From the 13th to the 17th of May, the Sei Ryu Kai held it's 3rd annual gasshuku in Ogose, Saitama. The main group of foreign participants set off from the Bunbukan dojo bright and early on Sunday morning, and met up with the Tokyo based participants at Ikebukuro station. We found Sensei sitting outside a cafe, enjoying the pleasant weather so here we stopped for a coffee and waited for others to gather. The foreign contigent was dominated by the Australians with 13 participants (way to go Ozzies!), who were already enjoying their time in Japan with participants from the Netherlands, Swizerland, Chile, and our American Bunbukan regular, Mick. Our Tokyo members were a group of very experienced budoka's. Nishioka Sensei was joined by his newly appointed Menkyo Kaiden Watabe, to lead the teaching. Other very experienced Sensei's Horikoshi, Suezawa (aikido) and Yamada (karate) joined us for this gasshuku and brought their very powerful budo energy with them.
Once the group had gathered we made our way to the platform at Ikebukuro, and we caught 2 trains out to Ogose station. Luckily, we didn't have to wait too long at the station, as we may have lost some of our members to the very inviting sights and sounds of downtown Ogose! Our bus took us to the hotel, and after some confusion in the offloading and loading of luggage, we sat down for a light lunch. Within the hour we were changed and in the dojo, in this case a full basketball court. We spent a while slowly warming up individually and chatting. Sensei was relaxed and jovial, and we let all members relax for a few minutes beyond the scheduled starting time. When Sensei was ready the call for sei-retsu! (line up!) was heard.
Sensei began proceedings and welcomed all the participants. Sensei's focus again was on kihon waza, and so we started the gasshuku with suburi, uchi komi and soutai dosa. After only an hour or so our heads were already full of corrections, and Sensei was just warming up. We finished our basics session and Sensei allowed us to use the time remaining for 'free keiko', where particpants could pair up with anyone else to practice their kata.
Our rooms were just a 5 minute walk from the gymnasium, and the hot baths were waiting. We couldn't spend as long as we'd like to relax our bodies before dinner, so we quickly bathed and donned our summer gowns provided by the hotel. Sensei again welcomed us all, and the beer and Japanese sake flowed as we dined on a delicious Japanese style menu. The hotel staff were very friendly, and even looked the other way when we taking the half empty bottles back to our rooms, where the parties continued after dinner.
Luckily for some, the gymnasium was only able to be used from 9am, meaning our traditional 6.30am soutai dosa session had to be delayed.So, at 9am, the 3 hour morning sessions began with various combinations of kihon practice. In the last half of the morning session, the group would split by level and each level was able to learn their respective techniques. Thanks to those members who supported Nishioka Sensei with teaching, namely Watabe-san, Kitta-san, Addo and Mick.
With just one hour for lunch break we gathered again in the dojo for 1pm start. The afternoon sessions then started each day with kenjutsu, and over the following days the group learnt all 12 kata and practiced this new knowledge. After an hour or so, we again split the group into Omote, Chudan and higher levels. Nishioka Sensei was very eager to observe the senior group, and there was a particular focus on Gohon-no-Midare this year. Sensei also spent one of the afternoons with the Chudan group, and this of course was greatly appreciated. For the last hour leading to the finish time at 5pm, we would again split into 'free keiko'.
Of course, having a 4 hour session from 1 to 5pm, all participants were free to take a drink break to regain their energy. This of course included Nishioka Sensei who showed his budo spirit over the course of the gasshuku. Being such an agile and spritely man, we can tend to forget that Sensei has now reached 83 years. SMR is not something that can be taught by talking, so Sensei was holding the sword and mixing it with us, and his great efforts were much appreciated and admired among the gasshuku participants.
Thus the days would finish at 5pm, we would again head to the baths before another beautifully prepared dinner, whilst enjoying the usual refreshments. To liven things up on the third night, Addo thought it would be a good idea to copy the traditional Japanese party plan, and have everyone get up and say a few words. There were a few coughs and splutters from the Australian section, but after a while even they managed to quiet down. The group started with a degree of shyness, but as the alcohol kept flowing the honesty factor increased and the group heard all kinds of speeches before Nishioka Sensei finally put an even keel on the evening.
The final business of the gasshuku was the shinsa (exam), and examinee's were busy making preparations on the morning of the last day. We would like to congratulate all participants in the exam for showing their skills under pressure, and passing. Sensei thanked everyone for their efforts, urged us to work hard to improve ourselves and to meet again next year for Sei Ryu Kai's 4th annual gasshuku.
Sorry, Michel was cut off from this picture...
Again, we would all like to thank Suezawa Sensei for his hospitality at the Bunbukan!
Thanks to all participants for making the 3rd SRK gasshuku a great success, and keep checking the news page of Jodojo for information about the next gasshuku.
