May 10 & 11, 2008
2008 WSKO Eastern European Regional Instructors' Study Session

The WSKO Eastern European Regional Instructors' Study Session was held for two days on May 10th and 11th of 2008, in Odessa of Ukraine, taught by Kaname Kuida, Takatsugu Iino, and Masaki Nagayasu dispatched from Japan, attended by 45 kenshi with ranks from 1st kyu to 4th Dan in Ukraine and Russia.



















The event consisted of practice in each rank group as well as seminar on embu and application method for everyone. Most participants have good physical constitution which allow impressive performances when they apply techniques on each other, shaking the floor sometimes.

On the other hand, when they apply techniques to female or elder kenshi, they show their consideration by slowing the speed and softening the power, even giving their hands along the back of their partners when they throw them onto the floor. The instructors were impressed to see the idea of "jita kyoraku" - mutual happiness - realized in the practice.



The lectures were about philosophy of Shorinji Kempo and also about the intellectual property of Shorinji Kempo on the importance of correct promotion of Shorinji Kempo and how to protect its name and images.

In conjunction with the study session, the Branch Masters Certification Seminar was also conducted attended by 7 kenshi who wish to start their own branches. Most of them are young in their 20s or 30s, joined WSKO after experiencing some other martial arts and found the philosophy of Shorinji Kempo motivated themselves to become leaders.

A visiting 1st kyu kenshi who is a junior high school student, asked what her dream is, strongly addressed her dream to become a branch master herself. We do not have a big number of branches in the Eastern European region, but we the instructors felt a promising future here.

(Reported by Masaki Nagayasu, pictures contributed by Dmitry Hovansky)

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