Mexico 2015 Seminar

 
Mexico 2015 Seminar Report
July 2015
Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico

copyright © 2015 Hector Bravo, all rights reserved.

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From July 6 to August 10, 2015, Muso Dojo held a week-long series of seminars in Yagyu Shinkage Ryu kenjutsu led by Sensei Douglas Tong. This is the review of that week of intensive training.

Since those days, as a training group, we have analyzed all the information, videos and writings that we experienced at the seminar. We have come to realize that what we saw every day during this week-long series of seminars was something really exceptional. It far exceeded our expectations and has made us reflect on what we had achieved.

Each day of training, we read and analyzed the “Heiho Kaden Sho”. It is our Bible and it guides our training. Through our study of this text and the philosophy contained within it, with the interpretations of our Master and his personal opinions on the ideas and concepts he showed us, we began to see what Shinkage Ryu truly is.

Physically, we realized that posture (indicated by the positioning of the arms and legs as well as the sword) reveals the intentions of the swordsman. The same thing is shown in the spirit and character that each swordsman projects.

We also learned many things through our practice of the famous kata of this school. For instance, in Itto Ryodan, this first kata teaches us calmness of spirit and mind. The second kata, Zantei Settetsu, was all about anticipating the opponent’s movements. In Hankai Hanko, we learned the importance of body movement, shifting swiftly and effectively.

The performance and practice of each kata was followed by a philosophical explanation. To the uninitiated eye, people might look upon the katas as simplistic, with not much there for us to learn from. But for those who attended the seminar, they came to appreciate the depth of the style and they got to see how really sophisticated it is.

For example, one of the ideas discussed at the seminar that captivated everyone was the concept of Ken-Tai. It is the art of balance, where mind and body act separately but simultaneously. A detachment between the material and the spiritual. It is not only a philosophy on how to fight with swords, it is also applicable as a way to live your life, to survive day by day, a life lesson.

We could see, guided by the words and anecdotes of Sensei Tong how the mind (the spirit, the philosophy) is even more important than the sword itself. Since the objective of knowing the art of the sword is not to use it, that’s where we can see true expertise in the art of sword-fighting.

Each day of the seminar, through the diligent and friendly hand of our Sensei Douglas Tong, we explored the teachings of our ancestors in Shinkage Ryu. The daytime sessions developed us technically, and the night-time sessions enriched us in spiritual ways. If the seminar had only been focused on technical growth, it would have been lacking. But together, this fusion of the technical and the spiritual made for an unforgettable seminar.

This seminar was a watershed in our development, a time of important change for us, leaving our past behind and embracing the Way of the Yagyu arts. Was it chance or coincidence for us to meet Sensei Douglas Tong? Was it destiny or fate? As the saying goes, when the student is ready, the teacher appears. Regardless, we are truly fortunate to have Sensei Tong as our teacher. Through him, exploring the Way of Shinkage Ryu is something that we hope to continue for a very long time.

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Here is the testimonial from Hector Bravo of Muso Dojo:

“I am very grateful to Sensei Douglas Tong for travelling from so far away to come and share his extensive knowledge in Kenjutsu with our group. For us, it is an honor to follow the guidance of such a gentle and capable teacher. Over the week, our group received a great deal of information, techniques, and insights on this most famous of Japanese sword styles, Yagyu Shinkage Ryu. In teaching us, Sensei Tong was patient and yet he was very thorough and precise. He transformed every moment of the training, enriching us not only technically but also spiritually. At different moments throughout our seminar, he gave us insights that were helpful in developing our understanding of technique, discussed the philosophy and spirit of the style, and shared anecdotes from his own training experiences in Japan which made this seminar something truly unforgettable. But most memorable of all, he shared with us his passion and his love for this art. I believe that I speak for everyone here at Muso Dojo when I say that I hope that this first trip will become the start of something wonderful, a great tradition.”

Héctor Bravo
Muso Dojo
Tijuana, Mexico

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Tong Sensei was invited once again to appear on Hola Californias, a live morning television show much like Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, and the like. The show is watched throughout the state of Baja California and in parts of Southern California, particularly in the San Diego Metropolitan Area. Here is the television appearance:

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