Sannami Budôkai

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This morning at the Great Falls Budōkan, Rajguru Sensei led keiko.

In his way, he took a simple waza and drew from it the very best that those of us on the tatami had to offer. There is an intensity within Ittō Tenshin-ryū that is palpable and truly extraordinary to experience.

People often conflate the combative with the martial. They speak as though the two are interchangeable because they have no direct experience of what is martial.

Ittō Tenshin-ryū is a martial tradition, and its teachings are steeped in the reality of conflict.

The spirit of today’s keiko remains.

The Japanese word Sensei (先生) literally refers to one who was born before, or one who has gone before. In our traditions, a Sensei is not a teacher or instructor, but a model of the potential of the tradition’s teachings. A Sensei serves as a conduit for those seeking to realize those teachings for themselves.

Their “job” is not to teach, but to know—not merely intellectually, but through realization. Not to demonstrate or perform, but to be.

Pictured is Mr. Jerry Ostrowski, Dōjō-chō of the San Diego Budokan and a United States Marine Corps veteran. Mr. Ostrowski received Hanshi posthumously in 1990, making him one of only six people ever to have received this title within the Ittō Tenshin-ryū.

To learn more about the Ittō Tenshin-ryū, visit: https://heiho.org/martial-traditions

This piece of calligraphy is a rare form of the kanji for inazuma (電) and was penned by the renowned Japanese horishi, Horiyoshi III.

Dōm’ arigatō gozaimasu Horiyoshi Sensei.

Under Sensei’s direction and guidance, I have been working on a new graphic representation of the Ittō Tenshin-ryū Kyōka. This new depiction of the curriculum features Horiyoshi III’s calligraphy.

A kyōka is the formal curriculum of a style.

For those who may wonder how a graphic depiction of the curriculum can change, I offer this passage from the article “Kenjutsu Kyoka,” written by Lovret Sensei nearly five decades ago:

“A Kyoka is not necessarily a static creation. It will change—in details, but rarely in basic form—from time to time.”

To read the complete article, visit:

https://heiho.org/blog/kenjutsu-kyoka