Kendo 2nd Dan

On Sunday 7th Feb I passed Kendo 2nd dan exam. This is the result of three years of training and I'm very content. The exam is in three parts; three essay questions, shinai kendo and the kata. Today is Wednesday and I'm finally feeling alright. That exam took 100% effort. The essay question took about a month to think about and write. I'm extremely grateful to my wife and to Kaishin ken yukai kaicyou Kataoka-sensei for correcting each draft. I live in Japan and, taking this test in Tokyo, I want to write in Japanese. Later, I post them here.

The day before the test I visited Yagyu-ke gravesite. There was a little left-over snow. It was very cold at the gravesite. Strikingly, there was no sound at all. I wondered if it meant anything. 2nd dan is too low-level for Munenori-sama to acknowledge me ? On the morining of the exam I visited the local shinto shrine, Hakusan jinja. Passed the first torii is a registered tree, 1000 years old. That tree made more sound that Yagyu's grave. I wondered if it meant anything. Up the steps is dragon statue pouring water. The water in the trough was mostly fozen. I was washed my hands and face, threw 100 yen at the alter and said quitely "I want to pass with all my heart".

At the exam place, I needed a 100 yen coin for the locker. If I hadn't gone to the shrine, I'd have one. These little things just make me more nervous. After an hour and a half waiting, it was my turn to put on the tenegui and men. I was almost shaking. Munenori's silent grave and the noisy tree filled my mind. Silence, calm, centered. My shinai kendo must have been alright, but I still concerned about posture and feet position/movement. The kata could have been better. 3bon-me uchi-tachi is still awkward, and maybe I made a mistake in 5hon-me.

From today, everday i need to study for kendo and more Japanese language.