by David D’hose
It is with great pleasure that I went to Canada this October 2022 at the invitation of the Canadian Naginata Federation. It was a change from my last trip in 2015 when I went there to defend the colors of the Belgian team during the world championships. This time it was as a teacher that I was received by a very dynamic and welcoming federation. After having to juggle with changes imposed by the airline, I landed in Montreal on a beautiful autumn day and from the first evening I met the students of McGill University, all very enthusiastic about the idea of practicing with a sensei from abroad. I recognized the place we had walked in 2015 but was impressed to meet so many new naginata practitioners. It was a nice start with a little birthday practice.
The two following days my host Kevin Hallé guided me in St Eustache and Montreal for beautiful cultural and gastronomic visits while discussing naginata.
Finally on Saturday and Sunday I was able to offer to the Canadian Federation together with Kurt Schmucker sensei from Seattle, a small seminar that I hope everyone enjoyed. Practitioners came from all the Canadian clubs to share their techniques during this weekend and I think it was interesting for all of us. I was very happy to work with Kaori Kubo sensei whom I had not seen for a long time and the ji geiko that Marija Landekic gave me were very interesting. The Canadian Federation is rich in talent and promises a rich future, and the grades that were achieved during this seminar are a beautiful reflection of this.
It was an honor for me to participate in this seminar and I hope to have the opportunity to participate again in the future. Finally I would like to thanks again Daiki and Birgit for their great hospitality.