Focus! (in all activities)

Warm up!

Yagyū Shinkage Ryū Heihō

This is a good summary of the Yagyū Shinkage Ryū Heihō philosophy. The relator is the 22nd generation Grand Master. The concept of “seishizen” is particularly clear. In order to avoid unnecessary pictures please,  fast forward to 1:40 for the beginning of the “Samurai Spirit”.

Plum Cake

Bienaventurados lechones, hoy Domingo día pastelero por excelencia os propongo un Plum Cake. Como siempre fácil y al alcance de cualquier Kendolechon con ganas de echarle huevos al asunto (en este caso tres)

Material:

3 huevos (lo dicho)
250 gr de harina
100 gr de Mantequilla
un pelín de margarina (o más mantequilla)
50 gr de pasas de corinto (que substituí por 60 gr nueces)
250 gr de fruta confitada (melón, cerezas,...)
1 sobre de levadura en polvo
50 gr de almendras crudas (que substituí por 60 gr de piñones



Métodos:
1.- Fundir la mantequilla, dejadla que se enfríe un poco y mientras está aún líquida id echando el azúcar y trabajad la mezcla

        

2.- Id echando los huevos uno a uno y trabajad con la mezcla antes de echar el siguiente hasta q esté completamente integrado

3.- A seguir incorporamos la harina ya mezclada con la levadura. Idealmente la tamizamos y la vamos echando en pequeñas cantidades para evitar grumos y obtener una buena distribución /integración de la misma con la masa que vamos elaborando. Si echamos cantidades pequeñas de harina de cada vez será más fácil la mezcla

      

4..- Ya podemos agregar las frutas y las vamos mezclando con la masa con gentil movimiento de brazo (alerta onanistas he dicho gentil movimiento)

  

5.- Ánimo que ya lo tenemos, ahora solo falta echar la masa en un molde rectangular para respetar las tradiciones plumcakeras y al horno a temperatura media mínimo una hora (en mi horno, un Siemens, lo cociné a 180º C. durante una hora, para obtener este resultado:

Tips & Triks:

a) Para que la fruta no se vaya al fondo por la gravedad mientras horneéis el pastel y os quede así de bien:

conviene enharinarla antes de lanzarla a la mezcla. Yo aproveché uno de los tamizados

   

b) Si usáis pasas de corinto una buena idea es hidratarlas mínimo media hora con agua fría (los q queráis darle un toque alegre hacedlo con moscatel)

c) Embadunar el molde con un poco de mantequilla o margarina antes de echar la masa para evitaros q se pegue al molde (una alternativa es utilizar papel de hornear)

d) Es muy importante la cocción de este pastel. Como hemos comentado con anterioridad ha de estar más o menos una hora pues si no el centro os quedará crudo. Si el horno es muy potente y ponéis temperatura a más se os tostará deprisa y no dará tiempo a que suba la masa. Cuando lleva más o menos 20 minutos la masa empieza a cuartearse en su superficie y sube un poco más. Si esto no ocurre ojo que igual la temperatura es fuerte a más y se os tostará por fuera y quedará crudo por dentro.

e) La receta original incluye almendras que yo substituyo por piñones, algo más caros pero más sabrosos y si vamos a gastar una hora de electricidad en el horno no seamos ridículos lechones!  -a menos q os gusten más las almendras q de todo hay en la viña del señor- Si usáis almendras crudas peladas la idea es cortarlas en pequeños fragmentos (más o menos como los piñones de tamaño o algo menos)

Addendum: Ideas de decoración final.

Sobre el pastel podemos poner nueces, piñones, ...si vamos a hacerlo el momento es cuando hemos esparcido la masa en el interior del molde. Depositamos estos elementos sobre la superficie y al horno!

Una vez ya horneado y en el exterior podemos empolvarlo con azúcar polvo

Si preferís la fruta confitada (idealmente rodajas de naranja o cerezas), ésta se coloca ya con el pastel horneado y se cubre con una fina capa de mermelada. De hecho más que cubrir es pintar, mojad un pincel de cocina con la mermelada (idealmente de la misma fruta) y pincelad la superficie del pastel

Hala ya solo queda deciros ... A disfrutar cocinando y desgastando

Strandbeest evolution

Numerous specimen of the Strandbeest evolution on music of Khachaturian's Spartacus.  

It open the archives of fossils. Theo Jansen's work since 1990. He tries to make new forms of live on beaches. His animals get their energy from the wind so they don't have to eat. In the future he wants to put out in herds.

It’s never too late to start Kendo

It’s never too late to start Kendo, no matter how old you are. That is the first sentence of a nice post in the Tozando website.

https://weblog.tozando.com/its-never-too-late-to-start-kendo-no-matter-how-old-you-are/?fbclid=IwAR36d5uIVAR_SpFbuS9JksUY51iqNYpeH9hNMdeeoN3SWrdZa6xKqJTdTAI

At bottom a summary of it.

Kendo is not a sport, but rather Budo, so that’s why respecting the etiquette in Kendo is very important. Life is just like Kendo, a life-long pursuit of knowledge and practice. Lately, it has become very popular do “リバ剣” (Ribaken; Revival Kendo) in Japan, meaning that the parent’s decide to start doing Kendo again, when their children starts Kendo in school.

I believe there are many students in Japan who considers joining a new club also when the school starts in April. Of course there is probably many who struggles to decide on what club to join, but it seems like there is a lot of people, who are not freshmen, but actually sophomores and third years that wishes to start Kendo.

“Is it too late to start Kendo even though I’m already in the 3rd year of Jr. high school?”

“I want to start from high school, but isn’t it too late?”

“How about starting from university, or beyond that?”

These are questions I hear all the time.

The philosophy of Kendo, according to the All Japan Kendo Federation, is to “mold the mind and body, cultivate vigorous spirit through correct and rigorous training… and forever pursue the cultivation of the self” To put it simply, the ultimate goal of Kendo is to cultivate oneself. In other words, it doesn’t matter when and how you start Kendo.

If you worry about winning, then of course, there are many who become conscious about their age. It’s normal to think that you want to win in a tournament or in a match, but in Kendo if you express your happiness by raising your fist into the air when you have made a hit, you will lose a point. Similarly if you don’t have enough Zanshin, your hit might not be counted as a proper hit. This is because Kendo puts great emphasis on “heart, technique and physique”, so Kendo more profound than just winning or losing.

PS: I start my practice neither in the high school nor at the University but at 49 years!

The Spirit of Kendo - Path of No Regret | 己に挑む六番勝負～剣道・西村英久

Taken from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BT7f0w38cgQ&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR1-Uhz6LhDcJ_u7H5knXl2KFBGdt-MgNL_1BiwKDrt9m1h5hACluiTaixM

Humor de médicos

  

The Five Schools of the Japanese Sword

The Japanese sword is divided based on the period of era it was made. Kotō (old sword) refers to the sword made before the Keicho era (just before the Edo period) and Shintō (new sword) refers to swords made between the Keicho and the beginning of the Meiwa era (1764). Swords made between the Meiwa era and the 9th year of the Meiji era (1876), when swords were abolished, are called Shinshintō (new-new sword). Especially in the old sword era, the swords are divided into five schools based on its main place of production and its technique. Specifically, they are Yamashiro-den (Kyoto), Yamato-den (Nara), Soshu-den (Kanagawa), Bizen-den (Okayama) and Mino-den (Gifu). Of course swords were produced in other areas too, but these 5 places have particularly unique features and have also produced many famous swords. This can sometimes come in handy for authentication. In Yamashiro (Kyoto), Yamato (Nara) and Bizen (Okayama), swords were made as early as the late Heian period. Especially in Yamashiro and Yamato, the rise of many samurai bands to protect the emperor caused a surge in demand for swords. Bizen became an important contributor because of the high quality iron sand produced there.

During the Kamakura era, the feudal government was placed in Kamakura (Kanagawa), which caused sword making to begin in Soshu as well. Mino was a late comer to the sword making, which began around the North-South Dynasty period (1336-1392).

Mino became a famous produce as it was controlled by powerful daimyos (feudal lords) during the Sengoku period (late 15thcentury to end of 16thcentury) which caused many skillful swordsmiths to move to Mino. The oldest is Yamato-den, which was made since the Nara era (710-794). It was originally made for warrior monks, and it had a very powerful demeanor to it. The 5 swords that were used during the Kamakura period are the Senjuin, Tegai, Taima, Hosho, and Shikkake swords. The ridge was raised high and also with substantial width in boorish style, and the blade patterns were usually a straight grain pattern intertwining with straight line.

Kyoto, which held the Heian capital, was also a famous place for sword production. As the main feature of Yamashiro-den, the elegance of the long sword was popular with the aristocrats. Sanjo Munechika was a famous swordsmith during the late Heian period and along with Yoshiie and Kuninaga, these are considered the ancestors of the Yamashiro wordsmiths. Since swords were main mainly for the emperor and imperial aristocrats, the sword patterns were characterized by pretty small wood grain patterns with a straight line. The swords also had carvings in them. The Awataguchi, which was produced during the Kamakura period, had a surface of unmatched beauty. Raiha swords appeared in the middle ages with its powerful style.

Bizen was the top produced of swords in Japan from the Heian until Muromachi period, providing many samurai generals with top quality swords. The Old Bizen style, Ichimonji style, and Osafune style—known to many Japanese who are not that familiar with swords—were all produced here. It had a clover-based pattern, and its gorgeous style captivated many a general.

Masamune is a famous brand known to all as a legendary producer, and this Masamune originated in Soshu. As the first feudal rule began in Kamakura, many swordsmiths moved from Yamashiro and Bizen. With a strong grain-based pattern, a powerful bubble pattern is added. Some have wave-pattern or an all-tempered pattern to give some flamboyance. Daggers were popular too, and Shintogo Kunimitsu is known as the father of Kamakura swordsmiths. Masamune, whose sword was held in wide acclaim by many generals during the Sengoku period, was a disciple of Kunimitsu.

The newest of the 5 schools is Mino-den, which was begun by swordsmiths who moved there from Yamato. The Mino swords gained popularity in the Muromachi period when Mino and the surrounding areas were controlled by powerful daimyos such as Saito Dozan, Oda Nobunaga, and Tokugawa Ieyasu. For this reason, fight swords were most common and there are no long swords, The ridge is slightly high, and the layers are thin and made more suitable for combat. The swords made in the Edo period and thereafter are mostly based on Mino-den. Sekino Magoroku is a famous Mino-den wordsmith.

The full text and pictures are available at:
https://weblog.tozando.com/the-five-schools-of-the-japanese-sword-this-will-help-you-know-the-history-of-the-japanese-sword/?fbclid=IwAR1tiwiDtiTL-t6cOuF9hzHd5oHhOnyToNRCCp79PR7xyfFuPAK5aSO5epI

Mae and the Hairdresser

Things to avoid in kendo and in real life

Really smart

Ancient sword, ancient samurai

Lenguaje perruno

Save the boobs month