Kutch, 4-dan, has clocked 19 years in Philippine Kendo. Along with Igarashi-sensei, they established a dojo in Quezon City in February 2010. Currently an office manager of a design and build firm as well as a part time PE instructor at a university, Kutch was inspired into taking up swordsmanship by movies like Star Wars, the Princess Bride, the Highlander, and Seven Samurai. He initially tried fencing and arnis but it was Kendo that eventually got him hooked.
It’s difficult to compress more than a decade of memories but let’s see what made it to Kutch’s top 10.
Every day that I get to practice with my lovely wife is a day to remember.
Founding the club in 2010, a big step into the unknown that eventually led to much success.
Our first really big event, the 2011 weekend training camp (gasshuku) in Tagaytay.
Our first foray in an international event, the 13th Hong Kong Kendo Open Championships held in 2013, where the name of our club started growing in prominence.
The first big multi-dojo event in the Philippines, where Davao, Iloilo, and Manila Kendo Club members joined our weekend training camp (gasshuku) in 2014.
Successfully pulled off the 1st Philippine National Kendo Tournament in 2016, mostly through the efforts of IGA Ken members who went above and beyond the call of duty for this.
Passed my yondan exam in 2017 in Hong Kong, the first Filipino to succeed in taking the yondan exam there…nuff said.
Representing my dojo and country in the 2017 Kitamoto Seminar, and forging some life long friendships along the way.
Being shimpan from the early days to the very last day of old Arena Dojo…can you tell which one is which?
Manager of the most successful Philippine Kendo Team in the history of the ASEAN Kendo Tournament, held in Jakarta in 2019.