Буџинкан Македонија

The successful story that begun in 2008, known as „Women Self-defense Workshop“, for the sixth time is going to educate those who belong to the gentler sex on how to protect themselves in case of an attack or a physical abuse. 

That year, the Organization dedicated to the study of Japanese martial arts „Taiyou e no Michi“, for the first time in Macedonia organized an event of this kind and since then the Workshop became a synonym and a place where girls and women can learn techniques for self-defense from unwanted situations. 

On 25th/26th October, the sixth Workshop will take place, titled: „With control – to victory“.

Although this event first opened only for our female members, during the years others that belong in the gentler sex started participating, regardless of their years or their level of knowledge.

The second day was dedicated to Daito ryu Aikijujutsu, as well as to kata from other classical martial arts that Dovezenski practiced with well-known and renowed Japanese teachers.

Immediately after the seminar some of the participants tried to transfer some of their feelings:

– I can say that this one might have been one of the most complex seminar that I’ve been to in the Hombu Dojo and that required physical and mental stamina. It was filled with many techniques, with and without weapons, and as a bonus we got to experience a new koryu school that sensei trained in Japan. Her kata were as if you dance with your opponent, as a calm water that brings you to the waterfall from which there is no escape.

The Saturday night we had the opportunity to get to know Japan through photos, videos, and kuden.

Definitely an amazing country that has to be visited. (Vladimir A.)

– This is my second seminar in Hombu, and I must say I had a great time. From the kata we trained there was something for everyone. Rough, gentle, or elegant… a for everything else we have the kunai :))) I really love this weapon and it was great that I could refresh my technique with it. I really liked the evening presentation, even though I was tired. Sensei was so into it, that he transferred all of us in Japan for a brief moment. All in all, a great weekend seminar, 10 out of 10, would do it again 😀 (Blagica S.)

– It is completely different to have a training in the dojo in Skopje and in the Hombu Dojo. For these two days we had 12 hours of training + 4 hours interactive presentation of Senseis’ trip to Japan. There were many kata, techniques, weapons, falls and rolls, that you simply get a feeling that you wouldn’t do anything else except training. And there is no other clothing except keiko gi, there is no other place under the Sun for you except the beautiful nature over there, and you don’t need other company except your friends from the dojo.  Trully!

To train with that many sempai is wonderful, I thank all of them for everything they share with us, the younger. There you have as much time as you want to try again and again, to ask some of the elder. Sensei is always with us for a conversation, for training, for joking and laughter 🙂 For those two days you fall and get up over a 1000 times, you get a quality beating (I returned with inflammation of my shoulders and back), but the feeling is amazing, you feel purified physically, mentally, and spiritually, you develop a new apetite for discovering and understanding of the arts, your love and the need for coexistence grows, you strenghten you body and your spirit, you have a great gratitude towards life for that you simply breath, move, live…

I really liked the kunai and the kusari fundo (I tried them for the first time). You can notice your weaknessess where you haven’t paid much attention before. Kamae! Kuzushi! Kiai! The new school opened a different window for us, the tales of Japan were magical, fascinating, but for that there is more to be told!!!

All in all, the concept for the two days was excellent, for me personally the time flew by quickly and I didn’t want to return to Skopje. One of the richest seminars in content with the greatest company! 🙂 (Sanja S.)

– A great seminar, excellent techniques, good times. Each training – three hours, filled with a lot of material. We had the opportunity of seeing some other Koryu schools. I got to know a lot of new weapons. My head knows best from the strike with the bo :))) But it was worth it, it really was. Thank You Sensei for the great techniques and a great weekend (Taki G.)

In the period from 11th to 28th of September, instructor Igor
Dovezenski stayed in Japan, with purpose to grow his knowledge,
learning directly from his Japanese teachers, as well as their best
shihans.

During the stay, shidoshi Dovezenski trained 8 hours
everyday, traveling in different cities and visiting various dojos.

The largest part of his time the instructor spent in the
Shimbukan dojo, of the legendary teacher Risuke Otake.
In
addition, sensei Otake is the only master for traditional martial
arts in Japan that is declared by the state as „living national
treasure“. His dojo Shimbukan is the place where the oldest
documented Japanese martial art is taught – Tehshin Shoden Katori
Shinto ryu Bujutsu. Sensei Risuke Otake personally taught Dovezenski
the kenjutsu kata from the level Omote. Additionally, the oldest
members of Shimbukan transferred a great deal of their knowledge,
through correcting his mistakes on his already learned
techniques.
Igor Dovezenski is the first Macedonian that trained
in the Shimbukan dojo and that has been taught directly by the
teacher Risuke Otake.

During his improvement in the land of
the rising sun, the leader of Taiyou e no Michi trained in the Hombu
Dojo of Masaaki Hatsumi, the last living ninja master and successor
of nine traditional Japanese martial schools. At the same time, he
had private sessions with several Japanese shihans, where he had the
opportunity to learn in more detail some aspects and principles of
the schools that are taught in the organization Bujinkan.

During one of the training sessions in the Hombu, soke Masaaki
Hatsumi personally awarded a hachidan (8th dan) to instructor Igor
Dovezenski, and expressed gratitude for the work of spreading the
arts of his organization that the Macedonian instructor had done.
Also, soke Hatsumi was interested in Macedonia, as well for the
current situation that surrounds it. Igor Dovezenski is the first
Macedonian from the Republic of Macedonia that had trained in the
Hombu Dojo of Bujinkan, and for now, he remains the only
representative of the organization for our country, acknowledged
personally by the chief Masaaki Hatsumi.

Along the visit of
the many museums and dojos, with purpose to dive deeper into the core
of the Japanese traditional martial arts, the training for Daito ryu
Aikijujutsu is worth to be mentioned, that instructor Dovezenski had
with sensei Yoneda in the city Kawasaki. This teacher is a personal
friend of sensei Antonino Cherta, with whom many years ago studied
that art from the last successor Takimune Takeda. The experience
gathered on those training sessions is invaluable for the further
improvement of Dovezenskis’ skill.

To describe the feelings
and to transmit the experience acquired during the stay and the
training in Japan, would take thousands of pages, so we will finish
this report with forwarding a gratitude by instructor Dovezenski to
his teachers, students and friends for the continuous support for his
work in the field of the martial arts.

With the start of the event „Life in the Wilderness“, we began writing a new page in the history of Bujinkan Macedonia regarding the outdoor seminars. As previously announced, we plan on having this event in the next seven years, where the members of the dojo can learn how to live in a community and in harmony with nature, according to the scenario for natural disasters or a situation that requires us to retreat far from the civilization or into the wild.

Every year, this seminar is going to be held on a different location that will provide the study of techniques for living in the wild in different conditions. So, this year the event was held in such conditions that enabled us to feel the cruelty, as well as the boons that the mountain offers, as for the next year techniques for living in community – alongside river are already planned to be taught. But let us come back to the seminar that was held this weekend.

Early in the morning, after the arrival at the location near the peak of the mountain Lipac, the participants of the seminar begun building a camp. Instructor Igor Dovezenski immediately started teaching the techniques for survival for a larger group of people, as well as organizing the life in the wild for a longer period of time.

For all those not familiar with, shidoshi Dovezenski had organized over 300 outdoor seminars so far, and his experience on this field is really vast. Many of the techniques for survival in the wilderness were learned from his grandfather, who was a participant in the Second World War and had been decorated for his service, such as the liberation of the city Skopje. During the war and after it, he was a scout in a tank squad and the techniques for survival in nature helped him to overcome many dangerous situations.

During the Saturday, shidoshi Dovezenski successfuly transmitted all of the techniques planned for the first day of the seminar and everything was going according to plan, but during the night, at 03:50 hours sharp, a natural disaster stroke as it wanted to check the efficiency of the techniques that were taught during daytime. 

Almost instantly, clouds covered the stars and from every side of the mountain thunders started striking, and lightnings dreadfully glistered all around. A torrential rain accompanied with a strong wind were getting the already wet clothing stick even more to the participants’ bodies and lowered their body temperature. In those conditions, when it was clear that the camp won’t have any chance to survive the storm, the instructor Dovezenski ordered immediate evacuation from the location and a search for a new shelter that would provide a better protection. Without delay we started descending to the lower areas of the mountain. Due to the darkness and the impassable terrain, the members of Bujinkan Macedonia had a hard time passing through the dense vegetation, but after fifty minutes, they successfully found an old ruin from the 18th century that kept a part of its porch that offered a protection from the rain. After the arrival, the instructor Dovezenski stated that as of that moment an „army discipline“ starts that is necessary so everyone can go home safe and sound. Afterwards, he ordered all members to take off the wet clothes, and following that a fire was lit to warm and dry the clothing. Despite the high precipitation, the instructors’ experience had shown to be priceless because the fire was lit as soon as possible, and with that the possibility to warm the bodies. Couple of hours later, the clothes were already dry, and with that the second day the seminar continued as scheduled.

We transfer to you small pieces of the participants’ impressions, that in full were published on our Forum:

Zoran Todorovski – A big rain drop woke me up as it hit me on my eye cap. As if it wanted to warn us that this night won’t be as common as any other. I turned around me, everywhere lightnings and thunders. In those moments for a brief second my eyes met with Sensei Dovezenski. He was already awake. Our looks spoke the same thing. That we have to leave the location immediately.

– Get up, put your boots on and take with you only the necessities, we are going out of here! Common, common, GET UP, sensei was yelling. It was 03:50. At the same time it started raining and a wind was blowing with unseen intensity. A hell storm started raging. We formed a line, several flashlights were turned on and we departed to look for a shelter. We dove into the darkness. All of us were determined to do that. In the front was Sensei. We left. Eight people were caught directly in the center of the storm, and as if the lightnings and the thunders were tightening the circle around us and were striking closer and closer! As if some monster was getting closer to us, roaring at us.

Marko Opachikj – This was a seminar that drove to the light all the effort that Sensei had invested in us the past years, especially on the „survivals“ (winter and summer). The moment came when all those exercises and techniques had to be put to use, to survive. Of course, everything was carried out successfully. I didn’t have a doubt the morning when the storm caught us that we will find some kind of shelter. I had a complete trust in Sensei, where he guided us and that it was only matter of time when we would be safe. 

We learned that Teacher doesn’t mean only showing a technique in the dojo, but much more. A Teacher is the one that always puts your well being first, who with certainty will guide you through the whole voyage and not even for a second doubt in what he does. Who will point out where you are wrong and where you have to improve yourself. Who have an enormous knowledge of lot of areas and who selflessly passes to the students. Who must not show any weakness and emotion in front of them, and is full with feelings for every one of us.

Taki Gakovski – For the first time I kept guard. For the first 30 minutes I felt fear, thinking that any moment something could attack me. But I got used to it later and everything was OK again. The last half an hour, I was really tired, I even started hallucinating. The sky that was filled with stars was shortly covered with many clouds. I just got to go to sleep, and briefly afterwards they woke me up and a new adventure started. An evacuation was on its way, and with that the true survival. We quickly left the camp and started searching for some abandoned house. A strong rain was falling, accompanied by lightnings and thunders. They were our enemies that we ran away from to save our lives. After the long walk through the mud, we found a shelter.

Vladimir Antovski – A beautiful seminar filled with wonderful lectures and amazing people. As I am writing this, I have flashbacks from the two previous days and I still can’t believe how many things happened to us and what we went through for such a short time. 

The night was so mystical and full of surprise. We had a quick evacuation because we were faced with a huge storm, followed by thunders. In those moments everything that is hidden deep in each of us came to the surface and faced us with the truth about who we actually are. 

They say, disasters bring people together. That is true, and at the same time so sad. I am happy that in Bujinkan Macedonia, we are close before the disaster and after it. 

While we were naked, in our underpants, we were drying our clothes, laughing at the situation and we knew that together we are much stronger and could pass anything.

Sanja Simonova – After a night well slept, I can conclude that „Life in the Wild“ was one exceptionally important experience, filled with lectures that will remain ingrained forever in me. All that Sensei presented was very useful and detailed. To begin with, the equipment that needs to carried in those circumstances, that way you build a camp and how important is the decisiveness when something unpredictable happens. 

All we talked about and did during the first day, we’ve put in practice during the second due to the storm. Is there a greater school than when something happens to you when you least expect it? When you have to face yourself and there is no running away from that, except to survive?

I followed a great deal of what Sensei taught us with astonishment and fascination. The people that surround you on the seminar are your family and each for anyone would do anything. Whoever asks you to do anything, it’s an honor to help him, even though you might be on the verge of your mental or physical capacity. The trust we have in the Teacher is infinite and I hope that we could return at least half of what he does. I will never forget the order „LINE“ when we stepped into that old house and how we organized ourselves afterwards.

I thank all of you for everything. Even now I know that I will impatiently await the next „Life in the Wild“, and I will try not to miss out any outdoor seminars until then.