Following the Swiss seminar at the start of the new year, we continued our jodo journey in February with a weekend seminar in Budapest led by René sensei. True to his warm and lively nature, René sensei greeted us with a cheerful pirouette, a delightful surprise, especially considering it had only been two months since his hip replacement surgery. His mobility and energy were nothing short of impressive.
Friday’s two-hour session focused first on kihon (fundamental movements), followed by Kenjutsu practice, setting a strong foundation for the weekend ahead..
The weekend program was packed with content. We worked on the fine details of tandoku dosa, essential for advancing to higher grades, and supplemented this with group exercises and advanced kata required for 5th dan. We also explored the first three koryu kata from the Samidare series.As is tradition, we wrapped up the day with good company, pizza, beer, and dessert at our favorite Budapest restaurant, an excellent way to relax and reflect on a productive seminar.
