Kyudo - 1st UCI Seminar

Kyudo 1st UCI Seminar I think it was in 1996 or ’97 when I got a phone call from the ANKF – All Nippon Kyudo Federation in Japan. The Los Angeles Kyudo Kai had been signed up with the ANKF by Onuma Sensei after a visit he made to train us years before. But in 1996 I had formed The Nanka Kyudo Kai as our affiliate with the newly formed AKR – American Kyudo Renmei, and thus are connection to the ANKF. They called because there was to be a Martial Arts event in Long Beach (a city on the south side of Los Angeles County) they had been asked to send instructors, do a demo, and hold a workshop for the event. As the local representative of kyudo, in their eyes, they wanted my ‘permission' to come and participate in an event that was ‘in my backyard,’ I think they called it. I found it a little un-nerving that the ANKF was asking my permission to do anything. Of course they were being polite, I was expected to say yes; in fact, I think they had already planned on coming. But they did ask, what great manners.

They would send, what were to be, 5 Hachidan Hanshi; I say, ‘what were to be’ because at the time of the phone call, Shibata Sensei, and Uozumi Sensei were still listed as Kyoshi. But once they arrived they were profiled as Hachidan Hanshi.

Once I gave my ‘permission' they said that the instructors they were sending had one day off. If I would like, they would give us a one day seminar. Of course I jumped at the chance for that, and it was great. I reserved an exercise room for us at UC Irvine where we had our newly formed UCI Kyudo Kai. We only had rooom for makiwara, but we had 5 Hachidan Hanshi and 5 Makiwara. It was like a private lesson on each Makiwara all day long!

I invited the other Renmei of course, but it was hard to fly to Los Angeles for a one day event. But Earl Hartman Sensei & his family came down from Northern California, as did Stephen Scott Sensei, and one other student from the north as well. The Nanka Kyudo Kai was newly formed so I didn’t have many students separate from Kosaka Sensei yet, but some came; Jesse came up from San Diego; and Vince Tagle the first UCI student to join our newly formed kyudo club took his first shot with the Hanshi (Vince now teaches the UCI Kyudo Club Class). E.Clay and Yoshiko Buchanan Sensei wanted to come but would arrive back from Japan on that same day. Instead of landing in San Jose and going home, they hopped another flight and joined us for dinner after the seminar... then flew home. How’s that for dedication (they flew down for the day for the 80th anniversary of the Los Angeles Kyudo Kai too; I still contact Buchanan Sensei with Tai Hai and etiquette questions because of all they’ve done for us ).

The ANKF asked us to help with their Long Beach Event, and of course we did. It was only a few days, but I’ll remember it forever. One of the Hanshi (and I think Earl Hartman Sensei too) said, 'this is just like how we train in Japan'. Though I don't think they meant with one Hanshi on every makiwara; but that it reminded them of training in their home dojo rather than at a big seminar.

Years later, one of those Sensei (Uozumi Sensei), was one of the judges for my godan test. How cool is that. It's funny though, the day before my test we spoke about the UCI seminar and he said, 'I'm still mad at you'. I asked 'why would you be mad at me, what did I do'? I assumed, out of ignorance, I made some great error in etiquette. But as it turned out, remember before the seminar he was 'only' a Kyoshi not a Hanshi; the day of our seminar was the day the ANKF President was conducting the promotional ceremony in Japan for the Hanshi who passed. Uozumi Sensei said sadly, 'I got mine in the mail'. He reminded me of Charley Brown from the ‘Peanuts’ Comic strip on Halloween who after each house, as the other children said, ‘I got a candy bar’ or ‘I got a nickel’ Charley Brown always said, ‘I got a rock’. Uozumi Sensei got his certificate, in the mail; and apparently, it was all my fault. But then he smiled, laughed, and slapped me gently on the back and we joined the rest of the Hanshi and Renmei Heads for nice dinner. And I passed my test, Whew, that was lucky; who knows what will happen when a Hanshi holds a grudge like that.