June 2nd, 2012 It was a nice Saturday morning on June 2nd, 2012 as we all headed out for our 21st Annual Spring Volunteer Project. This year our project was in Red Rocks Park, located about 20 minutes from the city in the foothills west of Denver. Red Rocks Park is famous for its looming red sandstone cliffs and outdoor …
Spring Soran (Ranking Evaluation Marathon)
May 21, 2012
May 21st –June 4th, 2012 Spring Soran was held this year with two weeks of intensive training. The word Soran in Japanese is a term used to describe a period of practice where student’s level of technical comprehension, understanding of dojo etiquette and safety and the understanding of Homma Kancho’s and Nippon Kan’s philosophy is reviewed. After the two week …
U. S. Kendo Ito Cup in Denver
May 5, 2012
May 5th, 2012 Aikikai Headquarters in Japan distance themselves in their records of the relationship between Aikido and Kendo, but this important relationship is intrinsic to our Aikido history. Kiyoshi Nakakura, Kendo’s Hiromichi Nakayama’s deshi actually married into the Ueshiba family when he married Aikido Founder Morihei Ueshiba’s daughter Matsuko. The marriage lasted 5 years, but during that time Kendo …
Dojo Maintenance
April 21, 2012
April 21-22, 2012 Nippon Kan students participate in many community service projects around the city, but it is rare that students work on the Nippon Kan dojo itself! Nippon Kan has been in headquarted at its current location for 18 years and every once in a while there are repairs and maintenance chores that students participate in. Over this weekend …
Enshin Karate International Sabaki Challenge
April 12, 2012
April 12-14, 2012 The 38th Annual Sabaki Challenge Karate Tournament is hosted every year by Enshin Karate, Joko Ninomiya Kancho in Denver (www.enshin.com). Enshin Karate’s international headquarters is in Denver and students from Japan and many parts of the world have come to Denver to train under Ninomiya Shihan as uchideshi (live-in) students. Homma Kancho has always taken good care …
Nippon Kan Hakama Kai Hanami
April 7, 2012
April 7th, 2012 It has become a tradition for Homma Kancho to hold a party for Nippon Kan Hakama members in the Nippon Kan Japanese gardens every spring when the blossoming trees are in full bloom. When the garden was first planted over 17 years ago there was little money and a great deal of ingenuity instead went into its …
Next Stop; Japan
April 2, 2012
April 2nd-4th, 2012 After leaving Thailand and Myanmar, Homma Kancho made a quick stop in Japan to visit the Matsukawa Kyougaku Taiko Drummers in Matsukawa Village, Nagano, Japan. He made this trip to thank the drummers for their very successful USA “Arigatou” thank you concert tour in March. 15 members of the Taiko Drumming Troupe came to Colorado to perform …
Visiting Yadanapon Temple in Yangon, Myanmar
April 1, 2012
April 1st, 2012 After finishing up a week of construction work at the AHAN Jangon Community Center, Homma Kancho and his assistants visited the Yadanapon Yukunien Temple Orphange. Established by Priest Makenda in October 1992; this facility houses about 60 children. AHAN Nippon Kan has been supplying 250 kilos of rice per month, educational and medical supplies to the orphanage …
Construction of the AHAN Jangon Community Center Begins in Myanmar
March 25, 2012
March 25th-31st, 2012 Construction began in March on the AHAN Jangon Community Center. Jangon, is a small village east of the Aveyawadi River about 4 hours from the capital city of Yangon by car. The planning for this project began in late 2011 in affiliation with the Yadanapon Temple in Yangon. AHAN has been supplying rice, educational and medical supplies …
AHAN Thailand Huaye Park Learning Center Project Planning
March 22, 2012
March 22nd 2012 There is a new AHAN Learning Center project is on the horizon in Thailand. The site is located at Huaye Park in Suan Phueng, about an hour drive north of Bilay House. Homma Kancho and Lukai, who did the architectural plans for Bilay House, went to the site to check on the plans. There are many Karen …
Checking in on the Bilay House Orphanage in Ta Ko Lang, Thailand
March 19, 2012
March 19th-24th, 2012 AHAN Thailand Bilay House Orphanage is located in Ta Ko Lang Village Thailand, about a 4 hour drive west of Bangkok near the Myanmar Border. Bilay House was opened officially in December, 2011 and currently houses 30 orphans. Bilay House Opening Ceremony, December 2011: The older children take turns with cooking duties The purpose of this trip …
Kougaku Taiko Drummers “Arigatou” Thank You Concert Tour Documentary
March 11, 2012
Peterson Air Force Base Concert March 11th, 2012 Peterson Air Force Base is located in Colorado Spring, about a one hour drive south of Denver. After the tsunami disaster in Japan in 2011, Peterson Air Force Base played a major role in launching military rescue operations in “Operation Tomodachi” to Japan. The first concert in the Kyougaku Taiko Drummers “Arigatou” …
The Great Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster Japanese Taiko Drumming “Arigato” Concert Tour
March 10, 2012
March 10th -16th, 2012 See the Drummers in Action! From March 10th-16th, 2012, The Shinano no Kuni Matsukawa Kyougaku Taiko Drummers traveled from Japan to the United States to perform a series of “Arigatou” Thank You Concerts in appreciation of US Military and civilian support after the great Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami disaster in Japan on March 11th, 2011. This …
From Bangladesh
March 3, 2012
March 3rd, 2012 On March 3rd, AHAN Bangladesh Coordinator Maji Ai Sarkar reported that Elder Md Abdur Rahman, Founder of the Madrasa Orphanage for girls, had passed away on March 1st, 2012. Elder Md Abdur Rahman devoted his live to the protection of orphaned girls in Bangladesh providing food, shelter and education that otherwise the girls would never have known. I …
Homma Kancho Visits Aikido Shuren Dojo in Turkey
February 19, 2012
February 19th-22nd, 2012 After his visit to Iran, Homma Kancho came to visit my dojo in Izmir. This was a surprise visit and my students were delighted with Homma Kancho’s practice and communication with all of them. Homma Kancho has visited Izmir many times and has told me that he would like to live in Izmir someday. To ease the …