January 2008
A Happy New Year, hope year 2008 is prosperous and productive year for you. Kenkyu kai practice is on Friday, January 4th at JCCH dojo from 7:30PM. Mr. and Mrs. Hiroshi Sasaki and 5 others will join us there. They are from Akita Prefecture staying in Hawaii till January 9th.
Hawaii Kendo Federation Senior sensei’s Taikai (AKA: Over the hill gang taikai) will be on Sunday, January 13th from 8:30AM at Kaimuki Honbu Dojo. Come and cheer for senior senseis.
Hawaii Kendo Federation New Year Party will be held at Natsunoya from 5:30PM on Sunday, January 20th. If you want to join, contact the chief instructor at your dojo for more information.
Please welcome high rank kenshi group headed by Mr. Kichibei Tsuchida of Hiroshima Prefecture. The group will arrive on January 31st. It is good and beneficial to see high rank sensei’s kendo.
I will be sending our entry for 46th Steveston Tournament in Richmond, B.C. Canada, by January 19th dead line. The tournament is on Saturday, February 9th 2008. This year over 40 persons are going from Hawaii. More than half of them are participants.
Please submit club/HKF dues by the end of February. As I said every year, the best support you can give to organizations you belong to is to pay dues and to participate in their activities. If you do not know how much, contact me.
It is rare to see guys with long hair in kendo. I asked Dennis Kinoshita why he kept his hair long. His answer was to donate his hair for cancer patients for their wigs after losing hair with chemotherapy. One of my coworkers, Linda Arakaki, who had long hair down to her knees, donated hers. Recently my granddaughter, Lara, gave her beautiful hair to “Locks of Love” for the same purposes. I am proud to be surrounded by such compassionate persons in kendo community, in my work place and in my family.
Iwao Sato, Chief Instructor, Wahiawa Kendo Club