Ito Cup 2008

I participated in my first "official" Kendo Tournament. Our Dojo held the first Ito Cup yesterday.
We had four judges from Japan, who held two 6.dan and two 7.dan levels.

It was quite an honor to have these sensei at our dojo, many of which learned from Ito Sensei our
dojo's founder. His Son came out to visit and we were honored by his comments that Ito Sensei would
have been proud of our spirit and fight. I am happy that we were able to bring Ishikawa Sensei the cup the first year.
I think our Dojo made an excellent impression on all of the judges, his friends.

I may not know a lot about Japanese culture, but I do know there was a lot of honor on the line for Ishikawa Sensei, his dojo, his students, his tournament, his guests....it was a good thing to win.

The children had an individual tournament which they did wonderfully. Our kids took, First, Second and Third out of a field of 10. Little Yuka Saito will be freight train when she grows up. She was the smallest kid in the tournament and she won first place. Her Spirit and Ki won everyone's hearts. The entire crowd was clapping for her....and as the day progressed she became a crowd favorite. Everyone was very impressed with her skills for being so young.

Our team did very well, we won First Place. I lost the first round in the semifinal, so we started down 2 points. Ishibashi was able to tie the match by scoring two point to zero....and then it all came down to a match between Kajitani Sensei and Cooper Sensei....thankfully Cooper Sensei was able to keep us in the tournament. That was a wonderful match, the best of the tournament. Kajitani Sensei and Cooper Sensei were a wonderful matchup that everyone was watching with great intensity.

In the Final round I was able to heal my performance, and I led strong with 2 points right away. This gave us some breathing room, and Ishibashi sealed the deal with a single point, it was at this point that we could "somewhat" relax.

Overall, it was fantastic. I didn't care if I won or lost. Its only a game. Too often in Kendo you stress out...get nervous and tighten up. I had to tell myself over and over that it was only for fun. I think this really helped me.

I cannot wait for Las Vegas this July and the National Kendo Tournament. I have entered the individuals I hopefully will progress beyond the first round robin match up.

At the end of the evening we had a wonderful meal at Domo. The best Japanese restaurant EVER. Homma Sensei puts out a spread....everything you can imagine. Very generous. His restaurant is simply amazing the decor and japanese garden are truly inspiring. After a full day of Kendo, it was fun talking with everyone, getting to know the faces behind the masks.