Tangoubukan Members Introduce Naginata to Art Show Audience

Dojo members on July 26 performed a short Naginata demonstration at a CPAA art show showcase. The demonstration included a performance of shikake-oji, a short isshujiai match, and a short naginata jigeiko. 

CPAA manager Ann Woo asked dojo members to introduce Naginata to the audience, because, she said, all of our practicing seems so interesting, but nobody who sees it really seems to know what we do.

This would be a great opportunity to show the world what you're all about, she said.

The demonstration was part of a larger program of performances that was held in conjunction with an art show and competition at the same venue. Other performances included chinese dance, ballet, vocalists, and ballroom.

 

NCNF to hold federation meeting after class on July 25

UPDATE: The meeting has been postponed until further notice.

The Northern California Naginata  Federation will host a meeting On July 25 at Mango Garden, a southeast Asian restaurant next to the Tangoubukan. The meeting will start at 1pm,  following the conclusion of the regular Saturday class. Members interested in becoming involved with development of Naginata in the region are encouraged to attend. 

Tangoubukan Appears on Ninja Training TV

Mark Roemke of Ninja Training TV paid the dojo a visit a few weeks ago and filmed some of our class. Apparently, he is doing a series of videos focused on cross-training for the different skills of his ninjutsu school. The ninjutsu ryuha trains students in many different martial disciplines. Naginata is one of them. In an effort to gain and offer a broader understanding of the weapon to other ninjutsu practioners, he wanted to film a class from a school that specializes in naginata. The video below is a short. 

(I was suffering from a heel and knee injury during this shoot, so sorry for the technique ...or lack thereof!)

No Class for Rest of June

There will be no class on June 20 and June 27, as most members of the dojo will be in Montreal to participate in the International Naginata Federation's World Championships, Friendship Tournament, and workshops.

Classes will resume in July.

Tangoubukan Performs Demonstration at Santa Cruz Japanese Cultural Fair

Members of the Tangoubukan performed a demonstration at the 2015 Japan Cultural Festival in Santa Cruz, Calif., on June 6. The demonstration, which took place in the Aikido of Santa Cruz Dojo, was meant to show the audience the different kinds of training that is done in a typical class at the Tangoubukan. These activities include kihon waza, shikake-oji, zen nihon kata, bogu drills, and jigeiko. The video below shows some highlights from the event.

NCNF Continues Tradition with 2014 NCNF Fall Seminar and Exams

Congratulations to Tangoubukan members Lien Hoang and Xinyuan Lai for passing their kyu exams at the 2014 Northern California Naginata Federation Fall Seminar and Tournament. Hoang received a sankyu, Lai received a rokkyu. The seminar and exam--held at the El Cerrito Dojo on Oct. 26 and 27--marked the first occasion that the federation hosted the annual event without the late Miyako Tanaka-sensei, who passed away earlier this year.

Activities on the first day included in-depth work on kihon waza, shikake-oji, and zen nihon kata. Second day acitvities included tournament setup, kyu exams, and an unofficial tournament.

Chad Goerzen sensei was the main instructor for the seminar. Maylene Hazard sensei served as the primary examiner for the kyu exams, along with Goerzen and Bruce Mitchell sensei.

Click image below to scroll through some photos of the event. Click HERE for the entire photo album on Flickr.


Renshi Midori Yasui from Japan Leads Special Class at the Tangoubukan

The Tangoubukan was pleased to have Midori Yasui sensei, a special guest instructor from Japan, lead its NCNF godogeiko held on Oct. 18. Yasui, renshi, is a naginata instructor at the Mie Budokan and the Suzuka University of Medical Science.

 

Approximately 15 people attended the event. Some were NCNF veterans with many decades of naginata experience and at least one started naginata that day.

For most of the four-hour session, Yasui concentrated on developing stronger kihon waza and shikake-oji, primarily on developing a more dynamic shomen uchi and breaking down the detail of shikake-oji No. 8. She said she was impressed with everyone's strong spirit and commitment to basic technique.

Toward the end of the session, she also introduced a couple of group bogu drills, but added that because we were short on time, she couldn't work too deeply with us on them. Her purpose, she said, was simply to introduce us to the drills and for us to think about the possibilities for incorporating them in our training.

Before teaching at the Mie Budokan and the Suzuka University of Medical Science, Yasui  had taught Naginata in Japanese public high schools for many years. She is an All Japan Naginata Federation (AJNF) national referee (isshu shinpan) and a Japan Sports Association coach. Yasui was a good friend of the late Miyako Tanaka sensei and has been a longtime supporter of the Northern California Naginata Federation. She is currently the president of the Mie Prefecture Naginata Federation as well as the the director and guidance chairman of the All Japan Naginata Federation (AJNF).