Hasu Dojo

Little more info about some dojo traditions

Kagami biraki (鏡開き, lit. 'opening the mirror'; understood as "breaking of the mochi") is a traditional Japanese ceremony where kagami mochi are broken open. It traditionally falls in January on an odd numbered day ( as odd numbers are associated with being good luck in Japan ).The term also refers to the opening of a cask of sake at a party or ceremony.

Before attending the Hatsu Keiko at the Bujinkan Engetsu Dōjō in Gifu-Ken, Oguri Dai Shihan had asked me to perform the godan shinsa for a student of his Dōjō. Oguri sensei received permission directly from Soke via letter for this to take place at the Bujinkan Engetsu Dōjō.
On January 7th, we paused the class to commence the godan shinsa test. In one swing, I broke the fukuro shinai as the student was moving, but as the sword broke during the swing, it slightly touched his shoulder. I decided to do it one more time. With a new fukuro shinai, on the next attempt, the student of the Bujinkan Engetsu Dōjō passed perfectly.

After keiko had finished, Oguri sensei said that the sword breaking was a sign of good luck. It was like the breaking of the mirror when performing kagami biraki. He made me realise it was a good omen, when originally I felt bad that I had broken his shinai. As it was the Hatsu Keiko ( the first class of the year ), the timing was perfect. It was like a Dōjō Kagami Biraki to break open and celebrate the new year, but with the sword!
The mirror and the sword are two of the three regalia of Japan, this connection helped make it a very special moment and memory for us all.

南虎