Member Profile

David Harrsion	Member Since:	1980
5 Dan Kendo	Started Kendo:	1980
	Date of Birth:	01/20/1954
	Favorite Waza:	Kote nuki Men
	Favorite Kata:	Nanahon Mei
	Other Interests:	Reading (History, Science, Philosophy, Martial Arts) Yoga Photography Walking my dog, Chiyo Boston Red Sox
Other Martial Arts:
Iaido Tae Kwon Do Shotokan Karate Aikido

Why Practice Kendo?

It's important to practice kendo as away to challenge yourself, both physically and mentally.  Not so much to gain strength and skill as to develop your potential as a human being.  To become more humble, more compassionate, more patient, more perservering.  I like to say that kendo is the art of cultivating the human character.  The sword is used to cut away bad habits, bad thoughts, and bad emotions.

How did you start Kendo?

I was doing Tae Kwon Do at the time and looking for something more satisfying.  My girlfriend, now my wife Mayumi, took me to see a kendo demonstration.  I'd read about kendo and was fascinated by its history and traditions, but there were no dojos in Boston at that time.The Boston Kendo dojo was just forming and was giving a demo.  I don't remember too much about the demonstration, they performed kiri kaeshi, kakari geiko and ji geiko, but I do rmember the kata.  The two performers, Mr. Nelson Sigelman and Mr. Jack Thayer, were doing Ippon Mei of the Kodachi kata.  When Shidachi struck "To!" his kodachi somehow snapped at the tsuba, but yet it flew past Uchidachi's head without touching him.  From my view point it appeared that shidachi broke the kodachi over uchidachi's head.  I fully expected him to drop like a rock seriously injured, but he just stood there without so much as a flinch.  I thought, "Wow, these guys are tough!"  So I signed up, started practicing and never looked back.  I learned later that the kodachi must have been cracked or somehow weakened such that the force of the waza caused it to snap.