Over the weekend, the Annapolis Kendo Iaido Club attended the promotional exam being held by our friends at the Koryo Dojo in Richmond Virginia. None of our members needed to test.
We actually arrived late because of traffic; fortunately we weren’t the only ones who were late so the promotional exam did not start until 1:53 PM. We arrived at about 1:45 PM, so I had time to look around. I am impressed with the space the Koryo dojo has to practice on. The wooden floor has a lot of character and felt good to practice Kendo on.
The exam went up to Shodan, so no one from our club was there to test. Those testing for ranks below Ikkyo had to do kiri-kaeshi and keiko, those testing for Ikkyo and Shodan had to do keiko and kata.
During the test, being able to properly exit and enter the court was emphasized and explained. When those testing for Shodan started doing their keiko it was stopped towards the beginning as the judges explained that those testing should treat it as a real match in that if they score a point they win if they get a point scored on them they lose – don’t just give away points. Something else was emphasized during the test, however I do not know as it was emphasized in another language.
At the end of the test, the judging panel emphasized proper kendo etiquette and explained that they want you to pass. The judges are looking for those testing to prove that they deserve the rank they are testing for – the judges are looking for reasons to pass you. When you test, give them that reason to pass you. Furthermore, ki-ken-taichi was emphasized. It is important to deliver a good kendo manner. This includes good spirit and good kiai.
As the judges tallied the test scores, a general keiko was held. As I was participating in the practice I didn’t have any chance to take any pictures. I get a little confused at these but I still had the good fortune of practicing with Wayne Scanlon, Kim Sensei, and Phuong Sensei and walked away with quite a few very specific pointers.
Afterwards, about 12 or so of us went out to dinner and had a good time. All in all, it was a good experience for the Annapolis Kendo Iaido Club to attend, even if we had no one testing. The Koryo club has very good-natured and talented people and I hope I can make it to one of their practices sometime in the future.
