Likes Likes:  0
Page 6 of 6 FirstFirst ... 2 3 4 5 6
Results 76 to 79 of 79

Thread: 1st Annual West Coast Taikai

  1. #76
    Join Date
    Sep 2000
    Location
    Orlando, fl
    Posts
    76
    Likes (received)
    0

    Default

    Wish I needed a hair cut...on a different note, people don't realize how difficult it is and the immense amount of work that goes into these things. And the smoother it runs the more labor was done. It is easy to thank the ones most visible but there are so many others behind the scenes. Just rolling and soaking tats is a chore. Getting the assembly line of students to move them is something too. Ahh, and the clean up! Most folks just leave but you will notice those that really understand dojo giri who will stay till the end. So, to all of you guys never mentioned who worked this taikai, thankyou. Bob Elder
    Rich and Stress Free

  2. #77
    Join Date
    Sep 2000
    Location
    Seattle, WA. USA
    Posts
    297
    Likes (received)
    2

    Default

    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.

  3. #78

    Default

    Just wanted to pop up and say I had a great time. It was nice to meet some people I only knew by name on-line and shake a few hands. That's always good because it reminds you that we're all out there hopefully with roughly the same goals in the long run.

    Scott here had some of his stuff out on the table. They're doing some really nice user swords and the hand made tsuba they're doing are a great bargain. You need to charge more for those things.

    I must also say I was impressed with the participation of CAS Iberia. They brought along a lot of their newer models and ideas for their future lines in the Japanese sword end of things. John Deluca let the participants cut with any of the prototypes they brought which shows the confidence level they've got in their new stuff. They're also keying more into understanding what it is that users want and need in a sword. So they offered a range of configurations. Of course there are always compromises to get swords down into a more affordable price range, but overall things just keep getting better. It is a good time to be a student of the JSA's -- there are a lot of options now that simply didn't exist even 10 years ago. Both in training opportunities but also in getting decent equipment at a fair price.

    I was honored to help out Ted Tenold with the appreciation seminar. I brought some pieces and Ted brought some pieces. We didn't tell the participants this, but they were allowed to look at, handle, stare at, and hopefully learn from a handful of blades that had a combined worth of over 6 figures. We didn't want to intimidate anyone, but the point was that you learn most by looking at good blades. One blade was worth over $30,000 as a matter of fact. Hopefully those people will be able to attend a token kai in the future and will be more likely to pick up and study better blades. And next year we hope to do more. Maybe a lot more. We even had Mike Yamazaki from the NBTHK American Branch come by and offer up some additional commentary as we went. We really want to encourage users to explore more of the other side of their arts -- the craft, history, and lethal beauty of the Japanese sword. Frankly I think learning more about both ends of the spectrum can only deepen your appreciation of your "main" area of study.

    And Robin was certainly on a tear that day. The funny thing about Robin is that he usually looks bored when he's doing his thing. He is so focused and relaxed that you wonder what's happening in his head. But then you watch him work... Amazing consistency, presence and form. I also had a great time watching friends and customers doing their thing. I must say as a guy on the crafts side my proudest moments are watching experienced people using what I worked so hard on. When they perform well I've done my part.

    Anyway, I had a great time. With all of the expressed on-line interest in swords you'd think there would be more people just watching, but that's an old rant of mine. Maybe next year we can all convince more people who just post on-line to come and see what the real deal is all about. Maybe convert a few folk in the process. It is all about the care and feeding of the arts.

    Thanks, Tony.

  4. #79
    Join Date
    Sep 2000
    Location
    Seattle, WA. USA
    Posts
    297
    Likes (received)
    2

    Default Oops

    Just wanted to point out a mistake in my above post. I got caught up in fast typing and had a brain fart. I should have typed Yamada sensei (Soke of Shin Shin Sekiguchi Ryu). Sorry for the typo.
    Scott Irey
    Just another one of those "few peanuts short of a snickers bar" MJER guys.

Page 6 of 6 FirstFirst ... 2 3 4 5 6

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •