Southern California
Kendo Federation



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Shinkyu Shinsa
Saturday 4/22/23, 10am
El Rancho HS

  • changes for this shinsa
    This shinsa will be more similar to the spring shinsa held in 2019. COVID-19 modifications for this shinsa will include:
    • shinpan seminar and kata seminar requirements are waived for 3dan and 4dan applicants
      • note: they will be required starting April 2024 for all 3dan and above applicants, including kodansha and shogo
    • the shinsa is open only to SCKF members
    • no announcing of participant numbers
    • no tsubazeriai (see AJKF video). Participants should wakare on their own; if not, tachiai will call wakare.
    • COVID-19 protocols:
      • participants must provide proof of vaccination or negative COVID test, handled by each dojo. Dojo shall list any unvaccinated in its sign up form, and shall coordinate proof of negative test to present at the door.
        • preferred testing is PCR test administered within 3 days of the shinsa, or an antigen test that is EUA-approved for single test screening (such as this one, currently under $7 per test) administered within 1 day of the shinsa
        • all examiners and volunteers must be fully vaccinated
      • everyone must be masked while indoors
      • everyone must pass symptom checklist at the door
      • see full COVID-19 protocols for symptom checklist and other attestations

    The above overrides any notes below that were left in place for informational purposes.

  • place: El Rancho High School
    Salcido Auxiliary Gym
    (at Loch Alene Ave and Homebrook St, see map pushpin)

  • applications are due 4/15 (see submission notes later in this page)
    • cover letter must be signed by dojo head instructor (please use it as a check list for requirements)
    • dojo application forms have been uploaded to each dojo's google drive "from_sckf" folder
    • forms must include height/weight and requested rank for each participant
      • "X" indicates a kenshi is not eligible to test at this shinsa
      • however, please note that the absence of an "X" does not guarantee the kenshi is eligible. Please review the shinsa regulations for eligiblity rules, for example under 8 years old cannot request 6kyu.
      • even if a kenshi is technically eligible, that does not mean they are ready to test. Head instructors please review the testing criteria.
    • names will appear on menjo as they appear on the application form
      If you wish to make any name changes, a special request needs to be made to AUSKF, as they will be confirming kenshi names and membership status. Please clearly note any such change requests on your application form when submitting it.
    • SCKF membership deadline was 12/31

  • sign in closes at 9:30am
    • no late applicants allowed!
    • 1kyu through 4dan applicants: turn in your completed written tests at sign-in

  • the following must be practiced at the dojo (there will be no demonstration at the shinsa)

  • see below for more information on the shinsa as well as results

  • brief summary of promotional examination SCKF promotional examination regulations
    • 4kyu applicants shall demonstrate kendo basics with a motodachi (see kihon test)
    • all applicants requesting 3kyu and above shall perform kendo jitsugi for their examination; grading will be based on the official SCKF ranking criteria
    • 4dan applicants shall perform kirikaeshi (striking and receiving), in addition to kendo jitsugi
    • 6kyu and 5kyu applicants test at the dojo, not at the shinsa

    • rules for requesting ranks (see promotion regulations and recommended skill levels for full details):

      rank   min age   min time in practice
      ----   -------   ---------------------------------------------------
      6kyu      8       6 months practice
      5kyu      9       6 months practice as 6kyu or 6 months practice
      4kyu     10       6 months practice as 5kyu or 12 months practice
      3kyu     11       6 months practice as 4kyu
      2kyu     12       6 months practice as 3kyu
      1kyu     13       6 months practice as 2kyu
      1dan     14       6 months practice as 1kyu
      2dan      -      12 months practice as 1dan
      3dan      -      24 months practice as 2dan
      4dan      -      36 months practice as 3dan

      • all applicants must be in full bogu
      • "minimum time in practice" assumes the kenshi is practicing regularly, eg keiko at least once or twice per week
      • 6-month interval is useful for catching up ranks if a shinsa is missed; the more typical interval is 12 months between ranks

    • written tests are required for everyone requesting 1kyu and above.
      • see the AUSKF written tests (pdf)
      • tests must be turned in at sign-in time
      • tests must include name, participant number, requested rank, and dojo
      • tests must be submitted in English only

    • each applicant requesting 1 kyu or higher must be prepared to perform kata in front of the board of examiners. Note: #8 through #10 use the kodachi (short sword).
      • 1 kyu: #1 through #3
      • 1 dan: #1 through #5
      • 2 dan: #1 through #7
      • 3 dan: #1 through #10
      • 4 dan: #1 through #10

    • in addition to the above summary, each applicant requesting 6kyu through 2kyu must perform kihon kata (bokuto ni yoru kendo kihon waza keiko ho), performed at the dojo, not at the shinsa.
      • 6kyu: kihon 1-2
      • 5kyu: kihon 1-4
      • 4kyu: kihon 1-6
      • 3kyu: kihon 1-9
      • 2kyu: kihon 1-9
      See the kihon kata link for the verbal commands used to conduct the test.

    • see other shinsa testing notes below

  • shinsa fees for SCKF participants
    • $20 kyu (both youth and adults, at dojo and at shinsa)
    • $30 1dan
    • $40 2dan
    • $45 3dan
    • $50 4dan

    SCKF also charges a $20 "no show" (failure to participate) fee that will be assessed to the dojo if their kenshi signed up but is unable to participate in the shinsa (includes cancellation less than 7 days prior to the shinsa, as well as missing sign in).

  • tentative schedule for kenshi
    see also court assignments and schedule sheet
    • 8:00am: court set up by shinsa personnel
    • 8:45am: start sign-in
      • you must be dressed in keikogi and hakama and bring your tare when you sign in
        • a label with your participant number will be applied to the center flap of your tare (remove your nafuda)
        • note: keikogi and hakama should not show markings (eg dojo patch, team logo, or slogans). If present, they will be taped over.
      • those testing for 1kyu and above must turn in completed written tests at sign-in (see written test notes)
      • plan to arrive early so you can complete sign-in well before it closes
      • follow the directions of the sign in team for when and where warm ups will be allowed
      • applicants requesting 6kyu and 5kyu test at the dojo, not at the shinsa
    • 9:30am: sign-in closes all divisions
      • if you are late you will not be able to participate in the shinsa, plus there will be an additional fee
    • 10:00am: start kendo portion of shinsa
    • 12:00pm: start kata portion of shinsa
    • 01:00pm: end shinsa

    Shinsa officials: see duty schedule

  • shinsa testing
    • see sample evaluation forms for both kendo and kata
    • kendo
      • be at your court BEFORE your division starts. Even if you signed in before the deadline, if you are not in place before your division performs opening rei, you will not be allowed to participate.
      • follow the instructions of the tachiai on your court
      • each applicant for 4kyu will demonstrate basic skills (kihon test) with a motodachi provided by SCKF (you will be in full bogu, which you must put on by yourself)
      • each applicant for 3kyu and above will perform kendo jitsugi with two other applicants requesting the same rank (time 60 seconds for kyu, 90 seconds for dan)
      • for 1dan and above, use the 2-person rei procedure to begin and end jitsugi
      • each applicant for 4dan will also do kirikaeshi at the beginning of each jitsugi, once striking and once receiving
      • remain at your court until all participants in your division finish testing, at which time your division will perform closing rei
      • for those requesting 1kyu and above ranks: after your division is done, stay together near your court The kendo test results will be tallied and announced by the shinsa coordinator, who will then record the participant numbers for kata partners.
        • only those who have passed the kendo portion will perform kata
        • if you lack a kata partner, you will be paired with someone who also lacks a partner
        • if there is an odd number of kenshi, one kenshi will do kata twice (the second performance does not count)
        • if you are absent when the kata pairings are recorded, you will be assigned a partner
    • kendo kata
      • kata pairings will be recorded at the completion of kendo jitsugi (see kendo section above)
      • you will have at least 15 minutes to practice prior to the kata test
        • each applicant must be able to perform both the uchidachi and shidachi roles
        • uchidachi/shidachi roles will be randomly assigned (you will be notified when your turn comes on the court)
      • if you make a mistake performing one of the kata, you may request to redo it. After finishing the entire kata sequence and performing closing reiho, make your request (specifying which one kata you wish to redo) to the tachiai, who will pass on your request to the examiners. The examination board shall not request any repeats.
      • if you do not pass the kata portion of the exam, you may retake the kata test once. This must be done within a 12-month period to avoid retaking the kendo jitsugi and written test portions of the shinsa (see promotion regulations. You will need to pay the normal shinsa application fee. Be sure to specify on your dojo's application form that you are taking only the kata portion of the test.

  • tentative schedule for shinsa officials
    • notation: E=examiners, C=court coordinator/announcer/timer, T=tachiai
       time   ECT  description
      ------  ---  -----------------------------------------------------------
       8:00    CT  set up (courts, dressing area, sign in, etc)
       8:15    CT  coordinator and tachiai meeting
       8:45    CT  start sign in, collect written exams, tape kendogi markings
       8:45   E    examiners meeting
       9:30    CT  close sign in
       9:35   ECT  court meetings: adjust groups for absences, all divisions
      10:00   ECT  start shinsa
      11:30   ECT  short break
      12:00   ECT  start kata
      

  • the list of examiners and volunteers below is alphabetical (also see list by dojo)
    • Everyone please read the duty notes for a brief summary of everyone's duties
    • Examiners:
      Please wear coat and tie (not identical to shinpan uniform)
      Abe T (LOS), Arima K (STYO), Chang S (COV), Chinen Katsuo (GED), Hosokawa Y (CM), Kaneshiro W (VAL), Kato T (COV), Kikunaga H (SD), Shikai M (CHUO), Tew T (IS), Yamasaki J (PCI)
      Please review the SCKF promotion regulations, shinsa criteria, and evaluation sheet samples
    • Shinsa officials:
      Please wear slacks and a plain polo or dress shirt, or keikogi/hakama
      Fu L (NOR), Kodama J (NOR), Shikai Y (CHUO)
    • Court coordinators/timers:
      Please wear slacks and a plain polo or dress shirt, or keikogi/hakama
      Dong A (CM), Inouye J (VEN)
    • Tachiai:
      Please wear keikogi and hakama
      Kawai K (JCI), Towata N (VAL), Villalona J (STYO), Wellichinda I (STYO), Yamammoto D (SS), Yoo P (CHUO)
    • Motodachi for 4kyu kihon test:
      Please wear keikogi/hakama and bring bogu
      Huang M (CHUO), Inada C (CHUO), Kim K (CHUO)
      Note: after 4kyu test is done, please change for bento pick up and bagging

    Onegaishimasu!

  • application package submission notes (information for dojo representatives)
    • your shinsa application (sa) form can be found in your dojo's "from_sckf" google drive folder with the name doj_230422_sa.xls, where "doj" is your dojo's abbreviation
    • download the file and edit it per the instructions given above.
    • upload the completed form to your dojo's "to_sckf" google drive folder with the same name (doj_230422_sa.xls). Do not change the file format (keep it an Excel 2000 xls file).
    • have your dojo head instructor sign the shinsa application cover letter, scan it, and upload it to your dojo's "to_sckf" google drive folder with the name doj_230422_letter.pdf (jpg is also ok)
    • email Jean Kodama when the files have been uploaded
    • mail or otherwise arrange to deliver your check to Jean Kodama so it is received by the application deadline, 4/15/23. See payment notes below.
  • menjo (rank certificates)
    • a menjo printing request will be sent to AUSKF shortly after the shinsa
      • menjo will be printed with names as submitted on the shinsa application form
      • note that AUSKF now only offers English menjo
    • shinsa results and menjo fees will be sent to each dojo shortly after the shinsa. Deadline for delivery of payment is 5/3/23, but the sooner all the payments are received, the sooner menjo can be ordered from AUSKF.
  • payment notes for shinsa fees and menjo fees:
    • please send one check per dojo
    • make payable to Southern California Kendo Federation (not abbreviated "SCKF")
    • mail your check to Jean Kodama (12909 Glenda St, Cerritos CA) so it is received by the deadline


    Shinkyu shinsa results

    new 6 kyu
    HAYASHI Tomoe (GED), DIABATE Mina (GED), TAO Ephraim (GED), KASUYA Maiko (GED), CHANG Anderson (NOR), YANG Tyler Yuma (TOR), HSIEH Colin (TOR), SUGIMOTO Garen (TOR), LEE Jason (TOR), HSIEH Ethan (TOR), LEE Kris (TOR), CHOI Bryan (TOR), PIRKL Danica (TOR), NGUYEN Vincent (TOR), OGINO Nicholas (TOR), PIRKL Anna (TOR), ARAI Tatsu (VEN), OKADA Augustine (VEN),

    new 5 kyu
    TRUONG Kai (ALH), SHINADA Zoey (ALH), IMAGIIRE Ryuta (ALH), LIU Amelia (ALH), OKIMOTO Darwin (ALH), MORI Kensho (ALH), NAGAI Leahn (GED), OH Elizabeth (NOR), KONGO Dyna (STYO), PARK Jake Jun (TOR), HUR Alexander Ho-In (TOR), NISHIKAWA Aomi (TOR), TERRY Sebastian (VEN), CHAN-LOVE One (VEN),

    new 4 kyu
    YAMAMOTO Kento (STYO), OTAKE Kataleya (VAL), YAMAMOTO Maddie (SS), YANG Musashi (TOR), YAMAMOTO Jacob (SS), YANG Shawn Tohma (TOR), PARK Jean (TOR), CHOO Ethan (TOR), KAWASHIMA Kylie (STYO), WONG Jesse (COV), CHOI Yuri (STYO), MATTISON Cole (COV), CHOI Cilver (STYO), VERGARA Kai (STYO), LUU Jamie (COV), CHOI Anson (SD), MCCARTHY Andrew (COV), TAN Kevin (SD), TRINIDAD Ryan (PCI), BUSTAMANTE Tyler (COV), SCHOWAIB Mohammed (SS), FUKUNAGA TAYLOR Mori (SD), ZHANG Yun (COV), NGUYEN Thong Van (TOR), HOLDEN Nathan (SS), ENDO Mari (VEN), OKAMOTO Philip (COV), MIYATAKE Reiko (PCI), MIYATAKE Hiroyuki (PCI), SHIN Hyun Soo (CHUO), JO Kyu (CHUO),

    new 3 kyu
    ROMERO Kai (CM), KIM Theodore (CHUO), KONGO Yamato (STYO), KONO Shion (VAL), YAMAMOTO Ami (STYO), TRUONG Liem (ALH), MOON Benny (CHUO), MORI Daiju (ALH), RISSE Solomon (STYO), SZTAJNKRYCER Luke (SD), WHANG Rebecca (PCI), MARTIN DEL CAMPO Andres (SD), BARTHOLOMEW Marquise (VEN), TONG Adrian (SD), THOMAS Charles Soji (STYO), KLINGSPON Jonathan (SD), WU Haotian (STYO), MOHAMMED Ahmed Mukramuddin (PCI), SANCHEZ Jorge (COV), RODRIGUEZ-TORRES Elvin (VAL), WINTER Shane (STYO), SUZUKI Masaru (VAL),

    new 2 kyu
    LIU Micah (ALH), MIYASHIRO Kotomi (VEN), SHINADA Bailey (ALH), KAWANO Masamichi Christian (TOR), GARCIA Logan (JCI), LIU Nico (ALH), MIYASHIRO Momoka (VEN), NAGAI Erin (GED), ELLIOTT Rei (TOR), KOMIYA Sarah (VAL), CHOI Jiwon (GED), KUSANO Noah (VEN), HAISHIMA Yuuki (GED), SONG Ian (NOR), REYES Sean (VEN), SOMA Chieko (SD), RUIZ Abraham (TOR), SUZUKI Mayumi (VEN), PAPPA Ksandro (GED), TRUJILLO FREGOSO Itzel (SD), NAKASHIMO Bruce (GED),

    new 1 kyu
    SAITO Kanon (VEN), YAMAMOTO Shinsuke Jr (STYO), SUZUKI Rentaro (VEN), FUJIKAMI Mason (VEN), TORRES Leonardo (VAL), HO Jonathan (SD), JO Samuel (CHUO), WASHINGTON Bill (SD), KAY Michael (PCI), LIU Warren (ALH), SENTINELLA Clyde (SD),

    new 1D
    SHIN Heidi (SD), MIZUHASHI Hugo (TOR), COWART Charles (GED), AHN Eliza (VAL), MOCHIZUKI Miwa (GED),

    new 2D
    KIM Arianna (CHUO), CHEN Daphne (GED), HUH Jacob (CHUO), NAM Dave (TOR), TAKATSUKI Kaori (JCI), SHIH Ben (IS),

    new 3D
    BENTLEY Vivian (SD), TSENG George (NOR), FILGUEIRAS Arthur (COV), SAMBO Jazel (SD), LIN Christina (COV), DEGUZMAN Mark (PCI), SALAZAR Dennis (PCI),

    new 4D
    SCHULTZEL Mark (SD), KANG Tae Hyuk (COV),

    Congratulations to all!


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