Gasshuku

[Kokoro777]

Does anyone run summer/winter training camps for swordsmanship? You know, up before dawn, running in the woods/on the beach, press ups in streams/kicking against the waves in the sea, cutting practice as the sun comes up, meditation, breakfast, regular training etc for five days or something. I used to attend this type of thing in Karate years ago (not quite as severe) and a Dan grade in my old Kendo club used to hold days sessions in Lyme Park, Cheshire and they were great fun, built up excellent comradery and spirit and where surprisingly de-stressing. I'd love to do this again but with a swordsmanship emphasis.

[Gessho]

That actually sounds like great fun! I think it would be hard to get people to commit to five days but I could see a weekend event drawing a good crowd. Makes me want to organize something like that here.

[Maro]

A grand idea!

I have a disturbing mental image of us all heaving and coughing in fits.

[rfoxmich]

Weekend camps are pretty common. But why stop at 5 days... back in the old days hack kaff harumphh. The Kitamoto foreigner's gasshuku (now renamed to the much more wimpy sounding Summer Seminar for Foreign Instructors) was 5 days, one day off, and then 5 more days). The before and after pictures are uh...unsettling.

[Kokoro777]

I think a couple of days would be more than enough actually! The evenings could consist of relaxation, conversation over a few pints and a hearty meal before curling up with a copy of Gorin no Sho at 9pm!

[Kim Taylor]

Well I've got the place and the dojo for it, 42 acres of cedar bush with access to shallow water and a log cabin with a dojo on top, all off the grid, cold running water. And an on-call army medic to boot.

Seriously, anybody around Eastern Canada or the USA who wants to attend such a thing, get in touch, I can arrange it. Iaido, Jodo, Niten Ichiryu for sword starters.

Kim.

[cesarekim]

Jorg Potrafki (Kendo 7dan) in Berlin held an international kendo summer camp in July. There were people from Germany. Belgium, Italy, Czech Republic and Russia. Pretty intense. Don't know of anything for swords.

[hl1978]

Shidogakuin runs a week long one every year up in CT for its members for both kendo and iaido. I think they even have a promotional at the end. I never made it to one while I was a member.

http://shidogakuin.com/camp.html

A report on the camp is here

[KevinA]

Well I've got the place and the dojo for it, 42 acres of cedar bush with access to shallow water and a log cabin with a dojo on top, all off the grid, cold running water. And an on-call army medic to boot.

Kim, is this the cottage/cabin I keep hearing about that your students are always using? We should definitely plan a gasshuku there for next summer...

[Kokoro777]

Well I've got the place and the dojo for it, 42 acres of cedar bush with access to shallow water and a log cabin with a dojo on top, all off the grid, cold running water. And an on-call army medic to boot.

Seriously, anybody around Eastern Canada or the USA who wants to attend such a thing, get in touch, I can arrange it. Iaido, Jodo, Niten Ichiryu for sword starters.

Kim.

If only I lived closer! It sounds perfect.

[Halcyon]

Shidogakuin runs a week long one every year up in CT for its members for both kendo and iaido. I think they even have a promotional at the end. I never made it to one while I was a member.

Yup. For the last two years, it's been on the campus of Bryn Mawr College, near Philly. It's from Tuesday afternoon to Sunday morning. Pretty grueling, but well worth it. Nothing like practicing hours a day for a numbers of days in a row to kick up your game a notch.

[Kim Taylor]

Kim, is this the cottage/cabin I keep hearing about that your students are always using? We should definitely plan a gasshuku there for next summer...

Indeed it is, but the best seasons are fall and spring rather than summer which features mosquitoes and horseflies big enough to rock your head if they hit you... and they are stupid enough to hit you. The bugs are falling off now and it will get better.

Kim.

[Kim Taylor]

Yup. For the last two years, it's been on the campus of Bryn Mawr College, near Philly. It's from Tuesday afternoon to Sunday morning. Pretty grueling, but well worth it. Nothing like practicing hours a day for a numbers of days in a row to kick up your game a notch.

I love Bryn Mawr, attended the AUSKF and the JSS events there a couple years ago.

Kim.

[hl1978]

I love Bryn Mawr, attended the AUSKF and the JSS events there a couple years ago.

Kim.

Even with the crazy heat? I only showed up to watch a student and was not having much fun.

[chidokan]

did that for kendo when I were a lad. Ok if you are fit, torture if you are not!

One of my early iai trips was for 13 days. Started training before breakfast, finished about 9pm when sensei went to bed. We partied after that until 2 am, but that tailed off pretty quick as the first week wore on! It was quite hot, and I remember a quite strange effect of the sweat in my eyes making the far wall of the hall seem further away, the more I went down the length of it doing some kneeling cuts. I wore the knees out of a pair of brand new hakama, and dropped my kneepads in the bin at the end of the trip.. hard going but worth it.
If anyone wants me to come along and shout the count etc, fine. Just don't expect us old guys to be still alive at the end of 13 days if we join in....

I now open the floor to "LUXURY! I used to dream of that," etc...