On Saturday, September 14 and Sunday, September 15, the International Nandubo Seminar will be held at the sports hall of Figline's Vasari Institute (in Piazza Caduti di Pian D'Albero). The event is curated by the Nanbudo Iamori Dojo Association, which has been actively working in the area for ten years now. The purpose that Furio Rugi wanted to pursue by founding this association is to teach and popularize this particular Japanese martial art and, therefore, the seminar is one of the best opportunities to discover and fully understand it.
At 9 a.m. on Saturday 14, registration will begin for the training, which will be held throughout the morning and resume at 4 p.m.; from 6 p.m., the central event of the seminar will begin: the Nanbudo demonstration by professionals from the Italian and French national teams, who will illustrate the Randori competition (the defensive combat), team Kata with Bunkai (the "dance" performed by three athletes who subsequently explain the movements) and self-defense. It will be possible to watch the training of professionals who are preparing for the 2020 Nanbudo World Championship in Croatia. The seminar, however, counts other special guests: also on the roll call will be French national team coach Serge Salvai and, guest of excellence, Japanese master Yoshinau Nanbu. The latter is the well-known creator of Nanbudo, who after a childhood and adolescence spent learning the most diverse martial arts at age 18 began Karate, specializing and becoming an international champion, only to decide in 1978, at the height of his fame, to found a discipline less aimed at sports competition. In fact, the term Nanbudo means 'Nanbu family way,' precisely because it is a martial art that was born on the inspiration of those disciplines that Yoshinau learned over the years, thanks in part and above all to the training provided to him by his family.
A morning training session from about 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 15.
Attending a Nanbudo demonstration will be fascinating because, as per the technique, in order to avoid the attack and land the attacker as quickly as possible, the athletes will perform particularly acrobatic falls. The main purpose of Nanbudo is educational, of the body and mind: those who begin to study this martial art learn to know themselves, respect others, and care for their surroundings while respecting the principles of traditional Eastern culture.