Building a dojo

It was always my dream to have a dojo in my home. I kept telling my wife: “When I’ll build a house, I want to have a place to practice”. She thought it would be something small, but here I am, with a 50 squared meter dojo in my house.

In Israel, getting a confirmation to build anything is very difficult. A lot of bureaucracies to overcome, even though every centimeter of the dojo will be placed on my ground, which I bought.

So, I decided to make a dojo covered by a tent. This way, I could skip almost all bureaucratic difficulties, as such building will be considered “temporary”.

My first attempt failed miserably. The carcass was built from a bad material, and one stormy night destroyed it completely.

(the first attempt)
(the first attempt)

After that first carcass was ruined, I had no other choice but to rebuild it. Double the material. Triple it if needed. It cost a lot of money but there was no way I would back from it.

So, I built the carcass once again. The metal is thicker, the design is smarter and I hope that it will hold the next winter.

(Painting the ceiling, so that the metal will look more like wood)

But the most interesting part is of course the flooring. In order for the floor to be good for proper footwork – I watched several Japanese videos of correct kendo and budo flooring. And after measuring everything carefully – here it is.

(Special thick rubber is used to make the floor springy)
(The first two layers of wood)
(And finally, the flooring)

And – here it is!

I hope that you all spread the word – my house is open for every naginata or Jukendo practitioner who comes to Israel. I will always have a place for you to stay and to practice!

Hope to see everyone soon,

Gur Nedzvetsky