Bolton Motto

You may have noticed that there is a plaque at the Bolton Shomen. It is a Tenegui on which is written a principle that Kendoka of Bolton aspire to.

• The meaning of “Hokou” (the writing on the Tenugui): It comes from an old Chinese Taoism teaching. The original meaning is a soft encompassing light, as well as to encompass light. From that, the meaning to not boast one’s talents but to cloak it and hold it within came about.
  
• It was given to the Shimadzu Kendo Club at the time of its foundation in 1953 from the then Shimadzu chairman, Kosuke Suzuki.
  
• The actual characters on the Tenugui were originally written by Zakou Sensei, who was the Shihan of Shimadzu Kendo Club.

Bottom Row Mark Needham(far left),Zakou Sensei