・How old were you when you started kendo and why did you start?
I started kendo when I was 12 years old.
I started because my mother wanted to start in kendo. At that time I practiced karate and I didn’t want to do other martial art, but my mother didn’t want to start alone and she ask me to start with her just for one month. I accept and I started with her. After two days of practice I loved kendo, and I keep the practice of kendo until now.
・What do you find attractive about kendo?
There are many things very atractive in kendo. The most important thing for me is how it helps to develope yourself as a human been, but also the possibility that gives you to take out all your stress, the stetics and of course, because it’s really funny to practice.
・What did you feel after participating in world and European competitions?
The feelings after a big championship, a world or european championships were always the same, hapynees because it was a really big experience, but always the sensation that we had a lot of work to do, that we needed to practice more and harder.
・What are your future goals in kendo?・Do you have any kenshi whom you look up to as your goal (target) and why?
The top reference I’ll always have, was Kurasawa Sensei, 9th dan who was the sensei of my sensei, Ryo Hiruma. He came to Mallorca, where I live, many times to teach us. The first time I meet him I was 13 th years old, and since then he took care about me and my brothers a lot everytime he came to Mallorca, when we went to Japan, or other many times, writing us to give us many advises to improve our kendo level, and always asking about us. He was te top reference for us because his kendo level, but also and especially because how he was as a person, how humble he was, and the good feelings we had beeing with him.
David castro氏のインタビュー記事は、剣道日本2021年４月号に掲載しています。
A more detailed interview with david castro can be found in the April 2021 issue of Kendo Nippon!