05/05/2026
Happy Children’s Day from California Budogu!! 🎏 Children’s Day, or Kodomo no Hi, is a Japanese national holiday celebrated on May 5th to honor children’s happiness and pray for their healthy growth. As promised, we’ve chosen our newest sponsored Kenshi to celebrate the occasion!!✨
Congratulations to the newest member of the California Budogu family— our fifth sponsored Kenshi, Aya Bui!!
Aya is 11 years old and started Kendo at Costa Mesa Kendo Dojo at the age of 6. Nathan still remembers her first day at the Dojo, and even her first time in Bogu—when the set was bigger than she was! We were so excited when we heard she was interested in our sponsorship program✨😊
Aya trains regularly and shows incredible dedication. Although she was just slightly too young to try out for Team SCKF for the US Nationals this year, she still makes the effort to attend SCKF practices with the junior girls team. She is always kind and caring toward her dojo mates (seriously, she’s one of the only girls her age we know who doesn’t bully Vishwaas… much 🤣).
Aya mentioned in her application that she always enjoys talking with the CA Budogu team whenever she sees us, and that—regardless of whether she wins or loses—a tournament, our team inspires her to keep trying her best. We were truly warmed by her message. Her friendliness, strong spirit, and consistent effort made her a perfect fit, and we’re so happy to welcome her to the family!!
Our Sponsored Kenshi Program focuses on supporting strong junior role models who inspire the next generation through their attitude and spirit. We’re excited to support Aya and watch her continue to grow! Read more about our FIVE Sponsored Kenshi right here:
https://californiabudogu.com/pages/copy-of-ca-budogu-sponsored-kenshi-program
Thank you to everyone who showed interest. We never expected to receive so many messages, and it was amazing to read your stories and Kendo journeys. We’ve reached out to many applicants to send a small gift as a token of our appreciation—if we missed you, please don’t hesitate to reach out!✨✉️
www.californiabudogu.com
California Budogu
