CHUO KENDO DOJO - Los Angeles, California - USA - The Traditional Art of Samurai Fencing. Chuo Kendo Dojo is a member of the All U.S. Kendo Federation and Southern California Kendo Federation.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                        By Jose M. Fraguas

Sensei Masashi Shikai was one of the last students of the legendary Kendo master, Torao Mori Sensei. He started his training at Chuo Kendo Dojo in 1964, at age of 15. He become a member of USA Team for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th World Kendo Championships and the Team Captain at the 6th World Championship, and was a Manager of Team USA at the 13th World Kendo Championship, among many other great accomplishments in the sportive aspect of the art.

When stationed in South Korea with the United States Army, Sensei Shikai trained at the famous Songyon-Kwan University in Seoul, from which he has a great memories. His personality and charisma are second to none, and with a strong presence  he reminds all martial artists the most important lesson in Budo, "When you start something, finish it. Don't give up when difficulties or problems arise, because they will test your willpower and determination in life. Do your best to find a solution and work it out, being creative. But above everything else... do not make excuses. Making excuses is not acceptable for a true man of Budo because at every moment you have to be giving your best, and when you give your very best, there is no need for excuses. That is the Samurai spirit."

Sensei, when did you start training in Kendo?

I started training kendo at age of 15 in junior high school. My parents had a restaurant and there was an American man who used to come to the restaurant every day. I was there helping my parents with some of the responsibilities at work. He told me about the idea of checking a Kendo school. The school was not really far from my house, very close actually, like only five or six blocks away. I thought it was a good idea and we went. We really loved it and asked the Sensei to borrow a shinai for practice. He gave us a couple of techniques to practice , like how to swing and the basic footwork. We truly enjoyed this training session so we went back. Sometime later, I did find out that this dojo had a very good reputation and was there more than 50 years.  It has a great history. During that time there were only classes on Thursday evening. No other day was a kendo class. We kept going back once a week and I never stopped.

Who was the instructor at the time?

At the time , the instructor was Torao Mori Sensei. He was very famous and highly respected among kendo people. Of course, we didn't know about this and didn't understand what that actually meant. I really owe a lot to Mori Sensei because he is responsible for me to continuing training and practicing the art of Kendo. He was a very influential figure to me as a teenager and after.

How would you describe the art of Kendo?

Kendo is an art that involves a lot of action. But when it comes to the technical aspect of it, the emphasis on the basics is paramount. The movements may look simple at first sight but that is the real secret of the art. We learn how to swing, the proper footwork, right posture, the block, etc. ... and basically we have the " essentials " of the art. Than we have to go and repeat of those thousands of times, over and over again. They have to become a "reflex" action. This is the true idea of any martial art system, but in kendo it is a little bit different because we have to use a weapon, the shinai. And we have to convert the "weapon" into an extension of our own body. This makes it a little more difficult to master. 

When did you decide to compete in tournaments?

I got involved in competition in a very early stage of my training. After five or six months, my sensei asked me if I wanted to enter in a competition in San Jose, California. I really didn't know what I was getting into but I thought it could be fun. So I said,  " why not?! " and I did go. What was really interesting that I won and got first place. I went there just to "try" and I actually won the tournament.  Of course that was a very inspirational moment for me because I felt extremely good. It gave me extra motivation to keep training hard with a focused dedication.

How has the art and the sport evolved in the recent years?

Kendo always has been an art and sport that represented Japan, due to different aspects of it. It always has been recognized internationally but definitely when I started it was not practiced and extended around the world the way it is now. Today,  there are Kendo dojos all over the world. The technical level is excellent no matter what country you go to, and the talent of the practitioners are great all around. There is a great uniformity in the basics of the art. No matter where you go, the fundamentals are the same. It is later in training where we can see some differences in the way certain schools or instructors use these fundamentals , but these differences are not in the essential elements of the art. One year after Torao Mori Sensei passed away in 1969, the art and sports of kendo was reorganized in a way that more competitions were available to practitioners. Before then, the tournaments mostly were international only. Japan was the exception, of course. Even internationally at the time, there were over a dozen countries . Today, we have more than fifty countries involved in the international competition system.

How different is Kendo compered to other Martial Arts? 

It is very difficult to compare Kendo to other martial arts for several reasons. To begin with, there is something about the art that brings back the most traditional elements of Japan: the sword, the possibility of actual sparring with a weapon, etc. ... As I mentioned before, the fact that we use a weapon makes the art different from the others that use only the body to attack and defend. 
Another aspect what makes kendo different is the uniform. The different elements and protectors we use for the head (man), hand (kote), and chest (do), including the hakama, makes this looks nice. When you combine all these things together the " external image " the practitioner is very " classy ". Of course you can have a very expensive hakama and gear and know absolutely nothing about the art. But there is a certain " class " in the way one is supposed to wear and walk with the Kendo uniform and gear that brings a " special " feeling to the art.  Like and old Samurai spirit! There is an elegant combination of these traditional Japanese elements that brings the old warrior spirit to life.   Of course, this may occur in all martial arts style, but I believe Kendo is one of those system where all the "external"  appearances "breath" Budo.

The USA Team made history defeating the Japanese Team during the 13th World Championship in Taipei, Taiwan. Please tell us about it. 

Japan is the top country in the sport/art of Kendo.  Facing the Japanese team is more than facing another team. The reason for me to saying this is because of the tradition of japan. From a technical point of you, the USA Team is ready to defeat any other team in the world, but I realized that what we were missing was not the pure skill but the extra motivation that comes from  " believing " that we can defeat any other team. Another thing that I saw is that although we always had very demanding training sessions, it was probably a good idea to think  " outside the box " and incorporate some other kind of physical training that could give us the that extra edge.

How did you approach these two important factors?

For the physical training, I contacted Attila Nemeti (Trainer of Team USA at the 13th World Kerndo Championship) a former swimmer and coach of the Hungarian Olympic Swim Team in the 1980s, who happens to be a kendo practitioner here in the USA. I talked to him and explained what I had in mind. He said it was possible to develop a strenght and conditioning supplementary training program for the team members. This program would be designed specifically for the art of kendo and it would improve the competitors' physical conditioning and flexibility substantially. I was exited about it and we brought him to work with the team. His training sessions were really hard. They used medicine balls, stretch cords, over-weighted shinais, etc . . . to develop extra strenght in the arms, torso and legs. The athletes were exhausted and in the beginning they could hardly walk straight. He incorporated a lot of power drills for arm and shoulders and specific exercises for explosive footwork. The overall idea was to make all kendoka in the US TEAM faster, stronger and more powerful from a physical point of you. Attila Incorporated all of his knowledge and experience into this program for the US Kendo Team.

What about the psychological aspect?

This was something that we had to approach very careful. Motivation and power to make an athlete believe he can do something is a very tricky thing. I thought about how to inspire the team with something that had nothing to do with Kendo, but that at the same time, they could relate to and use for our goal. One night I thought of the movie Miracle, which tells the story of the famous victory of the USA Hockey Team against the Soviet Union. I watched the movie again and I saw in that movie the perfect tool to make our athlete to believe they could do it. I got a copy of the movie and had them watch it . . . one by one. You should have seen them. They were on fire. In their eyes, you could see they believed they could beat ANY team and ANY opponent.  They had the skill, the physical training, and the mental drive to make it happen. They knew and they were sure that they could take any team in that Championship.

But how did you input this belief into them?

Let me explain. A believe is a way you feel about something -- it's deeply rooted. For instance, if I ask you a question about something, you have an answer for it. On the other hand, believe in something is trusting that what you want can and will happen. There is not a single doubt that it will happen -- you completely trust and know that it will happen. You have to believe that things will work out -- no doubts, just trust in yourself and your inner powers. Believing requires this complete trust that everything will work out, that you will do your part while trusting and knowing that you can and will get what you want. It is very different to have a belief about something than to make someone " believe " in something. 

Than, what happened?

And the day arrived. We had to face the Japanese Team. I believe that Japan was thinking about Korea. And since they had won all the matches we previously had, nothing made them think that this time was going to be different. Well, they were wrong. All of a sudden, they were defeated by the USA Team. And the couldn't believe it. Not even the crowd did. Only we believed that we could do it. I am extremely proud for what this represents for the history of the art of Kendo in the United States of America. At the end, what you believe is what you get.

Sensei, what is the most important quality we can find in Kendo that can be applied to our life?

No matter what we do in life, we need to try our best, never give up, and be honest. The etiquette, manners, patience, and discipline are principles and values that can be applied to our lives but that is something that pretty much all martial arts have. One thing that I see that maybe different is this: when we fight in Kendo , once we attack . . . we go through. We keep constant pressure and keep hitting even beyond the point of contact. This action teaches that no matter what, even if we get hit . . . we need to keep going after our goal. Focus on the target and don't let anything stop you. Don't give up chasing your goals. That is something that is unique to the art of Kendo.

Where do you see the art of Kendo 20 years from now on?

It is growing. It is very well organized and systematized, so the best is yet to come. The rules are very uniform and the whole world follows them. This makes a solid foundation for the art to grow around the world. Some people talk about the Olympics. Some like the idea, some do not. For me, the important thing is to see the art and tradition of Kendo being practiced around the world with the right spirit and the right attitude. That is what really counts.