Kendo Izakaya Zanshin is located in a prime location in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. I'm sure there are many people who have been helped by them after practice or a match. This time, we spoke with Mr. Miyahara of RF Technica Co., Ltd., who was involved in the conception, establishment, and operation of Izakaya Zanshin. The idea of ​​"creating a community of kendo practitioners" was something BUSHIZO had envisioned, so I became an even bigger fan of Zanshin!

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Tadashi Miyahara Born in Tokyo in 1974. Graduated from Seisoku High School and went on to Nippon Sport Science University. After graduating, he joined USEN. After working for a construction-related staffing company, he founded RF Technica in 2004. He was involved in the conception and establishment of Izakaya Zanshin. He is currently one of the management team. He is a 6th dan kendo master.

Miyahara's career history

—Could you tell us about your career? Miyahara: "I started kendo in the first grade of elementary school, influenced by my father, who started the Japanese National Railways Kendo Club ." Your father was an amazing person too! What made you start kendo? Miyahara : "At first, I kind of got caught in a trap and started kendo. They took me to the dojo, but they said, 'If you don't do kendo, you can't join.' I was bored outside, so I had no choice but to say, 'I want to do kendo.'" —That's a clever trick lol Miyahara : "My father told me, 'I told you not to quit, so don't ever quit!' That's how I started kendo. I really wanted to quit until I was in the lower grades of elementary school. But as I got older, I started winning matches and I started to enjoy kendo." —I have the impression that you like kendo, so this is surprising. Miyahara : “I entered junior high school, but there were so few members that the club was disbanded when I was in my second year. After that, I practiced at a local dojo.” —That was unfortunate. Which high school did you go to? Miyahara : I went on to Seisoku High School in Tokyo. It had a liberal school culture, but also placed a lot of emphasis on kendo. I started taking kendo seriously in my first year of high school. At the time, Kokushikan High School won the Tokyo Inter-High School Championships qualifying tournament, and all the winning members were in tears. So I asked myself, "Can I devote myself to kendo to this extent?" From that point on, I started to become passionate about kendo." -So you were inspired by the attitude towards kendo at other schools. You went on to study at Nippon Sport Science University. Miyahara : “In high school, I made it to the top 16 in Tokyo in both team and individual competitions. I wanted to pursue kendo seriously in college, so I went on to the strong Nippon Sport Science University. As soon as I entered the school, I gave up easily, thinking, "There's no way I'll become a regular," because the other members around me were so good at kendo." -I guess that can't be helped, haha. Did you work for an architecture-related company right from the time you joined as a new graduate? Miyahara : I joined my current company, USEN, as a new graduate. I ended up being assigned to a department that was like an independent guerrilla force because I was a graduate of Nippon Sport Science University and seemed to have a strong mentality. My department required monthly business trips to areas with poor sales performance, so during that time I was only able to practice kendo about three times a year. After that, I worked for a construction-related staffing agency before starting my own business. I didn't have time to devote myself to kendo in my twenties."

Reason for starting the business

Image source: RF Technica website ( http://rftecnica.com/ ) Miyahara : "After working for cable broadcasting, I started working in sales at a construction-related staffing agency. At the time, I didn't know anything about construction, but I received kind guidance from a senior site supervisor." —Can you tell us why you started your own business? Miyahara : "The reason I started my business was because I wanted to protect the jobs of site supervisors . At the time, many site supervisors were subject to restructuring, and I even advised my senior colleagues who had taught me the job to resign. This was very painful for me. So I decided to get the work myself and protect the jobs of the site supervisors. " —I can feel Miyahara's manliness. Miyahara : "The reason I'm a manager is simply because I want to provide a place for my employees to work until they are able to work again . Everyone is still in good health even when they reach retirement age. The work they do can be anything other than architecture. That's one of the reasons why I opened Izakaya Zanshin."

Resuming Kendo as "Ribaken"

*At the Zanshin Cup hosted by Zanshin Co., Ltd. Miyahara : “I started kendo again when my son started, and when I tried it again after a long time, I got hooked. I think I was around 34 at the time. As an adult, you can practice kendo at your own pace and there are no strict hierarchical relationships. Some employees had experience in kendo, so we decided to start a kendo club at the company." —It's what's known as "Revival Kendo," or "Ribaken" for short. Please tell us the purpose of the RF Technica Kendo Club's activities. Miyahara : "It was definitely about promoting the company. First of all, I wanted to make our name known to people involved in kendo. I thought that if we started doing well in tournaments, there would be more opportunities for people to notice our company. Our goal from that time on was to do well at the construction industry competition . After all, it would be better if it led to work." -The other day, you won the construction industry competition. Miyahara : "Thankfully, we were able to win for the first time. Our company was discovered at the construction industry tournament, which led to some work. It's a case of cross-sword, cross-know-love." —So it actually leads to work. Is it effective in recruiting? Miyahara : "It also contributes greatly to recruitment. What I feel through the Kendo Club activities is that it's truly a blessing to be able to connect with employees outside of work . The bonds between us become stronger. However, we do not give biased evaluations of Kendo Club employees. In fact, we try to evaluate them more strictly." -Have you ever felt that your performance evaluations were biased? Miyahara : Some people had a cynical view that only members of the kendo club were getting promoted. However, perhaps because of the mental strength they have developed through kendo, members of the kendo club are doing well in the company as well. That's very encouraging. It's only natural to evaluate someone based on their work."

Reasons for starting Izakaya Zanshin

Miyahara : "There are two reasons. The first is to create an izakaya that is welcoming to kendo practitioners . If you bring protective gear to an izakaya, people won't like it. I thought that would be very restrictive." - I understand that very well haha Miyahara : The second reason was that I wanted to create a community of kendo practitioners . For example, if you want to buy a car, you want to be connected to a kendo expert who sells cars. If you want to buy insurance, you want to be connected to a kendo expert who works at an insurance company. That's the kind of world I wanted to create. It's reassuring to know that we're both practicing kendo. I think it's more efficient to have work done within a community, because it starts with a relationship of trust." —I really sympathize with that. *The Zanshin Cup is sponsored by Zanshin Co., Ltd. The management team is in charge of running the tournament. The management philosophy is "exchanging swords, knowing love."

I want to make Zanshin a platform for spreading Japanese culture.

*The newly renovated Izakaya Zanshin. A stage has also been installed. —Congratulations on the renovation of Izakaya Zanshin! Miyahara : Thank you. Finally, what I wanted to do has become a reality. I would be delighted if Zanshin could become a platform for disseminating Japanese culture and be utilized by those involved in kendo. For example, we would like to hold a "Kendo Club Job Hunting Fair" at Zanshin for new graduates, and we are already in the preparation stages. Those with experience in kendo know basic etiquette and manners. Kendo practitioners are attractive as human resources . I think other companies have the same impression. —If I were a student, I would have participated in the Kendo job hunt. Miyahara: "We want to promote Japanese culture, including kendo, to foreign tourists. That's another role we want Zanshin to play." —Zanshin Co., Ltd. is a valuable entity that promotes not only kendo but also Japanese culture. I hope that you will become a standard-bearer for the spread and development of Japanese culture while cherishing "zanshin," the foundation of martial arts. BUSHIZO will continue to support Zanshin Co., Ltd. Thank you for today. Japanese-style sports bar Zanshin http://www.zanshin.tokyo/