Month: December 2013

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!!!

Yeasterday in the Bujinkan Macedonia dojo in Skopje the last seminar for this year was organized, on subject: „Shinken Gata Chika Maai Heiho“ or loosely translated: „Strategy for close combat“. On this seminar 14 of our members participated who five hours nonstop practiced these fast and dynamic techniques.

At the end of the seminar, the participants shared their impressions, so we will share some of them:

– After this seminar, blood was pumping for hours in my veins – Zoran T.

– The seminar was filled with positive energy and passion for more knowledge. At the end I felt happy and completely fulfilled – Taki G.

– Here we talk about training, about desires and smiles after five hours of punching, falling, throwing. We talk about discipline and obedience, about respecting the elders and the younger. We talk about a teacher that flawlessly performs the techniques and carefully follows our every strike, block and behavior. We talk about happy, smiling, joyful and energetic people, for one big family. With students like these, with training like this, a good seminar is inevitable – Marko O.

– Excellent seminar as always. Five hours hard training, sweating, punching, blocking, getting free from grips, tackling down, control and everything else. Combat with an opponent and controlling the situation around you. All who participated invested their maximum for every technique, from the beginners to the elders, and when you engage that much in the training, those five hours pass as five minutes – Vlatche A.  

– There was no sun, but the day was beautiful and we did sweat a lot. Sensei greatest thanks for the wonderful ending of 2013 – Risto Riki Razbirash (Bogdanci)

– The seminar was unbelievably good, we learned a lot, recalled some things and for everything we’ve practiced I tried to do my best. After the first two hours, my concentration lowered slightly and I got 5 – 6 punches on my body, but quickly recovered. I thank for the seminar. When I could choose the next theme, I would choose something similar, so we can „bruise“ each other again – Mihail D.

– This is our second seminar and we really had a great time. We especially like the friendly relation and the dedication of the participants. Our only remark was that we would like events like this one to be organized more frequently – Maja and Angela.