KAMINARIKAN News Digest — Q4 2023

We met again with our Japanese friend Shunsuke Nagashima — a true kendobaka who makes a point of visiting us whenever he is in Moscow. The atmosphere of charged kendo was unmistakable. In these dark times, such visits are a light of hope. We are grateful that he continues to return to KAMINARIKAN dojo.

Andrew travelled to Astana to visit our friends at Fubukikai, sharing insights from the European Naginata Championships, working on mistakes, and setting a development path for atarashi naginata. The hospitality was overwhelming — Andrew was well looked after, well fed, and well trained. Focus was given to jikote, debana-sune and hassō-mochikae waza. We are united despite the distance between Russia and Kazahstan.

Dasha and Maxim represented our club at the V Tbilisi International Kendo Tournament and Seminar. The training focused on tsuki, do and hiki-waza through uchikomi drills. Dasha secured third place in the kyū category. Most importantly, we gained new friends, new experience, and a desire to return to sunny Georgia!

We fielded 12 members at the XIV Moscow Taikai — an unprecedented number for our club. Over 100 participants competed across six categories. Congratulations to Maria Poberezhnaya (2nd place, women's mukyu–sankyu), Natalia Vodzinskaya (3rd place, women's mukyu–sankyu), Sergei Nikitin (Special Prize from head judge Yaroslav Danilov), and Daria Belova (Fighting Spirit, women's nikyu–shodan).

We hosted the inaugural Christmas Naginata Tournament at our dojo on 24 December — a historic event celebrating ten years of atarashi naginata in Russia. The idea was born from our success at the European Championships and a desire to give our naginata community its own competitive platform. The tournament featured two categories: engi-kyogi (shikake-oji) and shiai-kyogi. We set up the venue, provided the equipment, and managed the judging. The tournament was held in a single day, with 16 participants from three Russian cities. Maxim and Andrew won the engi division, while Ann took gold in shiai. Andrew and Daria Litunenko, President of the Russian Naginata Association, acted as referees. A small but significant step — we hope this will become an annual tradition. The event also featured a Christmas fair with souvenirs, and the organisers provided a festive lunch for all participants. We thank Daria Litunenko for her decade of dedication to naginata in Russia, and all who helped make the tournament a success.

Warm holiday wishes to all our members and friends! The last keiko of the year included a playful shiai with balloon-popping, won by Ann and Marat. We also held an inventory session — repairing shinai and naginata, cleaning the armoury, and preparing the dojo for the new year. Thank you for a memorable year!