First national seminar in Mugairyu Iaido/Hachimanryu Battojutsu
Over the weekend of May 13–14, the sports hall of Escola D. Paio Peres Correia in Tavira was the setting for the first national seminar in Mugairyu Iaido/Hachimanryu Battojutsu to be held in Portugal.
A hardy group of students spent two full days getting to grips with the finer points of this demanding sword-based martial art, which requires fluidity, timing and coordination along with more than a dash of single-mindedness. It is fair to say that there were a few sore muscles on Sunday afternoon, following 12 hours of intensive training!
The seminar was taught by the renowned Swedish martial arts master, Shihan Leif Hermansson, a direct student of O-sensei Hamamoto Hisao, the 14th successor of this Okinawan style, with the expert assistance of one of his senior students from Sweden, Sensei Kenneth Hansson.
In addition to representatives of the local club – Ken Shin Kan, which is based in Luz de Tavira – the event welcomed students from the centre of Portugal (Penela) and from the far north of the country (Vila Nova de Famalicão and Ponte de Lima).
“I was impressed with the level of commitment and concentration the students brought to their training,” said Shihan Leif, who rewarded many of those present with the opportunity to obtain a new grade in this esoteric style.
Senpai Jon Berry, who teaches at Ken Shin Kan, added: “A lot of the students have only been training for a short time and it was a delight to see how intently everyone followed Shihan Leif’s teaching. We all learned a great deal over the course of these two days.”
The event was a great success, and the organisers would like to thank the local company 2 Translators – Traduções lda for its generous sponsorship, as well as Ana Paula Martins, President of the Municipal Council of Tavira, Eurico Palma, Municipal Councillor with responsibility for Sports, and Shihan Helder Nunes, President of the Portuguese Kyoo Soku Federation for their kind support and assistance.
Ken Shin Kan trains weekly in the main hall of the “União de Freguesias da Luz de Tavira e Santo Estevão”, in Luz de Tavira – Fridays, from 6.30pm until 8.30pm.
For additional information, contact Senpai Jon Berry on 916 244 586 or at [email protected]
