Sensei Takada Gakudo talks about iaido

Enbu in Joensuu, Finland
2011.6.17.

Iaido Seminar in Sweden & Bulgaria

June 29 - July 7, 2010

"48 people from 4 countries gathered in Uppsala, Sweden for a 4-day iaido seminar. People came from Sweden, Finland, Estonia and Austria to take part in the lessons taught by Takada sensei. As usual when there is a seminar in Uppsala the weather turns to sunny and hot, and this year was no exception although we did see some rain too.

The schedule for the camp called for classes in Shoden, Toho, Chuden, Okuiai and Tachi Uchi no Kurai as well as Jodo. The first classes of the day started at 9.00 and the last ended at 18.30 with a two hour lunch. Even though the days were full of practice everyone kept their spirits up and contributed with all their best iai.

Having Takada sensei here to teach us is a great privilege and the fact that about 50 people from all over Europe show up every year proves how much we appreciate and cherish his teachings. Even though we seem to have a hard time remembering all the lessons from year to year, and sensei having to remind us about wide cuts, proper iaigoshi and the importance of shizei, in the end we get better each year. That is especially evident this year when no less than 14 people passed their grading and gained new ranks ranging from shodan all the way up to godan.

This year was also the first time that Takada sensei went to Sofia in Bulgaria to teach iaido where 12 people attended the seminar. The trip to and from Sofia became much more adventurous than anticipated due to delayed flights, but eventually we reached our destination.

In Sofia Sensei was interviewed by Bulgarian Television and he gave a demonstration for both the Television and general public. The camp was for two and a half days and included lessons in Shoden, Toho, Chuden, Tachi Uchi no Kurai and Jodo."

~Thank you Tor & Martin~

Seminar memo - Tallinn, Estonia 10/2009

My name is Sanna (22 years) and I am writing from Jyväskylä, Finland. I have been practising iaidô since September 2008. I was one of the 43 people attending Takada Sensei's seminar in Tallinn, Estonia 22.-26.10.2009. It was very delightful to see so many people come together from Estonia, Finland and Sweden, to practise and learn new.

The training started on Thursday afternoon and we had full days of training from Friday to Sunday. I had only two to three training sessions a day, but for students on more advanced level there were up to six training sessions per day varying in contents.

Monday was also a bit shorter and the training ended before noon because there was a dan grading in the afternoon and after that a party, in which I was not able to participate, but fortunately, every evening there was an opportunity to have dinner with Sensei and ask questions. I was at the dinner on Sunday when among answering other questions Sensei told us how he became interested in iaidô and he actually remembered it to the date!

The important points that Sensei emphasized in his teaching many times during the seminar were kokoro, shisei and technique, in the order mentioned. I am sure that this is one of the things people took with them when leaving back home, with everything else they had learned and with the will to better themselves still.

Thank you Sanna-chan for sharing your seminar memo!

Iaidô Seminar in Estonia

Takada Gakudô Sensei visited Tallinn, Estonia October 19-27, 2009. The main purpose of this trip was to teach iaidô to European iaidokas but there were also a few extra days for sightseeing in the schedule. Not being Sensei’s first time in Tallinn it was time to explore something else instead of the usual tourist spots of this beautiful city.

On October 20th Sensei had the chance to walk in the Bastion Passages right under the city of Tallinn. These passages were built in the 17th and 18th centuries. Straight from the undergrounds Sensei was taken to climb some towers of the city wall. After the towers it was time to go to Ship Museum. The highlight was to get inside of an old submarine which was used during the WW II. After the history part Sensei enjoyed a chamber music concert in the Kaarli Church.

On October 21st Sensei visited Soomaa (land of bogs) national park in south-western Estonia. The name tells you all about the place wetland after wetland after wetland. Even a few kilometers of hiking in the boggy forest was enjoyable for Sensei, the colorful landscape of autumn forest must have been worth seeing. After changing wet socks and shoes it was time to have homemade sushi dinner cooked by one of Sensei’s students. The evening was spent enjoying the views of Keila-Joa waterfall.

The last day of sightseeing was October 22nd which Sensei spent walking in the Kadriorg Park, visiting the famous Estonian Song Festival spot (Laulupidu) and having lunch at a small local cafe.

In the afternoon it was time to start the seminar; intense training during the days and socializing in the evenings. The main point of this seminar was to emphasize the most important parts of iaidô which are spirit (kokoro), posture and attitude (shisei) and technique (waza). The grading was held on the last day of the seminar; and this time all the participants passed their tests. (Congratulations to all of you!) In the evening there was of course a farewell party with lots of presents and Estonian treats.

After returning home Sensei shared his experiences and feelings about the seminar with his Japanese students. Sensei was pleased to have met his European students once again and seen their progress. Despite of the hard schedule Sensei was really happy to have also seen such beautiful places of Estonia. He especially enjoyed the colorful forests and other nature’s sightseeing spots.

Thank you Rein-san for sharing this seminar diary!

Pictures