2012 Orange County to host largest gathering of Japanese sword art outside of Japan, Aug 31, Sept 01
Tameshigiri / cutting competition
Centuries ago in feudal Japan, life was very different than it is today. For the samurai of old, your very life was measured by your skill with a sword. Whether a dual between two quarrelsome samurai, or a challenge between two of the many thousands of sword schools, the conflict was typically over in a matter of seconds leaving one victorious, and the other having a very bad day.
This competition lives on today. Japanese sword art school The Senpokan Dojo in Santa Ana presents the West Coast Taikai on Friday, Aug 31, and Saturday, Sept. 1, at the Doubletree Hotel in Orange, Orange County.
Representatives from Japanese sword arts schools, some of them centuries old, will meet in a single elimination tournament of both kata, an exercise consisting of several of the specific movements of the sword art in a specific pattern prescribed for defense against one or many attackers, and tameshigiri, or test cutting where competitors use live blades to do a series of cuts against a rolled target.
Presiding over the tournament will be the headmasters of several sword schools from Japan. The West Coast Taikai is the largest event of its kind outside of Japan and is unique in its participation by so many different schools.
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Friday, Aug 31, at 7:00 pm
Embu/demonstration by visiting Japanese masters
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Saturday, Sept 1, from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Kata and Tameshigiri/cutting competition
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The event will be held at the Doubletree by Hilton, Anaheim – Orange County, 100 The City Drive, Orange, CA 92868.
Free admission for general public to view the competition
Beginning this year, the West Coast Taikai has the good fortune of partnering with Mike Yamasaki of Tetsugendo.com who will be lecturing and providing a display of some of the finest antique Japanese swords outside of Japan.
In addition, there will be many vendors offering all manner of products from antique Japanese sword fittings to modern made Japanese swords.
More information can be found at www.westcoasttaikai.com.
