In last year’s report, we mentioned that for the first time since our founding we aren’t 100% satisfied with our results. That was so due to the fact that some of our advanced students have quit training and left our dojo. The long years of practice and friendship resulted in a strong emotional connection and as a result, sadness because of their absence.
However, it seems that we are past that now. We’ve grown up and realized that not everyone can follow the Path. We realized that we shouldn’t be sad for those that leave, but be happy for those that keep on walking side-by-side with us. Those that share in the happiness and grief that takes place in the dojo. In the end, it proved that many that once left, return to us and continue walking on the Path.
This past year was a great success for the Organization for studying classical Japanese martial arts “Taiyou e no Michi”.
We began with organizing international seminars in our country. At our immense pleasure, the shihan Antonino Certa, our Daito Ryu Aikibudo teaches paid us a several-day visit. He held a seminar in our dojo under Lipac, becoming the first koryu teacher to teach in our Hombu. Concerning recent events in the European Daito Kai organization, the instructor Igor Dovezenski was given the responsibility of spreading and teaching Daito Ryu Aikijujutsu on the territory of South-eastern Europe as a shibu-cho (branch leader) in Macedonia. Additionally, he gained the shodan (master) degree gaining the title Shidoin.
At the beginning of the year, instructor Igor Dovezenski visited Amsterdam (Netherlands) for a week, becoming a personal student to shidosha Erik Louw. Sensei Louw is one of the first non-Japanese masters of the oldest martial school, Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu. In September, Dovezenski gave a blood oath (keppan) in front of the chief shihan for this ancient art, Nobutoshi Otake, and with the permission of sensei Louw, opened the first section for Katori Shinto Ryu in Macedonia and in the Balkans. As for the domestic seminars, this year we did break some records. All three dojos of Taiyou e no Michi held a total of 21 seminars during which shidoshi Dovezenski selflessly shared his knowledge with his students. Six of the seminars were held in the Skopje dojo, nine were intensive and held in the Hombu dojo, and six were outdoor seminars. Additionally, Dovezenski held the traditional woman self-defense workshop as well as the all-important Ninja Summer Camp.
This year, for the last time we held out renown feats “Survial” and “The path of Shugenja”. It was a hard decision, but it had to be done. On the other hand, they will be switched with new events that will give our work an additional impulse.
In regards of other important events, it is worth mentioning the seminar organized by the MMA club “Strshlen”, at which instructor Igor Dovezenski taught about the Ninpo Ne Waza system. This cooperation will continue in the future, and Dovezenski would like to extend his readiness to help any martial arts practitioners that would like to know more about the classical Japanese martial arts (koryu).
During the December testing, 14 students passed the test for a higher degree. This was the first time that we held testing for children, during
during which Kosara D. and Ksenija D. successfully passed the 10th kyu test, and Bujinkan Macedonia gained a new sempai (Tina D.). This year we had a couple of invitations to take part in the public media, but we realized that those opportunities aren’t the most appropriate to present our work, so we refused them. We were only present throughout the web portals that are mostly concerned with healthy living and sports.
At the end we should mention our new web page www.koryu.mk as well as the redesign of our other web pages – www.bujinkan.org.mk and www.daito.koryu.mk.
We are going to be practicing Koto Ryu Koppojutsu in 2014. We have a lot of plans in the new year and we hope that with hard work and dedication we will make them come true.
Ninpo Ikkan. Happy New 2014!!!