PUHI — Braxton Fukutomi of the Aiea Taiheiji Kendo Club earned the Grand Champion title Saturday during the Hawai‘i Kendo Federation 7th All-Hawai‘i Kendo Championships held at the Island School gymnasium. Fukutomi advanced to the Grand Champion match by edging
PUHI — Braxton Fukutomi of the Aiea Taiheiji Kendo Club earned the Grand Champion title Saturday during the Hawai‘i Kendo Federation 7th All-Hawai‘i Kendo Championships held at the Island School gymnasium.
Fukutomi advanced to the Grand Champion match by edging Seth Harris of the Kensikan Kendo Club and Curtis Goodin of the Aiea club in the Yudansha Open division, which consisted of 3-Dan, a kendo ranking and above.
During the finals, Fukutomi topped John Akagi of the Hilo Kobukan Kendo Club, top winner of the Yudansha Masters division consisting of Senior Black Belts.
Akagi advanced through the Yudansha Masters by getting past Elton Ushio, chief instructor at the Lihu‘e Kendo Club, and Curtis Shinda of the Hilo club.
“This is historic,” Ushio said. “This is the first time since before World War II that a major kendo tournament has been held on Kaua‘i.”
Hosted by the Lihu‘e Kendo Club, representatives from kendo dojo, or practice hall, throughout the state converged at the Island School gym to compete through eight divisions based on age, gender and/or rank.
Nalani Brun, a former member of the Lihu‘e Kendo Club, rendered the national and state anthems, drawing accolades from the different dojo following her presentation, setting the stage for the formalities of the traditional Japanese fencing discipline.
Ushio matched up with Lihu‘e Kendo Club assistant instructor Max Klutke during the presentation of Nippon Kendo Kata where long and short sword forms were performed on the open floor while kendo practitioners of all ages readied for their respective matches.
Host dojo Lihu‘e Kendo Club finished the day with two first places, one being earned by Dawn Mones, a member of the Kapa‘a Interact Club, who opted to participate in the tournament instead of the Kaua‘i United Way Walk, and the other being earned by Shawn Reese in the Seinenbu division, or age 15 and above, non-black belt fencers.
Mones topped the Women’s Non-Yudansha division, or femal, non-black belt class over Gina Kishimoto of Myohoji Kendo Club and Maria Akagi of the Hilo club.
Reese bested Yasuhiro Nishida of the Hilo club for his top honor, Nishida besting Bryson Toda of Lihu‘e, who finished third in the division.
Shoshi Hashimoto, a former Lihu‘e Kendo Club fencer now with the Wahiawa Kendo Club, topped the Yonenbu, or youth 11 and under, division over Makia Palmer of Lihu‘e and Aipono Valente of Hilo.
Zoe Yamamoyo of the Waipahu Seibukan Kendo Club topped the Shonenbu, or youth 12 to 14, division over Vincent Yancey of the Myohoji Kendo Club and Mie Miller of Lihu‘e.
Rina Oda of the Mililani Kendo Club topped the Women’s Yudansha, or female black belt, division over Megan Watanabe of the Waipahu Seibukan Kendo Club and Cheri Holck of Lihu‘e.
Gary Komenaka of Wahiawa bested Luke Shimabukuro of Lihu‘e for top honors in the Yudansha 1-2, or Junior black belts 1-2 Dan, division. Christopher Funada of the Hilo Hongwanji Kendo Club finished third in the class.
Kendo, or “the way of the sword,” is a form of budo, or Japanese martial way, commonly translated as Japanese fencing, states the Lihu‘e Hongwanji Mission website.
Kendo is deeply rooted in the ways of the classical samurai, or Japanese warrior class, and has evolved over many centuries to its present form.
Kendo was brought to Hawai‘i when the first Japanese immigrants arrived more than a century ago to labor in the sugar and pineapple plantations.
From its roots of battlefield emphasis of the past, contemporary kendo centers around the development and refinement of the human spirit, character, mind and body while serving as a strong link to Japanese history and culture.
The Lihu‘e Kendo Club, under chief instructor Ushio, meets for adults and children, first grade and above, on Sundays from 6 to 7:30 p.m. and on Wednesdays from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Lihu‘e Hongwanji Mission social hall in Kapa‘ia.
The Hawai‘i Kendo Federation with Kathleen Nekomoto as its president, includes 18 dojo throughout the state: one on Kaua‘i, 11 on O‘ahu, two on Maui and four on the Big Island.
Visit www.hawaiikendo.com, or contact Ushio at eushio@hgea.org, or ushio@hawaii.rr.com for more information.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
