{"id":1246,"date":"2025-12-06T13:09:51","date_gmt":"2025-12-06T13:09:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kodokankendo.uk\/?p=1246"},"modified":"2025-12-08T10:40:52","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T10:40:52","slug":"a-personal-reflection-on-masatake-sumi-sensei-and-the-kodokan-seminar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kodokankendo.uk\/index.php\/2025\/12\/06\/a-personal-reflection-on-masatake-sumi-sensei-and-the-kodokan-seminar\/","title":{"rendered":"A Personal Reflection on Masatake Sumi Sensei and the Kodokan Seminar"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Paul Budden<\/p>\n

I first met Masatake Sumi Sensei<\/strong> in the spring of 1988 during a visit to France. At the time, I had organised\u2014together with Terry Holt Sensei<\/strong>\u2014for a group of British kendoka from the Thames Valley Ky\u014dkai<\/strong> (a group of six clubs from within the Thames Valley area \u2013 Basingstoke Kendo Club, Hakubukai Abingdon, Kodokan Amersham, Mumeishi Cranford, Oxford Kendo Club and Reading Kendo Club), to stay and train with the Maisons-Laffitte Dojo<\/strong>, just outside Paris, over a long weekend. Our host, Jean-Claude Tuvi Sensei<\/strong>, kindly arranged sessions both at his own d\u014dj\u014d and at another in Paris, Budo XI<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

My association with French kendo had begun some years earlier during my regular visits to Paris for exhibition work, which continued for more than twenty years. With free time available, I trained first at Maisons-Laffitte<\/strong> and later at CEPESJA<\/strong>, located just across from the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles. Training in the French clubs was of a high standard, with instructors such as Claude Hamot Sensei<\/strong>, Kenichi Yoshimura Sensei<\/strong>, Claude Pruvost<\/strong>, and others. Later, I also trained at Kenyu<\/strong> with Peter Sherriff<\/strong>, a British expatriate and founding member, and with Yoshi Inoue Sensei<\/strong> after he moved from London. Peter Sherriff would later play a key role in establishing kendo in Ireland following his relocation there in the 1990s.<\/p>\n

It was during this spring visit in 1988, at Budo XI<\/strong>, that I encountered Sumi Sensei<\/strong> for the first time. Then a 7-dan, he had been sent by the All Japan Kendo Federation (AJKF)<\/strong> to support the French Kendo Federation. He was accompanied by his wife, Kaoru<\/strong>, a distinguished naginata Sensei, and their two young sons, Kentaro<\/strong> and S\u014dichiro<\/strong>\u2014both already passionate kendo practitioners. (Kaoru Sensei would later attend the Kodokan Seminar on several occasions.)<\/p>\n

What struck me immediately as Sumi Sensei entered the dojo was his quiet yet immense presence\u2014completely unspoken, yet unmistakable. Only later did I come to understand this quality as f\u016bkaku<\/strong><\/em>, a depth of character that radiates without a word. In that moment, I knew instinctively that he was the Sensei I wanted to follow.<\/p>\n

During that first meeting, Sumi Sensei mentioned his interest in visiting Britain, and we quickly extended an invitation. Later that summer, he and his family spent a long weekend with us in the UK\u2014a visit that marked the beginning of a treasured friendship and a lasting tradition.<\/p>\n

At that time, the Kodokan Seminar<\/strong>, AKA the SSS (Sumi Sensei Seminar)<\/strong>, had begun life as the Thames Valley Ky\u014dkai Seminar<\/strong> and had already been running for two years under the guidance of Jumpei Matsumoto Sensei<\/strong>, with Shoji Enomoto Sensei<\/strong>, Emeritus Professor at Nanzan University and an esteemed Bud\u014d historian taking the lead for 1988. Enomoto Sensei was in England on a sabbatical year, during which he was researching the history of British and European fencing.<\/p>\n

Both were exceptional teachers and held in the highest regard by all who attended. However, neither was able to join us for the following year.<\/p>\n

In conversation, I asked Sumi Sensei if he might lead the seminar the following year. Without hesitation, he graciously accepted\u2014and that decision changed everything. His first Kodokan Seminar, held in 1989, marked the beginning of an extraordinary legacy.<\/p>\n

As of today, he has led the event for twenty-nine consecutive years, often accompanied by his close friends Junichi Tashiro Sensei<\/strong> and Morio Kumamoto Sensei<\/strong>, with many other teachers contributing not only to the training but also to the cherished \u201cApr\u00e8s Kendo\u201d gatherings that came to define the Kodokan spirit. The renowned \u2018Fancy Dress\u2019 sayonara parties<\/strong> became so popular with the Sensei that they later introduced the idea to their own monthly trainings with Sumi Sensei in Saga.<\/p>\n

Although the seminar was briefly interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and now sadly by Sensei\u2019s ill health, it continues today in his honour and under his continuing influence<\/strong>. In keeping with his guidance, the seminar is carried on faithfully in accordance with \u201cSumi-ryu\u201d<\/strong> principles, preserving the standards and philosophy he established.<\/p>\n

“I wish to extend my deepest gratitude to all who have supported the seminar over the many years, joining us from countries across the world. I am especially grateful to those who carried on without hesitation during Sensei\u2019s absence. Your unwavering dedication is the truest reflection of the spirit that Sumi Sensei has instilled in each of us, and it continues to inspire our shared journey.”<\/p>\n

Masatake Sumi<\/strong> was born in Fukuoka Prefecture in 1943, Sumi Masatake Sensei graduated from Chikushigaoka High School<\/strong> before continuing his studies at Fukuoka Gakugei University<\/strong> (now the Fukuoka University of Education<\/strong>). After graduation, he worked as a high school teacher and later returned to Fukuoka University of Education as an assistant professor and later appointed as Professor.<\/p>\n

From 1999 to 2002<\/strong>, he served as a permanent director of the All Japan Kendo Federation (AJKF)<\/strong>. Among his competitive achievements, he was placed third in the 23rd Meiji-mura Kendo Tournament<\/strong>. He was also the ladies\u2019 coach for the Japanese national team<\/strong> at the 11th World Kendo Championships in Santa Clara, USA<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Sumi Sensei is the author of several influential works, including:<\/p>\n