(More Tangoubukan photos of can be found on SmugMug.)

Members of the Tangoubukan and Northern California Naginata Federation conducted an Atarashii Naginata demonstration to a large crowd at the 2016 Cupertino Cherry Blossom Festival in Cupertino today.

The group performed its standard demonstration, showing the audience a set of exercises and drills that one would see in a typical Naginata class. Martin Nobida gave a brief history of Naginata, then Mayo Arai Kennedy led the group in happo buri and datotsu drills. Taylor Ott and Michelle Young, as well as Chad Goerzen and Xinyuan Lai followed these drills with a demonstration of shikake-oji. Saiyou Ohshima and Arai Kennedy then demonstrated zen nihon kata. The demonstration concluded with a short demonstration of uchi kaeshi and then a round of jigeiko.

The demonstration was the fourth event this Spring in which the dojo was asked to demonstrate the art. Next week, on April 30, various members will be participating in a regional college/university Kendo club godogeiko, in which they will first demonstrate Naginata, then take part in ishujiai matches.

The dojo will be closed that day.