Volume 31, number 11/12
November/December 2017
At their November 18, 2017 meeting, the new 2017/2018 Board was seated, and Officers were elected.
President - CJ Chaney (Sno-King), Vice-President - Doug Imanishi (Seattle), Treasurer - Mary DeJong (Highline), Secretary - Tom Bolling (Bellevue). UW Advisor - CJ Chaney.
Other Board members are: Sean Blechschmidt (Bellevue), Cougar Capoeman (Tacoma), Frederic Fourie (AiShinKai), Mark Frederick (Northwest), Noelle Grimes (Sno-King), Mart Hughes (Obukan), Taryn Imanishi (Cascade), Michael Mabale (Seattle), Curtis Marsten (Elizabeth Marsten (Highline), Vicki Marsten (Federal Way), Tiarnan Marsten (Kent), Chris Ruiz (Spokane), Russ Sinclair (Spokane), Robert Stroud (Idaho), Val Vulfson (Northwest), Francis Walsh (UW), and David Yotsuuye (Bellevue).
9 and Under 10-12 Years Kyu 1st place - Ezra Cocoro-Marx, Federal Way 1st place - Jonathan Yu, Northwest 2nd place - Kaito Ayers, Sno-King 2nd place - Nicholas Chu, Bellevue 3rd place - Owen Kaufman, Portland 3rd place - Hana Koob, Bellevue Participant - Maddy Day, Kent Participant - Joey Oday, Tacoma Participant - Karis Kim, Tacoma 13-15 Years Kyu 16-18 Years Kyu 1st place - Taiki Miyamoto, Northwest 1st place - Kengo Underhill, Northwest 2nd place - Josh Kim, Federal Way 2nd place - Kyle Fukuda, Cascade 3rd place - Danny Chung, Cascade 3rd place - Michizane Ohata, Bellevue Adult 0-2 Kyu Adult 1 Kyu-1 Dan 1st place - Victor Blancarte, Sno-King 1st place - Cougar Capoeman, Tacoma 2nd place - Leo Gao, UW 2nd place - Philbert Lin, Bellevue 3rd place - Anthony Yorita, UW 3rd place - Gregory Vielhaber, Portland Youth Dan Adult 2-3 Dan 1st place - Andy Yuen, Seattle 1st place - Tiarnan Marsten, Kent 2nd place - Allison Kojima, Bellevue 2nd place - Koyo Yoshida, Everett 3rd place - Drake Imanishi, Seattle 3rd place - Koichi Toshima, Portland 15 and Under Team 1st place - Northwest A (J. Yu, Keiji Underhill, Taiki Miyamoto) 2nd place - Bellevue A (H. Koob, L. Ohata, S. Kojima) Senior Youth Team 1st place - Seattle (A. Yuen, Kengo Underhill, D. Imanishi) 2nd place - Cascade (K. Fukuda, T. Seyduzov, D. Yip) Mudansha Team 1st place - Bellevue (J. Jeon, H. Su, L. Ohata) 2nd place - UW (A. Yorita, L. Gao, T. Lee) National Anthem Singer - Alisa Yoshikawa Sportsmanship Pledge - Daniel Kao Shinpan Cho - David S. Yotsuuye
10 Years and Under 11-12 Years 1st place - E. Chui, Steveston 1st place - H. Homma, Renbu 2nd place - N. Son, Renbu 2nd place - J. Hung, Steveston 3rd place - D. Buckham, UVictoria 3rd place - O. Benson, Youshinkan 3rd place - F. Benson, Youshinkan 3rd place - E. Cho, Renbu 13-15 Years High School Boys 1st place - R. Kim, Renbu 1st place - B. Liao, Bellevue 2nd place - A. Son, Renbu 2nd place - A. Yuen, Seattle 3rd place - B. Miki, Steveston 3rd place - E. Chui, Steveston 3rd place - T. Miyamoto, Northwest 3rd place - M. Ohata, Bellevue 0-4 Kyu 3-1 Kyu 1st place - H. Su, Bellevue 1st place - KE Underhill, Northwest 2nd place - L. Lee, OSU 2nd place - C. Pak, Portland 3rd place - T. Chui, Steveston 3rd place - A. Yorita, UW 3rd place - J. Davis, Northwest 3rd place - Y. Paik, Tacoma Women Kyu Women Dan 1st place - K. McIntosh, Federal Way 1st place - W. Robillard, Steveston 2nd place - E. Law, UW 2nd place - N. Grimes, Sno-King 3rd place - J. Wong, Bellevue 3rd place - H. Yamada, Vancouver 3rd place - A. Tan, UW 3rd place - M. Oya, Palouse 1-2 Dan 3 Dan 1st place - E. Lee, Renbu 1st place - D. Miura, Hawaii 2nd place - B. Pae, Northwest 2nd place - T. Marsten, Kent 3rd place - D. Anzai, Obukan 3rd place - M. Yoneda, Kent 3rd place - D. Imanishi, Seattle 3rd place - I. Miki, Steveston 4 Dan and Above 1st place - H. Kim, Hawaii 2nd place - T. Yamada, Vancouver 3rd place - K. Kobayashi, Youshinkan 3rd place - S. Harris, Hawaii Junior Team 1st place - Renbu A (K. Squance, Y. Lee, A. Son, K. Itagaki, R. Kim) 2nd place - Steveston A (R. Nakano, C. Robillard, E. Chui, B. Miki, J. Hung) 3rd place - Renbu B (N. Son, KE Yoshimura, E. Cho, I. Son, H. Homma) 3rd place - Bellevue A (H. Koob, T. Koob, M. Tawara, T. Dage, S. Kojima) Senior Team 1st place - Vancouver (K. Darbyshire, J. Schmidt, H. Yamada, S. Jung, T. Yamada) 2nd place - Hawaii (V. Yancy, D. Miura, S. Harris, H. Kim, T. Buntin) 3rd place - Renbu (E. Lee, A. Espiritu, E. Kita, O. Young, D. Taguchi) 3rd place - Youshinkan (K. Kobayashi, K. Takeuchi, C. Takeuchi, J. Chien, T. Nakamura) Taikai Co-Chairs - CJ Chaney and Taryn Imanishi Shinpan Cho - Tatsuhiko Konno Court Manager - David S. Yotsuuye Sportsmanship Pledge - Allison Kojima Shoji Trophy - Kengo Underhill Presidential Service Award - Daniel Ichinaga Presidential Service Award - Darrick Lew
Yonenbu (11 Years and Below) Shonenbu (12-14 Years Old) 1st place - Caden Matsumoto 1st place - Nobuhiko Tamura 2nd place - Ethan Amano 2nd place - Zachary Yamamoto 3rd place - Jacob Amano 3rd place - Mari Shimabukuro 3rd place - Ethan Suyama 3rd place - Brandyn Matsumoto Seinenbu-Nidan Women's 1st place - Brycen Kawakami 1st place - Nicole Chun 2nd place - Joshua Amano 2nd place - Megan Watanabe 3rd place - John Pitts 3rd place - Gale Mejia 3rd place - Eric Young 3rd place - Tina Kaku Yudansha 3+ Yudansha Masters 1st place - Hyun Kim 1st place - Iwao Sato 2nd place - Wesley Fujimoto 2nd place - Ken Sugano 3rd place - Christopher Goodin 3rd place - Bert Shibuya 3rd place - Daiki Miura 3rd place - Carl Nakamura Children's Team Adults' Team 1st place - Kenshikan A 1st place - Mililani A 2nd place - Kenshikan B 2nd place - Aiea Grand Champion Hyun Kim
10 Years and Under (Jr A) 3-1 Kyu
1st place - N. Chu, Bellevue 1st place - Ken Underhill, Northwest
2nd place - I. DeBlieck, Sno-King 2nd place - A. Yorita, UW
3rd place - JU Paik, Tacoma 3rd place - E. Lam, Kent
3rd place - D. Shilov, Highline 3rd place - B. Sprenger, Obukan
11-12 Years (Jr B) 1-2 Dan
1st place - H. Koob, Bellevue 1st place - J. Yamauchi, Cascade
2nd place - A. Mabale, Seattle 2nd place - B. Park, Bellevue
3rd place - P. Jewett, Spokane 3rd place - J. Higa, UW
3rd place - J. Yu, Northwest 3rd place - S. Sinclair, Spokane
13 to 15 Years (Jr C) 3-4 Dan
1st place - T. Miyamoto, Northwest 1st place - K. Yoshida, Everett
2nd place - T. Koob, Bellevue 2nd place - B. Imanishi, Cascade
3rd place - Kei Underhill, Northwest 3rd place - I. Morgan, Kent
3rd place - SA Wetlesen, Obukan 3rd place - T. Marsten, Kent
4th place - S. Day, Kent
Women 4th place - T. Imanishi, Cascade
1st place - K. McManus, Kent 4th place - D. Huynh, Seattle
2nd place - M. Suzuki, Sno-King 4th place - M. Suzuki, Sno-King
3rd place - E. DeJong, Highline
3rd place - B. Park, Bellevue
4 Kyu and Under
1st place - H. Su, Bellevue
2nd place - T. Elliott, Spokane
3rd place - K. McIntosh, Federal Way
3rd place - B. Yorker, Kent
Junior Team
1st place - Northwest (J. Yu, N. Underhill, Kei Underhill, T. Ting, T. Miyamoto)
2nd place - Cascade (DV Chung, D. Terao, A. Fukuda, C. Baker, D. Chung)
3rd place - Seattle (A. Mabale, S. Wetlesen, A. Fung, F. Mabale, K. Hale)
3rd place - Federal Way (E. Corcoro-Marx, M. Day, S. Lee, I. Lee, J. Kim)
Senior Team
1st place - Kent Red (I. Morgan, K. McManus, S. Day, M. Yoneda, T. Marsten)
2nd place - Seattle (L. Durkan, A. Yen, D. Huynh, S. Guidi, M. Mabale)
3rd place - Bellevue (A. Kojima, M. Blechschmidt, B. Park, E. DeJong, L. Tsybert)
3rd place - Sno-King (D. Lew, T. Patana, A. Zee, M. Suzuki, CJ Chaney)
Sportsmanship Pledge - Keeley McManus
Head Shinpan - Curtis Marsten
AUSKF KENDO KODANSHA SHINSA, November 12, 2017, Athletic Club Northeast, Atlanta, Georgia
6TH DAN:
Elizabeth Marsten, (PNKF).PNKF JODO SHINSA, December 10, 2017, Mitchell Activity Center, Seattle Central College, Seattle
1ST KYU: Abigail Benoit (Tonbo), Duane Benoit (Tonbo), Robert Neff (Tonbo), Thomas Valencia (Yamakage Dojo SWKIF), David Zambrano (Hoshu).
May 2004, marked the 100th Anniversary of Butoku Kai. I cannot travel any longer, and most of my classmates are gone. Yet after all these years, I remember each word of our school song. It was composed by Yabe Osamu of Ehime Prefecture, a student of the twenty-first graduating class in l935.
Kanmu no Mikado itsu kimasu
Miyai wa chikaki manabiya ni
Yamato gokoro wo iya migaku
Kore zo Busen no hokori naru
Meiyo Renchi wo inochi to shi
Shitsu Jitsu Koken Mune to shite
Hibi ni isoshimu shuyo wa
Warera kenji no tsutome zoya
Tagai ni kitou tetsu wan ni
Fukutsu no chisho atsuku moe
Yama o mo nukan sono iki wa
Hiroku Tenka wo doyomosan
The rough translation of the three verses is:
I'm proud to be learning and polishing
my Yamato gokuro Japanese spirit
at Busen, this institute of higher learning
located near the Heian Jingu shrine.
This is Busens pride.
It is our duty to diligently and vigorously train daily
to forge and temper our bodies and spirit
together with honor, grace and simplicity.
The world will sense that we have a tremendous force
that never quits, the power to move mountains
that will result in calming the world.
I sang our school song in Japanese for my few remaining classmates at Busen, and recorded it on videotape.
In that way, despite all the years in the United States, I am with them as they celebrate and grieve, for
I am Japanese in spirit even though I know a wider world and love the plumeria and gentle breezes of my
boyhood in Hawaii as well as the cherry blossom.
Last Days at Busen
I lived day by day and waited for the inevitable day I would leave Busen to report to the army. I didn't
feel disloyal or even conflicted about serving in the Japanese army. To me it was just another war between
two countries. Neither my classmates nor the Japanese authorities questioned whether I was loyal to the
United States or Japan, even though I had dual citizenship. However, my Hawaiian background was likely
responsible for the government deciding not to send me to Tokyo to become an officer like my classmates.
Thus I never fought directly or in the Pacific Theater. My Hawaiian background likely saved my life.
Discussions with my classmates were not abstract. When we ate together or had a few minutes of spare time,
we would celebrate, drink sake and talk kendo. But kendo talk was specific: how clever it had been to
divert a kote hit by a feint and win with a men hit. The superior player opens and is missed only by
inches when he goes for the men; he has to be very fast or be defeated at the kote or do.
Kendo training is about action, not thinking; thinking requires time and distance from the practice. When
training, there is no room to think about yesterday or tomorrow, just this cut and that cut. When
fighting, thinking will kill you. Despite the books written about Kendo and other martial arts, words can
only delude us into, at best, partial understanding. There is "comprehension" that one cannot put into
words. We practice and that is educating the body in action. Miyamoto Musashi wrote that "you must study
this well" as he writes about methods, but always associates the "study" with comments such as: "You
must train hard to understand it" and "With detailed practice you should be able to understand it."
Yes, listen, reflect and study but it requires physical practice; with enough "doing" the Do may become
part of you.
So at Busen there was no time for book "study" of Kendo. Our "study" of kendo was to watch, do, and do
over and over again, training our body to have "muscle memory". Reflection is a part of Budo. It would
come, if ever, later. In fact, about 50 years later for me.
So even though I don't recall political discussion about going to war, I do remember my going away party.
We knew where I was going, and that those remaining would be following soon. In fact, mine was the last
party where a group could be gathered for a solitary send-off; the remaining students left en masse. So it
was a grand celebration! We laughed and played and ate and drank until we were literally rolling on the
floor, falling down laughing and dizzy with sake.
--Rod Nobuto Omoto, Autobiography, edited by Charlotte Omoto, 2014, p. 30-32.
Available as free download at lulu.com.
Kenyu - Monthly Newsletter of the Pacific Northwest Kendo Federation
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