This week I had the pleasure of chatting with Julia Luo, a close friend of mine who is also a part of the McGill Naginata club. Julia joined the Naginata club last year as a first-year student, and has since become remarkably more involved with the sport and the Naginata community at McGill and beyond.
Michelle Shen for Her Campus McGill (HC McGill): I’m not sure if all of our readers are all familiar with Naginata (but I’m sure they’re curious), so could you tell us a bit about the sport itself first?
Julia Luo: Naginata is a Japanese martial art that uses a blade (the weapon itself is called a naginata, and is about 2 m long). The most prominent feature of the weapon is its length, which is good for defending against shorter swords, and against mounted warriors. Nowadays, Naginata is practiced worldwide as a martial art. It really focuses on technique, discipline, and respect for the sport and culture.
HC McGill: Are there any special terms that are used in Naginata?
Julia: There’s dojo, which is where we practice Naginata, or a training hall. Sensei is what we call the instructor or teacher. Senpai is used to refer to a senior member of the club, while kouhai is used to refer to a junior member. At the beginning of practice and before every exercise we say onegaishimasu, which means “Please practice with me” or “Let’s have a good practice”. At the end of every exercise and practice, we say arigatō gosaimashita, which means “Thank you very much.” In a lot of other Japanese martial arts, similar terms are used.
HC McGill: It seems that beyond learning the sport, you also bring a lot of the Japanese culture with Naginata.
Julia: Of course! We import not only the sport but also the culture behind it.
HC McGill: Could you also tell me a little bit more about the Naginata club at McGill?
Julia: The Naginata club was started at McGill just after the Naginata World Championships were held in Montreal by Marija Landekic and Simon Bruins in 2015. Marija began practicing Naginata when she was in high school and had trained for several years in Japan, she’s currently the Canadian National Naginata Women’s team captain. Marija and Simon each have over ten years of experience with Naginata and are our current instructors. They began the club with the idea that it would be a fun community; they wanted the club to be a space for members to have fun while also working hard to improve their techniques. Their key vision was for everyone to enjoy themselves while practicing Naginata.
HC McGill: So what goes on at a typical practice? What do you do?
Julia: We open with a formal start to the practice session when we bow to the shomen, which we designate as the front of the dojo. This is also how we end a practice session. During the practice, we work on basic technique such as strikes and footwork. We learn different types of strikes: strikes from different angles and strikes that target different parts of the body (namely, the head, shins, wrist, torso, and throat). Sometimes, we practice engi, which is where we pair off and practice sets of movements known as shikake-ooji. It’s a good way of applying the basic techniques that you’ve learned. When we see that you know the strikes and can attack accurately and block too — that is, when it’s safe for both you and your opponent — you can put on bogu (which is the armour used in naginata) and have sparring practice, or keiko.
HC McGill: What makes Naginata unique from other martial arts?
Julia: Primarily, the length of the weapon. Its length gives it a lot of versatility and a wide range of movements. Naginata is an ambidexterous sport which incorporates broad circular motions, and you strike from all angles with both sides of the weapon. One other thing: Naginata is, physically speaking, in some ways a more accessible sport, since you can have any body type and still practice it. Being good at the sport (aka being able to execute motions gracefully and accurately) really comes from practice and training. There is a ranking system in Naginata which reflects your skill level, but we don’t have coloured belts or other visual markers like some other martial arts do. So, in that sense, there’s no visual divide between people.
HC McGill: Have you been to any competitions? What are they like, and how do they work?
Julia: Last year, I attended my first competition in New York (New Jersey, really). There was a seminar along with the tournament, where we received training from sensei from around the world. Tournaments in general feature both engi and shiai matches. In engi matches, you’re tested on discipline, skill, and how gracefully you can execute the pre-determined forms with intent. On the other hand, shiai are sparring matches where you compete one-on-one in armour and you strike to win points. You actually have to score “good” points to win though, meaning your strike has to be accurate and have the right intent behind it. In addition to the tournament in New York, I’ve also attended one in Toronto and the Canadian national tournament in Montreal. The current dream is to attend Worlds in Germany next year but it’s not easy — I’ll have to work hard!
HC McGill: So who normally attends these tournaments?
Julia: Members of a Naginata dojo participate in tournaments do, so it’s not limited to university clubs if that’s what you mean. So, we get people of all ages at these tournaments. Your opponents are typically people at the same level as you.
HC McGill: Why do you like being a part of McGill Naginata?
Julia: I was drawn in because of the people and of the fun environment they created. I continued with the club because I grew to like the sport a lot. It’s a sport where you really get as much out of it as you put in. Practice is pretty self-directed in that way — you choose how much you practice. The bottom line really is though, to come to practice as often as you can.
HC McGill: Here’s your chance to pitch the club to all of our readers! Tell us quickly, who are you and why should we join you?
Julia: Ok, so, Naginata is a traditional Japanese martial art where we use a glaive and big cutting motions to hit the opponents on the head, shins, wrist, torso, or throat. We practice twice a week at the Athletics Centre. Outside of practice, we also have a lot of fun times together — we go out drinking sometimes and we play board games together. We also go on road-trips to attend tournaments, and we’ve brought back many prizes. But above all, I’d tell you that Naginata is a unique sport that’s a lot of fun. Joining our club is a way to experience something that’s very different and a way to be a part of a welcoming community! The community extends beyond McGill too, you get a lot of opportunities to practice elsewhere. If you go to a different city (or even country) that has a dojo you can practice with them — they’re happy to have you! At McGill, you don’t need a uniform to start practicing with us, and we have club naginata and bogu to borrow. So come practice Naginata with us!
HC McGill: To finish off, how can I learn more about the Naginata club?
Julia: If you want to learn more, visit mcgillnaginata.com, email mcgillnaginata@gmail.com, or check the Facebook group. You can also come out and meet us in person by dropping in at one of our practice sessions either Wednesdays from 9:00 pm to 10:30 pm, or Saturdays from 1:00 pm to 3:30 pm, at the McGill Athletics Centre in the aerobics room. Just speak with one of the uniformed members to find out more!
Images provided on behalf of the interviewee and McGill Naginata.