by Daria Litunenko
Some things are simpler than they look. But you have to take the first step. And we did it! Andrew Bragin managed to coordinate our visit to Fukuoka with Sumi Kaoru sensei and arrange the dates of this trip in such a way that we could participate in a Tendo-ryu seminar.
Of course, it was a whole adventure to get to Japan. First, I went by train to Moscow. There I met Andrey and together we flew to Shanghai and then to Fukuoka. But I don’t regret anything!!!
After a long break, I was happy to see my sensei, meet old friends and found some new.
It’s a pity that this seminar lasted only one day, but it was enough to learn a lot. We even managed to do some kata with jō. Of course, I knew that there was such a part in Tendo-ryu naginata, but I had never seen Sumi sensei do it. This time I was lucky and it was impressive! Now I know how I can use the broken e-bu.
Almost every day we trained naginata under the guidance of Sumi sensei, we visited several schools and the Nata dojo and each training was unique and interesting in its own way. Sumi sensei taught us and patiently explained our mistakes.
And of course, we were happy that we had the opportunity to congratulate Sunagawa Midori sensei on his 100th birthday!
The week we planned to spend in Fukuoka flew by very quickly.
After that Andrew went to Tokyo to meet a kendo group and focus on kendo, but I continued my naginata journey. My route was to Osaka.
I have been to Osaka several times, but I have never had the chance to practice naginata there. This time the dream came true and the reality exceeded all expectations! I am very grateful to Imaura sensei for her warm welcome and the opportunity to train with her students.
Quite unexpectedly, I was given the opportunity to practice naginata at the Shudokan Dojo, next to Osaka Castle. An incredible place with a strong energy. It is especially noticeable if a large part of the dojo is occupied by a kendo group. It was a big challenge for me, I would like to do both. It’s like choosing to be smart or beautiful. But the Naginata won!
While in Osaka I couldn’t help but go to Kyoto. Kiomizu-dera and the Golden Pavilion were as beautiful as always.
And finally, the last part of my trip – Nagoya, training under the guidance of Miyata sensei and Conrad Bucsis sensei. The first thing I noticed in Nagoya was that some of the subway signs and announcements are translated into Portuguese. Although, if you remember the history (and the rom-com “Shogun”), this seems quite understandable. Thanks to Konrad sensei and Miyata sensei I gained new experience and some things became clearer. This is so important.
The Naginata Handbook describes one of the benefits of naginata practice – it expands the circle of your friends around the world. And that’s true.
The return trip was a bit longer and Japan didn’t want to let me go. A typhoon in Shanghai delayed my flight. But everything ended well. I’m home and it’s time to plan a new trip.