17
May 2008
London members visit Japan
In the first week of March 2008 two members of London dojo went to Japan.
Shihan JJ Burnel went to Ikki Ohmuroyama dojo, Izukogen, on Izu peninsula to train with Kancho Soeno for six weeks and Ben Vignola was to start a year long stay as uchi deshi at Honbu dojo in Shin-Tokorozawa, Saitama Ken.
Ben is currently training for his first tournament which will be in Ito in June. After that he will be fighting in the Saitama tournament in July and hopes to take part in the All Japan later in the year.
Ito is famous for having been the location for the true story of William Adams, an English sailor who was captured by the Samurai and forced by the future Shogun, Tokugawa, to build a western ship. His story was made famous by the writer James Clavell in a book entitled Shogun.
Every year in Ito there is a festival to commemorate this man who was the first Englishman to set foot in Japan.
The culmination of Shihan Burnel's trip was a Shihan gasshuku at Ikki Ohmuroyama dojo to which Ben was invited. Hopefully we will get an account of Ben's stay from the man himself. |
