Japan: Training  

Today traveling to Japan and training in the Honbu Dojo is considerably easier than it was all those years ago for Robert who has by and large paved the way for other U.K. members to make the journey. At the time of Robert's first visit in 1984 the Senshinryo Dormitory wasn't built and he stayed with Kancho in his home. He was very apprehensive at the time as he really had no idea of what Japan looked like. His first reaction when he got off the plane was a feeling of being lost. Shihan explains, "Three Japanese Instructor's were there to meet me. They didn't talk one word of English. They put me in front then walked behind me. I was this lost Scotsman in full regalia, kilt and everything. I remember coming off the bus and climbing up about 50 steps to the railway station. I could see Kancho standing at the top. I was quite overawed at that moment. He also didn't talk any English to me, except to say 'welcome'. We bowed and said, 'Ossu'. Next morning my first job after breakfast was to wash everything up and then clean the house. Then go into the Dojo and scrub it clean, then wash the car. I remember thinking, here I am an Instructor doing all the cleaning. But slowly I understood Kancho was trying to discipline me into the Japanese culture. I was learning the Japanese way not as a European."(Extract quoted from Tenshinkan Newsletter U.K. No.4,Nov.1995.)

But training in Japan was nothing like training in the U.K. Although Robert was very, very fit at this time, nothing could have prepared him for what he was about to endure. After the First Friday evening training which consisted mainly of calisthenics, i.e. weight-lifting, barbells, pull-ups, sonaba zuki with 10 lb weights he could hardly get out of bed the next morning. Every muscle in his body was aching. Shihan explains what happened next. "At 9am Kancho took me down to the Dojo...I thought maybe a little kata? Well yes I got some kata, then he threw down some body armour at me and instructed me to get it on. Hand and forearm pads, leg and shin pads, chest guard, groin guard - everything in fact except a head guard. Well we did freestyle for about 20 minutes, while Kancho tested out my fitness, endurance and strength. Needless to say he kicked me all over the dojo. And I think I showed good spirit. Although it was very hard and Kancho was very strong, he showed perfect control. I was scared, not of Kancho as such, but of failing to make a good impression of myself. I wanted to earn the right to become the U.K. Chief Instructor. I needed to prove my strength not just in the Dojo, but that I could do the job back in the U.K. After that freestyle session he took me for a five mile long jog which was also hard. Then back to the Dojo again for half an hour of makiwara training, followed by sonaba zuki. We finnished about 1pm. That was my second session, but I was back in the evening for my third session. So you can see from all of this just how overpowering it could seem. By and large the training regime was like this for my first ever four weeks visit."

So if you are planning a trip to the Honbu Dojo in Japan, please remember that what you will experience has probably all been done before, but even tougher, by the Chief Instructor from the U.K., Shihan Robert Kane who has been there five times already.