What a seminar, what a training, what an atmosphere! Simply put, flawless. Two days, five training sessions, two hours each, a total of 10 hours of diving into the marvelous world of Ono ha Itto Ryu Kenjutsu, in constantly changing weather conditions, sun and rain, followed by thunder and lightning. During this seminar, we were practicing the basic kamae, cuts and blocks from this wonderful swordfighting school.
During the Saturday, we had three training sessions, while the rest of the day was used to build a camp and training ground. We used an old, abandoned 18th century house, overgrown with vegetation, which served us as a good hiding place from the rain and thunderstorm which we constantly heard through the entire day. During the evening, in a lovely atmosphere, we sat around the campfire, cooking (and eating) sausages and mushrooms cooked on campfire. Afterwards, all of us together, as canned sardines and stuffed in our sleeping bags, lied down in the only room of the house that was reasonably isolated, to avoid the constant raindrops falling from the attic.
During the Sunday, the first training was held right after sunrise. At the same time, some potatoes we’re rolling around in the campfire, which served as a tasty breakfast.
Afterwards, we headed for the other side of the mountain practicing Seishin Tekki Kyoyo (ask those that were there how).
On a lovely grass field, we held the last training session, followed again by a practice for spiritual growth through kuden
oral transmission).
Towards the end, all the students who attended this seminar expressed their great satisfaction from the quality of it. Even though the training was tiresome and hard, the dedication to learn this ancient Japanese school for sworfighting, helped them get over every hardship this seminar introduced.
Ono Ha Itto Ryu is a school of clear, fast, powerful and simple movements, which are the things that make it so efficient. Even though in the School for classical Japanese martial arts Bujinkan Macedonia primarily we study the nine schools from the Bujinkan Dojo, it is our pleasure to study this school as well. That was made possible thanks to master Antonino Certa, the only western shihan of Daito Ryu Aikibudo, who selflessly accepted the instructor of Bujinkan Macedonia – Igor Dovezenski as a student of his.
Next year, we intend to organize a seminar with sensei Certa in our country, during which we will have a chance to further develop out knowledge of this art.