I have been out with the flu since I got back from the Taikai so my appologies for not getting this up until now.
In a word the Taikai was "Great"! It was another event the likes of which are not seen in Japan. Tony Alvarez managed to put not only students, but prominant teachers (3 of whom are either soke or the equivalent within their styles) in the same room; demonstrating, teaching and competing. As a general rule you will not see this type of thing in Japan unless all members belong to the same blanket organization.
The competition was more like an enbukai in spirit. I was very impressed with the reigi as well as attitude of all the competitors. The overall Taikai winner was a good friend of mine, Robin Ramirez. It should come as no surprise that Robin is also a MJER practitioner I lost track of the number of divisions that Robin placed either 1st or 2nd place in. He won a Howard Clark Katana for all his hard work! Great Job Robin!!!
The enbukai was great as well. There were 6 or 7 demonstrations including demonstrations by Yamaguchi sensei (Soke of Shin Shin Sekiguchi Ryu) Niina sensei (Soke Mugai Ryu) and Hataya Sensei (Kaicho of the Zen Nippon Batto Do Renmei) Imagine my good fortune at having to be the first one to demonstrate in a field of such distinguished instructors.....sheesh....fortunately I didn't drop my sword, hit the floor, or cut off any appendiges.
Next year promises to be a bigger and even better event. The venue will be the same (Costa Mesa Hilton, and I would like to say that I don't think a better venue could have been asked for!). The list of guests is longer for next year and Tony hopes to hold a Koryu Enbukai as well as a Taikai. He already has commitments from some of this countries most prominant koryu practioners. In fact, if it happens, I believe it will be the largest and most varied Koryu Enbukai outside of Japan. The competition will have some modifications to make it even friendlier for us iai types, as both seated and standing waza will be allowed in the iai division. The date will also change. It was agreed that the East Coast and West Coast Taikai should change dates so that the East Coast folks are not holding their taikai in the middle of hurricane season. Thus the West Coast Taikai for 2007 will happen in Summer instead of late Winter. Rumor has it that a Tokenkai may run in conjunction with the Taikai next year. That means a major sword show running side by side with the Taikai. I for one am VERY excited about next years event and what it promises to hold.
The venue was perfect for an event like this. The room rates at the Hilton were very reasonable ($99 per night with up to 4 guests per room) and the amenities were superb. Good shopping, restaraunts, etc all within walking distance of the hotel. And it is only a 5-10 minute ride from the airport.
If you didn't attend this year, you really missed out on a spectacular event. I strongly encourage anybody thinking about attedning next year to definetly do so. You will not be disappointed.
Regards,
Scott Irey
Just another one of those "few peanuts short of a snickers bar" MJER guys.