Joshi Judo Camp Celebrates 40th Anniversary
“No matter a white belt or black belt, young or old . . . Joshi Judo Camp is for female judo students to practice kata and competitive judo techniques during a weekend retreat,” said Elaine Abad, an adult female participant at this year's Keiko Fukuda Joshi Judo Camp and former student of Fukuda Sensei.
This year's camp, which was held at San Jose State University in the Bay Area, marked 40 years since Fukuda Sensei hosted the first camp back in 1974. Still, after decades since its inception, the camp remains a special place for girls and women alike to come together to practice judo. During the three-day camp, 58 female participants ranging from age 8 to 70, honed their judo skills, learned different techniques, and forged new bonds.
“There were more attendees from all over the place and a great balance of fun, work and friendships,” said Brenda Strech, an adult female participant and former student of Fukuda Sensei. “It was great to see a mixture of girls and women - and they all mixed together. It wasn't just the girls grouped together and the women in another section. It developed into a great sense of camaraderie.”
Presiding over the 2014 camp were two accomplished judo instructors: Eiko Saito Shepherd (7th Dan), a longtime student of Fukuda Sensei; and special guest instructor Amarilis Savon Carmenate, a Cuban Olympic Medalist and World Champion. During the retreat, the judokas kept busy practicing everything from Katame no Kata to Tachi Waza to light Randori.
“In the past few years, Joshi Camp had been held in the San Jose area so that Fukuda Sensei wouldn't have to travel far. Her vision though was to spread judo, not just throughout the United States, but the world. There are plans in the works to hold next year's camp outside of California. In the future, who knows where it'll be held,” said Abad.
“I can picture [Fukuda Sensei] sitting at the front of the room smiling and laughing and thoroughly enjoying the company and the judo. She was so gentle in spirit, a perfectionist on technique, but also loved to have fun,” said Stech. “I saw her spirit come out in the effort that everyone put into practicing the techniques that were taught and asking questions to understand them. It really feels like we are getting to what she envisioned.”