With the morning kenjutsu practice on December 26 and the evening year-end gathering, we concluded our training activities for 2024.
This year began with an invited demonstration at the Tatsumi-ryu Hatsunuki-shiki, followed by performances at the Asakusa Demonstration Festival, dedication demonstrations at Yasukuni Shrine, Kashima Shrine, and Meiji Shrine. We were also honored to perform at the EXPO 2025 Osaka, Kansai World Expo. Through these opportunities, many people both in Japan and abroad were able to witness Daito-ryu.
Many students and Daito-ryu enthusiasts participated in our April training camp in Katsuura, the domestic joint training session in August, the seminar in the Netherlands in October, and our monthly online seminars, allowing us to conduct highly productive training sessions.
In April, we held a celebration in honor of the conferment of a decoration upon Soumucho Katsuyuki Kondo sensei, and in November, he received a commendation from the Japan Kobudo Promotion Association. We were also delighted by the news that Stefan Krilla, head of the Slovakia branch, received the Commendation from the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan.
Thank you very much for your tremendous support throughout 2025. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone for their cooperation. We look forward to your continued support in 2026. Wishing you all a Happy New Year.