Message from Kurt Schmucker, USNF Vice President: May 17, 2012
I am extremely pleased to share with all of you some wonderful news: today the All Japan Naginata Federation announced the promotion of Miyako Tanaka Price Sensei to Naginata Hanshi, the highest rank in Naginata. This is a tremendous honor for Tanaka Sensei and for the entire USNF.
Tanaka Sensei has been instrumental in the growth of Naginata here in the US, and also in Canada and Europe. She has been a member of the USNF Board of Directors for more than 20 years, and has been the USNF President for over ten years, in addition to being the current USNF President. She has been influential so long in the US that her students are now Naginata teachers in several locations throughout the country.
Tanaka Sensei is now the only Naginata Hanshi who resides outside of Japan, and is also the only Naginata Hanshi who teaches in English.
Many of you are now in the yudansha (black belt) ranks in Naginata, so you are familiar with the notion of "time in grade" that is required before a Naginata promotion is even considered. For example, someone who is promoted to Shodan (first-degree black belt) must wait at least one year before being considered for promotion to Nidan (second degree); someone who is promoted to Nidan must wait two years before being considered for promotion to Sandan (third degree). In the case of Naginata Hanshi, the minimum time-in-grade is twenty years.
