05/07/2026
Gigi: Training over the two days of the 2nd Australia Women's Seminar with a primary focus on jōdō under Kozuka Sensei (7dan renshi) was an exceptionally enriching experience.
Having the opportunity to learn directly from someone with such depth in both jōdō and iaidō brought a level of clarity that is difficult to replicate in regular practice. Her movements were precise yet natural, and more importantly, everything she demonstrated carried a clear intention that connected technique to purpose.
A key takeaway from the seminar was the emphasis on understanding not just how to move, but why each movement exists. Throughout the sessions, we did our best to capture her teachings in copying and understanding her moves and in notes - albeit sometimes incomplete - each noted point reflected an attempt to grasp the underlying principles behind the kata. Whether it was the control of distance, the timing of engagement, or the direction and pressure within a technique, Kozuka Sensei consistently reinforced that every action must communicate and flow naturally. Movements were not isolated steps, but part of a continuous flow that only makes sense when viewed as a whole. What became increasingly apparent was how small adjustments could fundamentally change the effectiveness and feeling of a technique. Details such as a small change in angle of the jō, the positioning of the body, or the intention behind seme were not merely corrections, but keys that tied the entire kata together. Even when our understanding felt partial, writing these points down helped anchor those moments of clarity, giving us something to revisit and refine in future practice.
Kate: For those of us with a focus on iaidō, our weekend with Takizawa Sensei was equally stimulating and intensive. Takizawa Sensei’s teaching reflected a depth of knowledge and experience across both the core skills of seitei iaidō and the expression of those skills in different scenarios, such as when competing. Her technical prowess was matched by her mindset, with our training reflecting an equal focus on both the physical and mental components of our iaidō.
Each day of the event involved establishing a layer of foundational skills upon which to build robust and intentional kata, coordinating movement of the blade with steady footwork and a stable core. While this detailed work of combining precision with movement seemed simple at first, the mindful nature being encouraged within each of us resulted in iai that both looked and felt more powerful, despite not necessarily being faster or stronger.
The precision demanded in high level iai is made more difficult by the lack of a partner, meaning we are often asked to be our own judges in our practice. This was mitigated throughout the weekend by a substantial amount of partner-based exercises, in which our partner would observe our iai and act as a mirror, watching specifically for points outlined by Takizawa Sensei and ensuring we all received accurate direction as to whether we were achieving the priorities she had emphasised for each kata. Working with each other also gave us an opportunity to reflect upon what we admired about each other’s movements, such that we could build these changes into our own practice.
Takizawa Sensei’s teaching grounded us in our own movements and established a better foundation upon which we could all express the specific strength of our own iai.
Gigi: By the end of the seminar, the experience felt less about how much was physically performed and more about how much could be retained. There was a strong sense that what we had written, and what we managed to understand at the time was only the beginning of a deeper process. Senseis teaching provided not just technical instruction, but a framework for thinking about budō more cohesively, where movement, intention, and structure come together as one.
Gigi Kun
Kate Champ
