IU holds martial arts festival

Bloomington may seem an unlikely center for Iaido martial art demonstrations, but the city's abundance of Asian culture, including the only Asian Culture Center in the Midwest, attracted a major martial arts event this weekend. \nThe Hoki Ryu Iaido Club, a Bloomington Japanese martial arts club, is one of many organizations involved in the Koryu Budo Matsuri, literally translated "the old school martial arts festival."\nThe three day festival, lasting from today through Sept. 21, will feature traditional Japanese music, martial arts and archery. \n"The festival represents an unprecedented cooperation between sport clubs (Aikido, Kendo & Iaido clubs), the Asian Cultural Center, and the IU Martial Arts Program," said Dakin Burdick, the conductor of the event and an Iaido Club member.\nThis event is not only unprecedented for the Bloomington campus, but a gathering of this size has been unheard of in the U.S., Burdick said. The Sword Seminar at the University of Guelph in Ontario comes the closest.\nMelanie Castillo-Cullather, director of the Asian Culture Center, said IU is a great place to hold such a festival, reiterating that IU has the only Asian Culture Center in the entire Midwest.\nBurdick said the festival started off small, but has grown to a huge event which will attract people from all over the world. \n"We originally hoped for two to three performers, and now we have more than a dozen," Burdick said. Burdick said three visitors are traveling from Japan solely to perform in the festival. \nShiku Yano plays the shakuhachi, the Japanese flute. Satsuki Urasawa plays the koto, the Japanese harp. Dr. Tetsu Nakamura, who first visited Bloomington in 1987 as a visiting Professor of Education from the Hyogo College of Teacher Education in Japan, will be demonstrating the Japanese art of Iaido, the martial art of drawing and cutting simultaneously with a blade.\n"We're very lucky to have Dr. Nakamura," said Burdick, "Bloomington is one of the few places outside Japan where Hoki-ryu iaido can be learned. It is a rare art even in Japan." \nAll three performers will be doing the free Friday night Iaido demonstration, which is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. in Alumni Hall in the Indiana Memorial Union.\nSaturday's events begin at 1 p.m. in the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, room 169 and cost $20 for each adult. The first show is of Japanese archery led by Takako Matsui Swain, whose students have performed before the royal family in Japan. His demonstration will be followed by six more performances of martial arts and brief question-and-answer periods.\nSunday's final performance begins at 1 p.m. and is led by Miyako Tanaka Price, one of the highest ranked naginatado performers in the country. The Naginata Seminar will cost $10 for each adult and will consist of Japanese Halbert, a traditionally female long pole fighting demonstration.\nNate McAninch, a former Aikido student, said the forms of martial arts at the festival are far more complex than just fighting. \n"Aikido is appealing because it differs from other ways of fighting," he said "It focuses on gently rerouting your opponents energy and motion rather than brutally attacking."\nBurdick said the festival welcomes all who have an interest of any kind in martial arts, and who would like to enjoy the first ever Koryu Budo Matsuri festival of Bloomington.\nCastillo-Cullather said the festival is not just for those of Asian decent and encourages people of all backgrounds to attend.\n"We learn each time we are exposed to different cultures," she said. "I think we are very lucky we have such a learning opportunity."\n-- Contact staff writer Christie Mehrlich at cmehrlic@indiana.edu.