Volume 25, number 12
December 2011
125 competitors, from 16 countries within the Latin American region, participated. Brazil lead in total medal count with 12 medals in all, 5 Gold, 4 Silver and 3 Bronze, out of the 21 awarded to the competitors in the 7 divisions. Participating Countries 1. Argentina 2. Peru 3. Guatemala 4. El Salvador 5. Aruba 6. Republica Dominicana 7. Uruguay 8. Colombia 9. Honduras 10. Costa Rica 11. Venezuela 12. Panama 13. Brasil 14.Chile 15. Ecuador 16. Hosted by Mexico. The host country Mexico had the second most visits to the winners' podium, with 5 medals in all, 1 Gold, 3 Silver and 1 Bronze. They were followed by the Chilean team with a 1st Place in the Women's Team, and a 2nd in the Men's Team divisions. Ecuador obtained a 2nd Place, and the head of the Aruba delegation placed 3rd, in the Masters division. Men's Team Women's Team 1st place - Brasil 1st place - Chile 2nd place - Chile 2nd place - Mexico 3rd place - Mexico 3rd place - Brasil Men's Individuals Women's Individuals 1st place - Julio Kenji Toida, Brasil 1st place - Lilian Natsumi Miyazawa, Brasil 2nd place - Paulo de Tarso Leite, Brasil 2nd place - Tabita Saez Tayakama, Brasil 3rd place - Carlos Flores, Mexico 3rd place - Mariana Hernandez, Mexico Junior Boys Division Junior Girls Division 1st place - Hector Toshio Ueda, Brasil 1st place - Karen Mejumi Anraku, Brasil 2nd place - Victor Kenzo Fujikura, Brasil 2nd place - Amanda Miyuki Nakao, Brasil 3rd place - Rodrigo Ryuiti Hayashi, Brasil 3rd place - Caroline Naomi Ueda, Brasil Masters Division 1st place - Vidal Briones, Mexico 2nd place - Fernando Benavides, Ecuador 3rd place - Sergio Velazquez, Aruba
Women Mudansha and Shodan 1st place - Hanaka Yamada, Vancouver 1st place - Justin Lee, U Waterloo 2nd place - Tania Delage, McGill U 2nd place - Ryan Lee, Etobicoke 3rd place - Ayaka Sugiyama, Etobicoke 3rd place - Steven Park, Etobicoke 3rd place - Man Sa Ma, U Guelph 3rd place - Vincent Lai, Etobicoke Nidan and Sandan Yondan and Up 1st place - Kunhee Kim, McGill U 1st place - Eddie Yamashita, Etobicoke 2nd place - Kevin Lee, York U 2nd place - Elliot Altilia, JCCC 3rd place - Simon Choe, York U 3rd place - Shigematsu Kamata, Etobicoke 3rd place - Tim Samios, Mississauga 3rd place - Hyun Jun Choi, Jungko Teams Best Match 1st place - Men's Team Canada Bree Yang, Jungko vs. Yoshimi Matsuzaki, Etobicoke 2nd place - Jungko 3rd place - Toronto "A" Fighting Spirit 3rd place - U Toronto "A" Bora Choi, Jungko
The Hawaii Kendo Federation lost an immensely kind and friendly senior sensei on May 31, 2011 with the passing of Kendo 5th Dan Dick Okaji following a long and painful illness. Born February 13, 1922 in Hakalau, Island of Hawaii, Okaji Sensei practiced Kendo as a young child and continued on in high school, achieving 2nd Dan before moving to Honolulu to attend the University of Hawaii. He then went on to the University of Missouri where in 1957 he wrote a master's thesis, "The Legislature of the Territory of Hawaii: Its Organization, Structure, Procedure, Powers and Functions." Returning to Oahu, he had a long, proud, and distinguished career as Administrator, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division, State of Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. He loved this work and his interactions with many politicians.
He had put Kendo on hold when he went to college and while he worked. He returned to Kendo at the age of 68. He was with the YBA Kendo Club. Some years back he told the Kenyu Editor he was retiring from Kendo, but in fact he continued to be very active, and in 1995 opened his own Dojo, the Ken Yu Kai. Okaji Sensei and the Editor were both immensely relieved when the beautiful facilities at the new Japanese Cultural Center were saved. On December 10, 2000, at Kaimuki Honbu, Okaji Sensei was among those honored at a special Senior Sensei Taikai recognition day.
Okaji Sensei loved his lofty retreat with his wife Lenora high in the tradewinds up on Round Top, where many birds, fish, and kitties found refuge with him. An accomplished musician, his house was crowded with beautiful musical instruments. An avid historian, he gathered many fascinating artifacts. In this retreat he trained himself diligently in both Kendo and Iaido kihon. Okaji Sensei was an exceptionally generous person who truly loved all of his students, frequently helping them purchase their bogu, and endlessly encouraging them in their training. An exemplary kenshi has gone to his reward.
Bob TakagakiWe were profoundly stunned and devastated to learn of the horrifying last illness and death of our dear friend Kendo 5th Dan Bob Takagaki. Less than a year ago, he had learned of the sudden onset of a terrifying disease, Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS). MDS is a bone marrow disorder which results in abnormal blood cells, and the only cure is a bone marrow transplant. A match with a donor was actually found, however in April the MDS progressed to an aggressive form of leukemia, and although he underwent a few of rounds of chemotherapy, he was never in remission long enough to receive the bone marrow transplant. He was given intense supportive care, but slowly declined as his immune system was deeply compromised. He understood his fate with great clarity, and calmly wrote a simple but extremely moving farewell message to be sent to friends upon his death. On December 4, 2011 he passed away surrounded by his grieving family.
Takagaki Sensei was born in Kamloops in July 1951. He grew up in Toronto, moved to Japan in the mid-70s, and returned to Vancouver after about five years, where he started his own company shortly after. He studied at the University of British Columbia where received his master's degree in 1985 with his thesis on "The Acquisition of the English System of Pronominalization by Adult Second Language Learners."
Takagaki Sensei was a loyal member of the Steveston Kendo Club. He was also instrumental in the establishment and ongoing support of the UBC Kendo Club. He was well-known throughout the Canadian Kendo Federation, often traveling to help out generously with Kendo training in the Canadian prairies many times, seldom missing seminars held in Saskatoon, Winnipeg or Edmonton.
Takagaki Sensei had a very casual and unpretentious manner, never pushed himself forward or imposed on anyone. He had a very observant but kindly sense of humor and could always see the easy-going fun in everything. At the same time he had very high ethical standards. His business, Van Rice Products Ltd., was committed to healthy, wholesome, environmentally-friendly food, and he often shared the very delicious organic rice cakes with friends.
There is no doubt that Kendo was his greatest extracurricular passion. He never married but was very close to his brother Ken's three sons and his sister Cathy's two daughters. He also has a younger brother, Cary. Takagaki Sensei's life, and especially the way he faced and bore his death, embodied the very noblest ideals of Kendo.
Tesshu started his training in the way of the sword when he was nine years old. From an early age he was known as 'Boro-Tetsu' (Tetsu the scrapper) and 'Oni-Tetsu' (Tetsu the demon) for the crazed way in which he trained. On March 30, 1880, he was enlightened to the notion 'Because I exist, my enemy also exists. If there is no self, then there is no enemy.' His epiphany was reminiscent of the wise old cat's wisdom in Issai Chozan's famous book on swordsmanship and the mind - Neko-no-Myojutsu (The Cat's Eerie Skill). This realization is abstract, and difficult to comprehend. Nevertheless, it is by no means empty theory, and represents a profound awareness of the higher secrets of swordsmanship, gleaned through relentless training and dedication.
Tesshu created the Muto-ryu - the school of the 'sword of no sword'. This alludes to the idea that there is no sword other than that of the heart (shingai-muto). He later built a Dojo called the Shunpukan where he taught his disciples with almost unimaginable harshness. One of his famous training methods was tachikiri-shiai, in which one person fought challenger after challenger with no rest. This meant engaging in two-hundred matches in a single day. As a part of his training syllabus, advanced disciples participated in six-hundred matches over three days, or 1,400 in seven days. --Sakai Toshinobu, A Bilingual Guide to the History of Kendo, Alexander Bennett, trans., Kendo Nippon Books, Heisei 22 [2010], p. 205-207.