1st Australian Women’s Iaido and Jodo Seminar, 7-8th June was held at the the Gold Coast Recreational Precinct and included a 2 day Iaido seminar and 2 day Jodo seminar occurring simultaneously. These seminars were facilitated by two very senior female instructors from Japan:
Takizawa Tomomi Sensei, Kyoshi 7 Dan Iaido
Takizawa Sensei began her Iaido journey in 2000 under the guidance of Ishidō Sensei. Promoted to 7 Dan in 2021, she received the Kyoshi title in 2023. Takizawa Sensei has had significant success in multiple tournaments across Japan.
Kozuka Risa Sensei, Renshi 7 Dan Jodo, Renshi 7 Dan Iaido
Kozuka Sensei began Jodo in 2004 under Murakami Sensei and is one of the most accomplished women in the discipline. In 2007, she received an Excellence Award at the All Japan Jōdō Championships in the 3 Dan category. A few weeks after earning her 7 Dan, she secured 2nd place at the 2024 All Japan Jōdō Championships. Kozuka Sensei has also been an active Iaido practitioner since 2001 and represented Miyagi Prefecture at the 2023 All Japan Iaido Championships.
The event was held in partnership with the Australian Iaido Board and Australian Jodo Board who organised and funded the 2 Japanese instructors travel costs.
I feel this was an important step in starting this initiative for a women-focused event. It was a successful event, and it is hoped it will be continues into the future. The arts Iaido and Jodo have a much smaller participation rate compared with Kendo, and an even smaller female participation rate. Some women maybe the only female in their local club. As such, holding these events were women can come together, network and learn together is very valuable. Also, it is rare that they would be exposed to such senior high-ranked instructors that are women, so I feel the exposure to the 2 Japanese instructors would have been very inspiring to the women in Queensland.
This event is made possible through funding secured through the Queensland Government’s Active Women and Girls Sports Grants Program
The Queensland Government’s new Active Women and Girls program aims to increase female participation across all areas of sports and recreation – from coaching and volunteering, to umpiring and team management, to inspire the next generation of female athletes and secure the sporting future of women and girls across Queensland.
