Tag: Gendai Budo

Form Over Function: A Slave to Aesthetics

~ Antonio Aloia ~ Leave a comment

Within my library recently read Noel Perrin’s Giving Up the Gun. The book itself is quite dated in writing, sources, and historiography; however, it is still cited to certain extent within the modern English scholarship of Japanese history. The book is an overview of Japan’s reasons as to why the samurai of old willingly abandoned … Continue reading Form Over Function: A Slave to Aesthetics

Interview with Yushikan NYC Founder Rodrigo Kong: Aiki, Kokyu, and Daito-ryu, Part II

~ Antonio Aloia ~ Leave a comment

Rodrigo Kong had experienced aiki-based arts before but nothing like he felt when he trained with Shogen Okabayashi during a seminar in New York City. Totally enamored, Kong traveled to Japan to learn more about Daito-ryu and its aiki. Since returning from Japan, he has established his Yushinkan NYC and continued to train and teach … Continue reading Interview with Yushikan NYC Founder Rodrigo Kong: Aiki, Kokyu, and Daito-ryu, Part II