Teksten er taget fra fej.ch/en/records.htm
16.-17. juni 2023
23rd JODO Summer Gasshuku in Würzburg
Around 20 participants from a total of 8 nations had found their way to Würzburg this
time:
Denmark 3 – Germany 4 – Austria 2 – Czech Republic 2 – Switzerland 5 – USA 1 –
Belgium 2 – Croatia 1
After all the years of the pandemic, the number of participants seems to stabilize again.
We were especially pleased to welcome 2 participants we had not expected, Martin
from Austria and Barbara from Switzerland.
Also this year the sun had blessed us abundantly, so that we could train uninterruptedly
outdoors.
The motto of 23 rd Gasshuku was “MA-AI” (left Kanji). “MA-AI” belongs to the basic
knowledge in Jodo and should be considered at the latest when learning the Kihon
Sotai. The different length of Jo and Bokken must be taken into consideration.
Michel and Coco demonstrated this impressively during Saturday morning. The three
elements that make up “MA-AI”, namely “Tōma” – “Chikama” – “Uchima”, received
special attention.
“Tōma”: great distance between the opponents. In this
position nothing happens, the two opponents can still
decide whether to fight or not.
“Chikama” is probably the decisive phase. This is the point
of no return.
“Uchima” is the moment when a lightning-fast attack can
occur at any time.
These three terms can be found in virtually all Budo in a slightly different form and
should play a decisive role especially in kata with weapons, because depending on the
use and length of the weapon, these distances can vary. To avoid injuries, especially
for beginners, great attention must be paid to this.
Conveniently, we were able to have lunch at the Greek restaurant attached to the hall
complex right next door.
So after training diligently in the heat on Saturday, interrupted by small drinking breaks,
we had again according to our good tradition an excellent dinner in the restaurant
“Schützenhof”. It is located on the hillside above Würzburg and offers a magnificent
view over the city.
Since they are from French-speaking part of Switzerland,
here you can see our two trainers studying the menu with
the help of a translation program. Hopefully they found
something good!
On Sunday we continued as usual. During the early morning training, the Kihon were
trained, then there was again the breakfast, organized by helpers of the Budo club in
which Franz trains. My special thanks to these persons for having agreed to be active
for us so early on Saturday and Sunday.
After that, the training resumed seriously. Kenjutsu kata were also demonstrated and
trained. In general, Kenjutsu exercises are extremely important for the Jodo kata.
Because without good mastery of the sword techniques, the Jo side can also not learn
and execute their techniques well.
This time no examinations took place, these are to concentrate then on the Gasshuku
in the Black Forest. And so I hope to meet again at least most of the participants in
Würzburg in August in the Black Forest. Unfortunately, the author of this report could
not participate throughout because of back problems. But just watching can bring
valuable insights.
Some impressions of the Gasshuku
English 
Danish