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Norwalk Dojo 50th Anniversary Kodama Jean Bio Notes
raw data for head instructor write up
personal timeline summary (significant categories and other info)
year date tournament or event place division or note
US Championships (Team SCKF)
* m 1978 Sep'78 1st KFUSAC Los Angeles 3rd women's individual
* m 1981 Sep'81 2nd KFUSAC Chicago 1st women's individual
1984 Sep'84 3rd KFUSAC Seattle women's division participant
* m 1987 Sep'87 4th KFUSAC New York 2nd women's individual
* m 1987 Sep'87 4th KFUSAC New York 1st women's team (initial)
* m 1990 Sep'90 5th KFUSAC Fort Worth 1st women's individual
* m 1990 Sep'90 5th KFUSAC Fort Worth 1st women's team
* m 1993 Sep'93 6th AUSKC Santa Clara 2nd women's individual
* m 1993 Sep'93 6th AUSKC Santa Clara 1st women's team
* m 1996 Aug'96 7th AUSKC Cleveland 1st women's team
* m 1999 Aug'99 8th AUSKC Las Vegas 1st women's team
* p 2002 Jul'02 9th AUSKC Los Angeles 2nd women's team
* m 2005 Jul'05 10th AUSKC Ann Arbor FS senior division
2007 Oct'07 made SCKF women's team withdrew Mar'08 (knee)
2008 Jul'08 11th AUSKC Las Vegas tournament staff (computer)
2011 Aug'11 12th AUSKC Atlanta shinpan (only time not team)
2014 Jun'14 13th AUSKC San Diego women's team member
World Kendo Championships
1973 Apr'73 2WKC Los Angeles women's goodwill ("6th")
1982 Aug'82 5WKC San Paolo women's goodwill ("5th")
* 1985 Apr'85 6WKC Paris 1st women's goodwill
1988 May'88 7WKC Seoul women's goodwill
1994 Apr'94 9WKC Paris women's goodwill
1997 Jul'97 10WKC Kyoto spectator (women's initial)
* 2000 Mar'00 11WKC Santa Clara 3rd women's team
2003 Jul'03 12WKC Scotland Team USA manager, wom coach
All California Championships (only two held, rest were open)
f 1986 All California 1st women's yudansha
* 1989 All California 1st women's yudansha
sckf/auskf offices (1997-2006 sckf offices best guess)
1988-present SCKF database committee chair
90's-present SCKF shinsa (first assisted; late 90's took over)
1993-2005 AUSKF English certificates
1995-1996 SCKF assistant treasurer
1995-1997 Women's Kendo Association
'97-00,'04-05 SCKF treasurer
1999-present SCKF webmaster
2003 SCKF 2nd VP (tournament)
2006-present AUSKF webmaster
2006-2014 SCKF executive secretary
2006-present Norwalk Dojo head instructor
2006-present Norwalk Dojo webmaster
2014-present AUSKF board of directors
2015-present SCKF president
kendo rank history
1964 0kyu
???? 4kyu
???? 3kyu
???? 2kyu
1969 1kyu
1971 1dan
1976 2dan
1977 3dan
1986 4dan
1994 5dan
2001 6dan
2004 renshi
iaido rank history
1976 1dan
1991 2dan
1997 3dan
2006 4dan
debilitating injuries (all persist to some degree)
1980 left achilles tendon
1990 right rotator cuff (LHBT)
1996 plantar fasciitis (both feet)
2005 forearms and wrists (both sides tennis elbow and TFCC)
2007 left knee tear (meniscus PHL, tibial plateau CD)
2008 left knee prolotherapy; meniscectomy 4'08
2010 right foot 2nd toe (crooked; pain and numbness when overworked)
Linda's questions
- Where were you born:
Los Angeles
- When did you start kendo:
1964
- How did you come upon kendo:
Hara sensei was one of my favorite uncles. When my mom was PTA president at
the Center in the 60's, she instigated summer carnivals, then in
1964 suggested Hara sensei do a kendo demonstration there. When he
started Norwalk Dojo, I joined!
- Did you train under Hara sensei as well as the other sensei's?
Yes
- When did you became a sensei:
Received 4dan in 1986, after receiving 3dan in 1977. My problem
has always been a reluctance to "rank monger". Whenever I've finally
tried for a new kendo rank I've managed to pass on the first attempt,
except 7dan starting last year,
- When were you head instructor and duration:
2006 to present
- Current rank:
Kendo renshi 6 dan, iaido 4dan
- Any major teams you were on (eg Team USA, Team SCKF) and which years:
WKC (World Kendo Championships):
- competed in women's goodwill at 2WKC, 5WKC, 6WKC (1st place),
7WKC, 9WKC
- women's division was not officially added until 10WKC in 1997
- 11WKC Team USA women's team member (3rd place women's team)
- 12WKC Team USA manager and women's coach
US Championships
- member of Team SCKF every championships except 12th USKC in 2011
- after women's team event was officially added in 1987, was
women's team captain from 4th USKC '87 through 9th USKC '02
- medaled every championship (except 3rd USKC) until tore knee in
2007
- tournament staff at 11th USKC in 2008, after withdrawing from
women's team and shinpan due to knee
- shinpan for 12th USKC in 2011
- Major awards/placements (SCKF, USA, Worlds):
year date tournament or event place division or note
---- -------- ------------------------ ----- --------------------
1978 9/2/78p1 1st KFUSAC Los Angeles 3rd women's individual
1981 Sep'81 2nd KFUSAC Chicago 1st women's individual
1985 Apr'85 6WKC Paris 1st women's goodwill
1986 1st All California 1st women's yudansha
1987 Sep'87 4th KFUSAC New York 2nd women's individual
1987 Sep'87 4th KFUSAC New York 1st women's team
1989 2nd All California 1st women's yudansha
1990 Sep'90 5th KFUSAC Fort Worth 1st women's individual
1990 Sep'90 5th KFUSAC Fort Worth 1st women's team
1991 5/16/91 SCKF Championships 1st women's
1992 4/12/92 North-South 1st women's
1993 5/16/93 SCKF Championships 1st women's
1993 Sep'93 6th AUSKC Santa Clara 2nd women's individual
1993 Sep'93 6th AUSKC Santa Clara 1st women's team
1995 5/21/95 SCKF Championships 1st women's
1996 Aug'96 7th AUSKC Cleveland 1st women's team
1997 1/19/97 Mori Hai 1st women's
1998 6/14/98 SCKF Championships 1st women's yudansha
1999 Aug'99 8th AUSKC Las Vegas 1st women's team
2000 Mar'00 11WKC Santa Clara 3rd women's team
2002 Jul'02 9th AUSKC Los Angeles 2nd women's team
2005 Jul'05 10th AUSKC Ann Arbor FS senior division
2011 1/30/11 Kubota Memorial 1st senior 50-59
2011 6/26/11 SCKF Championships 1st senior 50-59
2012 4/22/12 North-South 1st senior
2014 Jun'14 13th AUSKC San Diego women's team member
(for SCKF awards above, only included 1st place awards)
- Any time training overseas and with whom:
Once, 1992 AJKF summer camp in Kitamoto, Saitama-ken
- Other things you've done for the federation:
1988-present SCKF database committee chair
90's-present SCKF shinsa (first assisted; late 90's took over)
1993-2005 AUSKF English certificates
1995-1996 SCKF assistant treasurer
1995-1997 Women's Kendo Association
'97-00,'04-05 SCKF treasurer
1999-present SCKF webmaster
2003 SCKF 2nd VP (tournament)
2006-present AUSKF webmaster
2006-2014 SCKF executive secretary
2006-present Norwalk Dojo head instructor
2006-present Norwalk Dojo webmaster
2014-present AUSKF board of directors
2015-present SCKF president
- What do you emphasize in your teaching:
Everything (and the Norwalk website proves it :-) My main goal is
to make Norwalk kenshi ready to go out into the kendo world.
- A significant challenge for you in kendo:
Tearing my knee in 2007 was a life-changing experience for me in a
negative way. I have lost everything in my kendo. Building it back
up with this new handicap has been unspeakably challenging.
- The thing you are most proud of related to kendo:
Won 1st place women's goodwill at 6WKC in Paris in 1985. Significant
because:
- I proved to myself I wasn't a "has-been" (after failing to place
at 3rd USKC)
- playing of the Star Spangled Banner was a life-changing experience
for me, in a positive way
Outside of kendo, I am most proud of being married to my incredibly
supportive husband, David, for 38 years.
- Important lessons from kendo (eg. in life, lessons in kendo):
Never give up
Linda's questions applied to iaido
- How did you come upon iaido:
After starting kendo, I watched the Yamaguchi brothers practice
iaido at Norwalk and I always wanted to learn, but Hara sensei
wanted me to get shodan in kendo first.
- When did you start iaido:
Mid 70's. Unfortunately, by that time iaido stopped at Norwalk,
so I ended up going to West Los Angeles to learn from Fukushima
sensei.
- When did you became a sensei:
Received 4dan in 2006, after receiving 3dan in 1997. In 2005, I
foolishly tried for 4dan without enough preparation, other than
many hours of last minute cramming that left me with severely
injured wrists and forearms.
- Current iaido rank:
4dan
- A significant challenge for you in iaido:
In the past I did not apply myself seriously enough to practicing
iaido. Now that I am practicing regularly, knee problems require
me to do a "handicapped" version.
- The thing you are most proud of related to iaido:
Figuring out ways to use iaido to enhance kendo training
- Important lessons from iaido:
Researching written tests can be a source of epiphany
- When were you head instructor and duration:
Oh, I forgot the questions were for head instructors only. That
would be Okuno sensei!
Linda's write up (what appeared in the booklet)
Jean (Uwate) Kodama Sensei was born in Los Angeles. Several of the first dojo
members were family, so it only made sense that she too would join when the
dojo was started by Hara Sensei, one of her favorite uncles. Her mother, a
former PTA President of the SEJSCC, suggested the kendo demonstration by Hara
Sensei that was the precursor for the founding of Norwalk Kendo Dojo. Kodama
sensei is the only one from the founding group of kenshi to continue
membership with the dojo over the last five decades.
In her youth, she was an avid competitor and won her first trophy in 1965, after
just a few months of training. Her competitive spirit continued through her
kendo career: remarkably, she has been on every SCKF team since the inception
of the national championships in 1978, with the exception of the 12th United
States Kendo Championships (USKC) due to injury. She wom medals, including two
1st Place wins, in each USKC from 1978 through 2005, with the exception of
1984. Prior to the existence of the Women's Division at the World Kendo
Championships (WKC), she competed in the Women's Goodwill Division at the 2nd,
5th, 6th, 7th, and 9th WKC. Her 1st Place win at the 6th WKC in Paris, France,
was one of her proudest moments, not ony because of the win, but because just
the year before she had failed to place at the USKC. After the women's division
was added in 1997, she was a member of Women's Team USA for the 11th WKC, where
they placed 3rd. She also served as manager and women's coach for the 12th
WKC.
In addition to her stellar competition record, she has contributed to her dojo
and federations serving in a variety of offices and positions for over 25
years. Currently she is president of the SCKF and a board member of the AUSKF.
She is also the chairperson of the bi-annual SCKF promotional examinations.
Norwalk Dojo, SCKF, and AUSKF all have her to thank for the websites of each
respective organization as she also serves as their webmaster. During a time
when female participants were not as active and numerous as they are now, she
along with women members of the federation, including Yuriko Shikai Sensei,
founded the Women's Kendo Association (1995-1997). She is currently the head
instructor at Norwalk Kendo Dojo and has been since 2006.
Kodama sensei currently hold the rank of rensh 6-dan in kendo and is also
active in iaido with a 4-dan. Kodama Sensei's teaching approaches kendo from
all directions. She believes that all aspects of kendo, from the fundamentals,
keiko, competition, kata, and reigi (etiquette) help guide the development of
the kenshi. She encourages her students to get in additional keiko, including
visiting other dojo for additional practice. Her main goal is that Norwalk
students are prepared to go out into the kendo world.
In 2007, Kodama Sensei suffered a severe tear in her knee that was
life-changing, as it required her to rework her kendo that she had successfully
developed in the past forty some years and it limited her ability to compete at
the intensity she was accustomed to. Through this setback, as well as all her
various kendo duties, her husband, David, has been incredibly supportive
through their 38 years of marriage, for which she is forever thankful. Her
knee injury continues to be a challenge; however, in her struggles, she hopes
that her students learn to never give up in achieving their goals and in their
growth.
personal timeline and raw data gathering (trophies, medals, plaques, events)
notation:
*=use in historical exhibit?, 1=1st (maybe use in historical exhibit?)
m=medal, p=plaque, f=find award and use in historical exhibit
date: mm/dd/yy or descriptor, pn means added days (9/2/78p1 = 9/2-3/78)
PBC=Pasadena Buddhist Church Kendo Dojo (Bukkyokai)
PCC=Pasadena Cultural Center Kendo Dojo (PCI)
????=find info (date, etc)
year date tournament or event place division or note
---- -------- ------------------------ ----- --------------------
1964 fall Norwalk Dojo founded original member
* 1965 spring? Nanka Kendo Renmei 3rd (kyu)
* 1965 summer? Nanka Kendo Renmei 2nd (kyu)
1 1967 8/20/67 Nisei Week 1st (kyu?)
1967 Chuo Kendo Dojo 3rd 4kyu to white
1968 5/5/68 WLA Kendo Dojo 2nd
1 1968 8/25/68 Nisei Week 1st 4kyu-1kyu
1968 PBC, Norwalk Dojo 2nd jr div 12-18 yrs
1969 OC Kendo Dojo 3rd
m 1969 OC Kendo Dojo 3rd team?
1 1969 Jul'69 Santa Barbara Dojo 1st none thru 4kyu
1969 Nisei Week 3rd up to 4kyu
1971 received kendo 1dan
1971 Hana Matsuri 3rd 1-2dan
1973 Apr'73 2WKC Los Angeles women's goodwill ("6th")
1976 received iaido 1dan
1976 received kendo 2dan
1977 received kendo 3dan
* m 1978 9/2/78p1 1st KFUSAC Los Angeles 3rd women's individual
* m 1981 9/6/81 2nd KFUSAC Chicago 1st women's individual
1982 Aug'82 5WKC San Paolo women's goodwill ("5th")
1984 Sep'84 3rd KFUSAC Seattle women's team member
* 1985 Apr'85 6WKC Paris 1st ladies goodwill
* 1985 Norwalk Monthly Champion senior group
1986 3/23/86 North-South 3rd 1-3dan
f 1986 1st All California 1st women's yudansha
1986 received kendo 4dan
* 1986 Norwalk Monthly Champion senior group
* m 1987 Sep'87 4th KFUSAC New York 2nd women's individual
* m 1987 Sep'87 4th KFUSAC New York 1st women's team (initial)
1988 SCKF database committee chair (to present)
1988 May'88 7WKC Seoul women's goodwill
* 1989 2nd All California 1st women's yudansha
p 1990 1/20/90 sckf computer committee appreciation plaque
1990 8/26/90 Nisei Week 2nd women's
1990 8/26/90 Nisei Week 3rd 3-4dan
* m 1990 Sep'90 5th KFUSAC Fort Worth 1st women's individual
* m 1990 Sep'90 5th KFUSAC Fort Worth 1st women's team
* 1990 10/21/90 Norwalk 25th Anniversary 1st women's
1991 4/28/91 OCB 15th Anniversary 2nd women's
1 1991 5/16/91 SCKF Championships 1st women's
1991 received iaido 2dan
1 1992 4/12/92 North-South 1st women's
1992 Aug'92 AJKF Kitamoto Camp attended
1992 8/9/92 Nisei Week 3rd women's
90's SCKF shinsa thru present
1993 AUSKF English certificates thru 2005
1993 7/11/93 Kubota Memorial 3rd women's
1 1993 5/16/93 SCKF Championships 1st women's
* m 1993 Sep'93 6th AUSKC Santa Clara 2nd women's individual
* m 1993 Sep'93 6th AUSKC Santa Clara 1st women's team
1994 1/30/94 Mori Hai 2nd women's
1994 Apr'94 9WKC Paris women's goodwill
1994 5/22/94 SCKF Championships 2nd women's
1994 5/22/94 SCKF Championships 2nd yudansha team
1994 received kendo 5dan
1995 SCKF assistant treasurer thru 1996
1 1995 5/21/95 SCKF Championships 1st women's
1995 Women's Kendo Association thru 1997 (WKA)
* 1995 9/10/95 Norwalk 30th Anniversary 1st women's yudansha
1996 3/31/96 North-South 3rd? women's yudansha
1996 SCKF Championships 3rd women's
p 1996 8/18/96 team sckf booklet chair appreciation plaque
* m 1996 Aug'96 7th AUSKC Cleveland 1st women's team
1996 11/30/96 WKA dance at Norwalk
* m 1999 Aug'96 8th AUSKC Las Vegas 1st women's team
1997 SCKF treasurer thru 2000
1 1997 1/19/97 Mori Hai 1st women's
1997 8/10/97 Nisei Week 3rd women's division
1997 Nov'97 WKA women's seminar guest Taniyama (Japan)
1997 received iaido 3dan
1998 4/5/98 North-South 3rd women's
1 1998 6/14/98 SCKF Championships 1st women's yudansha
1999 6/13/99 SCKF Championships 3rd women's yudansha
1999 6/13/99 SCKF Championships 2nd yudansha team
1999 SCKF webmaster thru present
* 2000 Mar'00 11WKC Santa Clara 3rd women's team
1 2000 9/24/00 Gardena Team Tournament 1st women's team
* 2000 11/19/00 Norwalk 35th Anniversary 1st women's yudansha
1 2001 6/24/01 SCKF Championships 1st yudansha team
2001 received kendo 6dan
2002 6/23/02 SCKF Championships 2nd women's yudansha
* p 2002 Jul'02 9th AUSKC Los Angeles 2nd women's team
2003 SCKF 2nd VP (tournament)
2003 1/26/03 Mori Hai 3rd women's yudansha
2003 6/22/03 SCKF Championships 2nd women's yudansha
2003 Jul'03 12WKC Scotland Team USA manager, wom coach
2004 8'04 Nisei Wk/Nikkei Games 2nd women's yudansha
2004 8'04 Nisei Wk/Nikkei Games 3rd 5dan and above
2004 received kendo renshi
2005 6/12/05 SCKF Championships 2nd women's yudansha
* m 2005 Jul'05 10th AUSKC Ann Arbor FS senior division
2006 Norwalk head instructor thru present
2006 Norwalk webmaster thru present
2006 SCKF executive secretary thru 2014
2006 AUSKF webmaster thru present
2006 4/9/06 North-South 3rd women's yudansha
2006 6/11/06 SCKF Championships 3rd women's yudansha
m 2006 8/13/06 Nikkei Games 3rd women's yudansha
2006 received iaido 4dan
2007 tore knee feb, mri nov made SCKF women's team oct
2007 Aug'07 Norwalk trip to Hawaii trip leader
m 2007 9/30/07 SCKF Team Championships 3rd women's team
2008 4/15/08 knee operation withdrew from team
2008 Jul'08 11th AUSKC Las Vegas tournament staff (computer)
m 2009 9/27/09 SCKF Team Championships 3rd women's team
1 2011 1/30/11 Kubota Memorial 1st senior 50-59
1 2011 6/26/11 SCKF Championships 1st senior 50-59
2011 Aug'11 12th AUSKC Atlanta shinpan (only time not team)
1 2012 4/22/12 North-South 1st senior
m 2012 4/22/12 North-South kodansha team
2012 6/24/12 SCKF Championships 3rd senior
2014 Jun'14 13th AUSKC San Diego women's team member
2014 Nov'14 AUSKF board of directors thru present
2015 SCKF president thru present
p 2015 3/21/15 sejscc recognition award appreciation plaque
2015 booklet research hara sensei history see bio
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