No matter how much we like training, work and life in general sometimes gets in the way of that. Such is the case with one of our 1-dan yudansha members, Red Canoza. He’s been with IGA-Ken since 2010 but his appearances in training have been sporadic due to the nature of his job; he even has to work abroad for a long period of time. He’s always game to keiko, though, whenever he has the chance. Case in point: while overseas, he even trained in Malaysia Kendo Club. Talk about his Kendo journey being literally a journey!
Red started Kendo because of his love of Japanese culture and sword-related pop culture. His musha shugyo (warrior’s journey) made him even more serious about Kendo and the club. Despite not having enough preparation, he was valiant enough to compete for the club during the Kendo Nationals in 2019. He also managed to earn his shodan rank in Hong Kong, even through his usual scheduling issues.
More than willing to lend a helping hand (even if only remotely) in various club activities, this semiconductor reliability engineer and family man currently misses the dojo. He hopes to come back once circumstances allow it, so that he can make even more memories with us, which will, hopefully, include his son. In the meantime, let’s check some of his best memories with the club!
Have you been with Red in any of these? How about sharing with us your memories too? Message us! We’d love to hear your stories.
Next week, we will be featuring one of our members who is on break from the Club due to medical reasons, but still has powerful memories of his time with us. Stay tuned and keep safe!