First Contacts

1986

Monika Werhahn-Mees had lived in Tokyo from 1982 till 1987. She had practised Aikido and Iaido in the Nakamura School, before she returned to Europe (Luxembourg) in 1987, where she began to build her own dojo, which was the first dojo of Takeda Ryu Nakamura Ha in Europe. Mrs. Werhahn-Mees remembers that Soke Nakamura informed her about the first contact with Siegfried Kobilza from Austria/Europe in 1986. She says, it was the first time that Nakamura, who had never been outside of Japan before, started to think about contacts with Europe and even about visiting this continent.

Siegfried Kobilza, at that time chief-instructor of the Austrian Jujitsu Association (AJJA) and an Austrian representative of IMAF, the International Martial Arts Federation with its headquarters in Japan, is working on a project about the history and development of "Jujitsu and the Bujutsu Ryu". The fact, that such outstanding masters like Sensei Mochizuki Minoru (founder of Yoseikan Budo) and Sensei Nakamura Hisashi (founder of Takeda Ryu Nakamura Ha) belong to IMAF headquarters, enables Kobilza to get in direct correspondence with them. In this way, Nakamura gets to know him by the time, and eventually he writes in one of his early letters to Kobilza: "I find your deep understanding and your enthusiasm for martial arts admirable and would like to welcome you wholeheartedly to our organization". He contimues in this letter: "I, who registered Takeda Ryu Nakamura Ha with Nihon Sobudo Rengokai, promise to teach you the many techniques as well as the spiritual aspect of budo as you have decided to learn all the different styles."

On a trip to Japan, Roland Maroteaux discovers the book "Aikido" by Nakamura, the head of Takeda Ryu Nakamura Ha; by this book he learns that beside the Daito Ryu another tradition of Aikijutsu still exists in Japan. Maroteaux immediately recognizes the value of what he's found, and as the book contains the address of the honbu dojo in Tokyo, he is able to get in contact with Nakamura, to whom he eventually offers to spread this school in Europe.

1987

Sponsored by Monika Werhahn-Mees, Nakamura makes his first trip to Europe (Luxembourg and France) accompanied by two of the highest masters of the Nakamura School, Shihan Sofue and Toyoshima. As the dojo of Werhahn-Mees is not yet readily built, and Kobilza, who also has been invited to be there, regrettably is not able to come due to obligations as an IMAF representative, Nakamura concentrates his first promotion tour mainly on France conducting training courses and introdusing his school by short demonstrations of some of its various disciplines (Aikido, Iaido and Jodo).

1988

Following another invitation of Monika Werhahn-Mees, Nakamura makes his second trip to Europe on the occasion of the inauguration of her dojo, the Luxembourg Sobukan in Bridel. He is accompanied by Shihan Sofue and Morita.

This time the first personal meeting between Nakamura and Kobilza takes place. After several very intensive training sessions, Nakamura invites Kobilza to become a representative of his school in Europe; Kobilza accepts.

Monika Werhahn-Mees receives the budo name "Minamoto (no) Monika" and Roland Maroteaux receives the name "Minamoto (no) Maroto" from the Nakamura School.

Continue (Two Representatives)