Domestic joint practice and examination

On Sunday, October 25, the joint practice and the sho-dan examination was held by domestic branches of Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu at Chuo-ku Sports Center in Tokyo.

A total of 40 students from each branch of Tokyo and Kanazawa participated. While taking sufficient measures against COVID-19, the direct instruction session by Kondo Masayuki Hombucho (Headquarters Director) was held in the morning, and in the afternoon, Kondo Katsuyuki Somucho (General Affairs Director) also attended the sho-dan examination and gave a lecture, and all the schedule finished successfully.

This time, as the overseas and domestic seminars were canceled due to COVID-19, it was the limited joint practice and examination by a part of the domestic branches. But we realized again that this kind of joint event has more serious atmosphere, a lot of new discoveries, and that it was a valuable opportunity to make sure the bonds of the Daito-ryu family. In addition, two courage students from the developing Setagaya branch participated and practiced aggressively with the well experienced senior students of other branches, and left the footprint firmly.

After the awarding of the certificate of the sho-dan successful applicants, Kondo Katsuyuki Somucho (General Affairs Director) and Kondo Masayuki Hombucho (Headquarters Director) announced my 6th-dan promotion and confer me the certificate. I was deeply happy and at the same time I understood the real message as “Make further efforts to deserve this dan ranking”, and pledged it from the heart.

It was a memorable day, and also a day to take another step forward.

Hideto Usuyama
Vice Headquarters Director and Setagaya Branch Chief
Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu