 During this period, his sister Toyoko began studying Tendō-ryū naginata under a female instructor named Mitamura Chiyo (in Japan, arts focusing on the handling of naginata have been practiced almost exclusively by women since the Edo period), and she would continue practicing that art for the rest of her life.Following graduation from Busen, Abbe became an instructor in judo at the college, as well as taking instructor positions with the Osaka police force and a high school in Kyoto.The Butoku Kai promoted him to 6th "dan" in judo in 1937.