Kagami - Sakura BudokanMark Spear, Renshi, Shorin-ryu Karate-do Reihokan and I taught a joint...

In late October, I traveled to Bakersfield to instruct at the Kern River Budo Sai, sponsored by Bakersfield Budo. The Kern River Budo Sai consisted of gasshuku, embu and taikai and proved to be an excellent opportunity for mem-bers of the Japanese Sword Arts community to come together for a weekend of learning, ex-change, camaraderie and good-spirited compe-tition. Over the course of the weekend, I had the op-portunity to closely observe participants repre-senting a number of different Japanese sword traditions, including Nakamura-ryu, Toyama-ryu, Mugai-ryu, and Seikiguchi-ryu and of course, Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryu. The various methods of reiho and formal waza, unique to each ryu-ha, were all well demonstrated during the Budo Sai. The taikai was an excellent exhi-bition of competition in iai and batto waza as well as shizan, or cutting, and all competitors

showed skill and technique. But even with the technical excellence that was displayed during the embu and taikai, what I was most im-pressed with during the event was the spirit demonstrated by the participants. Iaijutsu and iaido practitioners do not typi-cally take up the study of iai in order to engage in competition, and so they tend not to be used to the competitive aspect of taikai, such as the one held during the Kern River Budo Sai. However, it is my opinion that people that are truly studying iaijutsu as budo should engage in such competitions. If one is studying iai as just a hobby, that person may not consider taking part in a taikai to be an important as-pect of their training and I can understand that such practitioners may choose not to partici-pate in such events. However, I believe that participating in events such as the Kern River Budo Sai is an invaluable tool for enrichment

The Kern River Budo Sai: Thoughts and Impressions by Masayuki Shimabukuro, Hanshi

Kagami Production:

Executive Advisor:

Masayuki Shimabukuro, Hanshi & Soshi

Advisor:

Carl E. Long, Kyoshi

Editor:

Erik A. Johnstone

Assistant Editor:

Adrian Smith

Inside this Issue:

2009 Gasshuku Report

6

Long Sensei Visits Aikido of Cincinnati

8

Images from the First Kern River Budo Sai

10

Aruba’s First MJER Iaijutsu Seminar

11

The Eastern Shidosha Koshukai: Key Teach-ings

12

Shito-ryu and Isshin-ryu: Commonality

16

Dojo Spotlight 15

The Kern River Budo Sai: Thoughts and Impressions

1

Structure-Limits-Consequences

18

Upcoming Events and Seminars

20

Reflections on the Eastern Shidosha Ko-shukai

14

News and Announce-ments

19

An Open Letter to KNBK/JKI Instructors

3

A Report on the First Kern River Budo Sai

9

From the Editor’s Desk

2

A New Year’s Greet-ing

2

Kagami The Newsletter of the Kokusai Nippon Budo Kai/Jikishin-Kai International

Volume 4, Issue 3 Kagami - Fall & Holiday 2009

Continued on Page 4

A New Year’s Greeting from Shimabukuro, Masayuki, Hanshi

I would like to wish everyone a Happy and Prosperous New Year for 2010 – which is the Year of the Tiger. This past year has been a difficult one for many and some may say that it is a good thing that 2009 is over. The reces-sion we have all experienced has been hard and for some very painful, stressful, and worrisome. Much thought has been given as to who is to blame, who is responsible, and who should be held accountable. But it is not hard to determine what was at the heart of it all – ego. And everyone is accountable and responsible for their own ego. The recession has its roots in ego which tempted many into an easy path of monetary gain and that in turn affected all around the world. And we are not totally out of the recession yet. The new year still poses difficult times, yet should be viewed as a challenge for one’s true spirit to show forth and to truly consider what is important even when times are tough: family is important; community is important, and nation is important. Those of us who have committed our time and spirit to the study of Budo do so not just because we enjoy or like it, but as a path to growth even in difficult times. We must strive

to understand the importance of “gi” – what is right, and “gin” – compassion for others. Learning these inside the dojo we must then put these into practice outside of the dojo. It is because times are difficult that as budoka we serve as examples to others to be gracious, compassionate, and understanding. “Budo soku ginsei” – Budo is a way of life, and life is a string from one’s self, to family, to community, and to na-tion. Through Budo we can follow that string, through Budo we can develop and grow our character and defeat ego. “Taiaku okoreba taizen kitaru” – big bad things happen, then big good will come later. It is precisely because times are hard that we can be grateful for the good times that will come. The extreme contrast provides the perspective of appreciation. But we must be wary not to sit idle; the inbe-tween is the challenge not to be complacent but instead commit ourselves to be part of the change to bring in the good. The Year of the Tiger will certainly be one of change; and like the Tiger is admired for its vivid stripes that symbolize the balanced forces of `yin' and `yang' , we should be hope-ful that the new year will be a time of good change.

Kagami - Fall & Holiday 2009

From The Editor’s Desk by Erik Johnstone, Shindokan Dojo

Welcome to the combined Fall & Holiday 2009 Issue of Kagami. We hope that all of you are in the midst of a won-derful Holiday Season and are enjoying precious moments with your loved ones. The pellet stove is blazing away. I am in the middle of the last bits of editing of this issue (including writing this sec-tion which is usually one of the first things that I start when preparing an issue of Kagami; sometimes writing just has to happen when IT is ready!) and as I write, I am watching the snow of the second storm of the season fall, blanketing the boughs of the pines in a beautiful fresh cover of white. The scarlet of the cardinals at the bird feeder is simply bril-liant against the pure white backdrop. As this is the close of a year and a decade, we held a special Keiko Osame, closing practice at our dojo here in New Eng-land. As Keiko Osame holds great significance, we held class with a special focus on spirit of mindfulness, unity, sincerity and good, meaningful budo. My dojo partner, Mark Spear, Renshi, Shorin-ryu Karate-do Reihokan and I taught a joint session, with over fifty participants on the mats representing each of the arts practiced at our dojo in attendance. Despite the close quarters, I think everyone had a great experience and perhaps came away with a little deeper insight into what it is that we are trying to accom-plish in our study of budo. Following the practice, everyone participated in soji to prepare the dojo for the New Year. We finished off the evening with a sake and a vigourous

“kampai!” to toast the closing of one year and decade and the opening of another. Returning to the subject of Kagami, we are hoping that this issue serves to fill the void since the last issue. As we experienced a number of delays (technical and otherwise) this past autumn, we were unable to get the Fall Issue of Kagami out within the usual time frame. As such, you will

Continued on Page 21

An Open Letter to KNBK/JKI Instructors by Carl Long, Kyoshi

We wish to thank you all for the dedicated efforts and hard work that each of you has put forth this past year and years past. Many instructors working together for a common goal will always pro-duce the greatest re-ward. We have come a long way over the past two decades and we should all be proud of our achievements. The

road has been paved with obstacles and at times we have made mistakes and have had to turn around and correct our course. These experiences have all been valuable les-sons and have strengthened us collectively. We have learned many lessons the hard way and should be grateful for the challenges that have been presented to us along this course. Shimabukuro Hanshi has steered this course for us and has been a constant beacon for us to follow. Shimabukuro Hanshi has now taken the role as Soshi of the Kokusai Nip-pon Budo Kai / Jikishin-Kai International (KNBK/JKI) and as such has implemented a direction for this organization based on the experiences and lessons he has gleaned as the chairman of the Jikishin-Kai International. Therefore, it is necessary for each of us to understand that in his new ca-pacity Hanshi has instituted guidelines that he wants each of us to adhere to. This will not be easy for some of us that are not accustomed to such procedures. These new proce-dures are necessary for the sake of a better organization that is more beneficial for all. Hanshi has begun this process through encouraging each of us to make a commitment to our roles as budoka and teachers of bushido. His first encouragement came as an invitation for all instructors to make a great effort to attend Koshukai in San Diego held in November. This encourage-ment came with great reward for our organization and members. However it was also met with some resistance due to the pressures and prior commitments we may have made in other areas of our lives. Commitments and promises must be kept. Family, work and community service are the pri-mary concerns of every budoka. We train to become better human beings and pledge to keep our commitments and promises. This is how it should be for real martial artists. We are taught to set priorities and do our best to uphold our commitments. However, organizational guidelines must also be followed to ensure fairness for everyone. This has become Shimabukuro Hanshi's most recent call to ac-tion. The rules apply to everyone. Recently Hombu has received several requests to offer optional or private Koshukai for those instructors who

could not attend the regular sessions in California or Penn-sylvania. Shimabukuro Hanshi has vehemently denied these requests. There will be another Koshukai next year and those instructors that did not make it to this year's training can attend the scheduled events in 2010. Those wishing to apply to receive Menkyosho at that time may do so. This year’s Koshukai was to establish the correct course of action for all instructors and lay the groundwork for the future of the KNBK /JKI. This does not exclude any in-structors from pursuing teaching certification. Those yu-dansha that did not attend this year's Koshukai are still eligible to apply for instructor licensing through their Shibu or Honbu sponsor dojo in compliance with the 2010 mem-bership outline distributed at 2009 Koshukai. All Kenkyukai, Member dojo and Shibu Dojo will receive the completed regulations in early January 2010. These guidelines include the necessary requirements, forms and procedures for requesting certification. Sincerely, Carl Long KNBK/JKI Hombu


The Kern River Budo Sai: Thoughts and Impressions (continued from Page 1)


and growth. As such, I offer strong encouragement to those members of the Jikishin-kai International/Kokusai Nippon Budo Kai (KNBK/JKI) who truly seek to deepen their study and raise the standard of their iai to take steps to engage in budo sai and taikai whenever possible. I base my belief in the value of participation in budo sai and taikai on three important reasons. The first reason of these reasons is to establish relation-ships with members of other styles of the Japanese swords and the organizations that represent them. The exchange of ideas, opinions, philosophy, waza and understanding of toho with other practitioners is a very healthy benefit that members of the KNBK/JKI would be well advised to take advantage of. During Japan’s feudal age, such knowledge would serve a swordsman is very good stead as knowledge of a wide range of iaijutsu and kenjutsu styles would better prepare him to face potential opponents. Today, however, the motivations to acquire knowledge about other sword arts are quite different. Through mutual interest in the Japanese sword arts, be they koryu or gendai, we establish a basis of commonality with other practitioners, providing an opportunity to act in the spirit of cooperation in the planning, coordination and implementing of culturally meaningful events such as the Kern River Budo Sai. More-over, such events, made possible because of our commonal-ity, provide us with a chance to make new acquaintances and perhaps even to forge life-long friendships. The second reason for participating in taikai deals with what one can learn from others at such events and consists of two main components. The first aspect deals with devel-oping familiarity with style and body-type or “sugata”, the form of one’s body in motion; the “figure” and expression that one presents while executing technique. Sugata is not merely the outer aspect of one’s appearance; sugata, how one appears, manifests as the outward expression of what is inside that person. For instance, one may observe an expression of sugata that I refer to as the “yakuza type”. This is type of sugata is characterized by an over-confident, swaggering attitude and unnecessary bravado. Such sugata, however, is completely contrary to the aims and values of budo. Positive examples of sugata can be seen in the quality and form of one’s reiho, or in the sincerity of one’s smile or the look in their eyes. True budo sugata is expressed as decorum and dignity; sugata that serves as a model of etiquette and conduct. Because sugata is the outward expression of the state of mind of an individual, an understanding of and ability to read sugata can provide insight into the nature and disposi-tion of an opponent, which one may be able to use to their advantage. Through participation in taikai, one can be-come familiar with the sugata of other practitioners and fellow competitors. For instance, the quality of his or her grip on the tsuka can reveal much about that person’s state of mind at that time. It is the grip too tight or is it relaxed? What information about that competitor or opponent does either condition provide? Is their demeanor peaceful or is

it guarded? What is the quality of their decorum and eti-quette? All of these aspects of sugata can communicate a great deal of information that can be useful in gauging the ability of another competitor and predicting likely out-comes in the competitive arena. Moreover, clearly seeing and understanding sugata can enable one to gauge the disposition and emotional state of others that one deals with in daily life, allowing one to have effective interactions with others that result in positive out-comes. The other aspect of this second reason for participating in taikai is that a practitioner can learn a great deal about his or herself through the observation of others. Observing the qualities of the sugata of other skilled practitioners, one may perhaps be inspired to develop and polish such quali-ties to enhance the manifestation of his or her sugata. One also can learn, through close observation of winning com-petitors, effective technique which can most certainly help to raise the standard of one’s own performance in a com-petitive environment.

Among the most important aspects of truly learning about oneself through attending taikai is that of seeing one’s iai as it really is at any given moment. In true budo, there is no such thing as warming or loosening up. Your true iai, your true swordsmanship, is the iai that you are able to express instantly. Who you are at that particular moment will be expressed in your iai. Therefore, you have to be ready to demonstrate your budo at any time, without the need for “loosening up”. Loosening up is a luxury that was unavail-able to the samurai of feudal Japan; warm-ups prior to confrontations between swordsmen just simply did not happen. Instead, swordsman simply had to be ready at all times, without fail, without excuse. In order to be true to our art and ourselves, we too have to train to be ready at any time, which means that we have to train all the time. If you do not train, that too will be reflected in your iai; that will be who you are when it comes time to show your iai. And there will be no excuse, because there are no excuses

Continued on next page

The Kern River Budo Sai: Thoughts and Impressions (continued from previous page)


in budo. Your budo is what it is at any given moment; there is no such thing as “I could have done better”. In older times, a mistake in a duel against an-other swordsman meant losing that duel; and losing meant death. There was no “I’ll do better next time” because there was no next time. Therefore, the real budo attitude is that there is no warming up, there is no excuse. One must simply be ready; budo clearly teaches this. Taikai is based on the same atti-tude and it is a major reason why engaging in taikai is important. Making excuses to avoid participating in taikai is also con-trary to the teachings of budo. Using excuses such as “scheduling conflicts” to cover up for a lack of preparation reflects a poor attitude because budo is about being ready any time. Unless one truly is unable to attend an event, one should endeavour to participate in a taikai or budo sai. Also, one should view taikai as a chance for embu, a chance to show one’s iai. One should be proud of how he or she performs and even if one makes a mistake during their embu, should make no excuses; the iai that a practitioner demonstrates is simply who that person is at that moment in time. Be ready to show your budo; show your best at all times, even if it is just one aspect of your iai. But train well and train often; never go into a situation unprepared and never enter a taikai without training for it. Also, you should only compete in taikai if you have a correct budo attitude. If you do not have the correct budo attitude, if you do not have the qualities and motivations that have been discussed thus far, please do not compete. Always have kokoro no junbi, a “ready mind”, always practice. If you do, and you choose to participate in a budo sai or taikai, you will represent the KNBK/JKI well and will do so with honor. The third and perhaps most important reason to partici-pate in budo sai and taikai is to develop jin, or compassion. As practitioners of iaijutsu and kenjutsu and inheritors of the arts, beliefs and values of the samurai; as practitioners of bushido, we of the KNBK/JKI must strive to develop bushi no nasake, a strong sense of compassion for others. In the competitive area, this means that a winning competi-tor should win with dignity, showing mushin and heijoshin.

There should be no outward display of victory. I was very happy to observe bushi no nasake among all winning par-ticipants of the Kern River Budo Sai. The Kern River Budo Sai was an excellent demonstration of good budo philosophy, values and technique. Each com-ponent of the event, seminars, embu and taikai were well presented and of great benefit to all in attendance. Please remember that budo sai and taikai represent opportunities for “tameshi geiko”, testing or checking oneself. If you really want to study and understand budo deeply, you need to participate in taikai; you need to undergo tameshi geiko. But also remember that you should only participate if you have the correct budo attitude; you should only participate if you are constantly training and are training with the spirit of making your best effort. As long as you do that, you will be able to demonstrate the Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryu Iaijutsu of the Kokusai Nippon Budo Kai/Jikishin-Kai In-ternational anywhere and you will be able to do so with honor.

2009 Gasshuku Report by Erik Tracy, Renshi


The Jikishin-Kai Honbu Dojo was pleased to host the 2009 West Coast Gasshuku in San Diego, Au-gust 15 and 16 The weather was ideal, as most folks expect of San Diego, but the training we re-ceived from Shimabukuro Hanshi was even better! Friday night was “Welcome Night” at Hombu Dojo for our out of town guests and we also hosted open mat practice for those that wanted to stretch out their jet lag and get an early start to the up-coming weekend training. Shimabukuro Sensei led us in some basic kihon drills for Ono-ha Itto-ryu, but what was supposed to be basic, turned out to be a bit of a challenge for some of us. After some whacked knuckles, I think most of us got what the knack of the drill which turned out to be a great way to learn proper motion of hands, feet, and good body mechanics. After working up a good sweat, many of us went to the nearby Applebee’s res-taurant for a well earned beverage or two of choice and to talk to Sensei and ask questions. Saturday training was at the nearby Noble Recreation Cen-ter; we had the whole gymnasium to our selves. Saturday morning was devoted to Eishin-ryu Iaijutsu, with Sensei taking time to explain key elements and points to focus and improve on for our waza. Most notably was the importance of nukitsuke, which we all know is ‘the life of iai’. Sensei explained how crucial and important it is to impart energy and spark to nukitsuke, as if the kissaki were a bolt of light-ning blasting forth from the saya. Proper form is impor-tant, as is hasuji and posture, but if nukitsuke lacks that spark, then one’s iai is lacking the intent of focus. Before we broke for lunch, Sensei explained the special t-shirt designed for this year’s gasshku. Unlike previous year’s t-shirts with a design that commemorated the place and the year, this year’s t-shirt was more timeless and ap-plicable anywhere anytime. Sensei wanted to explain the importance of the philosophy and meaning behind the t-shirt which embodied the spirit

and theme for this year’s gasshuku and how important it is to have the right spirit and purpose for the study of Budo and how that can benefit everyone. Saturday afternoon was devoted to Ono-ha Itto-ryu Ken-jutsu, where we again picked up and resumed the kihon we started Friday night. Again, it took a bit for everyone to pick up the pattern and flow of the kihon drills, but every-one eventually got into the rhythm. After kihon we re-viewed some of the first 10 kumitachi and then Sensei dem-onstrated and led instruction in some of the next 10 kata which was a real treat! Again, Sensei had many important concepts to explain, the most notable being that when do-ing kata, it is so much more than just learning moves and motions. When practicing and exploring kata, you must put yourself into the crucible of confrontation with your opponent. And in order to defeat your opponent you must be close enough to cut him, but in so doing you are close enough for him to cut you. This is what Sensei meant by saying that you must put yourself ‘under the blade’, but only by doing so will you emerge out the other side victori-ously. It is something we all need to deeply consider and embody into our Budo. Tired, sweaty, and elated at having so much offered to us by Sensei, we ended practice on Saturday. We bowed out and went to go freshen and clean up for the banquet later that night. This year’s banquet was held at the Nobu res-taurant in Solana Beach and we all enjoyed some very tasty sushi, shumai, and other assorted dishes. Sunday’s training was held at the UCSD Main Gym which is a very nice facility that we have used before (our thanks to Alfonso Gomez Sensei and the UCSD Martial Arts Club who arranged our use of the facility). Sunday’s schedule included warm-ups before the tameshigiri taikai and a spe-cial event that Sensei had planned which was new to every-one! The tameshigiri taikai format was the same from last year’s and a JKI unique variation on the standard rules for team tameshigiri. I think it is a great format that allows for


2009 T Shirt

Bushi damashi(samurai spirit)

Front

Back

Onore ni katte(Self mastery -overcome ego)

Rei o fumuo(master etiquette and manners for

others)

Jin to nasu(acquire true

compassion and world peace (jin) )

The true meaning of samurai spirit is overcoming your ego and gaining etiquette. Samurai etiquette is demonstrating compassion and care for fellow humans. This spirit will lead to world peace.

← read right to left

2009 Gasshuku Report (continued from previous page)


the mixing of individuals and levels that provides a fair way for JKI members who have not competed in taikai to learn the rules and format and have fun too. This year’s Team Tameshigiri winners were: 3rd Place: Team “5” – Milton Takahashi, Thulesiraman Ravichandron, Ramjaranth Ravichandron 2nd Place: Team “8” – Emil Soorani, Mark Shtayerman, James Stickney 1st Place: Team “3” – Clarissa Bond, Richard Nygaard, Mike Conniry After the tameshigiri taikai, we were introduced to ha-yanuki, a new event that none of us had seen before. Sensei wanted to try this event which paired up two opponents facing each other to see who could draw the quickest. Each opponent would use bokken inserted into the obi and stand in front of a tameshigiri stand that had a wiffle ball bal-anced atop a cut piece of tatami so that the target was at chest height. Opponents would be facing each other, with the stands in front of them as if they would be facing each other in combat. At the sound of a whistle, each opponent would draw their bokken to see who could draw the quick-est AND cut the target ball. So, it was not enough to be faster, you also had to be accurate; missing the target meant losing the round. It was actually a good test of one’s form and focus and it was fun to watch! The winners for this year’s and first annual Hayanuki event were:

3rd Place: Andrew Hudson 2nd Place: James Stickney 1st Place: Yuki Nakamura After lunch we returned to Eishin-ryu Iaijustu focusing on Chuden Tatehiza, or ‘torture-hiza’ as is it sometimes re-ferred to! For some students this was their first gasshuku and first exposure to tatehiza, so we focused mainly on the central points and key concepts of each waza These are not easy techniques, and movement is further challenged by the uncomfortable starting posture, especially on a wood floor; even more so if you are not used to it or did not have knee or foot pads. Even so, we managed to work our way through all of the waza and finish up the day’s training. With that, we formally closed out the training and ended this year’s gasshuku. With Sensei’s patient and insightful training I’m sure everyone had a good time and came away with many pointers and concepts to work on and improve their Budo. I would like to formally thank Shimabukuro Hanshi for his time and dedication for another great gasshuku. I would also like to recognize the many volun-teers at this year’s gasshuku who worked behind the scenes to make sure all the arrangements were made and to ensure our guests had a good experience; thanks to all of you! We look forward to next year’s gasshuku which is certain to be even better!

Long Sensei visits Aikido of Cincinnati by Dick McKeever


Aikido of Cincinnati hosted Carl Long, Renshi, for its third annual Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu Iaijutsu weekend October 16 through 18, 2009. We look forward to Long Sensei’s visit each year and this seminar more than met our expectations. Our group of 16 were from Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, and Ohio with experience from a few months to a number of years.

Sensei Long started the weekend off Friday evening with some warm ups followed by the JKI Batto Ho. The session covered the basics of the waza but Sensei, as he always does, included the kihon, bunkai and thinking behind the techniques. Saturday proved to be an endurance session for our knees as we started with the Shoden Waza set in the morning followed by the Chuden Waza and Okuden Tachi Waza after lunch. Again, Sensei provided guidance from properly sitting in seiza to many of the fine points of par-ticular waza and strategy behind the waza.

We had a great dinner at the dojo and with a group having many experiences, we all shared stories of our travel and martial ex-periences over the years. The dinner also allowed us to know each other better and that is an important part of attending semi-nars.

The seminar resumed Sunday morning with an introduction to Ono ha Itto-ryu, a first for most of the group. Sensei focused on the basics covering the kamae, movement, kiriroshi and paired movement. I recall that Sasamori Soke, during his visit to New Jersey last year, when asked what was the most important thing to learn about Ona Ha Itto Ryu, he replied – “the kihon”. That is what we worked on with remarkably few bruised knuckles.

We finished the seminar with a review of the Suemonogiri safety concerns and procedure to follow during cutting and the sandan thru rokudan cuts. The suemongiri took place

outside in nice fall sunshine – great day for cutting. We had three cutting stands and plenty of mats prepared so everyone had a good chance for practice. After going through the basic cuts, Sensei added some extra pieces on top of the cutting target which made the process more in-teresting. The clean up took a bit of time. It was amazing how many pieces of straw the suemongiri process pro-duced.

The Seminar ended with Torei, Shirei and Hairei, All agreed it was a great seminar and we invited everyone to return next year for our 4th Annual Fall Seminar. We hope to see some more of you there!

A Report on the First Annual Kern River Budo Sai by Erik Tracy, Renshi


I accompanied Shimabukuro Sensei to the first Kern River Budo Sai, held on October 23rd and 24th at Bakersfield Budo in Bakersfield, California. From the moment we showed up, I really did feel like I was part of the family even though this was my very first trip to their dojo. And, oh my; what a beautiful dojo they have! It is spacious, well laid out, cleanly designed, and decorated to really give it that au-thentic Japanese dojo feel. Everyone connected to the Ba-kersfield Dojo should be proud of what they have set up for their own studies and as a facility to host top notch events. I had a great time attending, helping out where I could, and watching how everyone, and I mean everyone, conducted his or herself with good budo spirit throughout the whole event. On Friday the training seminars went on for most the day across 3 floors (yes, 3 floors). “Big” Tony Alverez Sensei led the tameshigiri seminars for beginners and advanced stu-dents. If you have not yet had the chance to meet Big Tony, you should try to attend one of his seminars; he truly is a wonderful instructor to watch and learn from. Big Tony also taught a kumitachi seminar including an interesting kata featuring katana against yari. It was an opportunity to see how hard it is to understand the importance of maai and technique for a swordsman to close in against an oppo-nent wielding a spear! Dan Keupp Sensei and Mark Gettings Sensei from Sekigu-chi-ryu lead a seminar in their style of iai which was ex-tremely interesting and well received. Brian Stokes Sensei led a seminar in Suio-ryu which covered kumitachi: odachi against odachi and odachi against naginata; these were also fascinating to watch. Stokes Sensei is a fun but very accom-plished and knowledgeable instructor. Dave Drawdy Sensei and Carl Jenkins Sensei taught a kumitachi seminar in Na-kamura-ryu which has a similar look and feel to Kendo-no-Kata, and has similar core concepts of distance and timing that span many ryu-ha. Shimabukuro Hanshi taught a seminar in Ono-ha Itto-ryu Kenjutsu that was very popular with many students; we covered some of the kihon drills and the first several kata. I thought it was rewarding to see how people received the philosophy of Itto-ryu's direct approach; it was like watch-ing a light bulb go on. Following the seminars and a short afternoon break, a number of the visiting instructors performed embu includ-ing:

• Ono-ha Itto-ryu Kenjutsu (Shimabukuro Masayuki, Hanshi and Erik Tracy, Renshi)

• Shindo Muso-ryu Jojutsu (Ramirez Sensei and Ron Taniguchi)

• Mugai-ryu Habiki no Kata (Bill Henderson, Sensei and Dave Neeley, Sensei)

• Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryu Iaijutsu (Erik Tracy, Renshi)Toyama-ryu / Nakamura-ryu Kumitachi (Dave

Drawdy, Sensei and Carl Jenkins)

• Shin Shin Sekiguchi-ryu Iaijutsu (Dan Keupp, Renshi)

• Mugai-ryu Iai Hyodo (Tony Alverez, Renshi) After the demon-strations, many of us went to Length-wise Brewery, lo-cated next to the dojo and I literally mean next to the dojo; it’s about a one minute walk! I'm convinced this was a major factor in choosing the location for their dojo! The Taikai was held Saturday fea-turing tameshigiri, including various events in advanced, beginner, batto, iai, and dodan catego-ries; and iai and batto kata (beginner and advanced). I would like to con-gratulate Ron Taniguchi for being awarded Yusho; he did a great job and represented the Kokusai Nippon Budo Kai/Jikishin-Kai International extremely well! Please visit the photo gallery at the Bakersfield Budo website for event photos. We closed out the event with some closing comments, with Shimabukuro Hanshi providing some very moving and compelling words about how pleased he was at seeing the level of Budo being demonstrated by everyone and how important it is that this spirit be maintained and preserved while being very careful not to let events become "sport". He encouraged everyone to be diligent in their practice so that next year everyone's budo will be at an even higher level. Personally, I very much look forward to these types of events. I appreciate the camaraderie; learning from others; the genuine spirit of sharing; renewing friendships; and making new ones. Oh, and of course, there were some VERY nice swords to see up close and handle; very, very cool! I congratulate Ramirez Sensei and everyone at the Bakers-field Budo Dojo for being such wonderful and gracious hosts! They should be very proud of the job they did and thanked for all the hard work for hosting this event!

More Images from the First Annual Kern River Budo Sai courtesy of Bakersfield Budo


Clockwise from top left: Ron Taniguchi; “Big” Tony Alverez; Robin Ramirez and Ron Taniguchi; Sang Kim.

Aruba’s First MJER Iaijutsu Seminar by Dr. Frank Navarrete


This past November, with the help of our students and their family members, the recently established Jikishin-Kai In-ternational study group here in Aruba was able to sponsor our first Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryu Iaijutsu seminar with Carl E Long, Kyoshi. As the Aruba study group is likely to be almost completely unknown to other members of the Jikishin-Kai Interna-tional, I will offer a bit of background information concern-ing the establishment of our group. Prior to coming to Aruba, I trained in Jiujutsu in Costa Rica under Guillermo Guzman Shiahn. We started practic-ing Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryu in Costa Rica in Prodanza 2003 under Saborío Sensei as part of the pioneer study group. I trained there for a short time, graduated and moved to the United States. I lived and worked there for several years; started training Aikido in Indiana and had the privilege of participating in an Iai seminar with Sensei Greg Noble. To my surprise it was the exact same style that I had studied in Costa Rica. A study group was formed there and we started to have seminars twice a year where I advanced in Iai and assisted with the class instruction. In October 2008 I received a call with a lucrative job offer in Aruba. I was really interested in relocating to the beauti-ful and winterless Aruba, but that meant dropping Iaijutsu which had become such an important part of my life. I emailed Noble Sensei and informed him of my plans and he suggested that I establish a study group once I got to Aruba. My wife Tiara, who also trains Iai, told me, “Well, you already have one student”.

I thought the best way to start would be to plug into an existing traditional Japanese martial art dojo, so I started researching the martial arts practiced on the island. I found a large group of traditional Karate practitioners called Ryobukai Aruba under Felix Tromp Sensei, whom I learned had organized international Karate seminars here and trained Shindo Jinen Ryu. It only takes one time to see them practicing kata to realize the intensity, spirit and dedication they have to their martial art.

Upon arriving in Aruba, I approached Tromp Sensei and Eduardo Macias Sensei the instructor at one of Tromp Sen-sei’s affiliate dojo and they, along with Paul Langerak one of Tromp Sensei’s advanced students, showed great interest in opening a MJER study group in Aruba. We established the group in February 2009 and old classes twice a week. The idea is to establish a strong group that may continue here after my departure back to the USA.

Getting back to Long Sensei’s visit, we awaited his arrival with great anticipation. Having heard so many good things about him from Noble Sensei (West Virginia), Partizia Gallo Sensei (Costa Rica) and Javier Machado Sensei Ma

(Argentina). I was really looking forward to the pleasure of meeting and training under Long Sensei. Upon meeting him, I quickly learned he is a man full of knowledge and wisdom that he is always willing to share readily. It was definitely a great learning experience for myself as well as all ourstudents. I have received nothing but positive feed-back from all the participants.

We had an open seminar with participants from a number of different martial arts, including Karate, Aikido, Kendo and Judo which really enriched the training experience. Due to his wide range of experience in so many traditional arts, Long Sensei was easily able to relate Iai concepts to those found in all of these arts, enabling him to help the participants broaden their perspective Iaijutsu as well a their own arts.

Our seminar schedule was packed tight, with frequent hy-dration breaks necessary due to the intense Aruban heat. On several occasions during breaks, students would grab something to drink and spontaneously gather around Long Sensei to ask questions and hear various Budo lessons. This group of students were definitely “seizing the day”.

It is my belief that these question and answer sessions were as enriching as the traditional technique practice. Friday Sensei covered all Shoden Waza technique; Satur-day we practiced all Iai batto ho and Basic SMR Jojutsu; Katachi spilled into Sunday and we wrapped it up with kyu testing. Four of the students of Aruba (Paul, Eduardo, Is-rael and Elias) tested for 7th kyu, making them the first MJER ranked people of Aruba. Congratulations to all of them!

We are already planning the Second Seminar of Aruba in 2010, stay tuned & hope to see you here!

The Eastern Shidosha Koshukai: Key Teachings by Gil Gillespie


On the weekend of November 21 and 22, 2009 the East Coast Shidosha Koshu Kai (instructors’ seminar) was held at Sakura Budokan in Kingston, PA under the instruction of Carl Long Kyoshi. Outside the dojo, in the niwa (formal garden) Long Sensei designed and built, the leaves were all down under the (yanagi) willow and (sakura) cherry trees. The white birch in the corner still hung on: some leaves green, some leaves yellow, some leaves gone beneath. The take (waterfall) whispered and gurgled into the modest pond where orange and blond koi swished about (urokugaeshi?) Through and beyond the weathered wooden torii gate, the purplish distant Pocono Mountains sprawled in perfect shakkei (“borrowed scenery”). The chill of late autumn in the garden was the perfect setting: the Shidosha Koshu Kai is traditionally held the weekend be-fore Thanksgiving. Unlike the themes of prior instructors’ seminars, the em-phasis was not so heavily on the technical aspects of waza and katachi as it was more on our responsibilities as stu-dents and members of Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu Iai, one of Japan’s oldest koryu systems, and on the attendant aspects of gi (righteousness), chu (loyalty) and rei (courtesy and etiquette). (There were, of course, refinements of waza and technical skills, but these will be transmitted over time by your dojo sensei’s.) At the outset, Long Sensei reinforced everyone’s awareness that Jeff Driscoll Sensei of nearby Pottsville PA, the East Coast Representative for Jikishin Kai International, has been made Doshi (warrior of the way [-do]), the first of the sho-go, samurai titles. The sho-go are samurai titles conferred based on character, leadership, loyalty to MJER, and integrity, along with already estab-lished excellence in technical skills and warrior spirit. Re-ception of a sho-go title has nothing to do with rank and is independent of it, and has everything to do with kokoro (“heart”), shin (mind or spirit), and chu (loyalty). Omede-tou Driscoll Sensei! Long Sensei showed a long involved set of documents, all in, that originally set down the structure and procedural guidelines of MJERI, as Miura Sensei originally intended. For many years the international division of the JKI was simply not ready to use them, as the number of Kodansha (higher black belts) was too small. But thanks to the dedi-cated instruction of our teachers and the perseverance of the MJERI students outside Japan, things are very differ-ent now. These are not changes, and they are not new; we are returning to our roots. We are rededicating ourselves as a koryu, and as such, we are restructuring some common Eishin Ryu procedures. All instructors will be recertified as either fuku shidoin (assistant teacher), shidoin (teacher), or shihan-dai (master’s assistant). Similarly, the various MJERI dojo’s, heretofore recognized as affiliate dojo or shibu dojo, will be either a kenkyukai (study group, which can be led by a fuku shidoin), a member dojo (led by a shi-doin), or a shibu dojo, delineated by Hombu Dojo as a “leadership” dojo, and led by a yondan/ doshi. Nothing about our training and learning will change, except hope-fully a rededication to the samurai spirit and virtues of

bushido that should light our Path (do or michi). So, what are these virtues? As the seminar opened, Long Sensei asked everyone to demonstrate their understanding of reiho (the opening bows) and then perform a few waza without any warmup, thus giving an accurate gauge of the state of everyone’s iai. Then Long Sensei and Driscoll Sen-sei went into the hearts and minds of the instructors ar-rayed before them, continuing to question us, drawing us out. What does bushido mean? No one was satisfied with “the code of the samurai.” We were collectively seeking after the attributes, the qualities that would make it real in our training, the essence we should put into our lives. Long Sensei brought up gi, which he eventually described (because some Japanese terms defy conventional “definition” and must only be “explained”) as righteous-ness, doing the right thing. This then becomes not only our raison de etre (forgive the French “reason for being”), but our ultimate question: is this merely good for me, or good for the greater benefit of-------(fill in the blank: the dojo, my students, society)?. It is critical how you answer that question. Again, what you resolve within yourself not only justifies but defines what you express through your waza. Long Sensei said, “The most important aspect is gi; all other things are a manifestation of gi.” Another of the great virtues of bushido is rei (etiquette or courtesy), as we are supposed to know from studying “Flashing Steel.” “Everything begins and ends with rei.” (Sound familiar?) But not just in our training, Long Sensei emphasized, but in our entire lives. We all know that if we don’t put our iai training into our lives, it is merely empty and self-indulgent. Everyone’s iai will and should be different, he continued, but our reiho (dojo eti-quette) must be consistent. Our performance of hairei (bowing to the dojo altar), shirei (bowing to our instructor), and torei (bowing to our sword), must be consistent, from dojo to dojo, from person to person. You will receive these standardizations from your instructors. Do not minimalize them. Reiho is not something to slough through to get to training; it defines why we are training. This is not “jazz interpretations on a sword theme;” this is an unbroken personally transmitted (jikiden) life reality from the founder, Hayashizaki Sensei, over four hundred years ago, through Miura Sensei to Shimabukuro Sensei to you! You don’t need nukitsuke for everyday street survival, but on a larger metaphorical perception, everything that comes out of your mouth is nukitsuke, as Long Sensei so poignantly reminded us. It has the ability to wound, to de-stroy--- do you want to be unmindfully armed with that kind of “weapon?” What reins us in? What makes the difference? Reiho. Think before you speak; pay serious respect (rei) to your dojo, your instructor, your sword, before you engage it. Then perform taito (wearing the sword) and train with the shisei (sincerity) that Shimabukuro Sensei considers so important that he made Miura Sensei’s brush kanji of it the opening symbol in “Flashing Steel.” Rei may often be un-


The Eastern Shidosha Koshukai: Key Teachings (continued from previous page)


derstood as bowing, but o-jiki refers to the actual act of the bow (and we must become more exact and proficient in that act). But in a larger sense, o-jiki on the outside can be no more than the rei (respect) we feel on the inside. As our art rededicates itself as a koryu we should all rededicate ourselves to the shisei we bring into the dojo; the shisei we manifest in our everyday lives. We owe Miura Sensei noth-ing less. And yes there is chu (loyalty), which is required of us as members of a koryu, that may not exist in most other arts. We are not practitioners of Eishin Ryu merely to enhance our skills at swinging a sword. We are ”members,” an im-portant distinction, in a ryu, not merely a school, but a tradition, usually in Japanese koryu, a family group. And this leads to the very understanding of the concept of samurai, which comes from the root verb samu, “to serve.” The samurai was known as such not from his prowess as a warrior, but from his loyalty or devotion to his daimyo (literally “great name,” his lord or master of his fiefdom). This separates the samurai from the masterless roving war-rior, known as the ronin, who despite any of his fighting abilities, was not expected to manifest the ethical attributes we ascribe to the samurai, and to which we aspire. The way we do reiho consistent to our ryu separates us from the ronin, no matter how much we may respect the historical Musashi. If you disregard how Eishin Ryu performs reiho, then you disregard your membership with this tradition. The little things aren’t little things; they’re everything. And where does all this lead? To our ultimate goal: jin, “compassion.” As we perfect our cuts we may think of the samurai adage of dispatching our opponent cleanly and with honor. But again that is an outward physical manifes-tation of something that must emanate from within. We are all challenged to express jin in our waza, which exists for me right now as a koan, the seemingly unsolvable zen rid-dle. I must persevere in the trust that I will come out of this not only knowing it but expressing it and being aware of it. That is only one of my challenges. You must have your own, beyond any technical obstacles swordsmanship presents to you. You must perceive these internal philosophical chal-lenges that you have to seek to express in your own waza. Or else, why are we doing this? As training, by definition, is a process, it becomes thusly understood as a do (way) or michi (path). There is no destination; there is only the jour-ney. And if we are able to refine aspects of physical swords-manship, how meaningful is that of itself if we don’t refine ourselves in the process? To what end do we become more capable swordsmen? When your sensei tweaks and refines your technique, apply it to your rei, your chu, your essential jin, and ultimately and interminably, your gi. “Another defining aspect of our iai interaction is the con-cept of ma, which we understand as “distance.” It perme-ates everything we do, from ma-ai, appropriate distance or combat distance, through kissaki-ma, the distance two swordsmen confront each other with crossed tips, to kiri-ma, that vital distance from which, with one closing step,

we can cut our opponent. Yet, as Long Sensei explains, “Ma is the individual’s ‘space.’ Ma-ai is the space between two objects that intersects and marries another’s ma.” The dis-tance, hierarchically speaking, between family members or budoka of different rank, is ma. It must be acknowledged and observed; it is disregarded only at ones peril. It should become part of your awareness on all these levels. It should not have to be explained. Knowing your sensei’s name does not entitle you to saunter up and loudly greet: “Hey, Joe! What’s up?” Just the opposite is true; encountering your sensei in a social milieu entails an even greater deference. Just as the awareness of ma in a martial sword encounter can mean the difference between life and death, so the awareness of ma in everyday life dovetails right into rei. It is often glossed over in an egalitarian society such as Amer-ica, but it shouldn’t be. Those of us with “martial arts awareness” should always be more considerate, more re-spectful, (there’s that word again), than those around us: they don’t know any better. In Japanese society, ma tying into rei, is taught in childhood and understood, similarly in conventional European society. But in America, especially with our more recent breakdown of conventional mores and manners, this awareness has been lost. This is one of those ancillary cultural gifts of budo, of bushido. Koryu is not essentially self-defense; koryu is essentially “someone dies.” When the kissaki clears the koiguchi, the universe changes forever because someone will die. This is the meta-phor Long Sensei alluded to in his comparison of nukitsuke with opening your mouth and speaking: both should be done only with the greatest of presence of mind and fore-thought. Shimabukuro Sensei says: “One cut is every cut.” In the microcosm of our training that means that the mechanics of kirioroshi are the same for all 360 degrees of the circle, that your te no uchi (cutting grip) should never change no matter what you do with the sword. In the macrocosm of swordsmanship as life, it means you are what you do; you are what you say; you are what you think. You don’t have time to rethink or do it over. Nukitsuke is forever; once you clear the saya you can never take it back. Whether it’s drawing and cutting or speaking your thoughts, doing with-out the clearest of respectful intent (reiho) and most pro-found of sense of preparation (saho) leads only to tragedy. As Musashi concluded almost every section in “The Book of Five Rings,” “you must think on this deeply.”

Reflections on the Eastern Shidosha Koshukai by Rick Alexander


It seems to have become tradition that each year on the weekend before Thanksgiving, a group of instructors gath-ers in Kingston, Pennsylvania at Sakura Budokan, for the Eastern Region Shidosha Koshukai (Instructors’ Seminar). And each year, we come away with deeper insight into the traditions that we study and teach. Rather than writing a report that merely outlines the ac-tivities that occurred and the organizational changes that were discussed over the course of the seminar, it is my in-tent to try to capture the essence of the important teachings that were passed on to us and to try to communicate my further reflection on those teachings. Carl Long Sensei brought back from San Diego with him a strong message of encouragement and direction from Shi-mabukuro Hanshi. As ever, Long Sensei passed this mes-sage on with his usual eloquence and conviction, enabling those of us who were not able to travel with him to San Diego for the West Coast Shidosha Koshukai to experience the message and teaching in a very meaningful and signifi-cant way. Based on my understanding, that message is for all of us to focus on demonstrating “Bushi Damashi” or “samurai spirit” in our budo and in our daily lives. Specifi-cally he wants us to focus on the virtues of Rei, Jin, Gi, and Chuugi. While we tend to think of “Rei” as simply etiquette, it is much so more than that. Rei is ultimately all of the actions that tell the story of your life. There is a distance (or degree of closeness) between members of a family, a dojo, an or-ganization, a community, or a nation that create a “friction”. The closer the relationship becomes, the greater the potential for friction. Rei, through the manifestation of good etiquette and manners, becomes the “lubricant” that manages that frication. Why? Because in the end, it is only the strong that can afford to be kind. “Jin”, the virtue of compassion, is the ability to see the world as it is rather than merely looking through the self-centered lens of our own ego. It is the culmination of all the deeds both good and bad that you are responsible for. It is the search to forgive yourself for your own mistakes and in doing so, recognize that others too are imperfect and allow-ing that empathy for them to be reflected in your words and deeds. “Gi”, the virtue of right action or righteousness, brings one to the most critical question: “Am I doing this (making this choice to act or speak) for myself or for others?” Notice that this critical question challenges one to avoid self-righteousness behavior (for oneself or one’s ego) and di-rects one instead to be about something bigger than one-self. “Chuugi”, the virtue of loyalty works alongside justice. There is first loyalty to oneself in the form of keeping one’s word. There is loyalty to one’s family, dojo, and nation that requires that one keep one’s word to others. Justice must

be an integral part since in some instances, one may be in a situation that requires one to demonstrate loyalty to those who would do others harm. So how does one take these powerful lessons and apply them to one’s training and to one’s life? When we step onto the dojo floor, whether we practice iaijutsu and kenjutsu, jujutsu, karate-do, or any other art, we must approach the training with both a strong and determined mind and a strong body. This strength is not manifested in muscle but in the humility to keep one’s strength under control. We must aspire towards both strength and gentleness. If we focus on one while ignoring the other, we are not practicing bushido. Bushido is concerned with and does battle with the self. It cultivates the self from the inside out, demanding that we face physical as well as psychological hardships by rising to the challenges presented by Sensei and overcoming them. This kind of training will not bring wealth or celebrity but when we really exhaust ourselves mentally and physically, we begin to catch a true glimpse of who we are. By forcing each of ourselves out of our comfort zones, bushido asks the weak to become stronger and the stronger to calm down. It asks the lazy to get moving and the more forceful to learn to yield. It asks that we educate ourselves and at the same time be humble in our dealings with others. Bushido demands that we find a sense of balance. True bushido does not cater to people’s egos and because it cannot be bought or sold, it is a difficult and sometimes unpopular path. Yet is exactly the way we must train. This is essentially my understanding of the lessons that Long Sensei passed on to us over the weekend. As ever, the insights that Sensei shared, along with the exacting instruc-tion and training, made for a weekend of intensive practice. However, while challenging, we all enjoyed our experience. Suffice it to say that the new tips, new drills, and waza in-struction provided by Long Sensei all through the weekend made all of us smile!

Dojo Spotlight: Iaijutsu at Aikido of Cincinnati by Dick McKeever


Iaijutsu at Aikido of Cincinnati (AOC) started in the sum-mer of 2004 when Charlie McGinnis, AOC Dojo Cho con-tacted the Northern Kentucky Kendo Club to talk about bringing Iaijutsu to Aikido of Cincinnati. They contacted Dr. Jerry Wellbrock, Sensei, Kendo Club member and Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu (MJER) practitioner/JKI mem-ber who subsequently met with McGinnis Sensei and agreed to introduce MJER to the AOC members. The first meeting was held on a Tuesday night in August of 2004 with 14 interested aikidoka. We started with an introduc-tion to the history and outline of Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryu, which included background information about the Jiki-shin-kai International, Masayuki Shimabukuro, Hanshi and Carl Long, Shihan. We then worked with on MJER fundamentals, learning how to hold and cut with bokken. Over the next months we were introduced to additional fundamentals of iaijutsu and swordsmanship in general, as well as the first shoden waza and katachi. Wellbrock Sensei was very patient and covered a lot of the philosophy and concepts as well the techniques. He also shared a number of stories from his MJER, Kendo and Karate background. We very quickly developed a core group of dedicated iai-jutsu practitioners, training and learning MJER history, concepts and waza.

The group ordered iaito and we were excited when they arrived. We had been looking forward to practicing the movements that we had initially learned using the bokken with iaito. We quickly found that performing nukitsuke and noto with a bokken is very different when using the iaito. A few of us even managed to stab our hand during noto. For-tunately with Wellbrock Sensei’s guidance and a lot of prac-tice, we managed to get it down so we were no longer a haz-ard to ourselves. Along the way we moved to Tachi Uchi no Kurai and Batto ho and worked hard at remembering the names and order of the waza. This was a nice break for our knees.

In our third year we became a JKI affiliate dojo, hosted our first seminar with Long Sensei, held our first promotions and also got to train with Shimabukuro Hanshi! Aikido of Cincinnati participated in the Asian Festival and our Iai-jutsu group had an opportunity to demonstrate what we had been practicing. We were a little nervous going public but with Wellbrock Sensei’s guidance we did a good job.

However, the biggest MJER event for us that year was our first seminar with Long Sensei. What a great experience! Sensei covered the Shoden Waza, Tachi Uchi no Kurai and Batto-ho. Even though we had practiced these waza before, we realized how far we had to go to execute them at an ac-ceptable level. Saturday ended with a great dinner at a local Japanese restaurant. We shared some great stories about our experiences with a variety of martial arts, underlying concepts and philosophy of Iaijutsu and of course some great sake. Then, in October, Shimabukuro Hanshi con-ducted a one day Seminar in Beacon, New York. Meeting Sensei was a great experience and as there was a large group of MJER practitioners from as far away as Florida in attendance, we were able met quite a few JKI members

form all over the eastern part of the country.

The next two years have gone by very quickly and have included fantastic training opportunities. These included a visit to San Diego for the JKI Gasshuku and another great session with Shimabukuro Hanshi. In addition to Iai from Shoden Waza to Okuden Tachi Waza, Tanjojutsu, Ono Ha Itto-ryu and police tactics were covered. What a weekend! After a visit to Greg Noble Sensei’s Aikido dojo in West Virginia for a seminar with Long Sensei, the next major experience was the privilege of meeting Takemi Sasamori, Soke for a second chance to practice Ono ha Itto-ryu. Next, we held a second seminar with Long Sensei covering Jodo and Iaijutsu. The seminar finished with a great session of suemongiri followed by testing. The last major event was a visit to Sakura Budokan in Kingston, Pennsylvania for the Eastern U.S. JKI Shidosha Koshukai (instructors’ seminar). This proved to be an adventure in the wintertime wonder-land of snow and ice on the interstates. We arrived safely and settled in for a great weekend with Shimabukuro Han-shi and Long Shihan.

This year has also brought further growth and training opportunities, including another visit by Long Sensei (see the report elsewhere in this issue) and another visit to Sa-kura Budokan for 2009 Eastern U.S. JKI Shidosha Koshu-kai.

We have a great core group dedicated to the practice of

Iaijutsu and Kenjutsu and look forward to further growth

and progress. If you are in Cincinnati on a Tuesday eve-

ning, please join us. You are always welcome.

Shito-ryu and Isshin-ryu: Commonality Despite Divergence by Dale Scott and Erik Johnstone


Along with the koryu arts taught within the Kokusai Nippon Budo Kai / Jikishin-Kai Inter-national, the Kata-bami Budokan also provides instruc-tion in Shito-ryu Karate-do and Oki-nawan Kobudo. Shito-ryu Karate-do, as many know, is also one of the traditional martial arts housed within the Kokusai Nip-pon Budo Kai/Jikishin-Kai Inter-national. In addi-tion to the arts that I practice at Kata-bami Budokan, I am also a practitioner of Okinawan Isshin-ryu Karate-do and Okinawan Kobudo, now of many decades standing. At first glance Shito-ryu, a major style of Japanese Karate-do, and Isshin-ryu, established on Okinawa, appear to be very different interpretations of the original methods of Okina-wan Karate. However, it is interesting to observe just how closely related they really are. Shito-ryu and Isshin-ryu are in fact cousins, each tracing its roots to Naha-te, Shuri-te and Tomari-te, the three main methods of Karatejutsu that were practiced on Okinawa prior their codification into the ryu-ha that exist today. In fact these two styles are unique among extant systems of traditional Karate-do in that they descend from the teach-ings of each the major figures associated with those original methods of Karatejutsu, including Higashionna, Kanryo (Naha-te); Matsumura, Sokon (Shuri-te); and Matsumora, Kosaku and Oyadomari, Kokan (Tomari-te). These three streams would be the basis for, among others, Goju-ryu, Shorin-ryu, and Isshin-ryu in Okinawa and Shito-ryu, Shotokan and Wado-ryu in Japan. While the history of Karate spans a number of centuries in its native Okinawa, it was not established in Japan until the early 20th century. It was first demonstrated in Japan by Funakoshi, Gichin, an Okinawan school teacher and practi-tioner of Shuri-te Karate, who would later establish Shoto-kan Karate-do (Shoto being Funakoshi Sensei’s pen name). A number of Okinawan Karate practitioners including most notably Mabuni, Kenwa and Motobu, Choki would follow, seeking to establish their interpretations of Karate-do in Japan. These three men would become the most influential Okinawan teachers in the development of Karate-do on the Japanese mainland. While these Okinawan karate giants impressed the many Japanese budoka, karate languished for a time before being accepted as a Japanese form of

budo. Due in part to cultural bias, the Japanese budo es-tablishment initially held the art of karate in low regard and questioned its value and relevance, especially when compared to traditional Japanese budo such as Judo and Kendo. In fact, many in Meiji-era Japan regarded the peo-ple of the 250-odd Ryukyu Islands, of which Okinawa is the main island and capital (as well as being the seat of the former Ryukyu Kingdom), as uneducated, unsophisticated farmers and fisherman. While such generalizations were often the product of cul-tural bias, the culture and social structure of Okinawa was certainly quite different from that of Japan of the early 20th century. When compared to the elaborate culture, social ritual and formerly rigid hierarchy of the Japanese mainland, the culture and traditions of Okinawa seemed far less structured. Moreover, Okinawa, along with the rest of the Ryukyu Islands, is not completely culturally or ethni-cally Japanese, but rather is a mix of Chinese, Japanese, Southeast Asian and perhaps even Polynesian genetic make-up and cultural influences. Over time, Japanese attitudes toward Karate-do changed. Due to the influence of figures such as Kano, Jigoro, the Founder of Judo, and also to acceptance by the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai, Karate-do experienced a surge in popularity. Shito-ryu Karate-do, founded by Mabuni Kenwa Sensei in 1931, was one of the first styles of Karate-do to register with the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai, and grew, along with Shotokan Karate-do; Wado-ryu Karate-do, founded by Otsuka Hiro-nori, Sensei; and Goju-ryu, founded in Okinawa by Miyagi, Chojun Sensei, to be one of the four major styles of Japa-nese Karate-do. While Karate-do was being established on the Japanese mainland, the Karate arts of Okinawa, due in part to influence from the mainland, were evolving into the various ryu-ha that exist today. Goju-ryu, and Uechi-ryu, along with the various branches of Shorin-ryu were codified and estab-lished, followed by systems such as Oki-nawa Kempo and Isshin-ryu. Isshin-ryu was founded in 1956 by Shimabuku Tatsuo who had studied Shorin-ryu under Kyan, Chotoku, as well as the utilitarian system of Motobu, Choki and the Goju-ryu of Miyagi, Chojun. Isshin-ryu reflected Shima-buku Sensei’s interpretation and modification of his teach-


Shito-ryu and Isshin-ryu: Commonality Despite Divergence (continued from previous page)


ers’ methods. He also incorporated five kata from Shorin-ryu and two kata from Goju-ryu (as well as creating one) into his new system. Due to the proximity of Shimabuku Sensei’s dojo to United States military facilities, especially those of the US Marine Corps, Isshin-ryu was very popular with American servicemen. Despite the fact that Shito-ryu was founded on the Japa-nese mainland, it, like Isshin-ryu, is deeply rooted in the cultural heritage of Okinawa, which is reflected in the vast corpus of kata contained in the Shito-ryu syllabus. How-ever, unlike Isshin-ryu and other forms of Okinawan ka-rate, Shito-ryu had to adopt certain traits and characteris-tics to be accepted as a legitimate budo, under the auspices of the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai that was in accordance with Japanese cultural norms. However, while the various ryu-ha of Okinawan Karate-do proudly maintain a cultural fla-vour and technical approach that remains somewhat dis-tinct from that of Japanese Karate-do, they did not go com-pletely untouched by Japanese cultural norms and the in-fluence of the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai. This is clearly evi-dent in the universal use of the dogi as the standard uni-form, the adoption of the dan-i grading system, and preva-lent use of the shogo titles of renshi, kyoshi and hanshi. There are certainly many technical differences between Shito-ryu and Isshin-ryu; but there are indeed similarities. Isshin-ryu tends to reflect Okinawan attitudes with regard to technical components and combative principles. How-ever, the technical aspects of Shito-ryu kata have remained quite close to their Shorin-ryu and Goju-ryu counterparts, allowing the practitioner to explore the principles and ap-plications of the kata, without having to stray from the sys-tem. Isshin-ryu is less stylized than most forms of Japa-nese Karate-do and has a very natural look, reflecting Shi-mabuku-Sensei’s utilitarian approach to Karate. However, this natural look and feel is also clearly evident in Shito-ryu. Isshin-ryu’s stances, more erect and lacking the long, low postures that one often associates with Japanese Karate-do, actually mirror the stances of seen in photos of Mabuni Sensei or those of Funakoshi Sensei, as seen in film footage from 1924 of the Mas-ter. Like many of the Shito-ryu kata, one sees a Chinese influ-ence in many of the Isshin-ryu kata. How-ever, there is also a degree of simplicity and directness; they tend to lack the more artful, sophisticated movements of Shito-

ryu. Today on Oki-nawa, Karate-do and Kobudo, once taught in secret, are taught openly and are a signa-ture component of the rich cultural heritage of Oki-nawa and the rest of the Ryukyu Islands. Tradi-tional dances reveal many defensive and counter-attacking movements. Karate and Kobudo certificates hang on walls in many businesses. One even sees middle-aged women adeptly executing deadly tonfa and nunchaku techniques in the showrooms of Naha’s budoya (martial arts stores). While driving through Gushikawa City, one’s host might point out the former back-street location of Kyan-Sensei’s legendary Shorin-ryu dojo. One may pass through the village of Urashi, along the superhighway that runs north to south the 100-mile length of the island, where the writer’s Isshin-ryu bo kata, Urashi-bo, originated. Driving across a kilometer-long viaduct to several small fishing villages on a small island, one is told, “this is where the tonfa origi-nated.” Karate and Kobudo is indeed a significant part of the Okinawan cultural fabric. And still, although developed and propagated under somewhat different cultural stan-dards, practitioners of Shito-ryu and other systems of Japa-nese Karate-do will feel right at home in Karate dojo throughout Okinawa, and due to the outgoing and welcom-ing nature of the Uchinanchu, the people of Okinawa, will be made to feel right at home. Despite the divergence in systemization and training approach, despite the differ-ences in the cultural fabric of the societies in which Shito-ryu and Isshin-ryu developed, the similarity in many kata and waza of these and other Japanese and Okinawan styles of Karate-do shows their common heritage. Though the Shito-ryu and Isshin-ryu traveled separate paths, evolving under different conditions from those of Higashionna Sen-sei, Matsumura Sensei, Matsumora Sensei and Oyadomari Sensei, their mutual progenitors, the words of Funakoshi Gichin Sensei ring true: “There are no different styles of Karate, there is only Karate.”

Structure—Limits—Consequences: Teaching Teens and Adults by Patrizia Gallo


Do you feel children and teens today are different than we were at their age? Of course they are! The world they’re facing is a lot different than it was when we were their age. This is to be expected, but in the last few years a few phe-nomenon have affected the entire world and these teens and children: insecurity, crime, and Internet, Internet, Internet. In my childhood I took my bike and visited my friends, went all over the place, the neighborhood and beyond, and never saw a single robbery or anything else like it. Simply nothing. As a young teenager I went everywhere with friends; to parties, the disco, movies. All parents asked was “who will bring you back home and at what time?” or, “do you need money for a cab?” No cell phone to communicate with, no crime on the street, no drugs, so our parents were in control. Because of the changing nature of today’s world, parents nowadays have to act differently with their kids. Of course, this is good. However, there’s also a downside. Kids and teens are at home almost all the time. They don’t go out-side, they don’t exercise, they don’t run, and they don’t communicate well! This leads to obesity, poor health and inadequate communication skills. As an instructor, do you check how many teens come to your dojo with bad posture, almost like an old person? This usually comes with obesity and shyness. Do you recognize the pattern? Well, at our dojo we talk with parents and tell them that first, we will work on his or her posture and communica-tion skills. The student must say hello when arriving at the dojo, look into sensei’s eyes, bow towards the class and say good bye upon leaving. When this is achieved, we can start to teach him or her karate. Of course, they can’t communicate! They only have a good relationship with their computer, cell phone and mp3player! They send SMS messages to friends who are sitting 50 cm from them and they can’t leave the school without a parent or responsible adult. They don’t have any freedom! That’s why we feel parents are over-protecting them. They treat kids like babies, and teens like children. Kids and teens today are learning from other people's experiences, not their own experiences, and we know this is WRONG, and doesn’t work. Have you heard “I’m waiting for mommy to tie my belt”, or “I can’t remember which is my right hand” from a 7 years-old? It happens. And it is because of overprotection; from mommy and daddy doing everything for the kids! So we also talk with parents to explain that this overprotection isn’t good and we give them examples to practice at home.

Thank God we can do something about this problem at the dojo. We can see when that teen (who looks like a 6-year-old) changes his posture and attitude. He looks confident and also happy, even after only 2 months of training, re-sponding to contact with actual people! Parents, who also see these changes, can appreciate a discipline that gives their sons and daughters confidence, concentration, com-munication skills, balance, self control and... you know the rest. Even if the child leaves the dojo after 1 year, they will re-member us forever, and their parents will, too. We must practice these principles of structure, limits and principles with our students and their parents. This method works every single time with kids and teens, and makes them feel safe in this world we are giving to them.

News & Announcements


Carl Long, Kyoshi in Greece for DNBK Rensei Taikai As a part of his whirlwind October & November “tour” in-cluding visits to Cincinnati; Pensacola, FL; Aruba; and San Diego, Long Sensei also visited Athens, Greece to take part in the 2009 Dai Nippon Butoku Kai Rensei Taikai. Long Sensei taught Iaijutsu seminars to a large number of enthu-siasts of the traditional Japanese sword arts and also per-formed what was apparently a highly polished demonstra-tion of Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryu. In a recent Butoku News Special Edition, Tesshin Hamada, Hanshi, Chairman of the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai Interna-tional Division, stated that Long Kyoshi “demonstrated outstanding skills in traditional Eishin-ryu Iaido.”

New Year’s Cards to Miura, Hanshi & Sasam-ori, Soke Shimabukuro Sensei has asked that all Kokusai Nippon Budo Kai/Jikishin-Kai International members consider sending New Year’s greeting cards to Miura, Takeyuki Hidefusa, Hanshi, Nippon Kobudo Jikishin-Kai and to Sa-samori, Takemi, Soke, Ono-ha Itto-ryu Kenjutsu this year. Sensei believes that receiving cards from the membership of the KNBK/JKI will let them know that there are many dedicated students here in North America and beyond and that this will help raise and sustain their spirits throughout the upcoming year. Please be sure to address the cards to Miura Hanshi and Sasamori Soke and their wives. Also be sure to mention your connection to the KNBK/JKI and Shimabukuro Sensei to serve as a point of reference. If you do not have their addresses, please see your instructor or email Erik Johnstone at [email protected]. Please be aware that Shimabukuro Sensei asks that you not share the addresses with anyone outside of the KNBK/JKI.

DNBK Membership Renewals & Registration: Deadline Approaching

KNBK/JKI Delegation to 2008 DNBK World Butoku Sai/Rensei Taikai, Kyoto Japan in the Butokuden with DNBK Officials

We have been asked to provide a “last minute” follow-up reminder to previous communications to remind everyone that registrations for 2010 memberships for the Dai Nip-pon Butoku Kai are due in either Hombu Dojo or Sakura Budokan by the first week of January. Renewal forms and new General Member DNBK ID Applications have been e-mailed to most people on the Kagami mailing list. The re-newal process can easily be completed electronically Please be aware that due to strict DNBK deadlines, late registra-tions will NOT be accepted. If you have any questions, please contact either Erik Tracy, Renshi (Hombu Dojo) for KNBK/JKI members in the western US, or Erik Johnstone for KNBK/JKI members in the eastern US.


Carl Long, Kyoshi in New England Shindokan Dojo and Newport Aikido are once again proud to host a return visit by Long Sensei for a weekend of Iaijutsu and Kenjutsu training. All are welcome! Dates: February 6th and 7th, 2010 Instructor: Carl Long, Kyoshi; Host: Shindokan Budo/Newport Aikido Contact: Erik Johnstone Phone: (401) 474-2568 E-mail: [email protected]

Carl Long, Kyoshi in Pensacola, Florida Big Green Drum Japanese Martial Arts is once again sponsoring a seminar with Long Sensei in early March; please check the Big Green Drum website for further details. All are welcome! Dates: March 5th and 7th, 2010 Instructor: Carl Long, Kyoshi; Host: Big Green Drum Japanese Martial Arts Contact: Patty Heath Phone: (850) 479-1907 E-mail: [email protected]

Sasamori Soke to visit the United States in 2010! Shimabukuro Sensei has reminded us that plans are being made to sponsor a return visit to the United States by Sasamori, Takemi, 17th Genera-tion Soke of Ono-ha Itto-ryu Kenjutsu, in July or August, 2010. As many know, Sasamori Soke taught, for the first time in North America, at a seminar sponsored by the JKI in New Jersey in August 2008. This seminar was very well attended and attracted practitioners of a number of Japa-nese sword arts, as well as those of other budo. Soke was very enthusiastic about the possibility of a return trip, and we eagerly await his return. Shi-mabukuro Sensei asks that we keep our calendars open and prepare ourselves for this event! More information will be provided as it becomes avail-able!

Your KNBK/JKI Events Here! Please be sure to let us know of any upcoming JKI events that you or your dojo may be sponsoring so that we can announce it in Kagami well in advance. Also, feel free to provide us with a copy of your event flyer (preferably in MS Word format) so that we can include it in Kagami as well.

Sasamori, Soke & Shimabukuro, Hanshi during Soke’s Ono-ha Itto-ryu Kenjutsu seminar, Newark, NJ, August 2008

Upcoming Events and Seminars

Jikishin-Kai Int. Hombu Dojo Masayuki Shimabukuro,

Hanshi 5505 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.

San Diego, CA. . 92117 Phone: 858-560-4517

Kagami Contact Information: Erik Johnstone, Editor Phone: 401-474-2568

E-mail: [email protected]

Jikishin-Kai.com

Kagami - The Newsletter of the Jikishin-Kai International

find that this issue, representing both the Fall and Holiday Season for 2009 is noticeably lar-ger. We were fortunate enough have a number of contributions from a number of you; receiv-ing a few more very important contributions up to as recently as yesterday! This issue also features a number of excellent photographs that were taken by David Loya and Bakersfield Budo, during the Kern River Budo Sai that was held in October. We thank all of you for you contributions and look forward to more for future issues. I also want to thank Adrian Smith Sensei once again for his invaluable assistance. He was instrumental in much of the set-up of this issue and it is in large part due to his efforts that we were able to get this issue to you be-fore the close of 2009. We hope you all enjoy this issue and find that it was worth the wait! In closing, on this New Year’s Eve, I look forward to a year of joyfulness and hope, and I wish the same for all of you. I hope that this Holiday Season brings you peace, joy and love, and that these things sustain and fill you and that you carry them with you throughout the new year. Peace is here, in this very life....at this very moment.

With deepest respect, Erik Johnstone

From The Editor’s Desk (Continued from Page 2)

Kagami - Sakura BudokanMark Spear, Renshi, Shorin-ryu Karate-do Reihokan and I taught a joint...

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