My story in TAKEDA RYU NAKAMURA HA is closely connected to the turbulent history of TAKEDA RYU NAKAMURA HA in Europe.

Beginning of the 90s I started to learn TAKEDA RYU NAKAMURA HA in Austria. I was a beginner, without any experience in martial arts and so very easy to impress. But it was great fun. I will never forget when I first took on my hakama. Immediatly I jumped around and felt like a samurai.
1993 was the first time I saw Soke NAKAMURA and the japanese masters Morita, Toyoshima and Matsushita at a Seminar in Europe. I was deeply impressed. This elegance, this easiness, this charisma. From that moment on I was sure that this meeting had not been the last.
At that time already I felt the privilege to be taught by this great personalities. This motivation should never leave me again. After that seminar I knew that I want to dedicate my life to TAKEDA RYU NAKAMURA HA.
I increased my frequency of training from three times to five times a week. Full of motivation I visited all following seminars with Soke and these masters. This diligence also had a downside, which I do not want to be kept in secret. It is not easy for me to talk about that but I consider it as very important.
It was in the sixth year of my training, when I increased my frequency again to seven days a week, two hours daily, more often allone. With this boost unavoidable my private life had to suffer. I started to realize that I grew lonely. Nobody could understand why I always work so hard that I reached the physical and mental borders. "Why are you torturing yourself so much?" I was asked very often. I could not give an answer. And suddenly I was allone and in a dilemma. I did not want to loose neither TAKEDA RYU NAKAMURA HA nor my private life.
What to do? I felt that something was wrong, but I could not name it. So I approached ZEN. Until that moment I never had contact to this philosophy, because in training it was considered as junk by the "master".

I really was amazed to read that ZEN always had been an integral part of Bujutsu. I delved into ZEN started to meditate, to sit and to read the old masters. Bit by bit I felt that this was exactly what I have missed. This had been the missing link for my understanding of TAKEDA RYU NAKAMURA HA. I did not understand why it was not taught in Europe. So I started to ask. Nobody could give me an answer. Today after more then fifteen years of training. I am very thankful for the seven years, which had to follow.
In the meanwhile Soke NAKAMURA made me assistant teacher. I traveled around Europe to assists at seminars free of charge. My question about philosophy always traveled with me.
No answer. Obviously I became unpleasant, because I made the incompetence of the so called masters visible.
They wanted to get rid of me. After more then thirteen years I left all european organisations, which at that time represented TAKEDA RYU NAKAMURA HA and started to built up my own professional dojo. Again I was allone, I had no students, but my dojo. (How wonderful, my wish I had so many years ago finally came true).
My belief in ZEN gave me so much certainty and power not to question my way.
Two years later AFTER I opened my dojo I approached Japan again. My heart still belonged to TAKEDA RYU NAKAMURA HA and I wanted to clarify that.
 andApril 2006 Soke Nakamura welcomed me at his house in Chiba/Tokyo. It was an overwhelming evening. The masters Morita Toyoshima also came to Soke to meet me there. I explained them the reasons for my decision, two years ago and also why I asked for a meeting.
This evening I consider as one of the most important in my life.
Soke Nakamura told me that already at 1993 he could see the fire in my eyes. Master Toyoshima told me that I had the eyes of a hunter, when I told him to have a dojo sometimes. I did not remember that.
I explained that the absence of philosophy makes TAKEDA RYU NAKAMURA HA incomplete and therefore it was impossible for me to follow the teachers in Europe any longer. Soke and the other masters agreed.
And then Soke Nakamura told me insistently that this philosophy is the fundament for understanding Japan, for understanding TAKEDA RYU NAKAMURA HA. This way of thinking must be internalized.
The understanding of discipline, effort and honesty grow from that philosophy. Authenticity is the fruit, which flourishes out of it.
"Only when you sweat with your students they will believe in you" he said, which ment that only through doing TAKEDA RYU NAKAMURA HA can be understood, can be felt.
Soke Nakamura, Master Morita and Toyoshima told me the whole background of the last fifteen years in Europe. I was very shocked on the one hand and very touched on the other hand.

There I was, at Soke NAKAMURA and the masters. At the same level. No indication of arrogance, no negative words, only authenticity, honesty and deep empathy.  The first time I had the feeling to be understood.
My way, my decision to leave everything behind, my intensive work the last fifteen years brought me there. I was very happy. A few weeks later I was in Japan again to get lessons from Soke Nakamura and master Morita and Toyoshima. It was incredible to feel authentic teaching.

December 2006 I traveled to my first tournament to Japan. It was Iaijutsu. I took part at the discipline of Batto-Shiai.
At that time they told me that I had been the first european ever who joined an inner-japanese tournament. I made the 4th place of 30 contestants.
January 2007 Soke NAKAMURA made me representative of TAKEDA RYU NAKAMURA HA. From that moment my life was associated again with TAKEDA RYU NAKAMURA HA, which made me really proud.

I agreed with Soke Nakamura that

• every member of the Budo Institute has access to tournaments and tests in Japan
• every member of the Budo Institute will take DAN examinations exclusively from japanese masters either in Japan or in Europe for which the masters will travel to the Budo Institute
• in alternating mode each two years members of the Budo Institute will travel to tournaments in Japan and the masters will come to Vienna to the Budo Institute

This is unique in Europe. With this step the authenticity of the school TAKEDA RYU NAKAMURA HA shall be secured. Soke Nakamura was very happy about my decision.
May 2007 I tried an examination for the 5.DAN in IAIJUTSU. At that time in the HOMBU DOJO, the headquater, which Soke Nakamura founded in the sixties. And again I learned that I was the first european ever, who tried this test.

Nobody in Europe ever, even them who left Soke Nakamura, had ever passed an examination in front of japanese masters.
Minimum twice a year I travel to Japan for deeper understanding of TAKEDA RYU NAKAMURA HA and to spread it in Europe.