It's 2016 and I am officially opening the doors to Shinkan-ryū Kenpō. I wish to spread the good teachings and experience of Japanese iaijutsu and kenjutsu around the world. Everyone that wants to learn properly, should be able to enjoy the practical and interesting techniques of our bujutsu. I hope people will enjoy this endeavor with me.
Learning Japanese sword combat is challenging and interesting.
It is worth a lot to be mindful of the ebb and flow of all things. The rising and falling and ceasing of everything. The …
The Sword and its study.
Hesitation (doubt) is one of the four diseases in swordsmanship. In martial arts really. It is not unique to swordsmanship. Reluctance …
The code of the samurai is always popping up in martial arts circles and popular culture. Written about in the book, Bushido; Soul of Japan …
Waza Waza Everywhere
In our respective martial arts systems, we learn many waza 技 (techniques). Some ryū-ha (systems) have a handful, while others have hundreds. Can …
Budo does not begin and end when you pass through the dojo, or step on and off a mat. Practicing musha shugyo when you have …
The mental issues involved with subscribing to someone you dislike, hate, have anger towards, desire to ridicule or act maliciously, is very real and …
I train to strike correctly. I perform keiko to understand the angles of my sword. Swordsmanship and sword combat at that the center of my …
How to learn kenjutsu? Learning anything as profound as a martial art needs a teacher. Kenjutsu, while fairly straightforward with a superficial glance, contains a …
After every meditation session my teacher, with his eyes still closed, would softly speak in Pali the words of the Buddha,Sabbe sankara aniccati, yada pannaya …
Narrow Minds Walk Narrow Paths
There are a lot of martial arts to enjoy. There are many good teachers out there of varying degrees of knowledge. …
Good Posture = Efficient Movement
A graphic I made for a student talking about the differences between efficiently striking the head in a basic manner and …
Being righteous and doing the right thing is one of the foundations of body and speech actions, as well as mental formations. Righteous decision making …
Maai 間合い
Combative spacing or maai is important to investigate early on and come to understand. In weapons combat it is essential. Although at some point …
If you study the way and path 道, then you should understand the truth correctly. If you study martial arts 武術, then you must understand …
Nara period. 710-794
We shall begin with the Nara period. 710-794. Japan had recently changed its name from ‘wa’ to ‘Nihon’ in the previous Asuka period. …
In Japanese swordsmanship, there have been many hundreds of schools. There are, however, only a few ways to cut with a sword. Many schools feature …
The desire to destroy is within us all. We must overcome this urge to tear others down or damage someone's happiness. Whether it's intentional or …
I have been saying it's important to get training for using a sharp sword or any dangerous weapon. I and some other people have been …
I once had an interaction with someone who referred to their school as a genuine samurai school. They insisted their school was authentic and that …