Tag: Iaido

Interview with Aikido of Kohala Founders Rikko and Kristina Varjan: Aikido, Hawaii, and Kazuo Chiba Legacy, Part II

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Kristina Varjan found aikido after watching Koichi Tohei Sensei at a Manhattan high school while Rikko assumed the role as uke during his first-ever aikido demonstration. By the late 1980s, they found Kazuo Chiba Sensei, and enrolled in his Kenshusei teacher program. After four intensive years of aikido, iaido, and zazen, the couple emerged as … Continue reading Interview with Aikido of Kohala Founders Rikko and Kristina Varjan: Aikido, Hawaii, and Kazuo Chiba Legacy, Part II

Interview with Aikido of Kohala Founders Rikko and Kristina Varjan: Aikido, Hawaii, and Kazuo Chiba Legacy, Part I

~ Antonio Aloia ~ Leave a comment

Kristina Varjan found aikido after watching Koichi Tohei Sensei at a Manhattan high school while Rikko assumed the role as uke during his first-ever aikido demonstration. By the late 1980s, they found Kazuo Chiba Sensei, and enrolled in his Kenshusei teacher program. After four intensive years of aikido, iaido, and zazen, the couple emerged as … Continue reading Interview with Aikido of Kohala Founders Rikko and Kristina Varjan: Aikido, Hawaii, and Kazuo Chiba Legacy, Part I

Interview with Ken-Zen Founder and Kenshi Daniel Ebihara: The Beginning of the Journey

~ Antonio Aloia ~ Leave a comment

Daniel Ebihara first started kendo while he was a youngster in Japan but did not show much interest in it until he moved to New York and sparred a European fencer at a party. Spurred by his new friend and student, Ebihara searched for a certified kendo instructor, finding a Buddhist minister Rev. Shunshin Kan … Continue reading Interview with Ken-Zen Founder and Kenshi Daniel Ebihara: The Beginning of the Journey

Interview with Mushinkan Dojo Founder Mark Uchida: Training with Giants, Part II

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Mark Uchida first saw Chūshingura when he was a child and was immediately hooked on Japanese swordsmanship. Unfortunately, he never really found a place to train until 1973. From there, he dived deeply into both kendo and iaido, which he started learning a year after kendo. He would later become the first head of the … Continue reading Interview with Mushinkan Dojo Founder Mark Uchida: Training with Giants, Part II

Interview with Mushinkan Dojo Founder Mark Uchida: Training with Giants, Part I

~ Antonio Aloia ~ Leave a comment

Mark Uchida first saw Chūshingura when he was a child and was immediately hooked on Japanese swordsmanship. Unfortunately, he never really found a place to train until 1973. From there, he dived deeply into both kendo and iaido, which he started learning a year after kendo. He would later become the first head of the … Continue reading Interview with Mushinkan Dojo Founder Mark Uchida: Training with Giants, Part I

Interview with Longtime Kenshi Jim Dixon: Nobuto Omoto and Kendo Politics

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Rob Nobuto Omoto left a big impression of a young Jim Dixon after teaching a class at the Seattle Kendo Kai. Throughout his kendo training, Dixon always returned back to Omoto’s teachings and kept in contact often. Where Dixon went, Hawaii, New York, California, New Mexico, he always found a way to practice kendo and … Continue reading Interview with Longtime Kenshi Jim Dixon: Nobuto Omoto and Kendo Politics

Interview with Ken-Zen Iaido Instructor Pam Parker: Her American Iaido Journey

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Pam Parker first started martial arts with taekwondo, then moving to aikido at the New York Aikikai. At one class at the New York Aikikai, she attended an iaido class and she was hooked. She found the late John Prough of Nichibukan, and later Shunshin Kan of Ken-Zen. In July 2014, she passed her nanadan, … Continue reading Interview with Ken-Zen Iaido Instructor Pam Parker: Her American Iaido Journey

Interview with DFWKIK Historian David Cooper: Reminiscing About the Past and Kendo

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David Cooper started later in life, but he was committed. From the beginning, Cooper enrolled in both kendo and iaido, training them side-by-side. He enjoyed both arts that Dallas-Fort Worth Kendo and Iaido Kyokai offered, where he is currently the historian. Today, Cooper walked us through the history of kendo and iaido in the Dallas/Fort … Continue reading Interview with DFWKIK Historian David Cooper: Reminiscing About the Past and Kendo

Interview with Longtime HEMA Instructor Steaphen Fick: Sword Fighting and Teaching, Part I

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Steaphen Fick was always interested in sword fighting, fighting at any chance he could get when he was a child. As he grew up, he found a touring fighting company in 1989, proceeding to participate in almost 2,000 duels and battles. It was not until the 1990s, where he found himself traveling all around Europe, … Continue reading Interview with Longtime HEMA Instructor Steaphen Fick: Sword Fighting and Teaching, Part I

Interview with Zen Bu Kan Chief Iaido Instructor Jason Hankins: Iaido’s Holistic Benefit Part II

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After studying Kung Fu for several years and moving from Dallas, Texas to Salt Lake City, Utah, Jason Hankins was looking to continue his training. By chance, he found a flier for iaido at a local store and took a chance, eventually learning from Jules Harris, helping establish Zen Bu Kan. In 2002, Harris left … Continue reading Interview with Zen Bu Kan Chief Iaido Instructor Jason Hankins: Iaido’s Holistic Benefit Part II