A slow apprenticeship
Marked moments on a long path. Each entry is small; together they are the shape of a life reorganised around the practice.
- 2019
Beginning Training
Walked into a dojo for the first time. Bowed at the door and understood nothing.
- 2020
First Iaido Class
Ten seated bows before drawing the sword. The lesson was never about the sword.
- 2020
First Ninjutsu Lesson
Learning to walk before learning to move. Learning to fall before learning to stand.
- 2021
Learning Kata
The first form: Mae. Practiced daily. Practiced badly. Practiced anyway.
- 2021
Sword Maintenance
The ritual of uchiko and oil. Care as an extension of the practice itself.
- 2022
First Seminar
Three days with a visiting shihan. Left with more questions than I arrived with.
- 2022
Understanding Bushido
Reading the Hagakure the first time. Reading it wrong the first time.
- 2023
Improving Footwork
Six months of suriashi. The floor no longer heard my feet.
- 2024
Meditation Practice
Twenty minutes each morning. Nothing spectacular. Nothing missed.
- Future
The Road Ahead
Shodan test. Continued study of Muto no Kata. A trip to Kyoto.