Niten on Kendo Nippon 2009-08 (ENG)

O mestre Baba Sensei, em sua coluna mensal, fala sobre sua visita ao Instituto Niten para a maior revista mundial de Kendo

Confira a tradução na íntegra:

"Não existe futuro no meio do kendo, onde se valoriza somente as disputas vencer ou perder. Deve-se buscar um método que transmita as virtudes e que aprimore o potencial do indivíduo como um todo para que todos os praticantes de kendo sejam vencedores."

KENJUTSU OF BRAZIL

Learning with the Niten Institute improves the life philosophy of Brazilians through the Bushido Spirit.

Learning with the Niten Institute improves the life philosophy of Brazilians through the Bushido Spirit.

Invited by Mr. Jorge Kishikawa, with whom I keep a friendship for many years, I traveled to Brazil from april 20 to may 6, in a 17 day and 16 night schedule.

Sixteen students from Kokushikan University of Tsurukawa Campus came along with me, spending days of "Samadi (zanmai)"in Kendo, Iaido and Kobudo.

In 1993 Mr. Jorge Kishikawa founded Niten Institute in Brazil. He is a great kendo athlete, and was responsible for the third place achieved by the brazilian team in the Kendo World Championship in 1988. As well as kendo he has a deep knowledge of Bushido, and despite a busy life as a physician, he often comes to Japan to practice Kobudo along with Sokes of different styles, and, besides the Kenjutsu styles, as Niten ichi Ryu and Suyo Ryu, he also studies Jojutsu, Kusarigamajutsu and Jittejutsu.

Niten Institute was founded with the purpose to promote these martial arts in Brazil.

Mr. Jorge Kishikawa left the Brazilian Kendo Federation for private reasons, but the number of Niten Institute’s students increases every year, and nowadays there are over 800 students scattered over 40 branches in Brazil, Argentina and Chile.

From the next month on, the days I spent in Brazil will be reported in this magazine. In this edition I would like to comment on Niten’s approach to delivering these trainings and instructions, and my impressions about it.

Mr. Jorge Kishikawa is in search of the spirituality inerent to Japan’s Bushido. For example: he explains that no matter how much "Chi (Knowledge)" and college level education one has, if it is not accompanied by "Yuuki (courage)", success in social life will be limited at best. Thus, to attain the mental objectives of the training, he developed the so called KIR Method.

The Niten Institute’s main goal is to teach through the sword training values such as courage, integrity, compassion, respect and humility.

Many students are successful individuals such as physicians, lawyers, politicians and managers. However, the Niten Institute has an outstanding special support system for the students who are interested in practicing, but can’t afford to pay, making it possible for them to take the training.

What motivated Mr. Jorge Kishikawa, who has deep Kendo knowledge to choose Kobudo, Iaido and Jodo was the fact that he found Bushido in Kobudo’s foundations. In other words, perhaps he thought that Modern Kendo, using the Shinai alone, would be inadequate to convey the Bushido spirituality to the participants.

My impression was that, at Niten, the students were managing to attain the values required to live better through the practice of "Classic Budo". For the students, books such as "Bushido" by Nitobe Inazo and "Gorin no Sho" are mandatory reading, and practicing everyday essential to achieve the Samurai spirit.

On the other hand, what is the situation in Japan? How many people are studying the Samurai spirit? And how many teachers are prepared to teach about this spirituality? The Zenkenren is promoting "Kendo Philosophy" and "Main goal of Kendo practicing", but how far these precepts are really being followed? Unfortunately, it seems that the purpose of practicing Kendo is merely to win contests or to gain degree promotions. The Kendo seminars are taking place with themes such as "Basic techniques", "Arbitration techniques" or "Kendo-kata", except "Bushido Seminar" which would be about cultural aspects. It is essential that the Kendo knowledge be felt useful in daily routine, in order to draw interest to it.

It is clear that Niten is a respected institution in Brazil, where the most refined people want to be part of.

What about Japan? There are lots of seminars taking place in Japan, but how often does the Hanshi and 8th Dan in Kendo, which is the Kendo group of highest credibility, are being asked to give seminars? It is of the utmost importance to seriously consider this situation.

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