Kogawa Budo

Have a Happy Easter, from Kogawa Budo.

The entrance to the dōjō that once served as the honbu of our traditions.

You approached through a river of stone, then a water feature leading to the landing before the stairs. Nothing here was decorative—it was deliberate. The design marked a clear transition from the outside world to the training space.

For more information about the traditions we share, visit: https://heiho.org

Lovret Sensei engaging in randori.

This photograph is from a series taken by Mr. William Knight in 2006, capturing a period of randori.

This would be Lovret Sensei’s last public appearance.

“This physical mondo with Lovret Sensei was the most impactful five minutes of training within the Yamate-ryū and profoundly shifted my understanding of the tradition. What I experienced was the expression—the pinnacle culmination—of a lifetime spent living the Way. He taught aikijutsu; he lived aikidō.” — Joseph Simms

A friend of the Bailey family decided to downsize, and put a selection of Japan-related possessions up for auction. I bid on this display of replica blades and tsuba thinking that with a simple, shadow box style frame it might make a nice decoration in supplemental training area of the dojo. It does!

Interview with Joseph Simms on The Way and the Power: Secrets of Japanese Strategy and its author. This is an interview filmed in 2020. Joseph Simms answers five questions about the book The Way and the Power: Secrets of Japanese Strategy and its author, M...

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

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Merry Christmas from Kogawa Budo.