I started kendo in the first grade of elementary school at a kenyuukai at the police station. When I moved to Okayama for my parents' work, I learned kendo at a local dojo, and when I moved again in the 6th grade, a teacher at a dojo in Okayama Prefecture recommended that I go to this dojo if I was going to Kanagawa. I joined Shikukai because of this recommendation.
The main focus of the Shikukai was on Kirikaeshi or rather, 90% of the total practice was Kirikaeshi. Basics! Correct stance! Correct and bold striking with the face! These were Iwanami Sensei's teachings.
In the 6th grade and junior high school years, I practiced "correct Kirikaeshi thoroughly at the Shikukai and I often received compliments from my instructors on my "good stance" and "straight, clean kendo" in matches. In high school, I was able to become a national athlete in Kanagawa Prefecture, which was my biggest goal at the time.
Although we practiced only Kirikaeshi, Iwanami-sensei taught me many important things for living as a human being, such as "be right with yourself," "don't run away," "don't cheat," "think about others," "never give up," and so on.
I was also taught the importance of teamwork and the importance of feeling as one in team competitions, etc. What I was able to embody most was the third place finish in a major national tournament in which I participated as a member of the Shikukai.
I still remember the sense of unity and joy among the members at that time. Even Mr. Iwanami, who rarely praised us, praised us at that time. (←That may have been the happiest thing for the members.
Now that I am an adult, I realize once again the importance of what my sensei taught me when I was a student, not only the technical aspects of kendo, but also the important things he taught me about how to be a human being. There are also things that I have come to understand only now, and there are still things that I don't understand even now.
When I grew up and became even more fascinated with kendo, a happy thing happened to me.
That is, my son (1st grade) started kendo. When he was a nursery school child, I used to bring him to the dojo from time to time, but it was just for fun. When he became an elementary school student, I asked him if he wanted to do kendo, and he said, "I do. I want to be strong. I asked him if he wanted to do kendo when he was in elementary school, and he said, "I do. I hope that through kendo, he will grow both mentally and physically. Of course, I am still a novice both as a kendoka and as a person, so I would like to grow together with my son.
My goal for the future is "to play a match with my son and lose," with the hope that he will become stronger than me. Of course, I plan to grow up a lot more, so I do not intend to lose easily. So, I think it will take a lot of time, decades, for my son to become stronger, but I hope that he will continue kendo with me for that long.
Masataka Sawada, Renshi 6-dan (August 2020)