminars sailing up the River Thames in big cruisers… all leaping out of the boats to do Kendo in parks and beer gardens. Ha!
Nowadays our seminar/holiday weeks are on beaches, plus formal dojo.
Our dojo may be viewed by some, as being the choteki (the rebels).
But really, and sadly for British Kendo, the truth is the exact opposite...
We are not so much being loyal, to Kendo. We are always that, anyway.
Our protest is, we refuse to be loyal, to those who are disloyal to Kendo.
Phil Wright. Hatamoto Dojo.
Post Script:
If there ever comes a day when a man walks into my dojo and says, “I’m a moral man; (hence a worthy opponent) I challenge you for your dojo.” And his Kendo is so good it could only be deemed that he’d defeated me. And if he would attend regularly to teach my students, I would surrender my dojo, gladly, and walk away. That process is an honourable tradition.
But, there is something I don’t know… A concept I wonder about, but I can’t understand, or even imagine. But, perhaps someone reading this in the WK Forum can tell me..? What does it take? What depths must a soul be dredged to? What compromises must a human mind make? And what amount of fears (of phantoms?) must be felt? How much perplexity, self pity and self doubt must there be? What appalling levels of cowardice in a ‘man’ and lack of shame in his dojo? For a Kendo teacher to surrender his dojo (his personal autonomous authority) to an authoritative myth of Kendo, that’s as valid as the myth of Santa Claus?
As far as I know, if you do a phone search for Kendo, in any directory in the UK, you’ll still only get one phone number. It won’t be Santa Claus’s. It will be mine. That’s because… I am Spartacus! Ha!
If you haven’t got the guile of Kendo, you haven’t yet found happiness.
“Strive to be happy.” Democritus. 5th c. BC.
If you’re now laughing, I’m winning. If you’re now angry, I’m winning.
(And if you’re now coaching, I hope you arrive at the seaside, safely.)
August 15th 2007. Epilogue: From Phil Wright. Hatamoto Dojo.
I’m impressed. Whoever runs the World Kendo Forum internet thing, is a free spirit, and has much courage. And understands a lot about Kendo.
My greatest respects to you. And thanks for your help. I will explain…
Damien, a large, powerful, highly intelligent man, with a great sense of humour, passed his 6th kyu grading tonight. The Internet banter, was just a project for him, as a study of the Do, of Kendo. He only did it, because he knew he could. But I knew that the political doughnuts and drop outs would crawl out of the woodwork. And we could all look at their ideas.
Yes, I’ve made mistakes, teaching people not intelligent enough to study Kendo. By example: In the early 1980s I was horrified by the amount of prejudice against the Japanese (and Kendo) in Gillingham. It was awful! I didn’t understand what was really going on, until a guy named Tadashi Makino, then Chairman of the Ito Tourist Association wrote a book about his research of Will Adams, “The Blue-eyed Samurai.” He was Japan’s senior representative, twinning our towns. In his book, he frankly states, that Gillingham is the last place on Earth any Japanese tourist should ever visit! He was looking for where Will Adams lived. Later I discovered the Gillingham Council knew where Will Adams had lived, but didn’t admit it, because there was to be a ‘Unitarian’ council. Against public opinion. Gillingham, being taken over by a university property development com. was not to have more unique character, such as a sword saint. But, at the time, I didn’t realize that, and just responded to what I saw as prejudice:
I began to write a Kendo thesis by which people interested in Oriental studies, could come to terms with the differences between our cultures. So I created a study theme: Catabasics. : Confucianism and Taoism, also Buddhism and Shintoism, in Christian Societies.
Every nation has its common Christ elements. And nations believing in evolution, advances of morality and social ethic, use the Christ icon, as a medium of describing a person capable of bringing about such evolution. Miyamoto Musashi was such a sword Christ personality, for the Japanese. There is, therefore, an onus when studying advanced Kendo, in the UK, to compare the theologies, and their origins, of the Christs of two nations.
The boast of unis is, that they teach a universe of info. But, do they.?..
You’ve read the silly claim, that I demanded to be acknowledged as the Messiah, by one of my drop out university drop ins. And there has been comment that I’m insane. Ha! I could say, “it’s all lies.” But the truth is much simpler than that. I mentioned to a student I was writing Catabasics. Not an academic, the only way he got into a uni was on a pottery course. My mistake. I should not mention the Do (theology) of Kendo to people who will never understand it. I’m not Jesus. Nor am I Hannibal Lector.
But, I am a humorous writer. I entertain the readers, and my students.
But some people, will always moan, about everything! (And Gami did.) Anyone reading garden gnome culture, such as Harry Potter, or Lord of the Rings, which are in the tradition of the kagamishin - the mirrors and jewels culture - instead of The Book of Five Rings, could never possibly agree with my Kendo, anyway.
For me, Damien achieved a total success. He has served his dojo well…
Catabasics 1983 became a very publishable book by 1986. Rewritten four times, the final edition is almost finished. I know I’ve got a brilliant best seller. It’s clever, interesting, and very funny. Publication is no problem. Loads of money! Build a huge dojo! A Kendo cathedral! But, authority has a problem. People who’ve known me, could claim that what they do, is what I’ve taught them. But now due to WK Forum, readers (and Japan) know I’m nothing what so ever to do with any UK university kagamishin. Nor am I responsible for anything even remotely like it, anywhere. Thank you for publication, especially ‘adverse’ opinion… A good result for me. For my dojo. And for my book.
Phil Wright. Hatamoto dojo."