The Wjjc Master Class held in Florence (Italy) on May 23-24-25-26 2024 was a great success. The international committee was presided over by Soke Adriano Busà founder and international technical director of World Ju-Jitsu Corporation, some of the countries affiliated joined the event with the participation of their respective National Technical Directors. The participating countries were: Italy, in the person of Vice National Technical Director Dai-Shihan Massimiliano Maltagliati, Oman with the representative Kaicho Abdulwahab Alburaidi, Kuwait represented by Sensei Anas Almutairi, Portugal with Sensei Pedro Pimentel and Romania with Sensei Maricel Tabacaru National Technical Representative in his country. Other representatives could not attend because of prior committments: Denmark, Sri Lanka, Cuba, Morocco, Zambia, Namibia.
Those days were dedicated not only to Ju-Jitsu but were also an amazing opportunity for sharing and having fun. We visited Florence and its spectacular historic center, from the famous Ponte Vecchio we rooted for little regattas on the Arno River; we also admired the precious and meticulous work of the marble on the facades of the Duomo and its Baptistery and raised our eyes to observe the magnificence of the famous Giotto's bell tower, to end up tasting some typical street dishes such as lampredotto.
A guided tour inside Palazzo Vecchio (a building of the Municipality of Florence, completed in 1299) was planned by the organization during these intense four days. We had the opportunity to discover its magnificent rooms and frescoes. In the afternoon, the group headed to greedily enjoy the visit of the Stibbert Museum and its splendid armor, especially the section dedicated to Japanese swords and protections, of which it is the most important collection in Europe and outside of Japan. After several days of rain, luck favoured us. The sun gave us four days of clear skies illuminating the Friday excursions in two of the most characteristic medioeval villages in Tuscany: San Gimignano and Monteriggioni, where the atmosphere of the past was the backdrop for a lunch with cured meats and cheeses in a inner courtyard garden made of ancient doors nestled between old brick walls.
In the evening we returned back to the hotel, then after a short break we went to the countryside thirty kilometres away on the Florentine hills, in an old hunting lodge, where the owner is a hunter and had procured the game, while his wife was cooking it for us. An extraordinary dinner consumed inside the only small room where we huddled together, which contributed to compacting further an alliance that had been growing from the very first day.
The most important and significant moment, however, was on Saturday with the Ju-Jitsu Kishidō workshop held directly by Soke Adriano Busà and organized in one of the rooms of the hotel that hosted the participants. After the first ritual photos, the techniques dedicated to the theme of speed and precision were presented one after the other, making it difficult for the black belts to follow and interpret them. Then, in the second part, Soke showed different types of knives, their use, and their specific characteristics and ended up explaining that the most fearsome cutting weapon is not a Machete or a Butterfly knife but a very simple, banal, cutter. In fact, its low cost, the extractable and breakable blade and its very easy availability make it one of the most terrible weapons that anyone, anywhere can buy, hide and carry with. For the finale, a duel was organized, participants weared a white t-shirt and used red markers to verify the notions learned. It was a massacre!
After the end of this special seminar and a well-deserved shower, we returned to the workshop room for the second part wearing the official uniform with tie. We were shown a very interesting video on the birth of Ju-Jitsu with old photos and old documents, going through the mid-1900s up to today, illustrating in detail how, why, and when the World Ju-Jitsu Corporation was born, who we are and where we want to go.
Shortly before dinner, awards and recognitions were given to Soke's direct students and to all participants and companions, with a short final thank you speech. Finally, on the last day in an atmosphere of hugs and promises, a certain kind of melancholy and sadness took the participants, promptly erased by Soke's promise who announced a new awaited meeting in 2026.
Always ahead! Wjjc, Only for real warriors!!!