Hanshi - The path to 8th dan: Suzuki Yasunori Hanshi

"When aiming for the 8th dan, it will come down to the 'shodachi' and no longer striking in kendo - but cutting!"  

                                                                                                                                     - Suzuki Yasunori Hanshi

Once, while I sat watching an examination, one examinee had made strikes that, had I been the judge, would have all been valid strikes. However, this individual did not pass. I was left wondering, "Why wasn't he able to pass?" The reason for this is that he was not truly 'striking.' He was not truly 'cutting.'

Suzuki Sensei says that small grazing strikes that are made only in order to attain victory are not assessed. "We are careful to watch why they are striking - why they are cutting during the exam. It doesn't matter if they are receiving strikes or avoiding strikes from their opponent. If they are making strikes that will cut, then they are being assessed." Furthermore, during an 8th dan training event, he said, "There are now two kinds of 'kendo' being done. There us kendo and then there is competition kendo. The majority of kendoka now are doing this competition kendo." Without doing this competitive kendo, but being able to really cut right down the middle when making strikes in kendo, you have to raise your arms so that your left hand is level with your mouth. Suzuki Sensei employed this methodology when taking the 8th dan exam, and he was able to pass. In order to pass exams at the very highest level, you cannot just have keiko with yukodatotsu that will be recognized in shiai, you have to search for keiko with an opponent that requires more quality, and you have to 'cut' them down.

Hanshi - The Path to 8th Dan

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