South Bay Branch, U.S.A. / December 2008 - Contributor: Vinny Kawano

November 22, 2008 - It was a nice and sunny Saturday afternoon in Southern California. The usually quiet neighborhood in Gardena became a bustling storm of kenshi from the South Bay branch and Caltech branch. They were preparing one of the main halls at the Japanese Cultural Institute (JCI) for the Southern California Fall 2008 Godo Renshu. Kenshi from Industry Sheriff, Westminster, San Diego, South Bay and Caltech branches participated in the Godo Renshu. Over 40 kenshi of different age groups and ranks gathered together to build new friendships, strengthen old ones, and learn from each other. Greetings were short, for we were all eager to practice right away.

The Godo Renshu started with a "light" warm-up lead by Sean Mauch kenshi from the Caltech branch. Many kenshi were sweating from the warm weather and Sean kenshi's many vigorous exercises. Then we had Chinkon, lead by Uekuma Sensei from the South Bay branch. Afterwards, we had our first session lead by Uekuma Sensei. He showed us several variations of Ryusui geri and Shita uke geri, which we practiced with kenshi from different branches. Many of the children were shy at first, but they were soon jumping right into the mix thanks to the encouragement of Rastogi Sensei from Westminster branch.

After the first session, we moved on to Juho. Kawamata Sensei from San Diego branch and Wei-Chi Sensei from Industry Sheriff branch showed us their different styles of Gyakugote and Okurigote. It was very interesting to see each Sensei's different point of view and philosophy come out through their techniques. Many who were struggling with Gyakugote before found this session very helpful. The final session was broken down into two groups. Miyata Sensei lead the white belt to 1st kyu group, while Uekuma Sensei, Kawamata Sensei, and Wei-chi Sensei lead the Sho-Dan and above.

It was a great learning experience for everyone regardless of our experience level. Everyone listened with "new born minds" and was able to learn new variations of techniques that many have never seen before. We ended the Godo Renshu just the way it started. Everyone hustled to clean the dojo. We then met up in the dining hall next door for some pizza and conversation. Mixed together were Branch Masters and future Branch Masters.

We spent the rest of the evening exchanging ideas and talking about the future of Shorinji Kempo in the United States. We all had a good time and even made some new friends. Uekuma Sensei always believed that the practice does not end when you leave the dojo. The most important lesson we learned that day was that building relationships is as important as learning new techniques. We parted ways in hopes of our next Godo Renshu together.

 

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