Announcements/News
Catherine Ikeda Wins Women’s Yudansha Division at Hashimoto Hai Kendo Tournament
Congratulations to Catherine Ikeda who won in the Women’s Yudansha division at the Hashimoto Hai Kendo Tournament in Palo Alto, CA on September 28, 2025! The Hashimoto Hai Kendo Tournament is an annual event hosted by Palo Alto Kendo Dojo. It’s a “serious but not so serious” tournament held in honor of Dr. Walter Hashimoto, a beloved instructor and friend of the kendo community. While Catherine was battling her way through the serious division, her sister Carolyne joined in on the fun with a special match against three younger girls. Let’s just say… the next generation proved too much to handle—but Carolyne’s good spirit and laughter reminded everyone what makes this tournament so enjoyable!
We have a new sensei!
San Mateo Kendo Dojo is pleased to announce that we have a new sensei, Mr. Daniel Ying. A couple of years ago, Ying sensei became our lead for warm-up exercises, and this past May, he passed the 4th dan exam and has recently been certified. Ying sensei has been practicing kendo with San Mateo Kendo Dojo since 2014. He has been a dedicated member of the dojo since then and has shown great commitment to the art of kendo. Congratulations! All of your efforts have paid off!
We just published our new website!
Thank you for your patience while we worked on the new website. We hope you enjoy the improved design! Big thanks to Mrs. Konopka for managing the website prior to this. She was always quick to announce updates and make changes to the website. We are grateful for her contributions. And also thank you to Tessier, Ota, and Konopka sensei for providing the content for the new website, as well with helping proofread the content. I, Akia Vongdara, am the new maintainer of the website. If you have any feedback, questions, or suggestions, please let us know! You can contact us via the contact form on the website!
San Mateo County Fair Demonstration
On June 1st, volunteers from San Mateo Kendo Dojo performed a demonstration at the San Mateo County Fair. Thank you to those who participated in the event. You all showed a lot of energy and enthusiasm!
Annual San Mateo Kendo Dojo Mochi and Ozoni Party
Happy New Year! On January 21, 2025, San Mateo Kendo Dojo held its annual Mochi and Ozoni party after practice. Thank you to all the members and their families who attended the event, and special thanks to Mrs. Konopka for preparing the delicious Ozoni soup and mochi.