The Majoshu Update - June 2007

As I was reviewing the web page for any new information and hopped over to the school news section I noticed that I had been averaging an update of once a year at about this time. Given the changes that have taken place, I decided it is now the opportune moment for the Majoshu update!

Alas, the NMK New England dojo has closed for multiple reasons. Taibushi Bonnie's schedule became more prohibitive and her living location changed in relation to the location of the dojo, creating further problems with the scheduling conflicts. Currently, she is teaching at her new home on Tuesday and Thursday nights. This has allowed for much more time to focus on training her remaining students and on progressing her own training.

The Homage of 2007 was also held at the Majoshu home. January in Massachusetts caused some concern, but the weather cooperated fairly well and it was actually above freezing for most of the camp. We thoroughly enjoy hosting our Konigun brothers and sisters and understand what a long, strange trip it can be! :-) Camp itself went very well and we all learned a lot. Our task as camp ended was to process what we had learned and continue to progress it until the Gathering and Conclave.

Taibushi Bonnie is expecting fair representation of the Majoshu family at this year's Gathering with at least a Deshi and probably a Shiroto and a Hinin attending. Taibushi will attend the first weekend of the Gathering and then return to attend the entire Conclave. Summer camp is an event that is anticipated all year long! For anyone reading, if you haven't been to one, you should go!

That's the update for now. Perhaps another update will be along after summer camps.

NMK Martial Arts Center

It is time for another installment of Majoshu news from the crazy Northern ninjas. The big news from our part of the world is that we have officially opened a new dojo! We are currently teaching Konigun at the school on three days a week, and basic self defense (for those who are not quite up for Konigun-style contact) on another two days of the week. Taibushi Bonnie is working on her schedule to begin running weapons camps at least once a month as well.

The dojo is smallish, but bright with a padded floor and plenty of parking. It is refreshing for us to have an indoor area big enough to run a kata in without resetting after all of our practice in the snow over past years. Teaching publicly is a big step for the Majoshu family, since we have been taking only those students who have managed to track us down in our incognito status over the past few years. It is still a small class, we range from class sizes of four to twelve, but we take advantage of that to make sure that everyone gets plenty of individual attention and instruction during class time. The student count right now splits evenly between Majoshu and Kanshisha, so we combine our classes.

As usual, I'm thinking that the Majoshu students are going to be the ones that everyone at camp shies away from until they decide whether we're all crazy or if it is just Taibushi. My personal opinion is that Taibushi is perfectly normal and that her students exaggerate...but then again since I AM Taibushi I might be slightly biased. Majoshu will report in again within a few months, hopefully to report a bigger student count. Until then, if you're reading this and not already a Konigun student you can click on the dojo links page if you are from the Central New England area and are interested in training.

New England Safari

On the weekend of June 4, Shidoshi and Meijin ventured into the Great White North to chase down the crazy northern ninjas (that would be the Majoshu family for those who didn't immediately associate the word crazy). Massachusetts has had a lot of snow this past season, and temperatures for the previous two weeks were in the 50s and raining. Suddenly when Shidoshi and Meijin arrived, the weather was in the 80s and sunny. Although Taibushi is still begging to be taught the secret, she has not yet mastered the art of changing the weather to suit her mood (which is probably fortunate for the other inhabitants of the area).

When they arrived at Taibushi Bonnie's home on Thursday, Shidoshi and Meijin spent the evening teaching 5th degree techniques to Taibushi, Bushi Sean, Senpai Nate, and one Shiroto Nissa. Most of the day Friday was spent teaching us to act like animals, literally! As more students arrived, the camp spilled out into the yard and Taibushi's neighborhood was treated to the view of multiple weapons being learned in the driveway, the yard, and the street. Traffic decreased substantially in the neighborhood for the weekend.

By Saturday, as the camp had officially vacated all of the neighbors, 5th degree training continued. Meijin taught Taibushi, and Taibushi passed her new knowledge on to Bushi Sean. Much to Bushi's dismay, Taibushi has decided that she needs more practice. Although Taibushi is not sure why, Bushi's schedule has suddenly become very busy- but she'll find him for practice anyway... The Shirotos continued to work on weapons.

On Sunday, the camp was lucky enough to be treated to a trip to one of the northern beaches on the Atlantic coast. The water was a balmy 50 degrees or so, and as tide came in with the cold outer current the class spent a few minutes trying to guess whether the water would be frozen if it had been fresh water instead of salt water. Since it was the first really nice weekend in the area, the beach was rather crowded except for the area directly around the Ninja Camp. The class ran Shin Kata, Shiroto Kata, and Chi Kata on the sand and in the water. The five foot swells made running katas very fun and after a few minutes the class was no longer cold, however it was also difficult to detect the existence of our outer extremities.

In all, including Taibushi and Bushi, there were seven attendees- the entire Majoshu family thus far. The cooking was excellent (yes-I'm biased since I did the cooking!). We all learned a lot of new things, and thoroughly enjoyed our visit from Shidoshi and Meijin. We look forward to seeing everyone at the Gathering!