Hello everyone!
Our iaido buddy Hirokicchan brought some high school students from the Federated States of Micronesia to our dojo the other day.
You’re probably thinking, “Wait, Micronesia? Why from there?” Well, it turns out that Kochi Prefecture and Micronesia have a long history of exchange that dates back over 100 years. It all started in the late 19th century, when a man from Kochi City named Koben Mori became the first Japanese person to travel to Micronesia. Since then, the connection has continued to grow. Even here in Shimanto City, one of our hospitals has provided medical equipment to Micronesia, strengthening the bond even more in recent years.
Last year, the President of Micronesia visited Shimanto City and we held a big welcome event for him. This year, as a follow-up, a group of Micronesians of all ages came to visit and stay with local families to experience life in Japan and build friendships.
Three of the high school students in that group ended up staying at Hirokicchan’s house.
Now, in our dojo, we have a strict rule: “Anyone who shows even the slightest interest in iaido must join our practice!” So naturally, these three students were brought along to train with us.
But then we wondered… what language do people in Micronesia even speak? Apparently, there are different languages depending on the island. We’d heard they could speak some English, but wouldn’t you know it—our go-to English speakers, Richard and Tom, were both off that day! We tried using Google Translate, but honestly, Micronesian languages are kind of rare and didn’t show up well.
Just when we were struggling to communicate, our 70-something dojo senior, Mr. Okunomiya, jumped in and started chatting away with them in perfect Hata dialect (a strong local accent). Surprisingly, they totally understood him! Under his guidance, everyone had a great time practicing together.
It really reminded us that the heart of international exchange is a sincere, open mind.
Later, the organizer of the exchange program told Hirokicchan that for those students, practicing iaido was the most memorable part of their trip. That made us all feel really happy and relieved.
Hopefully one day, we’ll even have a branch of Tosa-den Iaido in Micronesia!
See you next time!
Introduction of The Tosa jikidrn Eishin-ryu Nakamura Branch