Shannon Rabanal, Katie Roche, Kevin Saxton and Kei Tsukamaki.
The 8th World Naginata Championships were held at the University of Colorado in Boulder on July 13 and included several participants from the Southern California Naginata Federation. This international tournament, held every four years, included teams from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Brazil, the U.S. and Japan.
Naginata is a traditional Japanese martial art, a form of fencing, using a weapon about 6-7 feet in length with a curved sword like blade. It uses slicing, circular movements that make it one of the most graceful and fluid of classical Japanese com-bat systems. It originated 1,000 years ago in Japan and was a powerful battlefield weapon.
The weapon used for practice and competition consists of an oak shaft with a bamboo tip to simulate the actual weapon. The depiction of the real weapon was shown by Lady Mariko on the hit TV series “Shōgun.”
The USA Women’s Team took second place to Japan. Shannon Rabanal of Irvine Dojo was part of the successful three-person women’s team, which included Katie Roche of Greater New York Federation and Kei Tsukamaki of Pacific Northwest Federation. They defeated Canada and met Japan in the finals.
Rabanal also came in second place with her partner, Katie Roche, in Zen Nihon kata competition.
Kevin Saxton of Southern California was part of the coaching staff that shaped this team to successfully represent the U.S. at the World Championships. Juan Hernandez of Long Beach was a member of the USA Men’s Team, Ruben Ramirez of Torrance was in the Individual matches, and Antoni Rossi was in the Goodwill. They all fought with great energy and spirit.
Cathy Mikuni of the Pasadena Dojo was the manager for the USA team.
If you are interested in learning more about naginata, check out the website for the Southern California Naginata Federation at www.scnf.org or email scnaginatafederation@gmail.com. Classes are held in Torrance, Gardena, Irvine and Pasadena. There are also locations in Lincoln, Neb. and Phoenix, Ariz.