Yoshinao Nanbu Doshu Soke and his student Leo Rafolt Shihan (Croatia) recently visited Japanese Nanbudo Federation and Doshu’s birth place Kobe. Leo Rafolt came to Japan on October 8th 2009 and presented Nanbudo on Tokyo University, while teaching there. He also conducted trainings in Kobe and Ashiya Dojo with a group of enthusiastic Japanese Nanbudo students.

On October 30th they both visited Croatian Embassy in Tokyo to promote recent Nanbudo activities. Special emphasis was put on establishing International Nanbu Budo University (Kokusai Nanbu Budo Daigaku) and its Hombu Dojo in Kobe, as well as on implementing Nanbudo activities in many education centers around the world. Croatian ambassador,
Dr. Drago Štambuk, was very interested for Budo related topics and he promised to help Nanbudo development, especially in Japan, thus building Croatian and Japanese Nanbudo friendship.
On this occasion Nanbu Doshu Soke awarded the Croatian ambassador with honorary black belt (Meiyo 3. dan). Furthermore, from October 31st to November 3rd Nanbu Doshu Soke organized an ‘open seminar’ in his birth town Kobe for his Japanese students and everyone else who is interested in this martial art.
One of the leading figures of the Japanese Karate Federation, Tani Ha Shito Ryu Kancho Masao Yoseda (8. dan), was also present and very thrilled when he saw Nanbu Doshu demonstrating his martial art and his way of Budo, with the assistance of Leo Rafolt Shihan. He even offered Nanbudo to be demonstrated during the opening ceremony of the Japanese Karate Federation’s competition.
Yoseda Shihan, present All-Japan University Karate Do Federation Director, was actually Nanbu Doshu’s Kohai in the past at Osaka University Karate Dojo. The relationship between Kohai (junior) and Sempai (senior) is an essential part of the Japanese culture and tradition, so Yoseda Shihan showed lot of interest for the hard work of promoting Nanbudo.