Buying Naginata Gear

At the various places I practice Naginata, there are naginata that I can use already there. Which is good, because I don't think I could carry one on my bicycle! One of the members of my club gave me her daughter's old uniform to wear, but the hakama (pants) were too short.

Then a friend took me to a local martial arts supply store. There I bought my own uniform, and they machine-embroidered my last name on my hakama (in katakana) for free!

I went back to the store last week to finally buy my own naginata. For a while I was reluctant to buy one because I didn't want to transport it back to America when I move away from Japan. But after reading online, it sounds like it's difficult to find Naginata gear in America. Most people order gear from Japan and have it shipped to America. So I figured if I'd have to transport it anyway, I may as well get one sooner rather than later.

I'm planning to keep it at home so I can practice occasionally on my own outside. The asphalt of the parking lot won't be great for footwork, but I can practice the rest. I especially want to practice furikaeshi[1], though I think I'm starting to get the hang of it.

--

[1] Ignore the woman's grunting; I've never heard anyone do that!

Practicing Naginata at School

In Japan, the new school year starts in April. And the new students also join clubs then. Since two of the schools I teach at have Naginata clubs, I recently started practicing with the new students at those schools three times a week, unless I have a meeting or there's a change in the school schedule due to holidays, etc. I practice as long as the new students do, which is 2-3 hours each evening. So far the new students are only learning kihon (basics) and engi (forms). The older students wear bogu (armor) and shiai (spar).

I'm lucky because Saga is exceptionally strong in Naginata. One of my schools won the All-Japan High School Naginata Competition last year, and the coach at the other school is the Naginata World Champion!

How I Remember What I've Learned

I remember things by writing them down and reading them later. I take notes during breaks or just after Naginata practice. Later I type them up into a reference document and I read my books to make sure I didn't make any mistakes in my notes or forget to add any details. I read my reference document once in a while and bring it to practice with me.

And of course, repetition in practice helps a lot too.

Books about Naginata

It's difficult to find books in English about Naginata. I couldn't find any for quite a while, until I stumbled across an online copy of Illustrated Naginata. At times it's not very clear, but it's certainly a lot better than nothing!

I also have a hardcopy of Naginata: the definitive guide, which is much better. It took me a long time to find a copy because it is out of print. It is still available on the website above -- which I didn't use because they don't seem to ship affordably within Japan. I ended up finding a copy on amazon.co.jp but in the regular section (not in the English books section). It was mailed to me from Singapore.

Learning Naginata in Japanese

My Japanese is not very good, but sufficient to manage everyday life with only occasional help from my friends. When I learn Naginata, people speak to me in Japanese with an English word thrown in once in a while. I mostly learn by mimicking others and then watching what they do when they point out that I've made a mistake. Sometimes they have to move my hand or arm into the correct place. Despite not being good at Japanese, I don't feel like I have any problems trying to understand what I'm being taught. Though I think it'll be more difficult when I start learning shiai (sparring).

My Naginata Club

My Naginata club meets at various times, anywhere between once a week to once a month. The club only practices kihon (basics) and engi (forms); there's no shiai (sparring). The club is almost all women, except for one man. (I have since started practicing with two other groups, and the other groups are all girls.) The oldest members are in their 80s. I sure hope I'm as active and as in as good shape as they are when I'm that age! They're really inspiring.

What I Like About Learning Naginata

One of the first things I liked about learning Naginata is the feel of it in my hands -- I'm a very tactile person. Moving the naginata[1] around feels natural and intuitive to me in a way that almost no other sports do. Also every time I practice I learn something. And like most exercise, Naginata makes me focus on how my body works and makes me feel stronger.

--

[1] From now on, I'm going to refer to the martial art as 'Naginata' and the weapon as 'naginata'.

How I Started Studying Naginata

I sent an email to someone at my prefecture's international relations association asking her if she could find someplace where I could study Naginata. She was able to find a club that meets at the prefectural gymnasium's dojo. I started practicing with them last November.

My Sports / Martial Arts Background

Growing up, I was a swimmer. I didn't do any other sports, so I don't think my senses of aim, balance, etc. are all that good. I'm active every day (I commute by bicycle). My endurance is good but I'm not good at high intensity exercise. I've always been rather flexible, and I'm fairly strong for my size (I guess at this point I should point out that I'm 5'2"). Several years ago I studied Wing Chun Kung Fu for almost a year before new commitments precluded my continuing study.

How I Became Interested in Naginata

I work at a few high schools in Saga, Japan. One of my schools had a Cultural Festival in November 2010. The school's Naginata Club performed Rhythm Naginata at the festival. It was my first time seeing Naginata, and I thought it was very interesting. I then watched one of their practices, which involved practicing Atarashi[1] Naginata forms and sparring. I was impressed with how graceful, strong, and bold the students were. I'd like to be that graceful and bold.

--

[1] 'Atarashi' literally means 'new'. Atarashi Naginata is the modern sport version of Naginata, as opposed to the older, now rarely practiced combative martial art forms.