9th Annual Seminar & Tournament

February 28th – March 1st

Our biggest event of the year has gotten even bigger!

We had over 60 participants at our annual seminar and tournament, and it was a big success! Our participants came from the Greater New York area, Boston, Ohio, Maryland, Southern California, Seattle, and even Mexico! We had two guest instructors from Japan,

Toyoko NARITA Sensei (Kyoshi) AJNF

Ai AJIKI Sensei (Renshi) AJNF

Kei TSUKAMAKI Sensei (Renshi) PNNF

Katie ROCHE Sensei (Renshi) GNYNF

Promotion Exam Results

3-Dan:

Patrick Peplowski (Maryland Jyoshinkai)
Oliver Le Guen (Shinbukan Mexico)
Yuri Maeda (Maryland Jyoshinkai)
Hung-Bin Ding (Maryland Jyoshinkai)
Helen Yung (Ken-Zen)

2-Dan:

Miho Fuji (Butokuden Irvine)
Malina Au (Ken-Zen)
Armand Rabanal (Butokuden Irvine)

1-Dan:

Liam Stiles (Columbia University)
Nina Kornfeld (Columbia University)

1-kyu:

Penelope Wu (Columbia University)

2-kyu:

Alexander Nielson (Pratt Institute)
Mitchell Ratchik (New York Budo Association)
Samatha Wilcox (Pratt Institute)
Celina Lin (Pratt Institute)
Sophia Chung (Pratt Institute)
Lynnz Fukuda (Ken-Zen)

3-kyu:

Logan Dobbs (New York Budo Association)
Daniel Kang (Columbia University)
Serena St. John (Ken-Zen)
Cy Fang (Columbia University)
Jason Shim (Columbia University)
Aiden Park (Columbia University)

4-kyu:

Kah Soon Yap (New York Budo Association)
Lizbeth Enriquez Roman (Shinbukan Mexico)
Kay Peplowski (Maryland Jyoshinkai)
Nathan Cheung (Butokuden Irvine)
Jessy Scull (Ken-Zen)
Harper Wren (Ken-Zen)

9th Annual Yamauchi Memorial Taikai Results

Dangai Engi-Kyogi

🥇1st Place: N. Kornfeld x L. Stiles (Columbia University)
🥈2nd Place: Zander Nielsen x Samantha Wilcox (Pratt)
🥉3rd Place: N. Cheung x K. Yamada (Butokuden Irvine)

Yudansha Engi-Kyogi

🥇1st Place: S. Rabanal x A. Rabanal (Butokuden Irvine)
🥈2nd Place: E. Kranz x T. Su (Ken Zen x MWNF)
🥉3rd Place: J. Wilson x M. Martinez (MWNF)

Men’s Dangai Individuals

🥇1st Place: Liam Stiles (Columbia University)
🥈2nd Place: Daniel Kang (Columbia University)
🥉3rd Place: 3rd Place: Mitchell Ratchik (NYBA/Pratt)

Women’s Dangai Individuals

🥇1st Place: Nina Kornfeld (Columbia University)
🥈2nd Place: Lee Smith (MWNF)
🥉3rd Place: Samantha Wilcox (Pratt)

Yudansha Women’s Individuals

🥇1st Place: Shannon Rabanal (Butokuden Irvine)
🥈2nd Place: Miho Fujii (Butokuden Irvine)
🥉3rd Place: Emiko Kranz (Ken-Zen)

Yudansha Men’s Individuals

🥇1st Place: Otto Herman (Pratt/Columbia/Ken-Zen)
🥈2nd Place: Nigel DaSilva (Columbia University)
🥉3rd Place: Jie Wu (Cambridge)

Open Dangai Individuals

🥇1st Place: 1st Place: Liam Stiles (Columbia University)
🥈2nd Place: Nina Kornfeld (Columbia University)
🥉3rd Place: Samantha Wilcox (Pratt)

Youth Girls Individual Shiai

🥇1st Place: Lynnz Fukuda (Ken-Zen)
🥈2nd Place: Caroline Powers (Ken-Zen)
🥉3rd Place: Serena St. John (Ken-Zen)
🥉4th Place: Kay Peplowski (Maryland Jyoshinkai)

Open Yudansha Individuals

🥇1st Place: Otto Herman (Pratt/Columbia/Ken-Zen)
🥈2nd Place: Emiko Kranz (Ken-Zen)
🥉3rd Place: Miguel Martinez (MWNF)

Team Shiai

🥇1st Place: Columbia A
(D. Kang, N. Kornfeld, L. Stiles, L. Kornfeld)
🥈2nd Place: Butokuden Irvine
(N. Cheung, K. Yamada, A. Rabanal, M. Fuji, S. Rabanal)
🥉3rd Place: Columbia B
(A. Park, K. Jie, J. Shim, N. DaSilva, C. Fang)

Honorary Awards

Yamauchi Award of Pioneering Courage

Sachiko Yamauchi Prough (Kyoshi), one of the co-founders of the Greater New York Naginata Federation, was known not only for her naginata skill and teaching excellence, but also for being an ambitious, creative, pioneer, who helped naginata grow throughout North America. Her humble naginata beginnings of developing the Ehime Naginata Federation from scratch made her fearless and dream big for impossible-looking projects. As a way to commemorate and encourage others to follow Yamauchi Sensei’s pioneering spirit, we award one participant per year the Yamauchi Award of Pioneering Courage, for those who helped spread naginata in challenging conditions.