I had been diligently training for a few years at the dojo when I was approached by the teacher and offered the experience of becoming an uchi deshi- a live in student in the dojo.
What is an uchi deshi, and how is that different from a regular student in the dojo?
Naturally each tradition and school in the Japanese martial arts does things a little bit differently, adjusted for the circumstances.
Classes at the dojo were on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturdays.
Thursday was open mat night when students could stop by and practice in the dojo.
As uchi deshi my responsibilities where outlines as follows.
Before class I was in charge of making sure everything was set up and ready for class. Any training gear was set aside, the swords unwrapped from the cloth storage bags, windows open and training mats set out.
After class it was the opposite, put everything away, clean up, and close the dojo down.
First in to the dojo, last out from the dojo.
In addition to this I kept the dojo clean, and handled returns any calls or visit requests from prospective students.
If I needed help cleaning or taking care of something I could pull in any of the junior students as needed.
On Saturday mornings I would arrive at the dojo at nine in the morning, and I would stay at the dojo overnight till Sunday at 5 PM.
I was not allowed to leave the dojo except to get something to eat from one of the shops or restaurants around the corner. During my time at the dojo on the weekends it was expected I would spend my time practicing what was expected from me and what I needed to work on in my movement.
This was the official schedule, unofficially….
On Saturdays or Sundays the teacher would stop by and practice with me, at other times practice would be at 3 AM on Sundays.
Senior students would stop by to practice, or sometimes stay over at the dojo with me.
I was uchi deshi for three years and those were the happiest years of my life.
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