TGBK Hosts Visitors for Its 2018 End-of-Year Training

The TGBK had a group of special visitors at its annual special end-of-year training held this past weekend. Kevin Saxton, 5th dan from the Southern California Naginata Federation (SCNF) and the coach of the current US national team, brought a half a dozen practitioners from down south to join the joint training. The one-day event was held on Dec. 8 at San Jose State University. Almost 30 people participated.

The TGBK counts two students on the current national team. SCNF’s contingent of visitors also included a handful of team members. And Kei Tsukamaki, senior instructor from the Pacific Northwest Naginata Federation and also current national team member, came to train, as well.

The event marks the last official training of 2018. It was followed by a group dinner.

Tangoubukan Has Great Showing at 2017 USNF National Event

The NCNF this weekend successfully hosted the 17th United States Naginata Federation seminar and national championships at Sonoma State University. Approximately 100 participants from around the United States and three other countries took part in the event. Starting on July 25 and ending July 30, activities included a national board meeting, two full days of workshops, the national championships, Pan American  competition and grading examinations. The All Japan Naginata Federation (AJNF) sent three senior instructors to teach the workshops and conduct tests.

The Tangoubukan was instrumental in making the event a huge success, its members not only helping to spearhead the administrative and logistical effort, but also contributing  tremendously to the thrill and excitement of the national- and international-level competition. Many of them also graded and received new ranks.

A short summary of Tangoubukan-member accomplishments follows:

TESTING

• 4Dan: Saiyou Ohshima
• 2Dan: Talanda Williams
• 1Dan: Xinyuan Lai
• 1Kyu: Yuki Nishimura | Karl Spargur

TAIKAI

• 3rd Place, Men's Team Shiai: Martin Nobida, Saiyou Ohshima, Chad Goerzen 
• 3rd Place Men's Yudansha Shiai: Saiyou Ohshima
• 1st Place Women's Dangai Shiai: Yuki Nishimura
• 2nd Place Men's Dangai Shiai: Xinyuan Lai
• 3d Place Men's Dangai Shiai: David Huynh
• 1st Place Dangai Engi: Xinyuan Lai/Yuki Nishimura
• 2nd Place Dangai Engi: David Huynh/Karl Spargur

Guest Instructors Help Make NCNF Spring Seminar a Success

Another NCNF Spring Seminar is in the books. Fourteen people, including guest instructors Malyne Hazard sensei and Temuchin Lowe sensei, attended the event on May 20, at the Tangoubukan. Activities included shimpan refresher training, zen nihon kata, shikake-oji, and bogu drills and keiko.

Lowe and Hazard were institutional in helping the late Miyako Tanaka Price bring the NCNF into existence. Both are officially retired from mainstream naginata activities, but often lend a hand to the current generation of practitioners when needed. 

Normally a two-day event held at San Jose State University, this year's seminar was restricted to one day and the venue moved, due to room availability. The event continued the decades old tradition begun under Tanaka sensei, the founder of the NCNF, of providing broad, yet deep training for locals interested in furthering or learning about the art of Naginata. 

Martin Nobida and Chad Goerzen were primary instructors.

Tangoubukan to Host 2017 NCNF Spring Seminar

The Tangoubukan will host the 2017 Northern California Spring Seminar and Tanaka Sensei Memorial Embu on May 20, 2017. The one-day event continues an decades old tradition begun under the late Miyako Tanaka Price, the founder of the NCNF, of providing broad, yet deep training for locals interested in furthering or learning about the art of Naginata. 

It is open to all NCNF members as well as anyone in the public who is curious about learning about this traditional martial art.

Overall details are as follows:

WHAT: 2017 NCNF Spring Seminar and Miyako Tanaka Sensei Memorial Embu
WHEN: May 20, 2017, 1030am to 500pm
WHERE: CPAA, 2148 Bollinger Road, San Jose, California
WHO: Open to any member of the NCNF or public. Primary instructors will be Martin Nobida and Chad Goerzen, with Temuchin Lowe as a guest instructor.
PRICE: $35

For experienced naginata practitioners, the event will focus on basic technique, kata, sparring and tournament preparation. Many of naginata members will participate in the coming US Naginata Federation's national championships, seminar and exams in July, so this event will help in their preparation An instructor will be assigned to any new students or for members of the public who want to get an idea of what naginata is all about.

The day will end with the second annual Miyako Tanaka Sensei Memorial Embu, a chance for martial artists to perform for the late Tanaka sensei.

Tangoubukan Demonstrates at the Cupertino Cherry Blossom Festival

On April 29, the Tangoubukan performed a naginata demonstration for the crowd at the Cupertino Cherry Blossom Festival in Cupertino, Calif.

Martin Nobida, instructor at the Tangoubukan, was joined by Chad Goerzen from San Francisco, to lead a 30-minute demonstration of Atarashii Naginata for the South Bay crowd. Mayo Arai Kennedy, Saiyou Ohshima, Xinyuan Lai, Yuki Nishimura, and Karl Spargur also participated in the demonstration, providing the audience with a sample of most activities we do a typical naginata class. These activities include the following: basics, forms, bogu drills and sparring.

Although this year marks the third year in a row that the Tangoubukan performed at the event, the Northern California Naginata Federation has been participating in the Cupertino Cherry Blossom Festival for decades, a mainstay of the entertainment program.

NCNF to Host 2017 US Championships and 1st Pan American Match in Sonoma, Calif.

The Northern California Naginata Federation (NCNF) in late July will host the US Naginata Federation's (USNF) national event on the campus of Sonoma State University in Sonoma, Calif.

Highlights of the event include the 17th USNF Naginata Championship Tournament and the 1st Pan American Match, both of which will be held on July 29.

The USNF will also be holding a two-day naginata seminar prior to the tournaments, on July 27 and July 28. The day after the tournaments, on July 30, the USNF will conduct examinations for candidates challenging for ranks as high as yondan (fourth degree black belt)--three instructors from the All Japan Naginata Federation will instruct the seminars as well as sit on the examination panel.  

The NCNF  has among its ranks the current reigning national champion for men's individual and team shiai (fighting). They will defend their titles, which they won in 2016 in Torrance, Calif. 

For more information visit the USNF website. 

TGBK to Demonstrate at the 2017 Cupertino Cherry Blossom Festival

Come see our next Naginata demonstration! The Tangoubukan and the Northern California Naginata Federation (NCNF) have been invited once more to perform at this year's Cupertino Cherry Blossom Festival.

WHEN: Saturday, April 29, from 2:20pm to 2:50pm

WHERE: Memorial Park. 10185 N STELLING RD, CUPERTINO, CA 95014

The annual Cherry Blossom Festival honoring Cupertino’s sister city of Toyokawa, Japan, will be held Saturday & Sunday, April 29 & 30, 2017 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Memorial Park, the Quinlan Community Center and the Senior Center. 

Highlights from the Last Class of 2016

The Tangoukan held its last class of 2016. Training included kata--Yamanni Chinen Ryu bojutsu, Shikake Oji, Zen Nihon Naginata kata--as well as jigeiko (kakarigeiko) and shiaigeiko. We would like to share some highlights from the training below.

Last practice of 2016 for the Tangoubukan. Kata, Shikake Oji, and Zen Nihon Kata. Dec. 17, 2016, at CPAA

The following video shows highlights of a bogu drill, where participants are supposed to do jigeiko with non-stop movement for 30 seconds.

Footage from the last day of training at the Tangoubukan for 2016. The drill is a 30-second keiko, where there should be constant action.

Tangoubukan Members Shine at the 2016 USNF National Championships

Tangoubukan instructors Martin Nobida and Saiyou Ohshima along with the San Francisco Dojo's Chad Goerzen captured first place in the Men's Team Shiai division at the 2016 US Naginata Federation National Championships this weekend in Torrance, California.  Nobida also took first place in the Yudansha Men's Individual Shiai division. These results represent the first time in more than 10 years that the Northern California Naginata Federation captured first place in any yudansha-level event at a national championships.  

Complete results for Tangoubukan members follow:

• Saiyou Ohshima, Chad Goerzen, Martin Nobida--1st Place Men's Team Shiai
• Martin Nobida--1st Place Yudansha Men's Individual Shiai
• Saiyou Ohshima--3d Place, Yudansha Individual Men's Shiai
• Michelle Young--3d Place, Dangai Individual Female Shiai
• Xinyuan Lai and Taylor Ott--3d Place, Dangai Engi

A number of Tangoubukan members also earned promotions at the kyu examinations that followed the tournament. The results of their tests follow:

• Xinyuan Lai--1 kyu
• Taylor Ott--2 kyu
• Karl Spargur--2 kyu
• Michelle Young--2 kyu
• Brian Goodrich-Camp--3 kyu

More photos from the event can be found on Flickr. Click here. 

NCNF Hosts 2016 Spring Seminar on May 14 and 15

Approximately 15 people participated in the recent the Northern California Naginata Federation 2016 NCNF Spring Seminar and Tanaka Sensei Memorial Embu5, which was held at San Jose State University on May 14 and May 15. Members came from the Tangoubukan, SJSU Kendo and Naginata Club, San Francisco, and the Fairfield dojo. Two members of the Columbia University Naginata Club also attended. 

The event restarts a long tradition begun under the late Miyako Tanaka Price of providing broad, yet deep training for locals interested in furthering or learning about the art of Naginata. This year’s event closed with a memorial embu in Tanaka Sensei's honor. 

Instruction was led primarily by Martin Nobida, Chad Goerzen, and Temujun Lowe

Added a Calendar Section to the Site

Now that most of the season's events are over, we added a Calendar section to this website.

See the calendar here.

Fifth Stop: Stanford University Collegiate Godogeiko

Members of the Tangoubukan and the Northern California Naginata Federation on April 30 joined the San Jose State University Kendo and Naginata Club for a Naginata demonstration at the 2016 Stanford University Kendo Club collegiate godogeiko. The Stanford club hosted the event for university and college Kendo clubs in the area. Participating clubs included UC Berkeley, UC Davis, and San Jose State. The SJSU Kendo and Naginata Club was invited to perform a Naginata demonstration and participate in the general keiko and ishujiai.

More pictures of the event can be found here on SmugMug. 

NCNF to Restart Annual Spring Seminar; Adds Tanaka Sensei Memorial Embu

The Northern California Naginata Federation will hold its 2016 NCNF Spring Seminar and Tanaka Sensei Memorial Embu on May 14 and May 15 at San Jose State University in SPX-178 (formerly called “the fencing room,” or SPX-89). The event restarts a long tradition begun under the late Miyako Tanaka Price of providing broad, yet deep training for locals interested in furthering or learning about the art of Naginata. The Tangoubukan will be closed that day.

The seminar portion of the event will span both Saturday and Sunday and will cover material from absolute fundamentals to sandan-level kata and bogu. It will also include a portion focusing on judging and refereeing for yudansha participants holding sandan or higher and a portion on ring-management for participants with lower rank. The seminar will culminate in a short mock tournament, where all participants get to put into practice everything they learned during the weekend.

This year’s event will close with a short Tanaka Sensei Memorial Embu, in which interested participants will perform various budo and bujutsu in her honor. Tanaka sensei was a driving force in spreading Naginata in Northern California and the world. All Naginata practitioners in this area are part of her legacy, so they are invited to participate.

Price for participating in the two-day event is a flat fee of $30.

For questions, contact Martin Nobida at nobida@yahoo.com.

Fourth Stop: Cupertino Cherry Blossom Festival

(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.

No Class on April 30

The Tangoubukan will not have class on April 30. Senior members of the dojo will join the San Jose State University Kendo and Naginata Club to demonstrate Naginata and participate in a Bay Area collegiate Kendo godogeiko to be held at Stanford University. 

Third Stop: NCNF Introduces Naginata to Shinsei Sogo Budo Dojo

In what is shaping up to be a marathon season of demonstrations and workshops to bring greater exposure to Naginata in Northern California, senior members of the NCNF over the weekend led a two-day introductory Naginata workshop for approximately a dozen members of the Shinsei Sogo Budo Dojo in Fairfield, California.

Tangoubukan sensei Martin Nobida and Mayo Arai Kennedy a few weeks earlier performed a Naginata demonstration for the Japanese Student Association at California State University, Fresno. A week later, Tangoubukan members assisted San Francisco Dojo sensei Chad Goerzen in a demonstration at the San Francisco Cherry Blossom Festival. Still to come in the the next few weeks will be a demonstration at the Cupertino Cherry Blossom Festival, a demonstration and ishujiai participation in a Bay Area university kendo club godogeiko, a possible NCNF Spring seminar, a workshop at the Clockwork Alchemy festival, and a demonstration at the Santa Cruz Japan Cultural Fair.

Last weekend's Fairfield event had its roots in March, when the sensei of the dojo, Brian Goodrich Camp, contacted the USNF, expressing his interest in learning more about Atarashii Naginata and possibly joining the federation. This set off a series of events that eventually led Nobida, along with Arai Kennedy and Goerzen, to arrange an introductory workshop for Goodrich Camp and his students.

For the first day, instruction centered around only the fundamental swings and strikes. Arai Kennedy and Goerzen introduced students to some happo buri swings and datotsu drills. The instructors concluded the session by demonstrating uchikaeshi in bogu, some kakari geiko, and a short exhibition of jigeiko. 

On the second day of instruction, Nobida reviewed material from the previous day, then introduced shikake oji 1 and 2 to the group. Some students did both attack and defense. Goodrich Camp and kenshi Carl Sciortino (nidan) from the Sacramento Kendo dojo also donned bogu to serve as targets for the students in more datotsu drills. The session closed with Nobida doing a bit of ishujiai with both Goodrich Camp and the Sciortino.

Though nothing has been set in stone, both the NCNF and Goodrich Camp are looking to start some kind of regular Naginata training in Solano County. More information is certain to come.

Site Update: Added A Zen Nihon Kata Page and Videos Page

Added a Zen Nihon Kata page to the References section and a Videos page to the Media section.

Site Update: Added a Photos Page

Added a Photos page to the Media section. 

Change in Schedule

Please note that class times have changed  to 1030am to 1230pm on Saturdays. Previously, classes were run from 1030am to 100pm on Saturdays.

Class fees have not changed.

Second Stop: San Francisco Cherry Blossom Festival

Tangoubukan members assisted NCNF sensei Chad Goerzen for a demonstration at the San Francisco Cherry Blossom Festival on April 9. On a wet and slippery floor due to the falling rain, Xinyuan Lai performed with Goerzen as TGBK sensei Martin Nobida described the history, technique, and philosophy of modern naginata to the audience. 

The demonstration was the second performance this season in which Tangoubukan members were asked to help bring exposure to the art.

The first demonstration was held at California State University, Fresno. In the coming weeksm additional events include an introductory seminar for the members of the Kamishin Dojo in Vacaville, a demonstration at the Cupertino Cherry Blossom Festival, a demonstration at a Bay Area universities kendo godogeiko, and a possible NCNF spring seminar.

Anyone wishing to learn more about the events should contact the dojo through this website.