I never knew how much this would eventually impact my life. My dad was born in a small town in Korea, and at a young age he took on a sport called Kendo, the Japanese sport of sword fighting. Although, having a slightly frail body in his teen years, my dad went on to carve his way into competitive Kendo. The objects shown in the picture are two pieces of equipment worn during the sport of kendo. The mask is called a men and it is worn over the head and tied around in the back. Next, the piece of equipment on the left is called a tare and it is tied around the hips to protect the legs. My dad practiced this sport for about 10 years, winning numerous amount of medals and trophies, and earning himself a title. When my dad moved to the U.S., he brought with him his equipment and his memories bearing his many years of hard work and commitment as well as harboring an important value in my dad’s life and past. My dad has long since retired from the sport, but when I first tried out the sport a few years ago, he passed down his equipment to me to use and care for. Although, I don’t participate in this sport right now, the few years that I did gave me a reason to cherish my dad’s equipment and realize its importance.

– Daniel Lee

Relationship:  unknown unknown