There are a lot of things going on in Shorinji Kempo in Sweden this spring, so it is important to plan one’s calendar so one do not miss anything.

In addition to local club events and hombu’s annual spring gasshuku there are a number of camps coming up.

Yudansha Gasshuku in Karlstad

On the 18th to 19th of February, it is time for the first event when there will be a yudansha gasshuku (training camp for black belts) in Karlstad (see here for details). The camp is open to all dan-grades, but kenshi with ikkyū (1 kyū) that get permission from their shibu-chō (chief instructor) can also participate. The camp will partly focus on embu, which is a good preparation for the Swedish national taikai later this spring, but it will also go through all the changes made in the new kamokuhyō soon to be introduced. Some hōkei have been moved around (from higher levels down to lower levels) and there are also some hōkei that have been added, ie. they have not previously been listed in our kamokuhyō but only in kyōhan. Instructors for this camp will be Anders Pettersson, daikenshi 5 dan and Åke Olsson seikenshi 5 dan.

Veterans Camp in Stockholm

The next national event is a ”veteran camp”, an all-day training for all kenshi with sandan (3 dan) and above, to be held on the 3rd of March. It will be the sixth time this is organized and it has been a very popular event for those who have practised for a little longer time where they can exchange experiences and everyone has the opportunity to practice techniques at their level. The training day is held in Stockholm Södra’s dojo and the federation sponsors the travel cost for those coming from other cities (for Swedish members).

Annual General Meetings

The Federation’s AGM will be held on the 23rd of March in Stockholm, in connection to the Swedish Budo & Martial Arts Federation will hold its annual general meeting. For more information on this you can look in the calendar (here for thee SSKF’s AGM and here for the SB&K’s Annual General Meeting).

National Dan Examination

On the 31st of March it’s time for the spring’s national dan examination. It is possible to grade to 1st -3rd dan. This time the examination is held in Karlstad. More details on this will be posted in the calendar here.

The next dan examination will be held this autumn in the Stockholm area (exact time and location is not decided yet). There may also be possible to dan examinations in connection with the summer camp in Visby (if there are enough examiners on site).

National Taikai 2012

On the 28th – 29th of April, there will be a gasshuku (training camp) in Skövde. On the Saturday there will also be the national embu competitions. It is now time to start training for this so that the embu will be great at the taikai. This is the first time Skövde shibu are arranging a bigger event, previously they have arranged smaller camps for a few clubs, so it would be great if as many people as possible could attend and the competition so it can help to promote Shorinji Kempo in Skövde. You will find details for the competition here and more information about the training camp here.

Gasshuku for Children

The Federation also hope to be able to organize a gasshuku (training camp) for those under 13, just as we did last year in Gothenburg (see report from the camp here). However, no dates are set yet, but we will return as soon as there is more information.

International Gasshuku in Finland

When it comes to training camps the big event in the spring, which is in reasonable distance for us, will be the Finnish Federation’s gasshuku to celebrate that it is 40 years since Shoriniji Kempo was established in Finland. Sweden shares a lot of history with Finnish Shorinji Kempo because the early instructors in Finland as well as in Sweden was from Rakutō doin in Kyoto.

Aosaka-sensei, daihanshi 8 dan, is confirmed as an instructor, but the organisers also expect the Morikawa brothers, both seihanshi 7 dan, from Rakutō doin in Kyoto to also attend. This camp has also received approval from the Hombu and is counted as a camp you need to qualify for dan grading, so it’s a good opportunity for many Swedish members. We will update the information in the calendar as we get more information from the Finnish Federation.

Summar Camp in Visby

In the summer we also expect that there will be the traditional summer gasshuku (training camp) in Visby, probably in early July. Summer camps in Visby are always appreciated by the attendees, not only because of the practice but also because it is also a good time as a holiday and one can spend time with other Kenshi socialising in the afternoons and evenings at the nice beaches and nice medieval town of Visby.