Learning Kendo Through Sewing (Part 1)

It’s been a little while — Kendo Cat Haru-chan here.

Many years ago, after I moved to Hawaii, I ran into a problem.

I had a really hard time finding clothes that actually fit my body.

The clothes sold in Hawaii (America) were simply too big for me, so I sometimes ended up buying Kids’ T-shirts. But of course, I couldn’t exactly show up to work dressed entirely in kids’ clothing …

I tried everything I could to find clothes with designs I liked, that fit properly, and that were also kind to my wallet, but no matter how hard I searched, I just couldn’t find them.

Eventually, when I considered all the time and effort I was spending, I started thinking,
“Geez! Why don’t I just make them myself?”

Back in elementary school, I absolutely hated home economics class, and after that, I had zero interest in sewing for the longest time, but this is how I eventually ended up diving seriously into sewing.

And somehow, it’s already been almost fifteen years since then.

I just realized something now, but apparently the time I started sewing and the time I started kendo were almost exactly the same.

Just like kendo, once I actually tried it, sewing turned out to be incredibly fun, and before long, I became completely hooked on it too.

So anyway, whenever I have the time and motivation, I sit down at my sewing machine.

Today’s blog is about a “major discovery!” I made recently while sewing, as usual.

As I’m sure everyone reading this blog already knows, I am a chronic Ki-ken-tai no icchi neurotic.

Writing it like that may sound kind of negative, but basically, it just means that whenever I have free time, I can’t help thinking about Ki-ken-tai no icchi ♡

Especially lately, the symptoms have been getting even worse.　

Because…

Up until now, I had been receiving the various teachings from many different sensei as separate, unrelated pieces, one by one.　

But recently, I’ve started to feel something different:　

“Huh… wait a minute… could it be that all of these things are actually connected to one another?”

And ever since then, I’ve been stuck with this feeling that’s kind of like trying desperately to remember the name of someone you almost remember but just can’t quite pull out of your brain…

“Ahhhhhhh! I feel like I’m juuust about to understand something REALLY important about Ki-ken-tai no icchi, but I still can’t grasp what it actually is with my own senses!!”

That was the frustrating condition I found myself suffering from.

Then one day, I started using my serger machine to finish the edge of about 150 cm of straight fabric.

A serger (overlock machine) is a powerful sewing machine that trims the fabric edge while simultaneously stitching over it.

Back when I wasn’t used to it yet, the serger honestly felt kind of terrifying because of how innovative it was.

My shoulders would tense up like crazy, and I had no idea where I should focus my eyes while sewing forward, or how much pressure I should use on the foot pedal… and because of that, I made tons of mistakes.

But recently, I finally feel like I’ve gotten the hang of using the serger.

The other day, while listening to old Showa-era songs playing on the radio and humming along, I was smoothly finishing one long 150 cm edge after another.

And then suddenly, I noticed something!

Whaaaaattttt?????

Could this be it?????

Is THIS the feelinggggg?????

Suddenly, a massive lightning bolt crashed straight through my brain!

I immediately stopped my hands and reflected on every movement I had just been making…

My body, my eyes, my fingers, my footwork — each of them had different roles assigned to them, but they were all cooperating together toward one single goal:

to sew neatly and correctly.

My whole body was working together, and somehow, it felt like each part was “riding on top of” and supporting the others as they moved.

“Riding on top of each other while supporting one another…”

THAT feeling was my “major discovery” this time!

Just like when sewing with a machine, each movement doesn’t move independently on its own.

Instead, by layering on top of and supporting one another,

everything becomes easier to perform, and the results become cleaner too.

THISSSS!!

This is the image I was trying to find!!

The image that had been stuck in my throat all this time but wouldn’t come out!!

The Fumi-dashi, Fumi-kiri of the left foot, Fumi-komi of the right foot, the whole lower body surging forward, the left hand and right hand, the monouchi of the shinai — all of them joining hands together, layering on top of one another, helping each other while aiming toward one single purpose…

This was the feeling I wanted to try!!

Even though I could intellectually understand the theory in my head, I had never been able to form an actual physical image of the movement inside myself, so I couldn’t test it properly with my body.

But my sewing machine taught me!

Whenever I try to fix bad habits or attempt something new, my attention inevitably becomes hyper-focused on that one specific point, and I lose the feeling of cooperating with the other parts of my body.

As a result, I couldn’t produce the strike I was aiming for, and I spent day after day frustrated and miserable.

UOOOOOOHHHH!!

Chudan-kun, watch me carefully starting tomorrow! I’m gonna try it with THIS image in my head!!

Ms. Sewing Machine, thank you so much for helping me realize something so important!

So sewing was also Ki-ken-tai no icchi all along.

After nearly fifteen years, I finally realized it.

When I used to hear “Ki-ken-tai no icchi,” I always thought it simply meant that the monouchi and my right foot be together…

But that wasn’t it at all…

The “tai” in Ki-ken-tai no icchi literally means the entire body, so having only the right foot synchronized isn’t enough…

Once I realized that, I went on a full neurotic journey searching for an image of how to improve it.

And now, at long last, I can finally see a tiny, tiiiiny ray of lighttttt!!

Even though I’m all fired up and snorting excitedly right now, maybe a few months from now I’ll end up back at square one again, struggling all over just like before.

But for now, this Kendo Cat is absolutely overflowing with motivation!

I’m gonna do thisssss!!

That’s the super positive mindset I’m in right now.

I’m so glad I kept thinking about it without giving up ♡

So anyway, I’m heading enthusiastically off to practice again tomorrow♪