A dojo in the 11th arrondissement of Paris. Jean-Pierre Labru first held a shinai in 1974, at the age of seven. Fifty-two years later he is still on that floor.
He explains the word that has kept him there: kōken-chiai. Cross swords, know friendship.
In the film he moves from the day of his first shinai to why he still returns, to the kendo that was carried to France from Japan, and to the generation he is now handing it to.
Chapters
- 0:17 BUDO XI Kendo Club, Paris 11e
- 0:23 1974 — his first shinai, at age seven
- 0:43 Why he still returns, 52 years on
- 1:00 Kendo, carried from Japan
- 1:27 To the next generation
About this series
Way of Life is a series of short portraits of people who live the way, filmed by Yusuke Makita in dojos across Europe and Japan. One person, one word, a few minutes.