ABOUT KYOTO & OSAKA
京都・大阪支部
since 2015
Connecting with the world!
We are a Capoeira Angola group based in Kyoto and Osaka, practicing while carefully honoring the teachings of our Mestres and Mestras, as well as our roots in Brazil. As part of an international network, we study and embody this profound cultural tradition through daily practice.
Capoeira is many things at once: a martial art, a musical expression, and a form of wisdom for living. Through regular classes, performances, and workshops, we value not only physical training, but also cultivating respect for ourselves and others, as well as a spirit of care and consideration.
Regardless of age, gender, nationality, or identity, this is a place where everyone can learn in their own way.
In this warm and welcoming community, why not discover a new side of yourself?
ABOUT GROUP NZINGA
グループ インジンガについて
since 1995
Grupo Nzinga de Capoeira Angola (Grupo Nzinga) was founded on March 8, 1995, in São Paulo, Brazil. It is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and transmitting Capoeira Angola and to researching and safeguarding Afro-Brazilian culture of Bantu origin. The group operates institutionally as the Instituto Nzinga de Capoeira Angola.
Under the guidance of senior mestres in Brazil and local instructors in each branch, members study the spirituality and philosophy of Capoeira through daily practice of music and movement.
The group’s mission is to preserve the traditional values of Capoeira Angola and Bantu culture, with a strong emphasis on education. Learning takes place not only through daily training, but also through rodas (ritual circles), publications, dialogue, artistic expression, and social initiatives.
The principal mestres of the group are Mestra Janja, Mestra Paulinha, Mestre Tiao Carvalho, and Mestra Mano.
Through mestres and contra-mestres, the group carries forward the teachings of Mestre Pastinha, widely regarded as the “father” of Capoeira Angola. Often referred to as the Pastinha lineage of Angola, the group continues its activities grounded in this inherited tradition.
One of the central characteristics of these teachings is the formation of ethical and socially conscious individuals through the practice of Capoeira Angola. This includes an explicit stance against racism and gender discrimination, as well as opposition to violence against marginalized and oppressed communities. The group promotes human rights, non-violence, social equality, women’s empowerment, opposition to violence against women, support for single mothers, and the education of children in response to contemporary social realities.
Nzinga Kyoto and Nzinga Osaka are branches based in their respective cities in Japan.
Today, the group maintains branches and affiliated centers throughout Brazil and in various countries around the world. In addition to regular classes, it actively engages in workshops, performances, volunteer activities, and participation in cultural events.
Berimbau Orchestra
An orchestra centered on the berimbau—the principal instrument of Capoeira—bringing together many players to perform as an ensemble.
Through this collective practice, participants study and preserve the rhythms of Capoeira as well as those of Afro-Brazilian music, with the aim of learning, sustaining, and passing on these musical traditions.
Berimbau Orquestra
Orquestra de berimbaus no Japão 2023. カポエィラ ビリンバウ オーケストラ 音楽の祭日 みんぱく
'Ya temi xoa, aê, êa!' - Berimbau Orquestra in Japan / Nzinga Kyoto - Davi Kopenawa
音楽の祭日2019 みんぱく/カポエィラ ビリンバウ オーケストラ Berimbau Orquestra
iuna
QUEEN NZINGA(NJINGA)
インジンガ女王について
QUEEN NZINGA
Queen Nzinga Mbandi Ngola (1581 to 1663) of the Ndongo (Angola) and Matamba Kingdoms is a key figure in the history of African struggle against European colonization. She led a four-decade resistance against the Portuguese who were raiding African territories for the purpose of human trafficking. The Portuguese occupation of Central Africa began in 1576 when they seized the land on the coast of Ndongo, renamed it Angola, and established present-day Luanda, Angola’s capital, to be a center for the slave trade. King Ngola Kiluanji, Nzinga's father, resisted the invasion of his territory for many years. He was succeeded by his son Ngola Mbandi who also was initially able to resist the invaders, but he eventually succumbed to them. The lands became so distraught that the Portuguese could no longer capture people to sell as slaves, so they wished to form a peace treaty. King Mbandi sent his sister Nzinga to negotiate with the Portuguese to ensure the independence of their lands. However, the Portuguese were never faithful to the treaty and continued their occupation. Nzinga did not want her kingdom to be subjected by a foreign power, and disagreed with the submission of African leaders to the Portuguese, including her brother’s. When Mbandi died under mysterious circumstances, she took over command of the resistance groups as Queen of Ngondo and defended her country against the Portuguese. She formed alliances with Africans who escaped slavery, Portuguese-trained African soldiers, and Jaga warriors to form quilombos, or resistance communities, similar to the ones used by her contemporary Zumbi of Palmares in Brazilian lands. Thus, she achieved victory against the Portuguese and established a relative peace, remaining queen until her death at age 82.