My First Naginata Encounter
My Naginata Budo expertise is a colourful and ongoing journey and whereas Naginata was a minor a part of my martial arts coaching it had a big impact on my Budo consciousness.
I used to be on the Worldwide Budo College after I first encountered Naginata and it instantly intrigued me because the individuals had been all girls. They had been each sleek and lethal and to a long-time martial artist like myself, I used to be captivated.
There was additionally one other, very Canadian purpose I grew to become desirous about attempting Naginata and it was after I walked into the Naginata portion of the seminar I used to be attending. I seen a few Naginata mendacity on the ground and my affiliate and I proceeded to select them up and use them as hockey sticks (which is how we noticed them).
First met Kimura Soke
My first encounter with Yasuko Kimura Soke was on the Nippon Budokan’s Kenshu Centre, in Katsuura Japan. She is by far, one of many best Sensei I’ve ever been related to and wholeheartedly confirmed to me that the title of martial arts Sensei is a gender-neutral one!
As my self-discipline of Shotokan Karate is an unarmed martial artwork, after I noticed how Naginata makes use of the physique’s full vary of movement to each wield the weapon and generate energy, I noticed the way it might improve my coaching.
Fortuitously, my Karate coaching offered me with a superb basis, particularly because it pertained to steadiness and motion. However, even after my a few years of each Karate and Kobudo, studying Naginata was an journey from the beginning.
Similarities to Hockey Stick
Whereas I used the Hockey Stick analogy to explain why I first picked up a Naginata, a semi-pro hockey participant pal of mine additionally noticed similarities with the hockey stick. Actually, my pal talked about some “stick preventing” that was a traditional a part of the (hockey) recreation, so after all we noticed some rapid advantages to studying use this new weapon.
Having practiced Karate for therefore lengthy and extensively, I’ve at all times needed to become involved with one other Martial artwork/budo, however one thing fairly separate from my karate coaching. Naginata appeared to suit the invoice for me and for practicality functions, again within the early ’90s (after I began Naginata), I might actually say that just about 80% of all Canadian households would have a hockey stick in it. This made it a available weapon if used accurately and what I believed was purpose to discover ways to use the Naginata!
Naginata Historical past and New Objective
Although I used to be wanting on the Naginata via my very Canadian eyes, I used to be made rapidly conscious throughout my research that Naginata has a protracted and wealthy historical past. It has at all times been an integral a part of the Japanese martial arts and curiously sufficient is now thought-about (in Japan) a girls’s martial artwork, though attitudes are undeniably altering.
Naginata will be traced again to the early Heian period, round 1000 CE, and was the interval the place Japan was creating into a definite and distinctive tradition. It was additionally a time of inside strife and the Naginata was an integral weapon of the early foot troopers.
The Naginata was used rather than the spear largely attributable to its capacity to chop down mounted warriors, putting both on the mounted soldier or on the horse itself. Quick ahead a number of hundred years whereby the Naginata grew to become primarily a girls’s weapon with the katana (sword) turning into the popular weapon by males.
One of many causes for this distinction of choice was that after a few years, the Naginata grew to become extra ceremonial and even ornamental as they had been repeatedly displayed close to the doorway of the Samurai’s dwelling. Because the Samurai would usually be away from dwelling battling enemy forces someplace, it fell to the Samurai girls to defend the house. Because the Naginata was available in most households, it was the primary weapon the ladies would seize to defend their household and residential.
Naginata coaching developed over time primarily at the side of Kendo and for essentially the most half was simply one other avenue of apply throughout the Kendo syllabus. This meant that the Naginata was solely used in opposition to a Kendo sword (bokken) and solely sometimes. This all modified after WWII and by 1955 an all-Naginata syllabus was developed. This new Naginata vs. Naginata model was named Atarashii Naginata or New/Trendy Naginata and whereas a number of kinds had been concerned within the growth of Atarashii Naginata, a lot of the strategies had been derived from two major kinds, particularly Tendo-Ryu and Jikishinkage-ryu.
In the present day, Naginata is practiced internationally with affiliate golf equipment in dozens of nations all over the world. I’ve personally joined fellow Naginata practitioners in Japan, Seattle, San Jose, Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal and whereas my involvement in organized Naginata is nominal at greatest, the group really feel of the varied Naginata associations I handled significantly enhanced my perspective on Budo.
Kimura Yasuko Soke and Dr. Alexander Bennett
Considered one of my favourite features of martial arts is assembly some unbelievable folks, whether or not they’re superb instructors or proficient friends and from time to time somebody particular enters your life. In my Japanese Naginata expertise, I had the dignity of assembly 3 exceptional Budoka, every of whom I can nonetheless name a pal after nearly 30 years.
Kimura Yasuko Soke, Dr. Alexander Bennett, and Shihan Baptiste Tavernier are three of essentially the most spectacular people I’ve ever had the dignity to know and befriend. They’re all not solely extraordinarily proficient Budoka, they’re all revered intellectuals and artists as properly. Every is a frontrunner of their respective communities and I’m hoping to interview every for upcoming articles.
As famous above, my first interplay with Kimura Soke was when my affiliate and I picked up a Naginata on the Worldwide Budo Seminar and had been utilizing them like hockey sticks. Kimura Soke actually made an impression when she entered the Dojo. There have been a number of of the Naginata college students who had been helping us, however they instantly disappeared once they noticed Kimura Soke enter the room.
What shocked me essentially the most was that though I’m over 6’1” tall and nearly 200 lbs. (at the moment), nonetheless when Kimura Soke issued a command, I used to be really intimidated. Soke appeared immediately at me and my affiliate and advised us that if we needed to know use the Naginata, then “we should study it accurately!!” … I grew to become her lifelong scholar instantly thereafter.
One other attention-grabbing level is that Kimura Soke spoke little or no English so loads of our conversations over time had been via the interpretation efforts of Dr. Alexander Bennett. I wrote extensively about Dr. Bennett in my “Evolution of a Tea Grasp” Martial Journal Article and was somebody who helped me turn out to be a loyal pal of Kimura Yasuko.
Assembly Baptiste Shihan
One other excellent martial artist I had the dignity of befriending whereas coaching in Naginata, has turn out to be what I think about a real Renaissance Man. Baptiste Tavernier is initially from the south of France and got here to Japan to completely immerse himself within the Japanese tradition. I first met Baptiste throughout one among my journeys to Japan which was totally devoted to my Naginata coaching. I stayed on the Worldwide Budo College’s Pupil Dorm (in a 23-tatami mat room) and the place I educated repeatedly with the college’s Naginata group.
Seeing my Japanese language expertise had been marginal at greatest and the truth that Baptiste had solely lately been accepted into the IBU’s Naginata Program, he was requested by the College to help me with my logistics and any coaching necessities I could have. We spent loads of time collectively as Baptiste took his obligations critically, so in the long run I had a beautiful time studying and socializing with the College’s Naginata group.
Every time I returned to Japan, I made a degree of visiting Baptiste and I watched him mature into an entire Budoka. Actually, not solely is Baptiste a high-ranking Budoka (Kendo, Naginata, Jukendo, Tankendo), however he’s additionally an completed artist, with exhibitions all over the world. I’m hoping to additionally interview Baptiste for a future Martial Journal submission.
Unique Naginata Japan Journey
Throughout this explicit journey, I used to be launched to the College’s Naginata membership and whereas I used to be really attempting to stick to all the various protocols of Naginata coaching, I proceeded to interrupt them multi function session whereas attempting to movie everybody. Not begin, however luckily Baptiste and his magnificent deal with on the Japanese language saved me a number of occasions!
Whereas I had been finding out and coaching diligently when in Canada, sadly, there weren’t many Naginata colleges in Canada, with the closest being a number of thousand miles east of me. For that reason, I needed to depend on the very good teachings I acquired whereas in Japan. I used to be extraordinarily lucky to have such an inclusive group of Naginata college students who embraced my efforts to study such a singular martial artwork.
As I had a fundamental understanding of conventional Japanese weaponry (Kobudo), I used to be in a position to choose up the fundamentals of Naginata, but it surely was intricate nuances that required the private instruction of a real Naginata sensei. It was for that reason that I continued to hunt out Kimura Soke every time I traveled to Japan.
Naginata did turn out to be reasonably in style for a number of years, particularly when it was found that this explicit martial artwork was primarily targeted on and taught by girls. This allowed a variety of the senior Naginata instructors, like Kimura Soke, to go to North America. I had the private honor of internet hosting a seminar for Kimura Soke the place we invited the native Kendo membership to affix us and lots of did!
The coaching was of excessive caliber and seeing that a variety of conventional Naginata kinds work with a Kendo sword, Kimura Soke was in a position to reveal a wide-ranging syllabus. In flip, after the seminar, nearly your complete group went off to dinner collectively, which in my view will be the very best a part of any martial arts seminar. The tales, the historical past, to not point out the laughs is why many people have turn out to be lifelong martial artists.
North American Naginata expertise
I continued to coach at Naginata whereas in North America, touring to a variety of seminars and colleges each in Canada and components of the U.S. I used to be really in a position to attend the Naginata World Championships a variety of years in the past however even there, the attendance was sparse.
The folks I met whereas coaching in Naginata right here in North America had been greater than certified to show the varied kinds of Naginata and whereas the hassle was there (at propagating the artwork) sadly and finally, the curiosity was not! Even in Japan, there are actually extra girls working towards Kendo than Naginata, with the worldwide enrollment nonetheless lower than 100,00 in whole (evenly cut up between women and men practitioners).
Kimura Sensei turns into Kimura Soke
Kimura Yasuko Sensei was the main proponent of Atarashii Naginata and would journey the world on behalf of each the Worldwide Naginata Federation in addition to on the behalf of the Japanese Authorities through the Nippon Budokan. What I hadn’t realized was that Kimura Sensei was additionally essentially the most senior Teacher of the predecessor of Atarashii Naginata, particularly Tendo-Ryu. Tendo-Ryu encompasses weapons over and above the Naginata, with Kimura sensei’s information and talents affording her the chance to steer one of many extra conventional Japanese martial arts.
I continued to remain involved with Kimura “Soke”, which is the title she was given when she took over the reins of the worldwide Tendo-Ryo group. Her new management obligations take her throughout Japan and she or he has lately been honored by the distinguished Nippon Budokan in Japan for her lifelong contribution to the Martial Arts.
Naginata Going Ahead
It’s tough to coach in Naginata regularly, attributable to a wide range of causes together with the considerably cumbersome gear needed for every session, the shortage of high quality native instruction in addition to the general lack of curiosity amongst my fellow martial artists. In reviewing the state of in the present day’s Naginata group, I discovered a vibrant and devoted group of proficient individuals who proceed to propagate Naginata to an ever-changing society.
Naginata will be thought-about archaic and redundant in in the present day’s martial arts scene, nonetheless, my expertise with this glorious artwork type allowed me to study extra about full-body dynamics at the side of wielding a large weapon. I additionally discovered the Naginata group to be a vigorous, partaking group with ages starting from younger kids to seniors, because of the wide-ranging and numerous curriculum.
From those that thrive on competitors (Shiai Naginata) to the various who see the creative aspect (Rhythm Naginata), the inclusive nature of Naginata gives a lot for all ages and one thing to think about when deciding on a martial artwork …. and whereas it’s onerous to think about having to make use of a Naginata in in the present day’s world, being a Canadian and a hockey fan, I readily have entry to a hockey stick, so I can really see how Naginata coaching might nonetheless turn out to be useful!
Pruim Shihan has continued along with his coaching in Japanese Budo by repeatedly travelling to Japan to be able to practice with a few of the world’s foremost Karate masters together with the late Kanazawa Hirokazu Soke (tenth Dan Shotokan Karate) and his current teacher Shuseki Shihan Manabu Murakami (eighth Dan).
Pruim Shihan additionally attended the Worldwide Budo College, situated in Katsuura, Japan on a number of events for superior Budo coaching the place he was launched to Atarashii Naginata. Pruim Shihan based one of many few Naginata colleges in Canada after coaching with a few of the high Naginata Instructors in Japan together with Kimura Yasuko Soke.
As well as, Andries Pruim is a lately retired Company Supervisor after 38 years, having labored each at an Worldwide Financial institution, primarily as a Industrial Lender in addition to with Canada’s 2nd largest cellphone firm as a Senior Enterprise Advisor. His newest efforts are an try to leverage his huge enterprise expertise to help those that want to make the Martial Arts a full-time profession.
Andries Pruim has written a number of articles over the previous 30 years, along with his most up-to-date work specializing in the enterprise aspect of the Martial Arts Trade. His work has been showcased in lots of distinguished publications together with MA Success Journal and Black Belt Journal in addition to their digital platforms, primarily underneath the Budo Banker moniker (www.BudoBanker.com)
