Tomoki Misaki grew up in Tokyo and, honestly, did not enjoy kendo.
Way of Life #6, “Keep Challenging”, is a portrait of Tomoki Misaki (5-dan) at Budokan Zürich. What follows is transcribed from the subtitles of the film — Tomoki Misaki’s own words, in the order they are spoken, under the chapters of the film.
It taught me to persevere. And to always challenge yourself.
Honestly, I didn't like it
When I started? No, I didn't like it. I started because my parents told me — training was hard.
Back in Japan, I didn't like it. It first became fun when I came to Europe. I was welcome.
Part of myself
I started so early. It's part of my personality now. It's part of myself.
What kendo taught me
It's a really challenging sport. I try to teach these values — respect and gratitude.
These are the things I learned from kendo.
About this series
Way of Life is a series of short portraits of people who live the way, filmed by KAIDO Inc. in dojos across Europe and Japan. One person, one word, a few minutes.