Martial Arts Demonstrations / Workshops

Below is the martial arts event information for last year’s Japan festival.  Until new details are released for 2012, this will remain for historic purposes.

Martial arts demonstrations take place in Polsky Theater. Interactive workshops take place in the library plaza outside.

Martial Arts Demonstrations Schedule
3:00	Jinmukan Japanese Sword School	Polsky Theater
3:20	After School Judo Academy	Polsky Theater
3:35	Aikido – Midland Ki Society / Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu	Polsky Theater
3:55	Kendo – Kansas City Kendo Club	Polsky Theater
4:15	Iaido – Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu Iaido Ginga Dojo	Polsky Theater

Martial Arts Workshop Schedule
11:30	Aikido Workshop – Midland Ki Society / Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu (Pam James)	Library Plaza (Outside)
11:30	Jinmukan  Sword School Workshop	Library Plaza (Outside)
11:30	Kendo Workshop – Kansas City Kendo Club	Library Plaza (Outside)
1:30	Judo Workshop – After School Judo Academy	Library Plaza (Outside)
1:30	Iaido Workshop – Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu Iaido Ginga Dojo	Library Plaza (Outside)

Iaido

Iaido is a Japanese sword-drawing art and is one of the traditional Japanese Martial Arts, or budo, that is concerned with drawing the blade and cutting in the same motion. A typical form consists of the draw and cut, a finishing cut, cleaning the blade and returning it to the scabbard, all without looking away from an imaginary opponent. Most practice is done solo, with live steel. Students must strive to achieve power, precision and perfection in their form. Along the way they learn balance, grace and control, both of the body and the mind. The techniques themselves deal with many situations, such as a sudden attack by several opponents, a surprise attack while bowing to someone, an enemy lying in wait behind a sliding door or an attack in a darkened room. The scenarios are countless and thus the samurai that developed this art strove to be prepared in any situation.

Kendo

The art of Kendo derives from sword skills developed by samurai of the 12th century. During the 14th to 16th centuries in Japan, accomplished swordsmen opened schools to teach the “art of the sword.” The more peaceful Edo period (1600 to 1868) saw the moral and spiritual elements of the practice come to the forefront, and the art continued. Kendo practitioners train using a bamboo sword called a shinai. They wear a face mask and body armor called bogu that allows for full contact sparring with a low risk of injury.

Interested parties may use the following link to contact the Kansas City Kendo Group.

Judo

Judo (the “gentle way”) is a martial art, sport and philosophy that originated in Japan. Judo is the successor to Jujitsu (“to conquer by yielding or compliance”) which stressed unarmed combat against armed opponents and was studied by samurai to complement their sword and spear techniques. Judo uses the principal of using an opponent’s strength against him or her and adapting well to changing circumstances. For example, if the attacker was to push against their opponent, they would find their opponent stepping to the side and allowing (usually with the aid of a foot to trip them up) their momentum to throw them forward (the reverse being true for pulling). Judo assumes that there are two main phases of combat: the standing (tachi-waza) and the ground (ne-waza) phases. Each phase requires its own separate techniques strategies and conditioning. Some training is devoted to “transitional” techniques to bridge the gap between the standing and ground phases

Ki-Aikido

Ki-Aikido (Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido – Aikido with Mind and Body Unified) is a particular school of Aikido. Aikido is a modern Martial Art developed from traditional Juiitsu, Ken (sword) and Yari (spear) arts. Entirely defensive, Aikido is not a sport (there are no competitions) nor is it a technique for fighting. Rather it is a dynamic self-defense form, utilizing throws and joint locks. Ki-Aikido puts particular emphasis on “Ki (Life Force) Development” as a way to promote relaxation and overall body awareness. By developing “Ki” and a greater understanding of it through meditation and breathing techniques, Ki-Aikido practitioners are better able to utilize and manipulate their own — and their attackers — Ki when executing Aikido techniques.

Jinmukan

The Jinmukan Japanese Sword Fighting School teaches various forms of Japanese Sword arts including Iaijutsu, Iaido, Kenjutsu and in Bojutsu (long staff) and Naginatajutsu (halberd, a long bladed weapon). “Jin-mu-kai” means “Devine Martial Arts Association.”