Where are all the dojos in this state?

[Richmond-san]

How come there are only two Dojos in oregon, for kendo? Maybe I only know of the 2, the ones I am thinking of are Obukan and the one in Corvallis affiliated with the college. Every other state seems to have far more dojos. Any know an answer to this???


We have a horrible little kenjutsu Mcdojo here in Ashland but I don't wanna talk about that...

We have a few reputable salles in oregon but those are much easier to come by than a kendo dojo.

[Kaoru]

Hey Richmond-san,

It is normal for states to only have a few dojos. My state currently has only two Kendo dojos running right now. Take a look at other states. Some have none, like Maine, N. Dakota and a few others right now. Some only have one, like S. Dakota and Louisiana.

Only a few states have much more than five.

It is rare simply because a sensei needs to have moved to an area to be able to start a club. And, if none has done so, there is no Kendo. This is true in most cases. I do know of a shodan who started a club not too long ago, and his mentor is my other sensei(Dojo in hiatus sensei). He visits several times a month to his sensei's dojo 4 hours S. of me, and then runs the study group he started. in between his own trips to the dojo. He sometimes takes the whole group with him, from what I understand. He lives two hours from his sensei's dojo. But, it is rare to find someone like that even, who has enough experience to run a study group.

Trust me, it can be difficult to find dojos. And, I understand how you feel about it. My Mom and I wish very much there was a dojo in my town so she didn't have to drive me just over two hours one way. But, there just isn't one available, so we have to drive far so I can continue practicing.

It is just a part of Kendo for this to be. Some get lucky, others don't. It's all in where you happen to live. And, you do what you can, to get to practice, even it is is only once a month, if you are able. I know that for some who are in Kendo, but are away at school, transportation can be a problem. So, you just keep up practice such as footwork and suburi until you get back to your dojo. It is tough yes, to miss practice so much, but keep at it anyway.

I missed practice from the beginning of November to March except one practice in January, because my Mom didn't take me because of the dark and Winter. VERY tough indeed! I spent the time practicing what I had learned so I could keep up with my class. I was glad I did.

So, that is my own experience with this.

Actually, there should be four total in Oregon, but one might not be in existance.

There is one each in Corvallis, Portland,
and Beavertown(Used to be in Tigard.). The fourth is supposed to be in Monmouth, but I have no idea if it exists anymore. It isn't on either the AUSKF or Kendo America sites. Ando-sensei taught there. I am not sure where Monmouth is, because I couldn't find it on a map. But, this is the information I had found on a search one day:

Monmouth Kendo Club
Mr. Koichi Ando
Western Oregon State University
1243 Madrona Ave
Monmouth, OR 97361
Fri 6-7PM
503-838-3557 H
503-838-8425 W

-------------------

So, that's all I have, and that is all there is in Oregon. Hate to tell you that. I'm sorry.

Hope this helps you.

Kaoru

[Theodore]

How come there are only two Dojos in oregon, for kendo? Maybe I only know of the 2, the ones I am thinking of are Obukan and the one in Corvallis affiliated with the college. Every other state seems to have far more dojos. Any know an answer to this???


We have a horrible little kenjutsu Mcdojo here in Ashland but I don't wanna talk about that...

We have a few reputable salles in oregon but those are much easier to come by than a kendo dojo.

12,500 members of the USFA, ~3000 members of the AUSKF. The math is simple. BTW, is Maestro Selberg still teaching in Ashland?

[Richmond-san]

I am not sure about Selberg, we have Bruno Gossens, Nick Follensbee, and John McDougall to the best of my knowledge here in the Ashland area.

[Neil Gendzwill]

Lots of kendo dojos usually means lots of Japanese immigrants. That's why there's bunches in LA, the Bay area, Seattle, Vancouver etc

[Paikea]

Lots of kendo dojos usually means lots of Japanese immigrants. That's why there's bunches in LA, the Bay area, Seattle, Vancouver etc

That, and the good beer is in Portland.

Karou - it's "Beaverton". The other Portland reference you may have is likely actually just an alternate practice site for Obukan dojo (Richmond Elementary)PM me with what you have and I'll help you update your information if needed.

[Richmond-san]

Hey Paikea-san,

I was wondering if I could come and train at obukan this summer? Do you have the contact info I would need for that? Is that something your sensei would be okay with? And yah, the beer is better in portland.