August 2023
Sixth Atarashi Naginata Seminar in Moscow
We hosted the sixth atarashi naginata seminar in Moscow, led by Daria Litunenko, President of the Russian Naginata Association. The seminar was notable for its hybrid format — participants joined both in person in Moscow and online from Kazakhstan. Despite the seven-hour time difference, Katie Roche sensei (naginata godan, GNYNF) also connected from New York, offering valuable advice ahead of the European Championships. The seminar concluded with successful gradings — congratulations to Adil (nikyu), Alex (sankyu), Lisa (yonkyu), Natasha and Nika (both gokyu). The event proved that genuine passion knows no borders.
September 2023
Five Years of KAMINARIKAN
We marked our fifth anniversary on the 4th of September 2023. Five years since Ann and Andrew founded the dojo, we have weathered relocations, a pandemic, and geopolitical turmoil — but the dojo endures. As our friend Marat Tairov wished: hyakuren jitoku — a hundred approaches will lead to results. The celebration featured an intense keiko followed by cake and tea, a fitting tribute to the spirit of our dojo and the people who make it what it is.
October 2023
European Naginata Championships — Silver Medal
We travelled to Modena, Italy, for the XIII European Naginata Championships — a landmark event for our club. The preparation was eventful: securing Italian visas required persistence, and the flight via Istanbul was followed by a tense moment when our precious shiai-naginata tube was temporarily lost, only to be recovered on the last flight of the day.
The grading day was intense. Andrew and Daria both passed their dan examinations, while Maxim and Dasha Belova successfully graded to ikkyu. The exam conditions were challenging — temperatures of +33°C turned the hall into a sauna — but all persevered.
In the championships, we competed in engi-kyogi (shikake-oji) and shiai-kyogi (individual matches). Andrew faced the silver medallist in his first bout, a valuable learning experience. In the engi-kyogi category, Andrew and Daria reached the final, ultimately taking silver — a remarkable achievement for our first European Championship appearance.
The journey concluded with a memorable dinner in Bologna, some lost baggage (again), but most importantly: silver medals, new dan grades, new friendships and the knowledge that we will return stronger for the next European Championships in Sweden, 2025.
Stay tuned for more news from KAMINARIKAN — and if you're in Moscow, come and say hello!
Stay connected:
🌐 Website: https://www.kaminarikan.org/en
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaminarikan
🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KAMINARIKAN
📱 Telegram: https://t.me/kaminarikan
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