Itten Dojo

09/10/2026

Bailey Sensei’s ikebana creations for this week — more delicate than has often been the case. I’ll need to find out what inspired these arrangements. Thank you, Sensei!

09/05/2026

The third session of using our full-length, outdoor kyudo range was the nicest day yet, weather-wise, and two more members of our study group scored their first hits. Congratulations, Dylan and Mike! About ten minutes after his first hit Dylan released a shot and there was the distinctive “thwop!” of the arrow embedding in the foam base of the target. Alan said, “Now you’re just showing off!” But it was a miss — on the paper of the mato (target) but outside the outer most ring. Mike was especially fortunate with his first hit. We were shooting video today to send to Velilla Sensei for his critique, and Mike hit on the first shot of the two arrow set being filmed — so he has a very unusual record of the event.

09/04/2026

We second the motion.

Stop worrying about what other people think, They’re not living your life. They don’t carry your pain. They don’t have your goals. Wake up earlier. Hydrate. Lift heavy. Eat clean. Sleep deep. Build discipline, not excuses. No one’s coming to save you. It’s on you. Be your own hero and Join a dojo.

09/01/2026

Aikijujutsu is back on the mat at Itten Dojo.

After a season of focused work in jujutsu and judo, we are restoring regular aikijujutsu training at the dojo. This is the sophisticated grappling practice many of you first knew here: throws, pins, joint control, and principles drawn from the same warrior heritage that shaped Japanese swordsmanship.

Aikijujutsu at Itten Dojo is not sport-style grappling and not modern aikido. Those arts are great, just not what we do. Our practice is a study of structure, timing, and control —designed so that skill, not size, decides the outcome. The training is also deliberately compatible with our iaido practice: the same body, the same spirit, two expressions of one path.

Previous experience is not required. Classes are small, instruction is personal, and the atmosphere is supportive rather than competitive.

Come watch a class, ask questions, and see whether this path is for you. Visitors are always welcome!

Itten Dojo
701 W. Simpson Street, Suite C
Mechanicsburg, PA
ittendojo.org | 717-766-8871

09/01/2026

Sole, number four of the five women training in iaido at our dojo, is a 17-year-old from Equador who will be with us for ten months while her father attends a graduate program. Tonight, at what was just her fifth iaido class, Sole demonstrated the five waza required as part of the 7th-kyu exam, all but entirely on her own. I just needed to remind her to face to the left to start Hidari. Note that this photo was not posed — this is her actual form during the set of techniques. There are corrections to be made, but she’s off to a great start!

08/29/2026

A good turnout for iaido practice this morning and, with the overhead door open, the “shadow dojo” made an appearance (sunlight focused by the windshield of a car parked outside the door).

08/29/2026

Michaela, Lisa-Marie, and Aurora — three of the five women training in iaido at our dojo, at practice this morning. Diane Skoss once published a martial arts essay titled, “Why Women Should Wield Weapons.” Everything she said then still holds true.

08/29/2026

During our kyudo study group session this afternoon, Alan was practicing the Hassetsu — the eight stages of shooting — with two arrows. On his first shot his form was good enough that the arrow flew straight and impacted the backstop just a bit above the target. For his second shot he aimed a little lower and his form was close enough to that of the initial shot that…first hit!

08/28/2026

Great books — highly recommended!

No one steps onto a longship and remains unchanged.

In the unforgiving world of the Viking Age, a young seafarer must learn the hard truths of life aboard a longship.

Storms test skill, oaths test loyalty, and survival depends on more than strength alone.

How far would you trust the sea to shape your fate?

Read 'The Lords of the Wind', the opening novel of 'The Saga of Hasting the Avenger' by C.J. Adrien, a vivid, immersive journey where wind and salt drive every page.

Grab your copy here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TWSLWG6

08/28/2026

Stretching after practice last evening. The secret is never stop training.