Musha Shugyo

[Nishi]

Due to the size of the British Isles, it is relativley easy to get up and down the country to visit other dojo's.

I was wondering how many others practice this type of modern shugyo?

I would like to hear about kendo in your country, how many dojo's you visit, and how often. And do you get many kenshi visit your dojo from around the country.

Please share your experience's and anything else you feel may be related to "Musha Shugyo".


REI:chinese:

[aru-ma]

for me I can visit 3 different dojo's in a week, 4 if I'm pushing it (2 dojo trains at the same days) and if I've got absolutely nothing to do. They mostly train 2-3 times a week, except for one they're all in close proximity from where I live. and training in other clubs/dojo isnt really a big thing here some people do it regularly

[KhawMengLee]

At the moment I am doing a semi-shugyosha thing. As I currently reside in Malaysia I am training with the one and only dojo here. But every chance I get to travel I try to visit the local dojo there.

So far I've trained in Australia(Perth and Adelaide), Malaysia and Singapore. In about a month I will be in the UK so its more dojo's to visit(hurray!).

:D

[Jerry Wellbrock]

I currently am training with a group of kendoka from three different dojos. We meet at a different dojo on different days of the week but it is pretty much the same group of kendoka. I am planning a trip in March and hope to visit four different kendo dojos and four different karate dojos over an eight day period. If all goes as planned I will be alternating kendo and karate everyday in a different dojo in Kentucky, Pennsylvannia and West Virginia. This will be my version of Musha Shugyo.:old_man:

[kendokamax]

When some of my friend and I went to Vancouver for the Canadian Championship last summer, we tried to visit the most dojo possible. It was very interesting to see all these different dojo and they all had different ways of doing things. I think we visited 4 different dojo in a week.

One sensei (okusa-sensei) who is a friend of our sensei here, personaly invited us to one dojo he had just recently open (SFU?). We had such a warm welcome, the club was mostly full of beginners, but we really liked that particular visit.

He also invited us to his personal dojo (?). It was located on a farm!! On the second floor of some (garage ?) where they place things. It was a small dojo very well decorated, with the windows open, you could feel the nice breeze of the outside. It was truly amazing!

The other dojo we went was Vancouver kendo club. We had a lot of trouble finding the place. When we arrived, there was still nobody from the club there yet...even after the time where practice where going to start...we were getting impatient and were thinking maybe they gave us the wrong information.. I remember it was raining outside, it didnt help the mood. We were watching for cars coming to our direction, but they were always going the other way!!! Then 5 min later, some cars were coming toward the dojo. The people got off the cars and to our surprise they were, all, already in hakama and gi! What a shock! (Driving in hakama must be interesting) An other surprise is that they were not expecting our visit, someone in their club forgot to tell them, and we felt kinda out of place. Althought they were all late, we were the one that took the most time getting ready for practice...and we felt kinda bad about all this. Anyway the practice was very good, but it was done in such a japanese way of doing things, it felt very different from other clubs in canada, we were a bit lost in all this...

The other dojo we went was Youshinkan. That's where the Asaoka familly practices. Suguru Asaoka was leading the practice. It was an amazing experience to see that guy doing kendo. His kendo is freakly amazing. Never does any useless movement. I had one keiko against him, but the difference in level is so huge that he was just playing with us. I couldnt even see his attack coming.

That was our kendo trip in vancouver. It was amazing !! Not to mention we had a tournament there! I got 3rd place in kyu beaten by some dude from my own dojo! More amazing again is that our team got placed third in this national competition. That was before getting destroyed by Etobicoke's team 4-1. I think we had a lot of luck that day!

As far as goes practicing in other dojo in my own town. I try to do it when i have nothing else to do. I sometimes show up at Universite de Montreal dojo, with only hakama and gi, and they let me use one of the bogu from the storage room. It's quite fun, since I dont have my zekken, so some of the people that dont know me in that club (normaly beginners) think i am a complete beginner and they give me instructions. I just listen and say: " yes yes i understand!" :D


I'm sorry for my terrible english!!

[Paburo]

in the past month and half i've been to 5 tournament/seminars all around Spain: Granada, Bilbao, Barcelona(twice) and Madrid. it's always good to meet fellow kenshi from other dojos.

i even got to meet a 9th Dan Hanshi in Barcelona.

i'm beat now, but it was worth it. now i got some months to assimilate and practice all of what i've learned.

there should be always some sort of spiritual retirement gap between each musha shugyou, no?

[munenmuso]

Darn, we are a lonely dojo here. Can't do Musa Shugyo here unless I travel abroad. Nearest is a Malaysian dojo. I guess its Meng's dojo.:) (sigh)

[KhawMengLee]

Come, come! All is welcome! but....must bring goooOOD booooze from Duty Free Shop, yes? :D

[KATSUJIN]

well...now we have 5 dojos in singapore becos one of my sensei is a teacher in that particular school. so i train in 4 dojos every week. which means i train abt5 times a week now. Sometimes i pop down to the 5th dojo when i have the time and energy,,,,hehehe....

[KhawMengLee]

Damn...I was dying in your dojo at changi! Sooooo not used to the heat...anyway I will see you there on sunday morning...heh

[KATSUJIN]

at changi? that was considered cool....luckily u dont have to train at another 2 dojos....to train there is like to fight in a desert.....absolutely no wind...especially during training time....even with open doors....