Testmatch with kendoka to approve "Intangible Cultural Property"?!

[sven beulke]

Hi All!
I found an very intresting and weird story in an older posting:http://www.e-budo.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6809&highlight=tsksr+footnote
The thread was started by Will Bodiford about a footnote in the japanese version of "Deity and the Sword" about the official designation of TSKSR as "Intangible Cultural Property". There were two replies by Carl L. McClafferty:
Folks:

Just a side note to William Bodiford writings. The TSKSR was required to sent a person to fight a Kendoist, chosen to represent the government.

Otake Sensei was the person who stepped on to the floor. The rest is history.

Carl L. McClafferty
Brently:

According to history, (no one mentioned any rules that I can find.) When Otake Sensei stepped on the mat carrying a bokuto and let it be know that this was a match for life, the Kendoist withdrew from the mat.

I don't know the kendoist name and this might be hard to understand for some of the younger bjj/nhb forum members who like to beat up people; but I hold that kendoist in the highest regard. What a man he must be or have been.

CARL MCCLAFFERTY

Any one heard of this story before? I think its weird because such a match would not approve ( no matter what outcome it has) the cultural value of a ryu. Its like a Go-Player who wins the Meijin-tournament has to play against a shogi-player before receiving the trophy( its not the best example of cause but you know where this points). If the story is true, Otake did the only thing possible refuse to "play" kendo and turn the situation in a real "life and death" situation, a situation he was trained for. The kendoka did his best as well. But i am puzzled who ordered such a testmatch and more important why? What is the value of a designation as "Intangible Cultural Property" if it depends on such a silly testmatch?
By the way, are there more ryu designated as "Intangible Cultural Property" since 1970?
Greetings from freezing cold germany!

[carl mcclafferty]

Sven:
You should contact Phil Relnick for info, he's the TSKSR representative in the United States.

Carl McClafferty

[sven beulke]

Hi Carl!
I hope you dont take my" if the story is true" as an offense, but its hard to believe, cause in my eyes its senseless . Do you have more information about this testmatch? Were you heard about its the first time?
Regards

[Kentaro Relnick]

Sven

To prevent any misunderstanding please note that Carl's statements are incorrect:

- the government does not conduct, let alone require, ''testmaches' for anything. Kendo and other martial art federations may conduct matches for kyu and dan grades but these are, I believe, non-profit organizations and do not represent nor speak for the government;
- the Kendoka in question was never chosen to represent the government;
- Otake sensei never "stepped" on that mat; and
- the 'history' mentioned has nothing to do with TSKSR's designation as an "Intangible Cultural Property".

Think of it as a local sport kendoka who thought it would be cool to be like a 'samurai' and issue a challenge to a duel. I'm sure there must be other ryu with similar stories. In this case nothing happened.

Kind regards

[sven beulke]

Hello Kentaro!
Thank you for the clarification!
Kind Regards