Journey to my 5th Dan Grading in Tokyo.
I always wanted to share the journey of my Kendo. However, in those years I was not sure when is the right time to start. After I passed my 5th Dan grading in Tokyo on 30th of November 2024, I felt the right time has come.
Quick introduction, my name is Cain Lee and I grew up in Australia. I first came across Kendo at Melbourne Uni when I was studying Mechatronics Computer Science. Perhaps it was during my first or second year (1999/2000) that I saw a Kendo demonstration at the Campus which got me interested; and I signed up. The journey has taken me to Japan where I lived and worked in Tokyo, training in a family Dojo called Michinoko (みちの子). It is in Japan where I got my 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Dan. Shortly after passing my 4th Dan I moved back to Australia. The plan was always to come back to Tokyo for my 5th Dan grading when I am eligible.
I was due for my 5th Dan grading in 2019 but I was not able to take the exam in Tokyo until Nov/2024 due to a baby coming to this world and the Global pandemic. Two were very significant events in my life. Melbourne had the strictest lockdown in the world, we had a 5 km radius of travel restriction; and Japan closed its borders. Lockdown in Melbourne was not fully lifted until the end of 2021; and Japan didn't reopen it's borders until mid 2022.
During the 2 years of lockdown, there was hardly or no Kendo training at all for me. If there was, we had to wear full face shield and a mask underneath, making training extremely difficult. When lockdown ended, looking back at the time the chances of me passing my 5th Dan in Tokyo was very low.
In preparation, on the 1st of Jan 2023, I decided to take on the 1 Million Suburi challenge by doing an average of 2000 Suburi a day and sometimes more; and going back to Kendo training on a regular basis. Not knowing if I was ready or not, and there was job layoffs happening in the economy, I was not sure if I would be able to return to Tokyo any time soon. So I participated in two 5th Dan gradings in Australia and unfortunately I failed. Having failed the grading in Australia was like a double edge sword, failing was a devastating feeling. If I passed, that was it, no 5th Dan grading in Tokyo and the narratives of this blog will be very different. However, having done my gradings in Japan I felt something was missing, perhaps I was just not ready. In late Apr/2024 I completed my 1 Million Suburi Challenge. It was then I felt a milestone has been met; and I really felt the time has come. It's a strange feeling but I will share my 1 Million Suburi challenge in another blog.
I trained regularly throughout the remaining of 2024, and submitted my application to take my 5th Dan grading in Tokyo on 30th of Nov.
By myself, I returned to Tokyo on 22nd of Nov (Fri), it was a great feeling to be back. Before the grading day I was able to squeeze in 4 trainings at Michinoko Dojo, and each training session I was able to get guidance on what I needed to pay attention to.
The grading day, 30th of Nov 2024, it was a Saturday. The night before I slept early so I would be fully rested. Left my Gotanda hotel at around 7:30am and head off to Tokyo Budokan. For those who don't know, Tokyo Budokan is not Nippon Budokan where the WKC was held in Japan. Tokyo Budokan is located in Chiyoda-Ku, Tokyo; on the Chiyoda-Line bordering Tokyo and Chiba where you get off at Ayase Station. I arrived in Tokyo Budokan shortly after 8am; and when I arrived there was an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. It was the very place I passed my 4th Dan exam 9 years ago. That was a very long time, a very long time ago.
By 8:45am, the entrance was packed full of people going for their 4th and 5th Dan grading on the day. 9am sharp, the door opened and people slowly flooded into the entrance of Tokyo Budokan.
Before leaving for Japan, a good friend of mine, Ben Sheppard Sensei (6th Dan) of Nanseikan told me to think of the moment, the day as a celebration, not a grading but a celebration of your achievements of the 20 plus years you spent to devote your life to Kendo. Strangely enough, I felt that feeling, coming out of the strictest lockdown in the world, having completed the 1 Million Suburi challenge, spending 20 plus year of my life devoted to Kendo, and now standing in front of the very place that I passed my 4th Dan grading, this is it. There was only one way forward, and that was walking through the entrance of Tokyo Budokan.
Once you are in the Budokan, everyone walked up to the second and third floor to put your Bags and Bogu in the seating area. I found members of Michinoko Dojo, and grouped up with them for warm ups. What you will find in Japan is that the male will all change in the open seating area. Once changed, I walked down to the ground floor, there you will find boards of people's names in groups, and what time they need to register. Since I have done all my past gradings in Tokyo, I was familiar with the format, and I was able to quickly find my name, 5th Dan Shiaijo 3 (Court 3) and on the top row there it is. This pretty much means 1st group, and grading is expected to start at 10am.
Part 1 - Jitsugi.
With the way the rotation was set up in the groups, I was lined up to fight first with my opponent. Once I stepped onto the Shiaijo that was it, despite the loud Kiai from other Shiaijo there was a moment of silence. One step in, Rei, three steps forward, Sonkyo, Kamaite, "Hajime" and that was it. Everything I trained for was depending on the 2 x 60 second demonstration of my Kendo. There was really no time to think, no time to worry, all those thoughts even if you were to want to think of it were too late. What eventuated was just putting everything I have been practicing into that moment of Kendo and just letting my Spirit, Sword, and Body take over. Kameite, strong Kiai, Seme, create the path of opportunity and forge your strongest cut, strike, follow through with Zanshin; then quick turn and face your opponent. Explaining it sounded easy, but every action or inaction of your opponent must be dealt with a correct strike on his MEN, KOTE, or DO. You can't guess any cuts, you must be in control; and most of all...
You must waste no cuts.
For some of you, you may be ask, how about TSUKI? That is probably discussion for another time. I can definitely say, a TSUKI never crossed my mind.
When you are in that moment, it was hard to self judge if you did too many cuts or wasted too much. My first opponent was slightly taller than me; and a much better built. While my second opponent, he was a lot taller as far as I can remember. Two fights and two minutes in total later, it was over.
Then the wait, I didn't find out that I passed my Jitsugi until midday. The wait was well worth it, my number 166 appeared on the board. What a sense of relief. But it is not over.
Part 2 & 3 - Kata & Exam paper submission.
As much as I have practiced my Kata before the grading, Kata was never my cup of tea. To me it was the opposite of Jitsugi in terms of speed, but the intensity you must demonstrate in your Kata is never the less just as strong as your Jitsugi.
At least this time, I had time to practice Kata with members of my club a few times in the annex Dojo.
When it was time for Kata, we all submitted our exam papers, and shortly they put us in groups of 6 (3 pairs), and my partner was 181. He was the Uchidachi and I was the Shidachi. I am grateful to have 181 as I can see that he has put a lot of time into his Kata as well.
Kata #1 and #2 were performed with no hesitations as expected.
Kata #3 our footwork and movements of the body and sword were in sync.
Kata #4, our Bokuto crossed at the right height; and performed all the way to Kata #7.
Kata #8 with the Kodachi, I was able to catch his cut and let it glide down the omote side of my Kodachi.
Kata #9, again I was able to catch his cut and let it glide down the ura side of my Kodachi. At the end of Kata 9, it's like I could see the light at the end of the tunnel, just one more Kata to go.
Kata #10 felt like it was done in really slow motion, when I caught 181's Bokuto with the Kodachi on the first cut, despite I felt 181 pulling back a little prematurely I was able to demonstrate the pushing of his Bokuto with my Kodachi to demonstrate correctness of the form. When 181 performed the DO cut, to my memory, it did come a bit lower than usual but I was able to catch it and slide my Kodachi forward to put him in the tsuba lock position. A few more steps afterwards that was it, back to original position, Sonkyo, and pretty much Kata #10 was completed.
Once our Kata was done, we had to wait for all others to perform their Kata. After Kata sessions was concluded. The panel had to review all individual's exam papers as well. So we waited, but this time the wait was not that long but there was a wait.
Like all my 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Dan; my 5th Dan was no any different. I wrote my answers in Japanese; Japanese was not my first but the 3rd language, I learnt all my Japanese from my time living in Japan. It was something which I wanted to achieve as part of my 5th Dan grading despite being told that foreigners can choose to write their answers in English these days.
After about an hour or so of waiting, a staff walked in with a piece of long paper and presented it on the whiteboard.
On it was 166 & 181; we both passed. Afterwards we Congratulated each other on passing and wished each other the very best on our journey to 6th Dan.
After grading, I went to visit an old friend and celebrated with a few drinks. Like good old times, caught the last train back to my hotel in Gotanda. Before heading back to my hotel, I swung by the convenient store to get the infamous Fami Chicken for one last snack. That night I rested well, and the next day hopped onto a plane in Narita and back home to Melbourne, Australia.
Once arrived back in Melbourne the passing of my 5th Dan felt like a dream, it took some time to get used to it, and I am glad I've made it.
If you have the opportunity, I recommend everyone to take a grading in Japan. You can find me at Kenshikan (Melbourne Budokai) in Melbourne Australia.