Hagakure is a priority over Midare yes, but if you're playing well you should be getting one Kaiten Midare before Haga comes off CD. When it comes to Kenki use, Guren is the 2nd best move to use. The best use for Kenki is Seigan whenever there's unavoidable damage.

As for your opener... try Hagakure the opening Sen you get, then throw up Kaiten Higanbana once you finish Gekko.

Before that Kaiten I'm typically at 60, so I drop to 40. Then I Meikyo Yuki(Guren) Kasha Gekko(Kaiten) Midare. Admittedly after that opening burst I'm usually at 0 Kenki, but all my heavy hitting moves are already used up, at which point I follow the 35 Kenki rule.