The Aroma of Summer Reminded Me of “Kihin” in Kendo

—Casual Cycling on the People Trail—

The other day, I went cycling by myself. There’s a trail called the “People Trail” in the town where I live, so I decided to explore it a little bit. It was hot, but when the wind blew, it felt so good. I could smell summer in the air. This already made me excited for my little journey.

The scent of flowers, the fresh air near the creek, the quietness of the forest…
These are things you cannot really capture in photos or videos. I like watching those 4K nature videos. They are great, but lacking something, right? You have to actually go there, feel it on your skin, and experience it with your own heart.

Cycling was just simply fun. While enjoying this simple moment, out of nowhere, I remembered something about kendo, just like a fellow kendo mate like you might do.

In a book called Datsu Joushiki de Tanoshimu Shogai Kendo (脱常識で愉しむ生涯剣道) written by Yuichiro Ikenaga (池永祐一郎) sensei, there is a quote from Mochida Moriji (持田盛二) sensei (Hanshi 10-dan):

“If we compare ki (spirit or energy) to a flower, kihin (grace or dignity) might be something like its fragrance. Or if we think of kokoro (mind or heart) as light, then kihin is like its reflection.”

When I first read this, I thought it was deep, but a bit hard to fully understand.

But today, feeling the breeze, smelling the grass, and looking at the flowing creek, I felt,
“Ah, maybe this is what he meant.”

Kihin is something you can’t really see, but you can definitely feel. It’s not something you can just “get”. It’s something that naturally comes out from you, or something that others sense from you.

Like the fragrance of flowers or reflections of light, maybe it’s something we suddenly sense from others during our kendo practice.

You can’t capture it in a picture, but it stays clearly in your heart.

When kihin naturally comes out from within us, we can achieve a kind of kendo that strikes not only our opponent, but also touches the hearts of those who watch.

That’s why, whether in training or in life, there are certain things you only realise when you actually experience them yourself.

It was just an easygoing cycling day, but it turned into a moment deeply connected to my kendo journey.

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