Year end and grading success

Toronto Branch members after the 2007 Closing Ceremony

Members of Toronto Branch gathered at our dojo this evening for our annual closing ceremony. We had a number of members missing due to illness or family commitments, but had an enjoyable event nevertheless.

The event consisted of 108 punches and kicks followed by Chinkon-gyo. After that each member came to the shomen area, greeted their fellows and stated their name and rank. Finally, there was an address by the Branch Master which described the achievements and major events of the past year (see this blog) and our hopes for 2008.

In addition, one of our members - Kevin Legault - was presented with his brown belt after successfully passing his 3rd kyu examination. The grading which was organized by Shorinji Kempo Ontario was held on Sunday December 16 at the North York Branch.

Kevin and his new belt!

2007 was an exciting and eventful year at Toronto Branch and we look forward to building further when we return to practice on January 7, 2008.

Gassho

Toronto Branch receives award

Toronto Branch recently received a STAR Award from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Foundation in recognition our fundraising efforts. We have raised funds for the CAMH Foundation each year since 1996 through our Annual Charity Kickathon.


Gassho

Training at Atsugi Doin

On November 15, John McCulloch of Toronto Branch had the great pleasure of being reunited with Hiate-sensei (Seihanshi, 7th dan) at his dojo - Atsugi Doin in Kanagawa-ken, Japan. Hiate-sensei is the founder of Atsugi Doin and has taught there steadfastly for the past 35 years. Hiate-sensei is also a Hombu and WSKO Instructor and has become quite well known to kenshi in Europe and North America as well as Japan.

John had the good fortune to study under Hiate-sensei at Atsugi Doin in the summer of 1985. Since that time the bond of friendship between them has grown ever deeper and our Branches are closely linked.

Here are some scenes of the visit:



Hiate-sensei and the members of Atsugi Doin - thank you very much for your hospitality and kindness.

Gassho

John McCulloch

First Annual Shorinji Kempo Ontario Taikai

Members of Toronto Branch participated in the First Annual Shorinji Kempo Taikai held at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre on October 27.

Over 40 kenshi from all the Ontario Branches were represented at the event (Toronto, North York, Huronia and Yorkville).


Toronto Branch members participated in the event in a variety of ways:

• Kumiembu demonstration by John McCulloch and Tal Schaeffer.
• Dantai embu by eight members.
• Randori demonstration by Tal Schaeffer and Yan Montgomery.
• Participation in the adult category kyu and dan grade tandoku embu sections.
  
• Participation in adult category kyu and dan grade embu sections.

Congratulations are due to the following Toronto Branch members for their successes:

• Eduardo Bello (1st dan) - 2nd place in the adult dan tandoku embu category
• Isabel Struik & Yan Montgomery (both 2nd dan) - 3rd place in the adult dan embu category.

A full report on the event is posted here on the WSKO website.

We wish to thank the members of North York Branch for their wonderful organization and hosting of the event.

Gassho

Toronto kenshi pass black belt test

Eduardo Bello (left) and John Dadosky (right)

We are pleased to report that Toronto Branch members Eduardo Bello and John Dadosky were successful in their shodan (1st dan) black belt examination held on August 27, 2007.

Congratulations!

Gassho

Godorenshu in Barrie

Members of the four Shorinji Kempo Ontario Branches gathered at the Hiryukan Aikido Dojo in Barrie on August 25 for a godorenshu focusing on embu.

The godorenshu was led by Thomas Fontaine-sensei, Branch Master of Huronia Branch.

We are grateful to Fontaine-sensei and the members of Huronia Branch for being such kind and considerate hosts.

Some pictures of the event are posted below.

Gassho

Cheque presentation

Earlier this evening Toronto Branch members presented a cheque for $5,500 to Dr. David Goldbloom, MD, FRCP, Senior Medical Advisor, Education and Public Affairs, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).

The funds were raised in our 12th annual charity Kickathon event.

Gassho

2007 Kaiso Day "Kickathon"

On the evening of May 23, 2007, Shorinji Kempo Toronto Branch held its annual charity Kickathon event in aid of the CAMH Foundation. Thanks to our many generous sponsors we were able to raise $5,500 for this cause.



The funds we raise are earmarked for use in supporting programs to assist drug addicts recover from their addiction as well as basic research into the causes of drug addiction.

Shorinji Kempo was established by Kaiso So Doshin-sensei in 1947 with the goal of helping people realize their true potential and make valuable contributions to society. Drug addiction is a catastrophic condition for those that suffer from it (and their friends and family) and through this event we sincerely hope that we can help at least one person rediscover the joy and beauty of life.



We wish to thank our kind sponsors for their wonderful support and also the dedicated staff of CAMH who make miracles happen every day.



Gassho,

John McCulloch
Toronto Branch

Report on 2007 Cornell Gasshuku

On the weekend of May 26-28th, the 29th Annual Cornell Shorinji Kempo Camp (Gasshuku) was held in Camp Barton Trumansburg, NY. Sakuyama Sensei (Ibaragi Takahagi Doin, Japan) once again led the training session where Kenshi from USA, Canada and Japan participated in this yearly tradition that has become a training staple for the north-east region branches of North America.

Sakuyama Sensei teaches principles of movement

Four Kenshi from Toronto Branch attended this year; it was the first time for all of them at Cornell.

Eduardo and Elisabeth

Sakuyama Sensei, after very fun but strenuous warm up and Kihon, focused on the importance of listening to and studying our bodies when in movement. He made emphasis on how each and every Kenshi must study his/her body when executing a technique, meaning analyzing how the body moves and balance shifts, finding which muscles are actually leading the motion and most important of all, where “our” centre is located throughout the technique.

Kevin, Sakuyama Sensei, Eduardo, Elisabeth and Robert

All 4 Toronto Branch kenshi, Elisabeth, Robert, Kevin and Eduardo, found Sakuyama Sensei to be a real inspiration to continue training and practicing Shorinji Kempo as well as having enjoyed very much meeting Kenshi from all over America and Japan who indeed are great examples of how Shorinji Kempo brings the best qualities out of every individual.

Gassho,

Eduardo Bello
Toronto Branch

Spring makeover

The Toronto Branch website (www.torontoshorinji.org) has undergone an update with the addition of the official Shorinji Kempo logotype and So-en symbol.

Our blog has been spruced up too.

Gassho.

Toronto Branch 2006 Year in Review

Our annual "Year in Review" webpage has now been published.

Please have a look here.

Gassho

2006 Closing Ceremony

Toronto Branch held its annual Closing Ceremony on the evening of December 20, 2006. The event formally marks the end of the year's training and provides an opportunity to reflect on the achievements of the preceding year and focus on what we need to work on in the year ahead.

We were fortunate to have members from the neighboring Yorkville Branch with us this year.

Toronto Branch members performed embu (pairform display of techniques) during this year's Closing Ceremony. The embu were as follows:

• John Dadosky (1st kyu) & Eduardo Bellow (1st kyu)
• Isabel Struik (2nd dan) & Stas Zlobinski (1st dan)
• John McCulloch (5th dan) & Tal Schaeffer (3rd dan)

End of the year messages were given by John McCulloch (Toronto Branch) and Albert Louie (Yorkville Branch).

We look forward to a successful year in 2007!

Gassho

Recent Grading Successes

Toronto kenshi Eduardo Bello and John Dadosky immediately after their 1st kyu examination

Toronto Branch members were successful in several recent gradings administered by Shorinji Kempo Ontario.

• Nov. 02: Ahlia Khan passed the junkenshi 1st dan exam.
• Nov. 26: John Dadosky and Eduardo Bello passed the 1st kyu examination.
• Nov. 26: Andre-Philippe van der Heyden passed the 2nd kyu examination.

Congratulations to all.

Gassho

First Annual Shorinji Kempo Ontario Embukai

Members of Toronto Branch participated in the first annual Shorinji Kempo Ontario Embukai which was held at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre on the evening of Sunday October 30, 2006.

Our embu participants were:

• Yan Montgomery (2^nd dan) and Stas Zlobinski (1^st dan)

• John Pitts (1^st dan) and Ahlia Khan (1^st kyu)

• John Dadosky (2^nd kyu) and Eduardo Bello (2^nd kyu)

The event was not a competition and, therefore, no scores were announced. However, the format of the event was otherwise identical to that in a major embukai and allowed the Ontario kenshi a good opportunity to experience performing embu under these conditions.

We thank North York Branch for hosting the event and Richard Ngun-kenshi of Yorkville Branch for allowing us to use his photos.

Gassho

Ota-sensei visits Toronto Branch

Koji Ota-sensei (7th dan) of JR Shikoku Branch, Takamatsu, Japan visited Toronto Branch on the evening of October 25, 2006.

Ota-sensei has studied Shorinji Kempo for many years and learnt the art from many great first generation teachers such as Kaiso So Doshin-sensei, Misawa-sensei and Tamura-sensei. Accordingly, his understanding of Shorinji Kempo technique and philosophy is very deep.

Ota-sensei recently returned from Africa where he was an instructor for the WSKO African Study Sessions in Tanzania and Kenya.


Ota-sensei taught us about many important basic points such as:

• how to make kamae to protect weak points
• how to make a fast and smooth keri
• how to make ukemi safely from nage

Ota-sensei is an expert at using technical practice as a base for exploring philosophical items. He believes that the direct person-to-person communication we have in Shorinji Kempo is extremely important for the wellbeing of society.


We are extremely grateful to Ota-sensei for his teachings and inspiration.

Gassho

Karlstad Gasshuku, Sweden

On the weekend of October 21-22, 106 kenshi from three continents gathered in Karlstad, Sweden for the 2006 Karlstad Gasshuku. The participants came from Branches in Sweden, Finland, Germany, UK, Japan and Canada.


The instructor of the event was Kizumi Hiate-sensei (Seihanshi, 7th dan) of Atsugi Doin, Kanagawa, Japan. Hiate-sensei has been a Branch Master for 34 years and is also a WSKO Instructor. Hiate-sensei is Vice-Chairman of the Kanagawa Shorinji Kempo Federation - the second largest regional federation in Japan.

Assisting Hiate-sensei with the teaching duties were:

Anders Pettersson (Daikenshi, 5th dan) - Karlstad Branch
John McCulloch (Daikenshi, 5th dan) - Toronto Branch
Ake Olsson (Seikenshi, 4th dan) - Karlstad Studenter Branch
Yasuyuki Murai (Seikenshi, 4th dan) - Atsugi Branch


The seminar consisted of kihon practice in the mornings, lecture and techniques by rank in the afternoons. Hiate-sensei gave a presentation on Oct. 21 based on his personal history and on Oct. 22 related how kenshi should act based on an appreciation of dharma.


Personally speaking, it was a wonderful event. It was especially enjoyable to train under Hiate-sensei again, to meet Anders-sensei, Steve-sensei and many other great friends from Europe once again. I am very grateful to Hiate-sensei for his teachings and to Karlstad Branch for their kind invitation to join the event.

Gassho

John McCulloch
Toronto Branch

 

WSKO Eastern North American Regional Instructors Study Session

Toronto Branch was a co-host of an official WSKO Study Session in Toronto on the weekend of September 16-17, 2006. The event was held in the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre. We were most fortunate to have such a high level facility for the seminar.

2006 WSKO Seminar - Toronto, Canada

Click above to access photo gallery of the event

The WSKO instructors who led the event were:

• Mr. Yoshimi Akiyoshi (Seihanshi, 8th dan) - Tokyo Betsuin, Japan
• Mr. Kazuhiro Kawashima (Seihanshi, 7th dan) - Hombu, Japan
• Mr. Takashi So (Junhanshi, 6th dan) - Hombu, Japan

Participants from four continents came to attend the event. Branches in attendance included...

• Canada: Alberta, BC Tozenji, Huronia, North York, Toronto, UBC, Vancouver, Yorkville
• Chile: Maullin, Osorno
• Japan: Yokohama Sugita
• UK: Harrow
• USA:Alabama, Ann Arbor, Berkeley, Boise, Caltech, Denver, Hollywood, Miami, Mt. Diablo, New York City, Peninsula, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Silicon Valley, South Bay, USN Yokosuka, Westminster

The Study Session focused on the development of instructors and Branch staff. Consequently, in addition to the usual technical study, participants reviewed how to properly judge randori and embu. In addition, the instructors described in detail many aspects of how Shorinji Kempo is to be run as an organization worldwide.

The Study Session also permitted meetings of the Canadian and US Branch Masters . The meetings addressed matters of common concern, especially how we can work more effectively to promote Shorinji Kempo and collaborate on various areas. It was certainly valuable to be able to tap into the collected experience and wisdom of the group.

Gradings for 3rd dan and 4th dan were also conducted by the visiting instructors.

On the evening of Saturday September 16, the participants gathered for an informal dinner at the Crowne Plaza Don Valley Hotel. A particularly poignant moment was a euology to Yamamori-sensei (the teacher who brought Shorinji Kempo to North America in the 1960s) by Uekuma-sensei (South Bay Branch). It was a very moving speech.

We wish to express our sincere gratitude to the visiting instructors for their excellent instruction and to the participants for making such a great effort to attend the event.

Gassho

Toronto kenshi attends Hombu training camp

John Dadosky of Shorinji Kempo Toronto Branch traveled to Tadotsu, Japan to attend the Hombu "University Training Camp A" which was held from August 7-10, 2006. This training seminar is primarily aimed at members of Japanese university Branches, however it is also possible to attend as a WSKO member.

Read about John's experience at the Camp here.


If you wish to attend such a training camp at Hombu, the general guidelines for attendance are detailed here.

Gassho

Cheque Presentation to CAMH Foundation

Cheque presentation to Dr. David Goldbloom (CAMH)

We presented our 2006 "Kickathon" cheque ($8,000) to the CAMH Foundation this evening.

Dr. David Goldbloom (Senior Medical Advisor, Education and Public Affairs of CAMH and a member of the Board of Directors of the CAMH Foundation) commented "“The consistent support of Shorinji Kempo Toronto Branch - let alone the extraordinary physical energy and discipline required - is terrific; we at CAMH greatly appreciate being on the receiving end of their efforts!"

We are honoured to be of service to this wonderful organization and wish to thank our many kind sponsors for their support.

Gassho

28th Annual Cornell Camp (part one)

The 2006 Cornell group

From May 27-29, 2006, kenshi from the USA, Canada and Japan gathered at Camp Barton, Trumansburg, NY for the 28th Annual Cornell Shorinji Kempo Camp (Gasshuku). Since its foundation by Ken Ohashi-sensei in 1978, the Cornell Gasshuku has become a mainstay for kenshi in the north-east region of North America.

The Gasshuku was led by Sakuyama-sensei (Ibaragi Takahagi Doin, Japan) and Atsumi-sensei (Yokohama Negishi Doin). Both instructors were formerly staff members at Hombu and studied directly under our Founder - Kaiso So Doshin-sensei.


Sakuyama-sensei: "true freedom through Shorinji Kempo"


Atsumi-sensei: "katsujin ken - the fist that gives life"


Sakuyama-sensei instructing fine points of goho