Howard Wray found judo through a night school where Al Wallace was teaching. Wallace would take his students down to Philadelphia and introduce them to his instructor, Takahiko Ishikawa. From then on, Wray began to learn from both judo men. In this conversation in the summer of 2023, Wray recalls how Ishikawa structured his classes … Continue reading Howard Wray on Judo and Training with Takahiko Ishikawa, Part II
Howard Wray found judo through a night school where Al Wallace was teaching. Wallace would take his students down to Philadelphia and introduce them to his instructor, Takahiko Ishikawa. From then on, Wray began to learn from both judo men. In this conversation in the summer of 2023, Wray recalls how Ishikawa structured his classes … Continue reading Howard Wray on Judo and Training with Takahiko Ishikawa, Part I
By chance, a young John Unruh found himself speaking to judo champion Takahiko Ishikawa in the summer of 1965. In a matter of minutes, Unruh sensed something magical about Ishikawa and quickly joined the school and never looked back. Today, Unruh took some time to talk about the teaching methodologies Ishikawa employed and the legacies … Continue reading Interview with Longtime Judoka John Unruh: The Magic of Takahiko Ishikawa
Nestled in Midtown Reykjavik, you would pass the Aikikai Reykjavik Dojo if you did not know what you were looking for. After teaching and participating in an energetic class, Palmi Sinonarson and Marco Solimene sit down to talk about aikido’s foothold in Iceland, highlighting the importance of both local and international community and how that … Continue reading Interview with Aikikai Reykjavik Instructors Palmi Sinonarson and Marco Solimene: Iceland’s Aikido Roots
Bob Karr began learning judo at the age of thirteen in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. There, he met Thomas Blair, Joe Condello, Howie Wray, and many others. Within a year, Karr began to train with Takahiko Ishikawa in Philadelphia. As he trained under Ishikawa, Karr got to meet and practice with many strong and soon to be … Continue reading Interview with Longtime Takahiko Ishikawa Student Bob Karr: The Impact of a Legend, Part II
Bob Karr began learning judo at the age of thirteen in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. There, he met Thomas Blair, Joe Condello, Howie Wray, and many others. Within a year, Karr began to train with Takahiko Ishikawa in Philadelphia. As he trained under Ishikawa, Karr got to meet and practice with many strong and soon to be … Continue reading Interview with Longtime Takahiko Ishikawa Student Bob Karr: The Impact of a Legend, Part I
John Valceanu teaches Budoshin Jujitsu while also training in judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He also has a background in hapkido, which he practiced for about a decade. Many aspects of the different arts he practices are mirror images to him, and finding common principles continues to motivate him to train. Today, Valceanu took some time … Continue reading Interview with Budoshin Instructor John Valceanu: Traditional Jujitsu in the Modern Landscape, Part II
John Valceanu teaches Budoshin Jujitsu while also training in judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He also has a background in hapkido, which he practiced for about a decade. Many aspects of the different arts he practices are mirror images to him, and finding common principles continues to motivate him to train. Today, Valceanu took some time … Continue reading Interview with Budoshin Instructor John Valceanu: Traditional Jujitsu in the Modern Landscape, Part I
When the concept of aiki arises within the aikido paradigm, many practitioners default to a variety of sources; pointing directly to the founder, Morihei Ueshiba, to different Daito-ryu forms and practitioners, or to the more internal energy-leaning teachings, like zazen, across the martial arts’ resource community. Aiki, by definition, “usually refers to the principle of … Continue reading By Example: Aiki in Real-Time Application from Judo Master Takahiko Ishikawa
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
Martial Arts of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow 