In some ways, she was learning judo while her mother was pregnant with her while on the mat. Jean Kanokogi, a Senior Special Agent for the United States, began training under her parents, Rena “Rusty” and Ryohei Kanokogi. A prolific author herself, Jean began helping her mother write her memoir, Get Up and Fight! in … Continue reading Interview with Judoka and Author Jean Kanokogi: Get Up & Fight and Rena “Rusty” Kanokogi
Martial Arts Making a Difference: Kenpo Karate’s J. Donald Burrier
The following are remembrance pieces from a handful of J. Donald Burrier's students. Some were there from the beginning; others were there near the end. The individual's starting time does not hinder the effect and influence Burrier had on them and how they moved forward in life and martial arts. Images provided by Irvin Gill. … Continue reading Martial Arts Making a Difference: Kenpo Karate’s J. Donald Burrier
Unveiling: Martial Arts Making a Difference
April marks a special month in Philadelphian martial arts history, especially for the American Kenpo Karate practitioners in the area. This month would be the ninetieth birthday of the late Sifu J. Donald Burrier. Many of the older, more seasoned Kenpo practitioners would remember a Navy man who knew his art through and through, who … Continue reading Unveiling: Martial Arts Making a Difference
Interview with Aikido Sangenkai Chief Instructor Christopher Li: Internal Martial Arts in Hawaii
Aikido Sangenkai chief instructor Christopher Li began training aikido in the early 1980s under Mitsugi Saotome and Yoshimitsu Yamada, later traveling with the latter to Japan to train at Aikikai Hombu Dojo. By the 1990s, Li began to explore the internal power side of both aikido and the martial arts, ultimately affiliating with Dan Harden. … Continue reading Interview with Aikido Sangenkai Chief Instructor Christopher Li: Internal Martial Arts in Hawaii
Finding an Uke: It’s Not What You Do, But How You Do by It? by George Kirby
The following editorial was submitted by George Kirby. It originally appeared in the August 2005 issue of his monthly newsletter, Kokoro. Finding and retaining uke can be a serious problem for everyone who really wants to learn a martial art. Regardless of art you ultimately need a workout partner. Getting an uke, especially on a … Continue reading Finding an Uke: It’s Not What You Do, But How You Do by It? by George Kirby
Shibui by Walther von Krenner
The Japanese have a special word to describe the bitter taste one experiences after biting into an unripe persimmon. This taste is called Shibui, and has a meaning, something far beyond taste. Shibui sometimes translated as rustic simplicity or austere elegance. Shibui has long been associated with an intimate understanding of the truth and beauty … Continue reading Shibui by Walther von Krenner
Interview with Wiktenauer Editor-in-Chief Michael Chidester: HEMA in the United States
Michael Chidester is the Editor-in-Chief of Wiktenauer and, as Director of the Wiktenauer, an officer of the non-profit HEMA Alliance. Michael is a Research Scholar of the Meyer Freifechter Guild, a founding member of the Society for Historical European Martial Arts Studies (SHEMAS), a member of the Western Martial Arts Coalition (WMAC), and a Lifetime … Continue reading Interview with Wiktenauer Editor-in-Chief Michael Chidester: HEMA in the United States
Some Thoughts on Cross Training
Cross training. A word that has become more and more popular since the 1990s, but something that has been happening for centuries. Sometimes, instructors are alright with their students doing so, others, not so much. If one goes to a martial arts’ social media enclave, they will find that many practitioners are training in multiple … Continue reading Some Thoughts on Cross Training
An Interview with a Police Officer
In this anonymous interview with a local police officer conducted in the latter half of 2020, we discussed the effects of martial arts training in the overall police training regimen and some hot topics brought up against the American Police Force in the summer of that year. Given the many varieties of standards in police … Continue reading An Interview with a Police Officer
Martial Arts in Man in the High Castle
I thought it proper, after finishing Man in the High Castle, to share some thoughts on how the series portrayed aikido and, to a lesser extent, jodo through two of its characters. All plot points and plot holes aside, it was interesting that the series’ producers chose those arts, as both of them do not … Continue reading Martial Arts in Man in the High Castle










