Thursday, August 18, 2016

Day 1484: Delusions of grandeur.






"Onna-begeisha", collage, old photos & digital

















I am way too old to have delusions of grandeur,
but secretly, until now, I do.
Whether it makes sense to anyone else, or not ...
I have a Japanese connection.
Secretly, I feel I am Onna-bugeisha
And I do realize that it is a huge stretch.


























Onna-bugeisha was a type of female warrior belonging to   the Japanese nobility. 
Many women engaged in battle,  alongside samurai.
They were members of the bushi (samurai) class 
in feudal Japan.



They were trained in the use of weapons 
to protect their household, family, & honor in times of war. 







Tomoe Gozen, Nakano Takeko, andHōjō Masako 
are famous are examples of onna bugeisha.







Women learned to use naginata, kaiken, 
and the art of tanto Jutsu in battle. 
This ensured protection in communities that lacked male fighters.
In contrast to the katana used universally by male samurai,
 the most popular weapon-of-choice of onna-bugeishas 
was the naginata, a versatile, conventional pole-arm
with a curved blade at the tip. 
This weapon favored for its length, to compensate
 for the strength & body size advantage of males.






In 1984, one of my five trips to Japan, 
WonderWoman (age 11) & I were lucky to train in naginata






with Yoshio Sugino Sensei of Katori Shinto Ryu.
10th Dan & deemed a National Treasure of Japan,
Sugino Sensei was a very kind & patient instructor.
We had & still have no skills, but wonderful memories.

. . .

A few years ago, former student Henry, 
gave me this photo for my birthday.




I thanked him saying that he didn't know it, 
but she was me, on the inside.
I can pretend.
TMI?











87 degrees, Santa Ana, CA  (no a/c, 3 fans)


(killer class, no kata)







For FB Throwback Thursday ...


Sugino Sensei, Kawasaki, Japan, 1984










A smile for Thursday ...







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