Kendo XVI -- Kendo Matsuri

   Today was the kendo matsuri, an event that's held in the first half of November every year at the dojo. Former students come as well as current students. Older former students and associates who are dan-ranked referee the tournaments.

   There was quite a turnout -- around 34 people in the tournaments, I think.

   There were several tournaments; one for kids under fourth grade, one for kids in fourth grade, one for kids in fifth and sixth grades, and one for kids in seventh and eighth grades. Then there was an overall tournament that consisted of the first-place winners of each category.

   It was a lot of fun to watch; I didn't participate for obvious reasons (age and inexperience). After the tournament, we had a big lunch that consisted of sushi and cookies. I also brought pigs-in-a-blanket that I'd made from scratch (except the sausages), though I vastly underestimated the number of people that would be there. I figured it would be good to triple the normal number and took 36, but there were parents, guests, and referees as well... oops. I was short by probably a good 20 or 30... oh well.

   The people that did eat them loved them, though.

   After people started leaving, I got to put on Miyasaka-sensei's bogu. It wasn't so bad until I put on the men; that was a lot heavier than I was expecting it to be. I guess that's good, since you don't really want your head caving in... and also, the most weight is probably from the mengane, or faceguard, which is metal.

   Yeah, you don't want a stray shinai popping through your mengane and taking out an eye...

   (You're gonna lose an eye!)

   Keiko (as practice is called when you go one-on-one with an opponent also wearing armor) was fun and very tiring. A lot of people have said that the first time you wear bogu is depressing because you lose mobility and you feel different; I didn't have that problem at all.

   If anything, I felt like I had more confidence because I didn't have to worry about a stray blow hurting a lot. I could charge in and attack without worrying about the opponent's shinai... and because we were both wearing armor, I didn't have to worry about body impacts either.

   The worst problems for me were sight and sound. A lot of people complain about lack of peripheral vision when wearing men, but that doesn't bother me -- you're only fighting one person, so you only have to be able to see them. It forces you to remember the basics and face them properly.

   Sight was a problem because I couldn't wear my glasses under the men. The new new glasses I have don't have enough of a hook behind my ear to stay on securely, so I couldn't wear them. Unfortunately, that meant I didn't really have any depth perception.

   Sound was a problem because the men is made of thick, hard futon... which protects you and also absorbs sound. It was interesting in a way, because it reminded me what it was like to be on normal hearing aids back when I was in school. Not that it induced any kind of nostalgia at all; I like being able to hear.

   The only strikes that hurt in the slightest were kote, and I was kind of expecting that since I'd had the experience at the middle school club.

   All in all, it was a great experience... and now I now I should take a sports bottle with a really long straw so I can drink during practice if I need to, since you can't easily take off the men and you're not supposed to once you have it on.

   Too bad all of the gear is so expensive or I'd buy my own set right away!