Shoheijuku Newsletter June 2021

All Japan Enbukai

On Saturday, May 15th, the fifty-eighth All Japan Enbukai was held at Takasaki Arena in Takasaki City, Gunma Prefecture.

Though this event is held at Nippon Budokan (National Martial Art Hall) in a usual year, it was held at Takasaki Arena due to Tokyo Olympic Games this year.

This time, the event was held with no spectators due to COVID-19. We did not have any group enbus either, and had enbus by the masters and instructors only. The total number of enbu participants was only 193 including their ukes.

For my own enbu this year, I requested Daisuke Maeda, Ryoko Fujii and Kohei Yamada to be my uke.

Though it was an enbukai with a smaller number of enbu participants, Hombu Dojo-cho, Mitsuteru Sensei performed a youthful, energetic, and sharp enbu in closing to wrap up the first half.

To conclude the enbukai, Doshu, Moriteru Sensei performed his general enbu as providing explanations of the techniques.

This time, the high-ranked instructors from all over Japan each performed a distinct enbu built up on their long-time practice. I learned a lot through watching their enbu.

In particular, I was truly moved watching bare- hand and Jo take-away techniques performed by Tada Hiroshi Sensei who will turn ninety-two years old in December this year.

The fifty-eighth ebukai finished and it was my fifty-fourth back-to-back participation this year which is surprising to me if I say so myself.

I would like to express my sincere appreciation to those who take ukemi for me every year, to my own body blessed with good health, and to everyone who kindly cooperates with me all the time.