Waikato Kendo Club

2025 Eiga and Morioka Sensei Seminar Dear Kenshi and Friends, On behalf of Waikato Kendo Club, I want to sincerely thank you for joining us at the August seminar and for celebrating our dojo’s 26th Anniversary together. Your participation—whether travelling from near or far, adjusting your schedules, or simply bringing your spirit and energy—made this gathering truly meaningful.  It was wonderful to see old friends reconnect, new friendships formed, and everyone learning together under the guidance of Eiga sensei and Morioka sensei. Organising this seminar was not an easy journey, but your enthusiasm and dedication made every effort worthwhile.  We hope that the teachings and memories from this weekend will continue to inspire your kendo journey. Acknowledging Our Unsung Heroes While everyone’s presence made this seminar special, I would like to especially acknowledge the “unsung heroes” whose efforts behind the scenes made it all possible: Ben Kennedy , Head of Sport Departme...

We are honored to announce that Eiga Hideyuki Sensei (Hanshi 8th Dan) and Morioka Hiromitsu Sensei (Kyoshi 7th Dan) will be visiting New Zealand this August to lead a Kendo seminar. Everyone is warmly invited to join the event—or follow along for updates, photos, and highlight videos. We look forward to sharing this special occasion with the wider Kendo community! Introducing Eiga and Morioka Sensei Eiga Hideyuki Sensei - Hanshi 8 Dan (栄花英幸 - 範士八段) Renowned worldwide for his exceptional skill and deep understanding of Kendo. Eiga Sensei’s notable achievements include placing 3rd at the 21st All Japan Invitational 8th Dan Tournament in 2023, first at the 19th All Japan Invitational 8th Dan Tournament in 2021, and placing 2nd and two 3rd positions at the All Japan Kendo Championships. He graduated from Tokai University and currently serves as a teacher at Hokkaido Eniwa-Minami High School. Morioka Hiromitsu Sensei - Kyoshi 7 Dan (森岡宏光 - 教士七段)  A respected teacher with vast experience...

Yana - My Kendo Journey 24 December 2018 Beginning (general) Up until 2015 I was playing volleyball and lived through that sport. In January 2015 I got a really painful muscle spasm in my lower back. Then we found out I had scoliosis. I was 14 at that time, which is the latest age for fixing things like scoliosis, leaving me with little hope for playing sport in the future. This news meant I couldn't continue volleyball, as my spine simply couldn't support the pressure of jumping, landing and colliding. My mum forbade me from playing volleyball or doing any other type of sport from then on. This really made me despair, as a big chunk of my life was gone, and so is its social/physical benefits and the feeling of being alive. Sometime later I also got asthma (living in an old house), which made my physical exercise experiences even harder for me. Around the same time 2014-2016 I was reading a book series called " Young Samurai " which described a range of Jap...

Our appreciation goes to David Pan from   Bellevue, Highline, and Sno-King Kendo Club for the efforts of translating the original post in Chinese . * * * “Is Kendo a lonely journey (to you)?” This was my Facebook Status update on July 5th. The reason I ask isn’t so much because “I am lonely”. Instead, because I have some experience in translation myself   (text in Chinese) , when I saw a narrative on Facebook by a professional translator about how lonely she felt in her journey, it resonated with me. As kendo is another important aspect of my life, it is only natural by association that I would pose this question. I really like blogs, Facebook, and other social media because it is a means for me to “throw a sprat to catch a mackerel”. Even if I was just casually sharing my thoughts or feelings, I can often get surprisingly insightful, humorous, or reflective responses, such as: Being lonely is great! Ko-ken-chi-ai ( To know love through crossing swords...