This November one of the largest contingents from Shidokan travelled to Toronto for the fall grading. With members challenging grades ranging from 1kyu to 5dan, we are happy to say most passed their exams successfully. It is great to see after all the hard work put in by each kendoka in the months leading up to the grading.

Congratulations to everyone! We would especially like to congratulate Juan Vasquez Sensei and Gabriel Schor Sensei on acquiring their 5dan at this grading.

During the weekend of October 30th 2022, Kenji Toida Sensei, 7th dan Kyoshi of MKC organized and led a godokeiko, hosted in collaboration with Shidokan at Vanier College. During the godokeiko, kendoka are given the opportunity to keiko with sensei and practitioners from all over Quebec. It was a great opportunity to get advice for the upcoming grading as well as for general improvement, in addition to being a wonderful event to bring together the Quebec Kendo community.

Thank you to everyone who participated, and we hope to see everyone again soon!

For the new fall Season 2022, we finally returned to our main dojo located at Concordia University Loyola Campus. It was great to step back into Concordia after a long time away, to welcome so many new faces, and to see many familiar faces returning.

A great start to the semester, lets all work hard to complete each of our goals for the end of the year!

To end the summer season, we held an internal taikai as an opportunity for members to acquire more shiai experience and provide senior members with a chance to work on their shinpan skills.

Thank you to all of our beginner volunteers for helping out and making this fun opportunity possible!

At the beginning of the fall session, our diligent members voluntered to represent Shidokan at the Concordia Student Union Fair.

After all the closures during the pandemic, this was a great opportunity to promote our dojo within the University.

Thank you very much everybody, great job!

On the weekend of August 27th & 28th the Canadian Kendo Federation in colaboration with the Tokushikai Dojo, hosted the 2022 "Ottawa-Montreal Regional" Iaido Summer Seminar and Grading. The seminars were led by Goyo Ohmi Sensei (Iaido Kyoshi 7-Dan, Kendo 6-Dan) and Stephen Cruise Sensei (Iaido Kyoshi 7-Dan, Kendo 5-Dan)

We had the privilege to review our Zen Ken Ren Iaido training with Cruise Sensei, Ohmi Sensei and Ed Chart Sensei. At the same time students from Montreal and Ottawa had the opportunity to challenge grading.

After 2 long years the Montreal Kendo Tournament (Taikai) returned to town. We were very happy to see old friends reunited again for a full day of kendo. It was a great display of spirit and determination. Shidokan's women division delivered a powerful performance, obtaining great achievements, Congratulations!

On July 9th we received a visit from our friend Miki Chart, a iaido and kendo practicioner from Tateyama Kendo Club in Ottawa.

We enjoyed a great practice, thank you very much for visiting us Miki!
Hope to see you again soon!

On June 29th, Shidokan hosted a Kendo Shinpan (referee) Seminar open to all practicioners in Quebec. The seminar was led by Junko Ariyama Sensei and Kenji Toida Sensei. The objective was to review the new approach and changes to judging a match given by the AKJF.

We think it's very important for all kendo practicioners to understand the new rules and procedures during taikai/shiai in order to conduct a proper judgment during the matches. It was very enlighting, we think this is a possitive move for Kendo in general.

On June 18th a Shidokan contingent traveled to QC city to participate in the CKF Kendo grading. It was great to see an event back in the province after quite a while. Our members performed great and will soon be ready to challenge their next rank.

Shinsa (Grading) is an important part of a kendoka's journey, we appreciate everyone's effort.
A big Thank you to the organizers! Milestones achieved, new challenges ahead, congratz! now let's get back to work!

Canadian Kendo Federation Kendo Referee Seminar - Etobicoke, ON. Thank you to Kimura Sensei, Kamata Sensei and Asa Sensei for the seminar, and all the participants.

It is great to see everyone returning to kendo and working to improve the level of officiating.

Pictures courtesy S. Kamata, KendoNord

We are happy to announce Shidokan is receiving beginner students again! These past 2 years have been hard more many kendo & iaido dojos, Shidokan in no exception.

We are very lucky to have a very strong core of dedicated members who are eager to share their passion with the next generation under the leadership of Santoso Sensei. During the Summer we will be training at the Concordia Loyola Chapel & Vanier College. Ganbatte!

After the last Shutdown, the government has finally allowed sport & martial arts activities to slowly resume. Shidokan seniors are returning to training at Summit School on Fridays.

Shidokan iaido students return to practice at Kirkland. Congratulations to those who succesfully obtained their new rank in the recent CKF Grading in Etobicoke, ON.

As the province eases restrictions Shidokan kendo students gather behind the dojo for some intense suburi and basics practice.

Trying our best to maintain our technique and spirit. Looking forward to getting back to the dojo very soon.

On the first weekend of March, Shidokan hosted a wonderful iaido seminar led by Stephen Cruise Sensei, 7th dan Kyoshi. Besides being one of the most experienced iaido instructors in north-america, Cruise Sensei is the CKF Chief examiner and has been a mentor and friend to our dojo for many decades.

It was a productive Seminar, we worked through all the 12 Seitei Kata. Cruise Sensei emphazised the importance of constantly review and strengthen our iaido foundation 'kihon' (the basic principles). We can't thank Cruise Sensei enough for his devotion and we hope we can host another seminar very soon.
Thank you Cruise Sensei!
Shidokan

On the weekend of Nov 09, a Shidokan contingent travalled travelled to Toronto ON to participate at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Center (JCCC) Senior Kendo tournament, as usual an exciting experience. The team was reinforced with our friend Ryan Choi from Detroit Kendo Club – Thank you Ryan!

On the day after, some of our Shidokan members took part in the kendo grading also hosted by the JCCC. Congratulations to Benjamin, Juan-Francisco and Eric for achieving their next ranks, great job!

On September 8th, Team Canada prospects -including Shidokan’s Gabriel Schor- travelled to Quebec City for the next team practice. This time the focus was on the proper form of the wrist during strikes (tenouchi). As usual the practice concluded with a godokeiko session open to everybody

Our sincere gratitude to Noriko Imaizumi from MKC and Sungkeun Cho from McGill Kendo dojo for joining our summer training. The heat and humidity level at our gym usually reaches its peak around this time of the year. It's great to have the encouragement of friends from other dojos to improve our energy level in these conditions.

ありがとうございました !

As the summer heat dwells stronger in our dojo, our good friend Sungkeun Cho from McGill Kendo dojo, joined us for keiko.

- Thank you so much for your strong spirit and for withstanding the gruelling summer training with us. Please come back soon!

On May 4th, Shidokan sent determined kendoka to Granby to participate in the provincial tournament. With a strong display of technique and spirit, members brought back some awards. In particular, we would like to congratulate the following:

After rigorous training throughout the winter, summer is right around the corner, and with it the chance to practice kendo in stuffy Montreal weather. We are confident in everyone's ability to surpass themselves in these rough conditions.

Here is to another successful semester!

On Sunday, April 07 Shidokan hosted a Quebec Shinpan Clinic led by Junko Ariyama Sensei. The objective of the seminar was to examine the protocols and rules related to judging an official kendo match. An important topic of study for all kendoka: judges and shia-sha (combatants).

On March 20th we received a very special visit, all the way from the Shidokan dojo in Lima, Peru. Kensei Guillen Aoki, a devoted kenshi joined us for keiko and biru-geiko.

The Shidokan-Peru dojo has been active for quite a few years now and their efforts are clearly showing. We wish them many more years of good kendo!

The Garden State Kendo dojo, in New Jersey, graciously hosted two Jodan Seminars. The first was given on November 4th and the second on March 10th; both taught by Noboru Kataoka-sensei, 7 dan. Braving a 7-hour drive each way, and perilous weather, two of our members attended both sessions. The first session focused on training techniques and kote helping to dispel many misconceptions about Jodan training.

As it is tradition, Shidokan hosted the annual iaido Seminar led by Goyo Ohmi Sensei (Kyoshi 7th dan) and Stephen Cruise Sensei (Renshi 7th dan).

We covered all the series of Seitei kata focusing on the basics and important details. Lots of focus and energy, a wonderful seminar.

Congratulations to Team Canada Iaido for making our country proud by showing great competitive spirit and camaraderie at the 2019 East Coast Iaido Taikai. All-in-all, Canadians were able to bring home quite a bit of hardware:

On February 9th, the McGill University Kendo Club hosted the first Mini Montreal Taikai. Teams of three participants were split into age divisions (young/veteran), with a final match between the winners of each group. A jigeiko session was held following the tournament.

This was a great opportunity for three of our members to practice their skills against fellow local kendoka, as well as to receive advice from participating sensei. Gabriel Schor, Francis Petrin, and Minh-Tri Nguyen displayed great spirit and fought hard to win the first place for the both the Veteran Division and Team Division Final.

On January 31st, members from McGill Kendo Club visited Shidokan. Spirits were as high as our numbers, and it was a great occasion to enjoy keiko together. We also took the opportunity to wish our friend Andrew Wong the best before his move to Singapore during a well-deserved second practice.

This year started off with our annual Shidokan dinner. We gathered at Kanda for sake, sushi, and celebration.

As always, it was a time to reflect upon our accomplishments and growth from the previous year, and to set our sights on some new goals. In classic Shidokan fashion, everyone got a chance to share some words of their experience and hopes for the future.

A new year, a new beginning! Shidokan kicks off 2019 with great expectation and fully motivated to keep learning and improving together.

Our sincere gratitude to Isshin Kendo Club for Organizing this special last practice of 2018 with all the dojos from Quebec. It was great seeing all our friends and we definitely enjoyed a very good practice to close the year in high note.

Happy New Year! We'll see you all very soon!

Shidokan ends the year 2018 on a bright note, with a high grading pass rate and great results at various competitions in both kendo and iaido. New recruits have also bolstered our ranks, and we look forward to seeing them improve in their practice. Our members have created a solid foundation from which we hope to see the club grow into next year. After a short hiatus to enjoy the holidays with friends and family, we will get back to work towards even greater results!

On Dec 04, Christian D'Orangeville Sensei and McGill Kendo Club hosted a very special practice with 2 members of the Korean Kendo National team: Byung Hoon Park 박병훈 and Hyun Jun Yoo 유형준, both of whom participated in the 17th World Kendo Championship in Incheon, Korea (Sep 2018)

It was a rare opportunity for all kendo practitioners in Quebec to experience such level of kendo. We were also lucky to practice with high ranking kendoka from Toronto such as Jin Whan Lee Sensei (JungKo Dojo).

On the weekend of Nov 24th a Shidokan contingent traveled to Toronto, ON to participate in the senior JCCC tournament and to challenge Kendo grading. Congratulations to our Gabriel Schor, Bronze medal in his (now) old division at the JCCC Senior tournament! Through diligent training and perserverance all Shidokan members passed their kendo exam, great job everybody! New milestones, new goals! おめでとうございます

The following weekend - Dec 1st - a Shidokan contingent traveled to Etobicoke, ON to participate in the very first North American Partnership Iaido Seminar/Grading as well as the very first Pan American Iaido Goodwill Taikai.
Congratulations to those of you who were able to pass your iaido exams! Also congratulations to our Sandy Lee Gonye (bronze medal - goodwill team) and Juan Vasquez (silver medal - team Canada).
Great job everybody! Now back to work!

Our friends from Montreal Kendo Club visited us on October 12th. We shared a great practice together, full of spirited keiko, which left our throats parched and ready for second practice... Please come again anytime!

On September 29th, Lawrence Tsuji Sensei visited us to hold a practice centered on kihon (basics). We reviewed footwork drills and tenouchi exercises while ensuring our posture remains proper. With grading on the horizon, this was a good reminder to keep working on basics at all stages of our kendo practice. Finally, we enjoyed keiko together, and each received welcome guidance from a both a mentor and a good friend. We would like to thank Tsuji Sensei once more for his much appreciated visit. We look forward to our next practice together!

The start of the Fall semester means it’s yet again time to say welcome to our new recruits. The road ahead is difficult, but we look forward to your company as we walk the path together!

We hope you can find the patience and dedication within yourselves to overcome every obstacle you may encounter in this new path. We promise you hard work and lots of fun !
Welcome to the 志道館 !

The new semester started just as warm as the summer had been. With grading right around the corner, it was time to review the way we practice and refresh our mind with basics. With renewed spirit, we pushed through and trained on, ready to tackle the challenges of the fall.

A big Thank you!! to our dear volunteers spreading the good word of kendo around Concordia University at the beginning of the Semester. Recruiting with sharp skill and timbits. We truly appreciate it! 志

After an intense Summer Season, Shidokan now wraps up training for a couple of weeks, healing injuries and getting ready for the new Semester. We are looking forward to welcoming new members and sharing the joy of kendo & iaido training together.

Thanks to our friend Yves Coté for joining our practice.
- See you all in September!

As it is tradition in mid August, a Shidokan contingent adventured into a fun camping trip. Our destination was a Wildlife Reserve, in the Laurentian Mountains of Quebec.

It was a joyful experience since the first moment we arrived to set camp in front of a majestic lake.