The history of the Obukan Kendo Dojo is an interesting one. After interviewing a few members of the dojo, it seemed appropriate to pen a brief history of the dojo from its first establishment in 1926 to the present day. Officially, the Obukan began teaching kendo in 1926, however, the school has its roots even … Continue reading History of the Obukan Kendo Dojo
Kenneth Strawn found kendo while he was in college, training under the American pioneer Benjamin Hazard. Between 1984 and 1986, he helped grow the Obukan Kendo Club. He returned to his hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina, quickly establishing his Charlotte Kendo Club and helped form the Southeastern United States Kendo Federation in 1988. Today, we … Continue reading Interview with Longtime Kenshi Kenneth Strawn: Starting From Scratch
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
Robert Stroud has been commuting between many kendo schools in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain regions of the United States since 1979, becoming one of the first non-Asian US kenshi to receive the rank of seventh dan. In this second part of the interview, Stroud discusses his kendo journey, his time as head instructor of … Continue reading Interview with Robert Stroud: Kendo in Pacific Northwest and Mountain Regions of the United States Part II
Martial Arts of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow 