Friday, April 4, 2014

Day 617: I don't do Kendo ...




Oh I would have if I could have afforded the gear.






Instead I watched every class.





This was many years ago, on a five week stay in Japan.
I was there for Karate, and we trained M - W - F.
On Tuesday and Thursday the dojo was all Kendo.
I love every thing about Kendo.





 My favorite memory was ...
watching an elderly man come to the dojo.
He looked to be in his 70's or 80's.
Slightly stooped, taking small careful steps.
I heard later that he had been a bus driver.
He donned kendo gear and seemed taller.
During class, he would inevitably be matched ...
with a young strong hot shot and then ... magic!
The elder became superman, showing the younger ...
the finesse of this art, cultivated over years of training.
I never saw him lose a match.
Then at the end of training...
 he quietly changed back into human clothes 
and stepped slowly out of the dojo. 






Many memories.
I will recored some here ... on occasion. 





A smile for Friday ...




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