PUBLIC MARKS with tags koryu & iaido

by Hunter Armstrong Sensei This article first appeared in the Winter 1996 issue of the SMAA Newsletter. Hunter B. Armstrong Sensei is one of a small number of non-Japanese to have legitimately studied the koryu, or ancient Japanese martial arts, in detail. He lived in Japan for quite a few years practicing directly under the soke, or headmasters, of more than one koryu. (Armstrong Sensei personally believes that koryu bujutsu can be defined as "traditions of fighting arts originating no later than the early Tokugawa era, and whose functional aims were the development of combat effectiveness, discipline, and morality, in that order.") A close associate of the late Donn Draeger Sensei, one of the world's foremost budo/bujutsu authors and historians, Armstrong Sensei succeeded Mr. Draeger as the Director of the International Hoplology Society.

Like many, my first step into the world of iai and traditional Japanese sword arts was through the Zen Ken seitei-gata and for several years my experiences there strongly colored how I viewed iai, koryu arts and budo in general. Now anyone who has spent any amount of time on online forums or interacting with senior practitioners in various iai and sword related arts, both in Japan and abroad, will know that the seitei-gata “system” (for lack of a better word) can be and is controversial in some circles.

NOTE: Japanese martial arts are very diverse, and so any generalising statement or rule will have exeptions, probably about 50% of the cases. None of the following should be taken as absolute truth.

- La pratique de SHINDO MUSO RYU JO JUTSU - Shoshin, l'esprit du débutant - Pratiquez, pratiquez, pratiquez - Pratique traditionnelle