Club

About the club

Our organization was founded in 1983 with the intention of spreading and cultivating kendo, iaido, and Japanese culture, based on the structure and methodology of traditional Japanese dojos (fighting halls). Although our training sessions take place in a gymnasium, we uphold and maintain traditional Japanese customs. Through the training of the body, we strive to develop the spiritual and personal development of our members.

Our directors and instructors voluntarily undertake their duties to the club and as a result do not accept any type of financial compensation in return.

Club leaders

Bárány Tibor kendo 6 dan	kendo instructor, President, adult kendo division leader	+36 (30) 601 2025 budapestkendo@gmail.com
Vadadi Zsolt kendo 6 dan	kendo instructor, President of HKF	+36 (30) 932 0776 kaicho@kendo.hu
Suba Gábor kendo 2 dan	kendo instructor, child division leader	+36 (30) 984 6251 tetracom@t-online.hu
Kovács Péter kendo 4 dan iaido 3 dan	iaido instructor, iaido division leader	kopeszan@freemail.hu
Rabnecz Gyula iaido 3 dan	iaido instructor
Pócza Ildikó	treasurer, secretary	+36 (20) 433 7913 ldikopocza@yahoo.com

ex-Hungarian National team members

Árpád Aranyossy, kendo 4 dan
Zoltán Fülöp, kendo 3 dan
Zoltán Bárány, kendo 5 dan
László Nagy, kendo 2 dan
László Takács, kendo 3 dan
Zsolt Vadadi, kendo 6 dan
Tibor Szolláth, kendo 3 dan
Miklós Ilyés, kendo 3 dan
Aranka Sipos, kendo 5 dan
Németh Andrea, kendo 3 dan
Orsolya Duschel, kendo 3 dan
Bálint Bress, kendo 2 dan
Tibor Barany, kendo 6 dan
Veronika Galanics, kendo 2 dan

Hungarian National team members

Eszter Pénzes, kendo 3 dan
Szabolcs Gasparin, kendo 4 dan

Links with kendo organizations

The Budapest Főnix Kendo and Iaido Club is a member of the Hungarian Kendo Federation (HKF, www.kendo.hu). The HKF is a member of the European Kendo Federation (EKF) and the International Kendo Federation (IKF). This allows us the opportunity to take part in the European and World Championships. These two organizations officially represent the national kendo federation.

Our sister dojo is Chuo Kendo Dojo, Los Angeles,USA.

Competitions

Our club independently organizes two national annual competitions, the Budapest Főnix Sakura Cup and the Budapest Főnix Momiji Cup. The Sakura Cup has been a fixture of Hungarian competitive kendo for over 10 years, and traditionally offers the opportunity for kendo players at the shodan level and below to compete. The Momiji Cup has given the opportunity over the past five years for senior kendo players aged 35 and over to compete with one another.

Training camps

In addition to our regular training sessions, we also value the importance of participation in kendo training camps. The Budapest Főnix Kendo and Iaido Club traditionally has always taken an active role in these camps, which strengthen the kendo community in Hungary. We also organize our own camps a couple of times a year in addition to the national camps. The following camps are typically offered every year:

Kendo Camp in Zebegény Budapest Főnix Club Camp (about 2 days in spring and autumn)
Kendo Camp in Győrzámolyi Szigetköz Junior National Camp (around 5 days in July)
Kendo Camp in Csongrád Szeged Kendo Association National Camp (around 3-4 days in July or August)
Hungária Cup Kendo Camp (around 2-3 days in July or August)
Kendo Camp in Hajdúnánási (around 2-3 days in December, between Christmas and New Year's)

Club milestones

Our kendo group formed in 1982 within the Sport Club of the University of Veterinary Studies, under the initiative of Gábor Kurty. (12 students trained twice a week). Masanori Yamaji offered technical sponsorship to the group. This group was Hungary's first kendo team and represented the vanguard of kendo life in this country.

The group moved into the Lágymányosi Community House in 1983. Kornél Vadadi (now the honorary president of the HKF) took over direction of this group.

In 1984 we formed Hungary's first kendo club under the name of the Budapest Kendo Club, under the direction of Masanori Yamaji. Mr. Kanji Tsushima, the First Secretary of the Japanese Embassy and a kendo 2^nd dan and iaido 2^nd dan master, arrived to Hungary. He provided invaluable support to our club and to Hungarian kendo for many years.

On May 8, 1985, we officially formed the Hungarian Kendo Federation. Ata Shoichi (kendo shodan), the attaché to the Japanese Embassy, joined training sessions in the VSZM Community House (now the Buda Sport Center).

In 1986 the first Japanese delegation to visit Hungary visited our club. During this time we organized the first international competition under the name of the International Friendship Kendo Meet. Following this, the Japanese delegation held a training camp for our handful of members. Koda-sensei, the world champion at the time, also visited our club.

In 1987 the first Hungarian kendo delegation (consisting of Árpád Aranyossy, Zoltán Fülöp, Zsolt Vadadi, and Tibor Bárány) traveled to Kitamoto, Japan to study kendo. The delegation was a guest of Gedatsu Renshinkan (a Shinto Buddhist religious community).

In 1989 our club sent the first Hungarian kendo national team (consisting of Zoltán Fülöp, Árpád Aranyossy, and Zoltán Bárány) to the 9^th European Kendo Championship in Amsterdam.

In 1990 Zsolt Vadadi studied kendo, iaido, and jodo for a year at the Kyumeikan Dojo in Tokyo.

In 1991 our club sent its first delegation (consisting of Zoltán Fülöp, László Nagy, László Takács. Árpád Aranyossy, and Andrea Németh) to the Kendo World Championships in Toronto, Canada.

Between 1992-95 master Abe Tetsushi taught at our club (at the time a 5^th dan, he now is a 7^th dan master) as a JOCV* emissary.

In 1992 our team won the International Hungária Cup, and our member László Nagy at the same time was crowned the men's individual champion.

In 1993 Tibor Bárány won the men's individual championship at the International Hungária Cup.

In 1994 Miklós Illyés won the men's individual championship at the International Hungária Cup.

In 1995 our team won the International Hungária Cup (team members: Gábor Litter, Andrea Németh, Gábor Kereszthury, Zsolt Vadadi).

In 1998 Tibor Bárány took second place at the European Kendo Championship in Basel, Switzerland.

In 2000 Zsolt Vadadi and Tibor Bárány successfully passed the 5^th dan level, the first to do so in Hungary. The exam was taken in Kitamoto, Japan.**

In 2002 Zsolt Vadadi and Tibor Bárány took first place as members of the national team at the European Kendo Championship in Nantes, France. The French team had previously been undefeated on European soil for 10 years straight, which made the Hungarian team's victory in France particularly remarkable.

In 2003 our club moved from the Buda Sport Center (previously the VSZM Community House), where we trained for nearly 20 years, to the excellent training facilities in the gymnasium of the Kodály Zoltán Choral-Musical Primary School. The VSZM Community House had provided a home for nearly all major kendo events for many years, and the history of Hungarian iaido began here as well.

In 2004 Orsolya Duschel took first place as a member of the Hungarian women's national team at the European Championship in Budapest. Árpád Aranyossy successfully passed the 4^th dan level at the age of 50. Árpád began playing kendo at age 33, and has provided an excellent example of how, with persistence and effort, one can also achieve outstanding results as an adult.

In 2005 Szabolcs Gasparin became the first Hungarian to win a scholarship to the Martial Arts Department of Kokushikan University in Tokyo. Our team won first place at the International Hungária Cup.

In 2006 Tibor Bárány successfully passed the 6^th dan examination (the first Hungarian to do so) and Zoltán Bárány passed the 5^th dan.

In 2007 Zsolt Vadadi successfully passed the 6^th dan examination in Lisbon, Portugal. Szabolcs Gasparin won the men's individual championship title at the International Hungária Cup.

In 2008 we began a sister dojo partnership with Chuo Kendo Dojo (Los Angeles, California, USA). Within this partnership, our members Bálint Bress and Győző Demény took part in a 3-week training camp in Los Angeles. We also formed a new child kendo section in Zebegény, Hungary.

In 2009-ben Gasparin Szabolcs became the champion of Toru Giga Kupa in Prague.

In 2010 with the assistance of our club a film called ”4. dan” had been completed, directed by George Perrin Kategóriájában ez az első kendo témát feldolgozó művészfilm.