We are a Kendo club based in Metro Manila (Philippines) under the tutelage of Koji Igarashi Sensei. His style of teaching kendo focuses heavily on Kihon (basics). He emphasizes on the importance of proper form and strong spirit rather than merely winning
matches. To him, a good offense leads to good defense -- moving forward and attacking is better than evading and blocking attacks.
We are composed of people from different walks of life that are drawn together towards a passion in kendo. We have members from 3 to 60+ yrs old (can't disclose the real age). Anyone can join in the fun!
KENDO?
Kendo (剣道, kendō), meaning "Way of The Sword", is a modern Japanese sport/martial art, which descended from swordsmanship (kenjutsu) and uses bamboo swords (shinai) and protective armour (bōgu).
OUR HEAD TEACHER
Koji Igarashi is a 5th Dan kendoka born in Tokyo, Japan. He has been a kendo practitioner since he was 13 years old under the tutelage of Suzuku Ikuo-sensei (8th Dan) at Chushinkan Dojo. He was inspired to continue kendo by his sempai (Takahashi
Kiyoshi). He always dreamed of creating his own dojo and teaching the way of the sword outside his homeland.
When Igarashi-sensei got married and had kids, he and his family moved to Saitama Prefecture. A job opportunity came where he was sent to the Philippines for business trips. He heard that there was a kendo club in the country and started practicing there.
However, when he had the chance to live in the Philippines (Makati City), he decided to start a small kendo club for kids. With the help of his wife, Igarashi Junko, Herald Kendo Club or Hera-Ken was established.
The opportunity to expand the club and extend the audience to older people came when Igarashi-sensei was acquainted with a Filipino kendoka (Kristopher Inting a.k.a. Kutch). Together, they built a club for students of the University of the Philippines, Diliman
and other kendo enthusiasts in the Metro. As a result, IGA KENDO CLUB was born (2010).
His motto: Enjoy kendo!