Sensei’s Blog

An approach to a cultural constant as seen in the tensho karate kata. Jeremie Bride, Inter Faculty, v7, Fragmentation and Divergence (2016) p173-183 Jo Ha Kyu Bride suggests that movement, that found in dance, theatre and fighting, is culturally specific, that one can identify a culture by the way its members move. After all, some … Continue reading The rhythm method of cultural identification. – Kim Taylor, Renshi, CI Sei Do Kai Guelph ON, Nanadan Iaido and Roukudan Jodo

http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/second-opinion-aug-5-1.4235262

It's the Canadian Kendo Championships this weekend, they are being held in not-Toronto which is what folks say to me when I say it's Toronto. The actual city is Markham but you really do have a hard time telling where one place stops and another begins from about Pickering to Hamilton. Big place, lots of … Continue reading Respect is not – Kim Taylor, Renshi, CI Sei Do Kai Guelph ON, Nanadan Iaido and Roukudan Jodo

We arrived at Tombo Dojo (the cabin) to find the electricity off. Brand new system, 16 grand or more, and it's broke. A bunch of electronics in a box I'm afraid, not the old transformers and wires that you could trace out yourself and say "ah, the mouse chewed the wire, give me the electrical … Continue reading Entropy – Kim Taylor, Renshi, CI Sei Do Kai Guelph ON, Nanadan Iaido and Roukudan Jodo

I've just read a paper called "Limits of understanding in the study of lost martial arts" by Eric Burkart, Acta Periodica Duellatorum, Hema studies at the International Medieval Congress, Leeds July 2016. A year late but there it is, you can find it through Google Scholar. The paper is worth reading because it sums up … Continue reading Epistemology, or how do we know what we’re doing is what we’re doing – Kim Taylor, Renshi, CI Sei Do Kai Guelph ON, Nanadan Iaido and Roukudan Jodo

I see there's a teaching seminar coming up at a dojo down in the big smoke. They have a lot of those and I suppose it's a good idea if you've got many people teaching in a dojo (they do). You need to keep things unified. I should mention that this dojo concentrates on Seitei … Continue reading Teaching, always teaching. – Kim Taylor, Renshi, CI Sei Do Kai Guelph ON, Nanadan Iaido and Roukudan Jodo

Watkin sensei was discussing the difference between these two at last evening's class so it might be useful to go over his definitions once more for our students. A waza is a movement that has been tested, that has been used successfully at some point in the past. I believe it was Iwata sensei who … Continue reading Kata vs Waza – Kim Taylor, Renshi, CI Sei Do Kai Guelph ON, Nanadan Iaido and Roukudan Jodo

One of my students is at the stage of training I call "crisis of sensei". It's the point where sensei tips from being some sort of infallable font of all wisdom to where he seems to be imperfect, just a man. It's the teenage years of your budo life, a time of pushing authority, the … Continue reading Crisis of Sensei – Kim Taylor, Renshi, CI Sei Do Kai Guelph ON, Nanadan Iaido and Roukudan Jodo

Whenever a senior class is announced there is a flurry of requests from those below the cutoff criteria to be allowed to attend. It doesn't matter whether that cutoff is rank, "dojo leader" or whatever, the rest of the folks want to know what's going on. I suppose it's human nature, we're curious monkeys. What … Continue reading Can I attend the Senior Class please? – Kim Taylor, Renshi, CI Sei Do Kai Guelph ON, Nanadan Iaido and Roukudan Jodo

https://chinesemartialstudies.com/2017/06/30/the-bubishi-gets-its-due-returning-the-bible-of-karate-to-its-chinese-roots/