Jodo Takai question

[Aden]

Looking at a BKA Jodo takai report there were individual results. How is this so? European jodo takai must be run differently to the Australian ones I have participated in which are pairs competitions. Can someone point me to an explanation of how Jodo takai for individuals works, competition rules and format?

Plugging (jodo takai individuals) into google didn't enlighten me .

Aden

[GMason]

Hi,

Jodo Indiviual Taikai in the UK, only judge the Jo side. The tachi side is not taken into consideration. You can actually have a Tachi who is one grade higher than you.

The European Taikai works in the same way, with only the Jo side be judged.

Hope that answers your question.

[mingshi]

Hi Gareth, that's kinda interesting... I checked the old All Japan Jodo Taikai records at the AJKF site, and they seem to have competitors in pairs as well... Is there a reason for the different format in the UK/Europe? We have enough people to have the competition in pairs I think...

p.s. Just discover Chris Mansfield's pair won the 1999 All Japan. I find that pretty amazing that they'd let a gaijin gone that far... Quite encouraging to everyone outside Japan!

[Aden]

Ta for that.

Very different, we do both jo and tachi sides, the etiquette of the changeover is a factor in the competition, and it is just dan or kyu. Australian Seitei Jodo is very small - not enough participants at takai to break up the dan grades by level, and every years some kyus are in the dan competition in mixed pairs.

In my only national championships a couple of years ago, as an ikkyu, I competed both in the kyu pairs (with a nikkyu from another dojo I had not trained with before - difficult, since he had quite a different style uncontaminated by koryu, we staggered into 3rd place due to our opponents in the 2nd round, who were working together much better, doing the wrong kata ) and the dan pairs (with a shodan from my own dojo - much more comfortable) to make up the numbers (came last). This year I think an ikkyu was in the winning pair.

Aden

[GMason]

Hi Jenny,

I believe that they used to judge both Tachi and Jo as a pair, but they don't anymore not sure why. I know it was just Jo side at the last Europeans as well, so I guess it is quite normal in Europe.

I knew Chris Mansfield's pair won the 1999 All Japan's, as Keith (Rose) told me, I was very surprised when he told me as well.

If the ZNKR are trying to push Jo, Iai and Kendo to the world. It would be a bit hard for them to justify not letting someone enter if they are obvioulsy good enough. Which Chris Mansfield obviously was sinse he won it.

Aden : -

With Jodo Taikai in the UK, we have enough to split us into Grades, how ever higher grades to make apperances in the lower sections as Tachi, since they are not looked at.

If you want to have a look at some pic's from the last GB Jodo Taikai, Jenny has posted them on her Kendo Journal website. I also have the same pic's on my pic's website as jenny kindly sent them to me.

[Aden]

Thanks for the picture links - really helps to visualise how other people do things.

Aden