Sandia Budôkan, Traditional Japanese Dôjô

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Within the Okuden of Ittō Tenshin-ryū exists a set of eight secret kata known as Okutachi. Of these, one is held in such confidence that its name does not appear in the written curriculum.

The Okutachi are practiced with a special bokken unique to Ittō Tenshin-ryū. It is the same weapon used in the tradition’s Gekken—designed to crush an opponent with a single strike.

Pictured above: Captain William Knight (USPHS Commissioned Corps, Ret.) and Mr. Peter Barus.

To learn more about the kenjutsu of Ittō Tenshin-ryū, or to view a list of licensed dōjō, visit:

https://heiho.org/ittotenshinryukenjutsu

Registration Is Now Open: 2026 Yamate-ryū Taikai
The 2026 Yamate-ryū Taikai will be held in Chicago, Illinois, hosted by Gorin no Dōjō and Daiseki Dōjō, May 2 –3, 2026.
This Taikai is open to practitioners outside our ryūha. Whether you are new to Japanese martial arts or deeply experienced, Yamate-ryū welcomes those who come with genuine curiosity, a willingness to train, and the spirit to support that pursuit.
This year’s theme is Hanasu (“letting go”).
Rooted in the human stress response, Hanasu is a profound study and a critical skill within aikijutsu and budō, with relevance far beyond the dōjō.
“If your weapon or technique is immobilized, then you give up, let go, and try something else. This is often forgotten in the heat of combat.” — The Way and The Power: Secrets of Japanese Strategy, Fredrick Lovret
Early registration is encouraged and appreciated.
For details and registration, please visit the registration page:
https://heiho.org/taikaiyr

Deshi of the Ittō Tenshin-ryū recently gathered at the Sandia Budokan in Albuquerque, NM, to capture on film some of the tradition’s powerful methodologies for an upcoming episode of The Way and The Power podcast.
. . . . Our profound gratitude goes to all who gave their time and skill to make this possible — especially Mr. Bryan Godfrey and the deshi of the Sandia Budokan, the oldest extant dojo in the Americas licensed to share the Ittō Tenshin-ryū.
. . . . Stay tuned for the release — or better yet, sign up for our mailing list and be notified directly.
https://heiho.org/mailing-list

Past Gekken Taikai . . . to go with next article/post below . . .

Ittō Tenshin-ryū®
To learn more about the Gekken of the Ittō Tenshin-ryū, read the article, Gekken--Kenjutsu on Steroids:

Gekken—Kenjutsu on Steroids — Taseki Publications While the majority of techniques from the Ittō Tenshin-ryū® are what you might expect from a school of kenjutsu, there is one group of kata that most newcomers to the art find frightening, foreign, and fascinating: Gekken, the “Severe Sword.”

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Goseki-ryū®
Fredrick Lovret developed Goseki Aiki Heihō in the early 1980s to transmit the concept of aiki (合気) to his senior deshi in the most direct manner possible, while remaining faithful to the customs and traditions of the arts he was entrusted to preserve. He brushed the first maki in 1984 and, over the course of his life, produced more than seventy. Each maki is approximately forty feet in length, required two weeks of focused effort to complete.

These disciples became known as makideshi.

The word aiki contained within this description does not refer to the modern, diluted notion of subjugating the “self” and blending. Rather, it is used in its original sense: the domination of the opponent.

Goseki-ryū Aiki Heihō flows from Lovret Sensei’s martial experience, including Ittō Tenshin-ryū Kenjutsu (參代範士), Yamate-ryū Aikijutsu (免許皆伝), Daitō-ryū (秘伝目録), and his service in the United States Navy (1959–1974), Chief Petty Officer, and Vietnam War veteran.

Note: The numbering system has been retained in this photograph; however, the technique descriptions have been removed.

New Mexico Japanese American Citizens League
AKI MATSURI 2025
Japanese Fall Festival returns this year with a bang or better yet a BOOOM! Our headline performance features San Jose Taiko, the world-renowned ensemble that has electrified audiences across the globe with their heart-pounding beats and dynamic stage presence!
We are now accepting Vendors, Performers, and Volunteers for the 2025 event. Learn more on

Home Welcome to New Mexico Japanese American Citizens League (NMJACL). We invite you to explore, learn and engage with us. Join us for Aki Matsuri on Sept 28th, 2025

from my Sifu . . . "CLIMBING THE STEPS EVERY DAY"
I had a chat with some folks who were keen on learning martial arts. Their main question was, “How long does it take?”
Imagine this: you have a nine-story pagoda next to your house. Every single brick, every single tile, has to be in place for the tower to stand. And guess what? You like to climb to the top and enjoy the view. You love this tower so much that you want to do it every day.
But here’s the catch: you have to start from the ground and climb up nine stories each time. Then you have to climb down and go about your day. It’s the same no matter how many days you’ve been visiting.
This is what it’s like to practice martial arts. Every little bit you do is important and can’t be skipped. Every time you come back to your practice, you start from the ground and climb up step by step until you reach the top. Then, you have to come back down and start all over again the next day.
And that’s okay. Because if you want to see how tall the tower is, you have to start from the ground. If you want to climb higher than the ground, you have to keep climbing. And if you want to be the best, you have to work on climbing your tower every single day.
_________
Pizhi Pagoda at Lingyan Temple, Shandong, China. Built by 1063 during the Song Dynasty. Nine-story, octagonal brick pagoda, 54 m (177 ft) in height.

Women Warriors in History:
Nakano Takeko, born in 1847 in Edo, was a fierce samurai of the Aizu domain, embodying the unyielding spirit of women warriors.
Trained in martial arts and certified in Itto-ryu swordsmanship, she mastered the naginata, a weapon of female fighters, and taught its art to others, including her sister.
During the Boshin War’s Battle of Aizu in 1868, Takeko led a band of women warriors, defying tradition to fight independently against imperial forces. Wielding her naginata with lethal precision, she killed numerous enemies before falling in battle, her courage unshaken.
To preserve her honor, she instructed her sister to decapitate her, ensuring her body remained unviolated. Buried with her naginata at Hokai-ji Temple, Takeko’s legacy as a symbol of fearless resolve endures, celebrated annually at the Aizu Autumn Festival.

Ryu: The tradition
In Japan you rarely find it outside the reach of the sound of water. The water gorges in the river banks on the roadsides, splashes from the outcrops of the mountains, flows into the wells of public toilets.
There's a generic term that defines water flow: ryu. And a poetic term. The ryuto is the custom of letting lanterns slide down a stream during summer processions in honor of the dead. A ryusei is a shooting star.
So it is perfectly congruo, in this land of gushing waters and evocative language, that the word ryu is the kanji that defines the flow of formal traditions of all Japanese arts, including bugei disciplines.
Before the 15th century, military combat in Japan was literally a matter of victory or death.
Success on the battlefield depended on the warrior surviving long enough to evaluate and learn from personal experience. It was during the Muromachi Wars era (1300-1600 ca) that warrior clans began to organize their professional skills, sharpen the practices that proved to be more effective, and pass them on to other members of their group. Such an evolution that allows everyone to learn from the experiences he has accumulated from others. It was the foundation of martial ryu.
Martial ryu assumed different identities defined by specific strategies they adopted, particular weapons they preferred, or even the geographical location occupied by the individuals who created them.
Some ryu were exclusively dominated by a single clan or its loyalists, others could direct their teachings to low-ranking samurai, others were still reserved for higher officials.
The curriculum of few ryu were limited to the teaching of one or two weapons. Many understood methods that involved the use of multiple weapons.
However, regardless of the course or extent of instruction, the form of transferring skills through ryu was—and, in those that still exist, is— consistent. The ryu passed down their forms one generation after another, preserving them as a vital structure.
Ryu doesn't exist as autonomous entities. Without a strict and constant administration, they soon stagnate and disappear. Keeping them alive and vital is the responsibility of the bugeisha who are entrusted with their care.

"Growing in values ​​is fundamental because they guide our behavior and decisions, and help us live a coherent and satisfying life. As a budo practitioner, the importance of values ​​is magnified: Martial arts not only focus on physical development but also on spiritual and moral growth.
💥Values ​​such as discipline, respect, humility, and perseverance are essential; they help us remain calm and in control in difficult situations, respect, and constantly seek personal improvement." ─ From a friend.

Why I Keep Kata Application Close to the Chest ─ Mr. Patrick McCarthy
People often ask why I don’t post much about kata and its technical application on my page. The answer’s simple: my public social media is for sharing research, publications, and nods to friends’ work—not for handing out detailed breakdowns to every passerby. I use it to spotlight my travels in Okinawa, the cultural events I enjoy, and to honor friends and instructors who’ve passed. That’s it.
Call me old-fashioned, but I don’t teach advanced karate on a digital street corner. My time and knowledge are reserved for my students, organization members, and close colleagues—those with whom I have a real bond. After competing from the ‘70s to the mid-‘80s, I spent years teaching the accepted traditions. But eventually, the status quo stopped making sense. I dug deeper—training with masters in China, Japan, and Southeast Asia, from Fujian’s White Crane experts to Okinawa’s own legends—to uncover karate’s real history and purpose. What I found flipped the script on “authentic” tradition. So when I teach the good stuff now, I stick to the old way: direct, personal transmission—jikiden.
Seminars and videos? Sure, I’ve done hundreds worldwide and share plenty of insights. But the nitty-gritty of application? That’s face-to-face only.
Karate’s Many Faces
Not everyone sees karate the same way—hence the explosion of styles. People approach it differently, and what’s obvious to one isn’t to another. You’ll find no shortage of theories out there, but a lot of them crumble when the fists start flying. Mike Tyson nailed it: “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” Fancy explanations don’t mean squat if they don’t work.
That said, some basics are non-negotiable for real self-defense: fitness, strength, flexibility, grit, and an open mind. The pioneers of karate figured this out through trial and error—it’s still the bedrock of what I do. But today, karate is often a cultural pastime or a sport with rules. That’s fine, but let’s not kid ourselves: its original purpose was survival, not trophies. Some “traditional” practices have become so ritualized they’re useless in a real fight. That’s the truth.
Busting the “Secret Technique” Myth
Martial arts are obsessed with lost secrets—claims of “the truest kata” or some master’s hidden technique only the chosen few inherit. It’s a fairy tale. People chase this magic portal to “real” karate, missing what’s right in front of them.
I’ve spent a lifetime researching history, but I don’t buy into the idea that any one technique is supreme just because it’s old or obscure. Functionality isn’t a gift from lineage—it’s forged in training that actually works, guided by someone who knows their stuff. The heart of karate is scenario-based practice—testing skills against real, messy violence, not scripted dance moves.
The Science of Striking and Seizing
Violence is human nature—universal, but shaped by size, gender, age, and context. Strip away the cultural fluff, and karate’s roots in Okinawa’s Ryūkyū Kingdom boil down to striking and seizing.
* Striking is applied physics—kinetic energy via acceleration, the striking tool (fist, elbow, knee, foot), angle, direction, and force.
* Seizing is biomechanics in action—the wedge, axle/wheel, screw, pulley, and levers at play in joint locks, chokes, takedowns, and clinches.
* Add ground fighting and escapes, and you’ve got the full toolbox.
How it all comes together? That’s what I teach in person, step by step.
One Last Word
After 50 years of teaching and training, my take on karate is shaped by experience, not theory. You might see it differently, and that’s fine—everyone has their own lens. But if you want functionality, skip the myths and focus on what holds up when it counts.
That’s my view. 🙏🏻🙇‍♂️