Tag: Muso Shinden-ryu

Interview with Longtime Aikidoka Bob Toabe: Training Under Mitsunari Kanai, Part II

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In 1974, Bob Toabe stepped onto the mats of Shodokan to learn aikido under Fred Newcomb. Mitsunari Kanai, Newcomb’s instructor and New England Aikikai founder, made the trip on the last Friday of each month to teach. When Toabe enrolled into Boston University, he was able to train at both Shodokan and New England Aikikai, … Continue reading Interview with Longtime Aikidoka Bob Toabe: Training Under Mitsunari Kanai, Part II

Interview with Naginata Practitioner Ellery Engala: Sachiko Yamauchi Prough and Naginata in the United States

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Ellery Engala first started wielding the sword, both in kendo and in iaido, before finding and enrolling himself into his first naginata class. When he did in 2001, Engala began to learn from Sachiko Yamauchi Prough, who was instrumental in establishing both the Canadian Naginata Federation and the East Coast Naginata Federation. When she passed … Continue reading Interview with Naginata Practitioner Ellery Engala: Sachiko Yamauchi Prough and Naginata in the United States

Interview with GNYNF President Katie Roche: Naginata Adventures and Implementing Technology, Part II

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Katie Roche wanted to find out what naginata was as a child after hearing her grandmother talk about her time in the art. After some time and breaking up with her high school boyfriend, she enrolled herself into naginata, studying first under Sachiko Yamauchi. When she relocated for undergraduate studies at Mount Holyoke College and … Continue reading Interview with GNYNF President Katie Roche: Naginata Adventures and Implementing Technology, Part II

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 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 Las Vegas Kenshi Stefan Locklair: A Kendo Journey from Coast to Coast

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Stefan Locklair began kendo at the age of seventeen, gaining multiple perspectives from training in different schools throughout the United States and Japan. He is currently the chief instructor of the Las Vegas Kendo Club and has joined us to discuss his kendo journey. All images provided by Stefan Locklair. Martial Arts of Yesterday, Today, … Continue reading Interview with Las Vegas Kenshi Stefan Locklair: A Kendo Journey from Coast to Coast

Interview with Obukan Head Instructor John Hancock: From Hawaii to Oregon

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Currently the head instructor of the Obukan Dojo in Portland Oregon, John Hancock began kendo training in 1986 in California, quickly moving to Hawaii to continue his training under James Oka. Heading to Portland in 1994, he became a student at the Obukan while Robert Stroud was head instructor until 2004. Today, Hancock discusses his … Continue reading Interview with Obukan Head Instructor John Hancock: From Hawaii to Oregon