This is the third in a series of articles in which I am attempting to translate and contextualise the dōka of Hasegawa Eishin-ryū. All articles in this series can be found here. This article covers the tanka for the third technique, Inazuma.

Sanbon-me: Inazuma

Thunderbolts in the Rain over Hashidate, by Utagawa Kuniyoshi

The name of the third technique in the set, Inazuma, means “lightning.” The waza consists of stepping back and cutting into the wrist(s) of an opponent as they commit to a strike from jōdan. Like Tora no Issoku, this is followed by a kneeling kirioroshi.

Below is the waza Inazuma as it appears in Muso Shinden-ryū.

Speed and timing here is important, as the maai is very close: the nukitsuke is made as the opponent is swinging their sword.

稲妻

諸共に光と知れど稲妻の
後なる雷のひびきしられず

Inazuma

Morotomo ni
Hikaru to shiredo
Inazuma no
Ato naru kami no
Hibiki shirarezu

They may see the light
That flashes in the moment
That the lightning strikes
But they will not know the roar
Of the following thunder

This is one of the most straightforward tanka to translate; however this does not mean that it’s necessarily easy to interpret. The implied meaning of “lightning” in Japanese is similar to English: it can mean an extremely fast movement (‘as quick as lightning’), or a very short interval (‘in a flash’). The root of the word inazuma itself literally means “spouse of the rice plant.” In ancient times, flowering rice would ripen following autumn lightning storms. It was thought that the lightning caused the rice to bear fruit.

There is a host of words for thunder in Japanese, and the one used here, “naru kami,” is a form that rarely appears in modern Japanese. “Naru” (鳴る) is to make a noise (to roar, rumble, boom, ring etc.). Kami (神) is a spirit or god. The word can be written several ways, including 雷, 鳴神, 鳴雷 and 雷神. In modern Japanese, the word for thunder is almost always “kaminari,” which comes from the same root and has a standard spelling of 雷.

However, the meanings of “inazuma” and “kaminari” are not quite as clear-cut as those of the English words “lightning” and “thunder.” Strictly speaking, inazuma refers to lightning in the sky during a rainstorm or shower, and cannot be used to describe thunder; kaminari/narukami (and related words) refer not only to the sound of thunder, but also to lightning that strikes the ground (a “thunderbolt.”) If we keep these in mind when relating the poem to the waza, suddenly the words begin to describe the movements in more detail: inazuma could be the first cut, coming from nowhere to strike a high point on the opponent; narukami could be the second cut, coming downwards to strike the opponent on the floor.

The following is a famous tanka that features inazuma as a central image. It is an anonymous love poem from the Kokinwakashu (548), written in the early 10th century:

秋の田の穂の上を照らす稲妻の　
光の間にも我や忘るる

Aki no ta no
ho no he o terasu
inazuma no
hikari no ma ni mo
ware ya wasururu

Though it was as brief
As the lightning that flashes
In the sky above
The rice in the autumn fields
I will not ever forget

Although this does not necessarily have a connection to the Eishin-ryū tanka, it does show how the concept of lightning is used as a metaphor in poetry – to characterise something sudden and ephemeral.

A famous line from the Nō drama Kumasaka uses lightning as a metaphor for something intangible, or too fast to capture.

取らんとすれども陽炎稲妻水の月かや姿は見れども手に取られず
(Like heat haze, lightning, or the moon on water. You may see it but it is impossible to hold it in your hand.)

A final phrase of note is Shiden Issen (紫電一閃), a four-character idiom that literally means a flash (一閃) of purple lightning (紫電). This phrase is used to refer to the flash of light on steel when drawing or wielding a sharp sword. Lightning as a metaphor for a swift nukitsuke or kiritsuke is far from unusual.

The Eishin-ryū tanka is possibly describing the high speed of the nukitsuke, and the intent to kill the opponent with the first cut. It may also describe the shape of the waza – lightning in the sky (nukitsuke) followed by a thunderbolt striking the ground (kirioroshi). The opponent may see the flash of steel, but by then it will be too late.

As always, comments and constructive criticism are welcome.

This article originally appeared on kenshi247.net

When the life so full of lie, you should face it without shy. But when your life so full of damn friend like it, you gotta raise your gun high and say “Bitch”
Wow, prolognya keren kan? Yah itulah gue, terkenal sedikit filosofis dan ganteng. Juga terkenal dermawan, banyak teman, disayang orang tua, rajin sholat, rajin menabung, dan punya bulu kaki yang lebat serta aroma yang cukup menggoda. Fyuh, berhari-hari ini gue kehilangan ide buat nulis postingan di blog. Sejak tragedi menyedihkan itu, baru hari ini gue berani bikin posting baru lagi. Seakan trauma begitu dalam melekat didalam dada.

Tapi tiba-tiba saja kemarin ada teman gue yang ngirim twit. Isinya gini “aku mo bkin postingan ttg kawan2 ni.poto2 gek sore yok”. Intinya dia ngajakin gue godem (jalan sore). Dan setelah melalui proses yang panjang akhirnya yang datang cuma tiga orang termasuk gue. Sebagai apresiasi terhadap dua orang itu, gue mau bikin profil mereka di blog yang sungguh terkenal ini.

Muhammad Ahyar

Penilaian	Nilai
Wajah	70
Badan	80
Bibir	65
Memori	50 Kb
Garansi	5 tahun
Harga	5 Jutaan

Pernah dengar nama @yardcool di twitter? Tentu belum pernah. Satu ciri khusus dari anak ini adalah selalu minta gue buat promosiin twitter dia. Ckakak nasibmu nak nak. Tapi biasanya gue jawab aja dengan senyum seringai. Dia langsung lari, guling-guling, trus ketabrak bus. Dan satu hal yang gag gue pahami dari anak ini adalah tulisan di blognya yang akhir-akhir ini banyak menceritakan kalau dia lagi suka sama cewek atau dikejar-kejar sama cewek. Apakah ini tanda-tanda kiamat itu? Halah. Satu lagi, panggil anak ini sebagai bapak mencla-mencle nasional karena memang dia yang mencetus kata mencle-mencle dalam bahasa gaul. Gue sendiri gag ngerti artinya apa. Tapi sudahlah, kita lupakan sejenak orang aneh ini.

Elvendra Astrian Doka

Penilaian	Nilai
Wajah	50
Badan	55
Bibir	90
Memori	90 Byte
Garansi	8 tahun
Harga	3 Seribu

Kalo anak satu ini teman sekelas gue. Boleh dibilang anaknya cukup gila bahkan mungkin ketika pertama lo liat anak ini, lo bakal berpikir kalo dia itu preman sekolah atau apalah. Tapi percayalah Doka memiliki hati yang lembut dan perasaan yang halus. Anak ini sepertinya sedang dimabuk cinta saat ini. Dia bilang dicurhatannya kalo dia mau balikan sama mantannya. Jack. Ada satu hal yang aneh dari anak ini. Dia selalu bilang kalo dia pernah jadi cowok terganteng disekolah waktu dia SD. Yah, gue sih cuma bisa dengarin aja sambil pasang wajah seringai. Eh dia nya malah lari, guling-guling, trus ketabrak bus. Kalo pengen kenalan sama cowok ganteng ini, ku punya twitternya: @elvhendra. Tapi jangan harap twit kamu akan dibalas karena dia bukan twitter aktif.

This is the second in a series of articles in which I am attempting to translate and contextualise the dōka of Hasegawa Eishin-ryū. All articles in the series can be found here. This article covers the tanka for the second technique, Tora no Issoku.

Nihon-me: Tora no Issoku

Tiger Amongst Bamboo by Kano Sansetsu

The name of the second technique in the set, Tora no Issoku, means “tiger’s step” or “tiger’s foot” – either could be applicable, I feel. The waza contains an element present in all three schools (or teaching levels) that make up Musō Jikiden Eishin-ryū. This element is sunegakoi, a sweeping block to protect the knee from a horizontal cut. The outer forms of Tora no Issoku and its more advanced counterpart, simply called Sunegakoi, are almost identical. Although “sunegakoi” literally means “enclosing the shin,” in standard Japanese, in Tosa dialect the word “sune” means “knee,” not shin. Senior sensei have told me that this is an important distinction to be aware of.

Below is the waza Tora no Issoku as it appears in Muso Shinden-ryū, where it is known as “Tora Issoku.”

The practitioner responds to a threat from the front by standing and taking a step back. The opponent then directs his attack to the right leg, and the practitioner responds by blocking the incoming sword with a sweeping sunegakoi motion. With the opponent’s sword knocked away, the practitioner swiftly kneels and delivers a kirioroshi.

虎一足

猛き虎の千里の歩み遠からず
行くより速くかえる足びき

Tora no Issoku

Takeki ko no
Senri no ayumi
Tōkarazu
Yuku yori hayaku
Kaeru ashibiki

The fierce tiger
Walks for a thousand leagues, yet
Soon it will return
At an even faster pace
Than on its outward journey

This is a difficult tanka to interpret without some context and knowledge of Japanese. The English translation above may seem not to match the waza particularly well. Breaking it down, however, some things become clearer.

First, some notes on the translation and language used in the tanka.

I have chosen to transliterate 虎 (tiger) here as its Chinese-style reading, “ko” rather than the usual Japanese-style reading, “tora,” as this fits with the syllabic structure of the poem. It is possible that this transliteration is incorrect; however, either way the meaning remains the same.

“Takeki ko” above has the same kanji and meaning as “mōko” (猛虎). Mōko means “ferocious tiger,” and is a metaphor for a person with a strong and fierce spirit. The word “tiger” in Japanese alone is synonymous with ferocity, so this is a particularly emphatic phrase.

The “thousand leagues” in the translation above is “1000 li” (千里) in the original Japanese. Li is an old measurement of distance that came to Japan from China, although the lengths of Japanese and Chinese li were not the same. In Japan one li was originally equivalent to 300 paces, but the definition varied considerably. During the Edo period the official length of one li was set at nearly 4km, although this rule was only enforced fully during the Meiji period. The li was thought of as a ‘long’ measurement of distance based on how far a person could walk in a fixed period; hence, I used “league” rather than “mile” or some other more precise measurement.

“Ashibiki” (足びき) is related to the phrase “ashi o hiku” (足を曳く) and has several meanings, including “to walk,” “to stop travelling,” and “to make a return journey.” It may also suggest pulling back (hiku, 引く) the foot (ashi, 足). In the context above, “ashibiki” is modified by “kaeru” (かえる), “to return.”

The above tanka is not particularly redolent of other poems I have encountered. However it does have clear links to at least two Japanese proverbs, or kotowaza:

虎は千里行って千里還る
Tora wa senri itte senri kaeru

This phrase means “in a single day, a tiger can travel 1000 li from its starting point and complete a return journey.” It is a metaphor for fierce energy and vigour. The phrase may also be used to refer to a parent thinking of their children (the tiger will make a long journey, but is sure to return to its den at night to look after its cubs).

It is clear that the Eishin-ryū tanka is a variation on this phrase. There is another proverb that is possibly related:

虎を千里の野に放つ
Tora o senri no no ni hanatsu

Literally, “to set a tiger loose in a wide field,” this proverb means to leave a dangerous element unchecked.

The Eishin-ryū tanka unsurprisingly seems to be comparing the energy, determination and speed required in this waza to that of a fierce tiger. Indeed, I’ve been taught to present myself as confident and threatening in this waza – “like a tiger” – even while stepping back.

As always, comments and constructive criticism are welcome.

This article originally appeared on kenshi247.net.

“Payola… Como mola!” Leloa burutik kendu ezinik atera ginen atzo Donostiako Dokatik. Berri Txarrak taldeak eguerdian aurkeztu zuen “Payola” diskoa Koldo Mitxelenan eta iluntzean lagunarteko kontzertua eskaini zuten Dokan. Disko berriko kantuak jo zituzten, diskoan dauden ordenean, eta ondoren, bis moduko batean, zaletuentzat hain estimatuak diren kantu batzuk jo zituzten.

Oso itxura ona hartu genion lan berriari. Ramones taldearen punk traza hartu genion kantu bati, hard core itxurako kantuak ere badirela esango nuke. Eta melodia eta oinarri erritmiko astunen arteko konbinazioan, beste behin ere, parekorik ez dutela!

Astelehen buruzuri bat izateko, jendetza bildu zen. Asko eta asko, sartu ezinik geratu ziren. Barruan zeuden baina, Carlos “Txap” Osinaga (Lisabo), Mikel Abrego “Pintza” (Negu, Anari), Anari kantaria, Haritz Lete (Kokein, Cobra), Txan magoa, Surfin Kaoseko kideak, eta baita Realako jokalari asko ere .

Kanpoan geratu zirenei zer esan, ba larunbat honetan (irailak 19) aukera ederra dutela Eskoriatzako kiroldegian.

Note: all articles in this series can be found here.

Musō Jikiden Eishin-ryū and Musō Shinden-ryū are the two most widely-studied schools of iaido in the world. Both were derived from Hasegawa Eishin-ryū, which was founded by Hasegawa Chikaranosuke Eishin during the Edo period. Two generations later, the ryūha moved to Tosa, where it was transmitted until the modern era. Eishin, the seventh-generation shihan of Hayashizaki Jinsuke’s Shinmei Musō-ryū, was responsible for adapting that school’s battō techniques for the uchigatana, as well as creating a number of waza himself. The waza he created are today collected in both Musō Jikiden Eishin-ryū and Musō Shinden-ryū at the Chūden level, in the set of techniques known as Tatehiza no Bu. This set may also be referred to simply as ‘Eishin-ryū’ or ‘Hasegawa Eishin-ryū.’

Tatehiza no Bu today consists of ten waza, all but one of which is performed from the half-kneeling tatehiza position. In this position one kneels with one leg as in seiza, whilst the other is placed with the foot alongside the knee of the first. This seated position is said to come from the correct posture for kneeling in armour.

It is perhaps little-known outside Japan that Eishin-ryū has an accompanying set of nine short poems (tanka), each corresponding to one of the Tatehiza no Bu waza. It is not unusual for koryu (be they martial or otherwise) to transmit certain teachings via poems, referred to as dōka (道歌). These poems usual carry a moral message in an easily-digested format. Eishin-ryū is no exception, and contains many dōka with moral messages. The nine poems corresponding to the waza, however, metaphorically outline the basic movements of each, and perhaps more importantly they describe the feeling (心持) with which each waza should be performed.

I may be mistaken, but as far as I am aware these tanka have yet to be translated into English. Therefore, a while ago I attempted a series of tentative translations on this blog. This was a fun project but was really only meant as translation practice. However the interest many people have shown in the tanka recently prompted me to return to them and try to improve my translations. I found I had made several major errors in my previous work, and that the Japanese source I had been using also contained a couple of mistakes. This time, hopefully, I will be able to put together a better set of translations. There are a number of variations on the tanka, but for simplicity’s sake I will be translating the ones that appear in Musō Jikiden Eishin-ryū Iaidō by Jisaku Kamo (Airyudo, 1999).

Tanka usually have 31 syllables, in a 5-7-5-7-7 structure. Although I was caught out a couple of times when I first tried translating these poems, I am now satisfied that the Eishin-ryū tanka do not break this rule. In my translations, I will attempt to keep this syllabic structure, but where this is difficult I will abandon structure in favour of an accurate translation.

I will be presenting my translations in several articles. All articles in the series can be found here. Future articles may cover more than one tanka each; however, due to the length of the introduction, this first article will cover only my translation and analysis of the first tanka: Yokogumo.

Ippon-me: Yokogumo

Mist and Cherry Blossom at Yoshino-yama

The first technique in the set, Yokogumo, is the most fundamental. It takes the form of a horizontal drawing cut (yokoichimonji nukitsuke) followed by a downwards cut (kirioroshi). The waza as it appears in Musō Shinden-ryū can be seen in the video below:

Yokogumo can be translated as ‘trailing clouds,’ or ‘bank of clouds,’ and refers to low-hanging clouds that span the sky. It is often used in reference to the eastern sky at sunrise. The image of the Eishin-ryū tanka is of cherry blossom appearing to be a cloud; perhaps petals blown in a line across the sky by a storm. Its relation to the motions of the waza are clear. Tanka often reference previous classics, and this is no exception: for details, see the notes following the poem.

横雲

おく山は嵐吹くかや三吉野の
花は霞の横雲の空

Yokogumo

Okuyama wa
Arashi fuku ka ya
Miyoshino no
Hana wa kasumi no
Yokogumo no sora

Deep in the mountains
A storm is surely raging－
In Miyoshino
The blossom is a mist of
Trailing clouds across the sky

Firstly, Japanese poetry contains words associated with season (kigo, 季語). The poem above contains words associated with spring: hana (literally ‘flowers,’ here it specifically means cherry blossom) and kasumi (mist – autumn mist is kiri) are the two most obvious, but it may be worth noting that yokogumo no sora (a sky of trailing clouds) appears in a spring-themed poem by Fujiwara Teika from the Shinkokin Wakashū.

A key word in this tanka is ‘Miyoshino.’ Miyoshino refers to Yoshino, in particular Mt. Yoshino, in present-day Nara prefecture (historically, Yamato-no-kuni). “Miyoshino” is written here as 三吉野, literally “three Yoshino.” However the origin of the word is 御吉野, which is an honorific form of “Yoshino.” The pronunciation of the honorific as “mi” carries a sense of admiration for the beauty (美) of the mountain. Both forms of writing Miyoshino may be used.

Yoshino is famous for two main reasons: firstly, it is renowned for beautiful cherry blossom (sakura), which is the origin of the cherry blossom trees planted on Arashiyama in Kyoto. Secondly, it is the place where Minamoto no Yoshitsune and Shizuka Gozen supposedly parted following the Genpei War. It is also known as a misty place, and the sight of the cherry blossom in the mist is breathtaking.

It may be interesting to note that the word for “mist” used here (kasumi) is reflected in the name of the first waza of Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryū’s Okuiai, Kasumi. This waza bears several outer similarities to Yokogumo.

Yoshitsune and Shizuka under cherry blossom

Yoshino features prominently in a wide range of traditional Japanese arts. In Nō drama, it is the setting for such plays as Futari Shizuka, Yoshino Shizuka and Yoshino Tennin. Please understand that my following translations of lines from the Nō plays are extremely rough and only intended to give a vague sense of what they say.

A line in Futari Shizuka describes Miyoshino thus: “One would think the flowers are clouds. If one does not draw closer, they appear to be clouds.” (花をも雲と思ふべけれ。近く来ぬれば雲と見し。)

Yoshino Shizuka contains the lines: “That sky. In the mists of Miyoshino. A waterfall of petals. A waterfall of petals in the mist. Those that fall are white clouds.” (そなたの空を。三吉野の霞のうちの。花の滝。霞のうちの花の滝。落ちゆくかたは白雲の。)

Futari Shizuka and Yoshino Shizuka are both, as their titles suggest, based upon the story of Shizuka Gozen and Minamoto no Yoshitsune. A third play, Yoshino Tennin, tackles a different theme. In the play, a man from the city (Kyoto) travels to Mt. Yoshino to see the cherry blossom. There he encounters a woman who turns out to be a celestial being (Tennin). In final part of the play, as the character disappears upon a cloud of cherry blossom, the chorus recites the following lines:

Miyoshino, with mist trailing low overhead;
The mountains of Yoshino are coloured with cherry blossom
Ride upon a cloud of petals
Ride upon a cloud of petals
Without knowing the destination.
(霞もたなびく三吉野の
吉野の山桜うつろふと見えしが
また咲く花の雲に乗り
また咲く花の雲に乗りて
行方も知らずぞなりにける)

The “mist trailing low” (kasumi mo tanabiku) and the “cloud of blown petals” (fuku hana no kumo) fit the same imagery as the Yokogumo tanka (cherry blossom, clouds of petals, low-hanging mist).

Of course, these dramas are far from the only appearances of Miyoshino in Japanese literature. I am merely scraping the surface here. I will now introduce some much older poems that the Eishin-ryū tanka echoes significantly.

Saionji Kintsune

Saionji (Fujiwara) Kintsune was a poet of the late Heian/early Kamakura period. He was a court noble and minister who became a monk, and is also known as Nyūdōsaki Daijōdaijin (literally, the Grand Minister before he entered the priesthood). He wrote the following poem about Miyoshino, which appears in Gyokuyō (194). I cannot find an English translation, so I will make a rough one myself.

ほのぼのと 花の横雲 明けそめて
桜に白む 三吉野の山

Honobono to
Hana no yokogumo
Akesomete
Sakura ni shiramu
Miyoshino no yama

Flowers like trailing clouds
Illuminated faintly
In the growing light
The mountains of Yoshino
Are white with cherry blossom

“Hana no yokogumo” is linked to the more common phrase hana no kumo, which is a metaphor for (cherry blossom) flowers that from a distance appear to be clouds. A similar image appears in the Eishin-ryū tanka, but there it is “hana wa kasumi no yokogumo no sora” (“flowers are a sky filled with trailing clouds of mist”).

Saigyō

Saigyō (西行) was another famous Japanese poet of the same period. His poetry is marked by an appreciation of natural beauty and a sense of loneliness.

Saigyō, who lived for part of his life as hermit on Mt. Yoshino, was particularly enamoured with the cherry blossom there. He wrote a considerable number of poems on the subject.

Although I there are many poems that I could have chosen to look at here, I will only examine two. Again, I will make rough translations myself, as I have been unable to find English versions of these.

Firstly, this poem from the Sankashū　(987):

空はるる雲なりけりな吉野山
花もてわたる風と見たれば

Sora haruru
Kumo narikerina
Yoshinoyama
Hana mote wataru
Kaze to mitareba

When I saw the clouds
Clearing from the sky above
Yoshino’s mountains－
They looked like they were flowers
Carried upon the wind

In this poem, Saigyo describes how the clouds clearing from above the mountains of Yoshino appear to be the petals of the cherry blossom blown on the wind. The poem for Yokogumo above contains a similar image of the clouds appearing as a “mist of petals” carried upon the winds of a storm.

The other of Saigyō’s poems that I will look at also comes from the Sankashū (1454):

吉野山高嶺の桜咲きそめば
かからんものか花の薄雲

Yoshinoyama
Takane no sakura
Sakisomeba
Kakaran mono ka
Hana no usugumo

When cherry trees
Begin to blossom upon
Mount Yoshino’s peak
Do the flowers not lie like
Thin clouds upon the mountain?

Again, flowers appearing as hazy clouds across the peak of Mt. Yoshino make an appearance. This distinctive image is clearly reflected in Yokogumo.

The tanka for Yokogumo itself seems to suggest the flowers of Yoshino drawing a horizontal line across the sky, appearing as hazy, low-hanging clouds. It may also refer to flowers carried upon the wind of a storm, into the sky, forming a literal cloud of petals. A third possible interpretation is a combination of the two: low, trailing clouds in the sky appear as if they are carrying the flowers away on the wind. Whichever interpretation is made, fundamentally this seems to be a reference to the nukitsuke of the waza (like a low-hanging cloud bank) and a certain level of “haziness” desired.

This is of course a very basic interpretation, and I make no pretense to understand the waza in enough depth to make a comprehensive analysis. However, I hope that this series of articles will offer some background on the poems that describe the desired feeling of each waza, and allow readers to reflect on how they relate to their own training. The process of translation has certainly given me a new way of looking at the waza.

This article originally appeared on kenshi247.net.

Een vierdejaars op onze school is een experimentje aan het doen met een typmachine en film. Met een vergroter erboven kon hij typen in de doka.

Gisteren ontwikkelde ik mijn eerst filmpje in mijn doka-badkamer. Na een paar uur kreeg ik het ijskoude water toch op temperatuur en kon het afdrukken beginnen. Het is een gestuntel, geknoei en geknutsel maar als je de routine er in krijgt ga je er van houden.

Ik vraag me af hoe lang ik de producten zo in de baden kan laten staan voor ze uitgewerkt zijn. (Wie weet meer?)

Ik beken. Er vallen meer woorden te lezen dan foto’s.

Nu, ik heb het de laatste tijd nogal druk gehad met mijn stop-motion filmpje en ten tweede: alles wat ik tot hiertoe heb fotografeerd is hoofdzakelijk analoog.
Dus; neem het mij niet kwalijk

Maar uw honger wordt algauw gestild want ik heb reeds enkele foto’s volledig ontwikkeld.

En als alles goed verloopt post ik ze dit weekend zelfs op mijn blog!

 Liefs,

                 An-Sophie

Abenduak 14:

JAMMING JAM 07 festibala GANJAZZ, DOKA eta REVOLUTIONARY BROTHERS-en bitartez antolatzen da helburu zehatz batzuekin: musika JAMAIKARRA bultzatzea, Replika ARTE kluba ezagatuaraztea eta EUSKARAren erabilera zabaltzea. Bi areto izango dira honen lekuko:

DOKA, Donostiako Kafe Antzokia: 21h – 5h, Antiguo, Errege Zain 20.

Grafitti aurkezpena, proiekzioak, Reggae eta Hip Hop kontzertuak, Sound Systemak, Jungle sessioa, info postuak, etab.

21h: Ras Miguel & Tafari Band

23h: Rude Kanka Sound

1h: Revolutionary Brothers meets King Konsul, Sistah Katah & Maese Trucco

3h: Jaula de Grillos (Hip Hop) + Heart to Hard (Ragga Jungle)

El pasado martes, mientras yo ya estaba llegando a Barcelona, mis amigos Ander, Gorka y Oza tocaron el clásico “Rock You Like a Hurricane” de Scorpions en el Doka Kafe Antzokia del Antiguo de San Sebastián. Lo llevaban preparando varias semanas y les salió muy bien: aquí tenéis la prueba.

Gorka Gabilondo – Guitarra Solista/Ander Delgado – Guitarra Rítmica/Iñigo Ozaeta – Bajo/Pablo Merino – Batería y Voz

Estos últimos días que estoy que no quepo en mí mismo de lo feliz que estoy. Mañana iré a Barcelona a ver a AC/DC, mi banda favorita. Será en el Palau Sant Jordi con mis amigos Jon, Iker y Manex y con unos teloneros de lujo llamados The Answer, que presentan su nuevo disco “Everyday Demons”. Por si fuera poco, es el cumpleaños de Angus, y he leído en internet que puede que caiga el tema “If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It)” del disco “Highway to Hell” para celebrarlo. En fin, que será una noche de gloria y por supuesto, el miércoles o el jueves escribiré la crónica en el blog comentando el concierto. AC/DC presenta su nuevo disco “Black Ice”, que probablemente también reseñaré en el blog. Bueno, pues eso, que espero pasarlo de maravilla.

Aprovecho también para animar a mis amigos Gorka, Ander y Oza, que tocarán en el “Doka Kafe Antzokia” de Donostia. Si vivís cerca no os lo perdáis, que seguro que estará muy bien. La cita es a las siete de la tarde.

Martxoak 28an (larunbata) DOKA REGGAE JAIA ospatuko da. Bertan hurrengo sound eta abeslariak egongo dira:

Rude Kanka Sound featuring The Zestones & Ras Dav

• Rude Kanka Sound (Donostia): Bi gazte donostiarrek osatutako proiektuaren izena. Hurrengo estiloak aurkitu daitezke beraien sesioetan: roots, dub, new roots, dancehall, UK dub…. Dardara positiboak zabaltzea da beraien helburua, Reggaearen kultura bat errotu eta garatzea Gipuzkoan eta Euskal Herrian.
• The Zestones (Zestoa): Zestoa inguruan juntatu diren 4 abeslarik osatzen dute. Reggae estilo guztiak abesten dituzte mezu sozial eta sakonekin. Euskeraz, gazteleraz eta ingelesez abesten dute beraien koro original eta txukunak zuzenekotan aurkeztuz.
• Ras Dav (Donostia): Sound System askotan ibili ondoren, gaur egun Rude Kanka-rekin askotan ikus daitekeen melodika jolea.

Jah Inity Sound featuring Leroy Onestone & Jah Lion

• Jah Inity Sound (Andoain): Gure artean urte asko daraman Andoainen sortutako sound systema. Ras Daniel Ray, Leroy Onestone, Alborosie edota Michael Rose bezelako artistekin kolaborazioak egindakoa. Roots Reggae, New Roots eta Dancehall doinuak entzun ahal izaten dira beraien sesioetan.
• Leroy Onestone (Granada Irla-karibe): Izugarrizko zuzena duen abeslari internazionala. Kolaborazio mordoak egindakoa eta estatuan oso ezaguna dena. Noizean behin gure herritik ikusi ahal izan duguna Sound System honekin.
• Jah Lion (Irun): Jah Inity Sound-eko partaidea. Batzutan mikroetan ikusi ahal izaten dugu bere sound systemarekin.

NOIZ: Martxoak 28 (Larunbata)

ORDUA: 23:00etatik aurrera

LEKUA: DOKA – Errege zain 20 (Antiguo-Donostia)

PREZIOA: sarrera + errekopilatorio CD bat: 5€

El 28 de Marzo (sábado) se celebrará el DOKA REGGAE JAIA. En esta fiesta se podrán ver los siguientes sounds y cantantes:

Rude Kanka Sound featuring The Zestones & Ras Dav (Donostia-Zestoa)

Jah Inity Sound featuring Leroy Onestone & Jah Lion (Antoain-Irun-Isla de Granada)

DÍA: 28 de Marzo (Sábado)

HORA: A partir de las 23:00

LUGAR: DOKA – Calle Escolta Real 20 (Antiguo-Donostia)

PRECIO: entrada + CD recopilatorio: 5€

Babesleak / Colaboradores:

• Old School Hip-Hop denda (http://oldschooldenda.com/)
• Gerónimo arropa denda
• Rastavibes reggae diskak (http://www.rastavibes.net/)
• Orlegi Bizitza grow shop (http://orlegibizitza.com/)

Kartelaren diseinua: Missi

Pop Quiz:

My first 3 hours in Costa Rica I learned that:

a) I don’t have the balls to hang out in a foreign city while my husband is shipped back to Denver after 12 hours of travel, no sleep and no breakfast.

b) Mary at Frontier Airlines is a saint.

c) Life goes on even if your house is sliding down a hill.

d) Who needs breakfast (or lunch) when you have coffee.

e) All of the above.

Answer after the jump!

The answer is E!

There was a near disaster relating to my husband’s admission into the fine nation of Costa Rica, which St. Mary resolved. We got lost on the way to a coffee plantation only to discover a real disaster in a town that was wrecked by that earthquake that hit a week before we departed our blustery climes for some tropical therapy. All of the homes were tilted to the right and down the hill they were built on – that mother earth can be a bitch when she wants to be.

At long last (we also learned that Costa Rican roads and attractions are notoriously poorly marked) we found the Doka coffee Estate, which on our map was just north of Alajuela on the way to Volcan Poas, which it may have been. You know you’re in trouble when the signs to the volcano guide you to make 4 lefts.

It was only appropriate that we found the back way in, down a steep, barely-one-lane, unpaved road. We drove through the plantation past the Nicaraguan pickers and straight up to the back side of the main gate. Awesome.

But they wanted our money and so let us in. My first coffee tour! Yay! We got to see little starter plants:

And ripe coffee fruits:

We got to tour the factory, which wasn’t running because their water supply was interrupted by the earthquake:

And see how they dry the sorted beans:

And how they store beans:

And how they dump beans out of the truck:

Of course we got to sample coffee (my favorite part). And it turns out that Doka Estates supplies most of it’s first quality beans to Starbucks for its Costa Rica blend. So now I will feel a little smug when I pick up some Costa Rica beans from Starbucks, knowing it would be a jerk thing to tell the person I buy it from that I went to the plantation where that coffee came from, but also a bit disappointed knowing she would never think to ask. Or I’ll just order some of my own beans online. Or I’ll just continue to walk the half a block to Blue Line for my organic fair trade crack.

Luckily our $36 covered admission into Doka’s up-and-coming butterfly house. A nice guy from Minneapolis took our photo, but I was pale and puffy-eyed and slime-toothed. So here’s one of the classic Blue Morphos of Costa Rica:

Apparently their wings aren’t really blue. Magic.

Yet as magical as it was, there was the task of finding the Pan-American Highway and taking it all the way to Playa Hermosa looming ahead of us. It was nearly noon at this point, and the adventure had just begun!

Il mio nemico
solleva la sua spada
fronteggiandomi,
ma quando vibra il colpo
già sono dietro a lui.

Morihei Ueshiba

Prendiamoci dieci minuti per rileggere i Doka del fondatore, insegnamenti spirituali scritti nella forma tradizionale giapponese “waka”, con metrica 5-7-5-7-7. Sono poemi dal profondo significato spirituale, anche se, come spesso accade in questo caso, non sono significativi dal punto di vista artistico.

La parola Doka significa “Canti del Cammino” (o della via), in cui O’Sensei ha voluto esprimere l’essenza dell’Aikido.