Shinpan in Japan

By Mike Femal

I was looking forward to competing in the 2010 Toyama Ryu taikai in Machida, hosted by Hataya Sensei. It had been a long time since I had competed, and my life has changed allot since then. I did not have much hope for placing, but I was excited about just having the chance to compete again. I had recently been diagnosed with the early stages of Parkinson disease. I deal with chronic painful stiff muscles every day, but I refuse to give up. This trip really re-vitalized me and made me realize that I do not have to give up the things I love. I keep training and pushing myself despite the pain. It has changed my outlook on life and made me appreciate each day for what it brings. Years of training has helped me deal with the physical problems in everyday life and keeps me focused on pushing myself. My friend Pyro once said "Pain is my friend - It reminds me I’m alive". I did not understand then, but I do now.

Before the taikai there is a party held for all the participants to meet. At the pre-taikai party I was surprised that they wanted me to make a speech. Roger warned me, I’d better make is very short, since he had to translate it. I’ve seen him translate 5 minute speeches into a three sentence synopsis, so I understood where he was coming from. I made everyone from the dojo come up to the stage with me. I made a speech that was about three sentences long, and then introduced each student. I was very proud to have five of us there to support the Taikai and Hataya Sensei. Everyone from the dojo was pretty tired and we skipped the second and third party. For those unfamiliar with this event, the second and third parties are for the pre-taikai hard drinking competitions.

The day of the taikai started early. We all meet in the lobby and headed off to the dojo. Everyone jumped in to help load up the targets. The targets are soaked in barrels on the roof of Hataya Sensei’s three story shop and dojo. They have to be moved down three flights of stairs to a large trailer so they can be hauled to the taikai. There were allot of other people to help and we loaded up all the equipment and targets in short order. After a short drive to the event location, everything had to be unloaded again. I was proud to see all the students from the St Pete dojo jumping in to help with the work. There were over 130 competitors signed up for this huge event.

Machida Taikai 2010

I had only brought part of my formal uniform to compete in. I had left the Haori at the motel, since I was just planning on competing. I had left the world of federations, renmei, and judging a few years ago. I was happy to be reconnecting with old friends and bringing our techniques back in line with mainstream Japanese Toyama Ryu. Needless to say I was a bit surprised when Hataya Sensei asked me to be one of the Judges for the event and assigned me a seat at the head table. I felt a bit under-dressed, but was honored with the opportunity. I was also glad to sit for the opening and closing ceremonies.

Machida Taikai 2010

I still competed in some of the events. I scored a 1.8 in dotan. I made it past the qualification round in wakizashi cutting, and was beat in the first round of the finals. My wife Sherry and I competed in kumitachi, and while our form and timing were great, the judges saw no intent in our attacks. Good score for our marriage, horrible score for kumitachi. I scored well in kata, but not good enough to advance to the finals. It was great to watch my students experience their first Japanese Taikai. While they did no better than I did, we all enjoyed being there.

When the big tameshigiri events started, I switched roles and started judging. I was a bit nervous since I knew I would also be judged by the two Japanese Sensei sitting next to me. I think the judging went well. I was never the lone vote against the other two judges even though there were a number of split decisions. As it turned out, I ended up voting against all my students (including my wife Sherry) when they came up, but luckily they were easy matches to judge. Everything went smooth until the Yondan and above category. I let them know that I was a competitor in this event, but there was no judge to replace me. When my name came up, the other judges said it was okay for me to step in and compete, but I eliminated myself from the competition to eliminate any competitors from feeling the judging was unfair. You have to decide which side of the judging table you are going to be at, and let that stand.

There were allot fewer targets to pack up at the end of the day. We helped haul all the equipment back up to the dojo and had just enough time for a quick shower before the post taikai party. We had a great time drinking too much beer while feasting on Japanese food that you are better off not knowing the ingredients. We finally ended the night at a coffee shop with Mukai Sensei and Roger discussing the past, the future, and some really politically incorrect stories. It had been a long day and we skipped the second and third parties again.

There were no medals or certificates for me at this taikai, but I really enjoyed it. I would have been happy to just be another competitor, but was honored by Hataya Sensei beyond my expectations. I’ll remember to bring my whole formal uniform in the future, because you never know what each day will bring. I continue to follow my path through life and now, more than ever, appreciate those people who walk with me along it.

Machida Taikai 2010