More Information on  Miura Sensei

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

The following is a biography prepared for the United Japanese Society of Hawai'i when Miura Sensei was honored as an Outstanding Community Member in 2017.  As more information comes in, the document will be updated.  [updated July  24, 2023] 

- - - - -

The changes as Japan industrialized and expanded in the early 20th century must have strained the fabric of family life.  Children growing up at this time would not know the causes, but they would experience the hardships that came from these difficulties. 

Hanae Miura was born in 1932 into a family with deep samurai roots.  She was the third child of Hajime and Sei Miura.  Japan had just seized control of Manchuria from China and the world had already entered the Great Depression.  In 1937, Japan began offensives in China that started their involvement in World War II.  That same year circumstances found her mother giving Hanae up for adoption to a family by the name of Suzuki (possibly family friends on her father's side; she has no real memories of her biological father), whereupon she moved from Tokyo to Mito City in Ibaraki Prefecture.  

Also a family with samurai roots, the Suzuki family did not have any children of their own.  An adoption had been arranged for another child, but it had been cancelled.  This was a very confusing time for the young adoptee because there was a wide variance in dialect and accent between the different regions in Japan.  The young Hanae had difficulty understanding the Tohoku dialect she was now hearing and, thinking that her stay with this family was temporary, the young girl cried every day wanting to return home.  One day, a friend of the Suzuki family ( a Mrs. Nakagawa who was a school teacher and barber shop owner) took the unhappy girl to the Mito Tobukan, a famous dojo in Mito City. 

The Mito Tobukan was a famous Hokushin Itto-Ryu Kenjutsu dojo founded by Torakichi Ozawa.  During the early 20th century Jikishinkage-Ryu Naginata Jutsu was also taught at the dojo.  Kiyoko Ozawa was young Hanae’s first naginata teacher.  Distinguishing herself with an apparent affinity for the art, the young student soon caught the attention of the headmaster of the ryu.  This is where the young girl found a purpose and mentor in the person of Hideo Sonobe.  As Miura sensei stated, “Other children went to school, but there was nothing in the area, this [training] was my kindergarten.”  She also remembers with a warm smile that, when Hideo sensei came to visit (once a month as she made her rounds of the various dojo) she would bring candy for the young girl.  Very quickly, Hanae Miura became not only a direct student under the headmaster, Hideo Sonobe, but also one of her favorites. 

Born Tarita Kusaka, the woman who would later become Hideo Sonobe was a key figure in modern Jikishinkage-Ryu Naginata Jutsu.  The 8th child in a former samurai family, Tarita enjoyed riding the horse now used for farming.  She was enthralled by the traveling martial arts shows and soon enough joined the group led by Kanryusai (Yoshifumi/Yoshinori?) and Shigeo (Shigeko?) Satake*.  Training in the naginata under their tutelage, she was a formidable opponent in matches and, when the Satake’s gave her the mantle of 15th Soke of the Jikishinkage-Ryu Naginata Jutsu, they changed her name to Hideo (traditionally a man’s name) to match the power of her fighting spirit.  This was the woman who chose to mentor the young Hanae Miura.    

[*Depending on the English language source, the names are different.  This is possibly due to the fact that characters often have different pronunciations depending on the context.   For example, some Enslish language sources identify the surname of the  17th Soke as Totani, but it is actually read Toya.]

By the age of 13 still under the tutelage of Hideo Sensei, Hanae Miura was already giving instruction in the naginata art.  That same year, a son was born to her adopted family.  Following the hardships of the war, upon the war's end, Hanae was given an ultimatum to move out or marry a man almost twice her age who already had three children.   Young Hanae chose to leave and search for her real family.  Alone, she left her foster home.  

With the help of the local police, she found her family in Kobe.  While her brother and sister were happy to see that she was alive, her mother found it difficult to acknowledge her daughter, believing that it would bring shame upon the adoptive family if she took Hanae back.  Sensing the conflict and not wanting to impose on the family, Hanae left and made her way to Tokyo, where her brother had  helped her find a job in a real estate office.  

Again alone, but in a Tokyo dealing with the aftermath of massive bombings and cultural shock, she continued her studies of the naginata, kendo, iaido, and the koto.   Devoting her life to these arts and their perpetuation gave her the strength and will to survive the innumerable hardships.   At the recommendation of Hideo Sensei, she became one of the few direct students of Teruko Shimada.

Shimada Sensei was known for her subtle and graceful technique.   She was the younger daughter of Hideo Sensei and her beauty and skill drew silences whenever she appeared at public demonstrations.  Very protective of her art, she trained very few students.  At this period in time, the All Japan Naginata Federation was establishing a sportive form of the martial art.  Many students and sensei from the different ryu chose to enter the schools to teach this sportive form.  If a student left to pursue that route, Shimada Sensei would not allow them to return to her dojo when they finally recognized the value of her art.  At the time of her passing, Miura Sensei was the only person left who has trained under Hideo Sensei and her daughters, and was the only remaining long-time student of Teruko Shimada.

On her own in a Japan at war, and through the post-war years, Hanae Miura supported herself with a variety of jobs while putting herself through night school.  She graduated from the Yamashita Business School in 1948.  She does not dwell on the time but admits in her very understated way, "it was a very sad, hard life”.    

 - - - - -

In 1964 Anton Geesink won the open weight judo gold medal in the Olympics, the first held in Japan.  While it stunned the Japanese, it did pique interest in the Japanese martial arts in Holland.  In 1968 Hanae Miura was selected to be part of an elite Japanese delegation to present demonstrations in Holland and France in a goodwill tour to introduce Japanese martial arts to the world.  Along with Sakudo Masao and Sugie Masatoshi, they gave demonstrations of kendo, jo, aikido, naginata, and kusarigama.  The tour happened in 1969 starting off in Anton Geesink's city of residence, Utrecht, in the Netherlands.    This tour turned Hanae Miura into a celebrity across Japan as she appeared in the media and at demonstrations.

The extensive news coverage in Japan about the trip was the first time her mother had any indication of what had happened to her youngest daughter since Kobe.  Time had changed things, or the brilliance of her daughter caused the turn of heart.  Her mother tried to make contact at the airport departure for Holland, but the crowds were so large that she was unable to do so.  Coverage of this goodwill tour also made the news in Hawai'i, leading to an invitation from Keizo Fujikawa, the director of the Hawaii Chamber of Commerce, to present an exhibition in Hawai’i where an already strong kendo community existed.  Others were invited but, as there was no financial assistance being provided, Hanae Miura was the only person to take the leap of faith, traveling at her own expense.  Once again, the crowds at the airport prevented a meeting between mother and daughter.  It was this trip, for the annual Cherry Blossom Festival, where the enthusiasm of four women from the Hawaii Times (a Japanese language newspaper) prompted a request to have someone come to the islands to teach.  This is how the naginata art was brought to the 50th state. 

- - - - -

Beginning in 1970, Miura Sensei spent an extended period traveling between Hawai'i and Japan.  She traveled at her own expense giving instruction in three-month intervals due to visa processing issues, sometimes unable to return for six months.  When the late Senator Sparky Matsunaga became aware of her predicament, he made it possible for Miura Sensei to obtain a permanent visa by becoming her guarantor.  He took her to the immigration offices and made all the arrangements for processing.  He believed in the importance of this cultural treasure and Miura Sensei’s destiny in growing the art in Hawai’i.  Miura Sensei always acknowledged that the efforts of Senator Matsunaga enabled her to teach with great peace of mind and she was forever grateful for his generosity of time, effort, and spirit.  She returned in 1972 and dedicated her life to developing, nurturing, and advancing the naginata art in Hawai’i.  

A few years after settling in Hawai’i, Miura Sensei was visited by her mother and older sister who joined a tour to the islands specifically to become reacquainted with this lost family member.   They were able to spend a few days together with help from the Hawaii Times but, being resolute in her desire to stay and make a life for herself in Hawai’i, a decision was made to not exchange addresses and contact information. The following year, she received word that her mother had passed away.  Over the years, she has been employed by many high fashion establishments, eventually becoming a naturalized citizen in 1999 and retiring in 2002. 

She initially taught interested women at a kendo dojo but as interest grew, she began teaching a summer course at the University of Hawai'i which eventually led to the naginata group being recognized as a campus club.  Over the years, Miura Sensei arranged for high-ranking sensei from Japan to come to Hawai'i to give seminars and administer exams.  She has also taken groups from Hawai'i to Japan for naginata seminars/exams and cultural tours.  Miura Sensei and her students have given demonstrations at many local venues and cultural events as well as presentations to religious and cultural organizations in the state.  Her students represent the diversity of the island’s population.  They are men and women; students and professionals; elementary school-aged and retirees; local born-and-raised, as well as new-comers from other states and countries.

Throughout her time in Hawai'i she has traveled to participate in the annual instructor seminar/meetings in Japan in order to ensure that the Hawai'i dojo remains an integral and active part of the Shutokukai.  Her teaching has been recognized as being innovative and resourceful in terms of bringing a unique Japanese art to a very diverse range of persons and personalities.  Acknowledging that the students in Hawai'i had reached a high level of skill and understanding, the initial visits by sensei from Japan resulted in many inquiries into her teaching strategies and questions about how she adjusted for the primarily male membership and their larger stature.  Miura Sensei, drawing from her life of challenges and seizing the opportunity in difficulties, responded that different people require different adjustment and must be taught based on who they are. 

Miura Sensei trained in and taught the naginata art for over 85 years.  She was awarded the highest rank given by the ryu, Tora no Maki, with special recognitions for her excellence in teaching.  Her expertise included dan ranking in four other martial arts:  Choku Yushin Ryu Kusarigama; Omori Ryu Iaido; Muso Shinden Ryu Jodo; and Kendo.  Her appreciation of traditional Japanese arts include her abilities on the koto and a talent in Koryu ikebana.  When the Hawai'i members have gone to Japan it was apparent that Miura Sensei was treated with much respect and deference.  Her students have received recognition from the 18th Soke, Masami Sonobe, for their technique and spirit.  Her excellence has enabled the Hawai'i dojo to be the first, and only, dojo outside of Japan with students promoted to Tora no Maki and Tatsu no Maki  licenses.  Miura Sensei held the promotions of these students to the upper tier of the ryu as validation of her life's mission and journey.

She shared her knowledge freely to everyone who expresses an interest in the art.  Due to the late Senator Matsunaga's generosity, she taught the art without any personal financial gain feeling that, to do so, would harm its sincerity.  For Miura Sensei, teaching was a fulfillment of debts repaying those who have been kind to her, making her life and its opportunities possible:  Hideo Sensei, Teruko Sensei, the late Senator Matsunaga, and all who had helped and encouraged her along the way.  

Hanae Miura was a quiet and elegant representative of a warrior art.  Her teachings did not tell a person who to become or what to think.  Her teachings trained perception, focus, and a firmness of thought so that one could act decisively and carry the outcomes with a clear mind.  She loved when the young children of members came to the class, remembering the kindness shown to her in Mito city.  Her family is everyone who has trained under her watchful eyes and her influence reaches far beyond the dojo.