February 2021
Online Naginata Grading
We congratulate our sempai Ann and Andrew on successfully grading to 2nd kyu in atarashi naginata. The online examination was conducted by the Greater New York Naginata Federation. Despite the ongoing pandemic, remote events have allowed us to continue progressing. We are grateful to Daria Litunenko, President of the Russian Naginata Association, for her guidance and support throughout our preparation.
Fourth Atarashi Naginata Seminar in Moscow
We hosted our fourth atarashi naginata seminar in Moscow, led by Daria Litunenko. The first day focused on basic techniques and kihon in bogu, with uchikomi-geiko for beginners. The second day was even more eventful, featuring intense jigeiko, grading preparation and the examinations themselves.
We congratulate Polina, Adil and Diana on successfully grading to 5th kyu; Sveta and Masha to 4th kyu; and Maxim to 3rd kyu in naginata. Alexey Munirov also graded to 2nd kyu in kendo. The naginata examinations were particularly successful.
Moscow Regional Championships
Our sempai Andrew secured a bronze medal at the Moscow Regional Championships. This achievement was especially significant given the challenges of the past year. The result qualifies him for the Russian Kendo Championship, which he had to miss previously due to COVID-19. We look forward to seeing him compete at the national level.
March 2021
Open Keiko in St. Petersburg
Unfortunately, due to COVID no FKA Seminar this year, but we travelled to St Petersburg for an open keiko that brought together kenshi from across central Russia. The session was intense and productive, featuring kata practice, mawari-geiko, motodachi-geiko and jigeiko. We thank Alexey Magnushevsky for his valuable instruction. Our friend Konstantin successfully graded to shodan — we congratulate him on this achievement. The trip concluded with a visit to Tan Zhen (as usual), our favourite Chinese restaurant in St Petersburg.
Introduction to Naginata Refereeing
We participated in an online seminar on atarashi naginata refereeing, led by Katie Roche (5th dan, certified INF judge). The seminar covered the theoretical aspects of judging, rules and regulations, understanding yuko-datotsu (valid strikes), flag work and voice commands. The two-day event was open to all levels and free for RNA members.
Dojo Relocation to Melnikova Street
Due to events out of our control we had to move our dojo to a temporary venue at Melnikova Street 7s1, effective from March 29. We appreciate our members' continued support and understanding during this transition. For those unable to attend the new location, we offered recommendations for other dojos — our priority remains ensuring everyone can continue their practice of kendo and naginata.
Central Federal District Championships '21
We competed in the Central Federal District Championships in Voronezh, a qualifying event for the Russian Kendo Championship. Due to a lack of quality training, we were unable to improve on our previous year's result and secured silver. Thanks to everyone for their support.
P.S. Travelling by car to Russian regions has become significantly more comfortable.
Congratulations to Hirakawa Sensei on 80th Birthday
Our warmest congratulations to Hirakawa Nobuo sensei on his 80th birthday. During the online training session (where we had been invited by ABKF), he remarked: "I am so happy! Though I am eighty, I feel eighteen, because I have been fortunate to train kendo with friends all my life. Thank you, friends!" To mark this occasion, we published translations from his 2008 interview published in Kendo Jidai magazine.
Stay tuned for more news from KAMINARIKAN — and if you're in Moscow, come and say hello!
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