Posts

Image
  It’s been two weeks since our October 25th visit to the Hayashizaki Jinja, the birthplace of iaido, and our opportunity to train in Japan at the Iai Shinbukan, the associated dojo on the grounds of the shrine in Murayama City. My head is still spinning. Ito Sensei and Higuchi Sensei recognized very quickly that we intended to make the most of every moment in that dojo, and they responded by packing the three hours with as much technique and insights as they could convey. Every member of the Shinbukan went above and beyond to help and made us feel very welcome. It was an amazing experience! #ittendojo #iaido
Post a Comment
Read more
Image
  The October edition of Sword and Spirit has been posted. In this issue, guest contributor Edward Castillo (Salahuddin Muhammed) Sensei presents an exceptional essay on Bushido, The Way of the Warrior, in “The Invention of Bushido: Nitobe Inazo and the Politics of an Idea.” Download the newsletter by joining the Sword and Spirit group on Facebook, or directly from our website, at https://www.ittendojo.org/dbfiles/download/swordandspirit/pdf/96. All back issues of Sword and Spirit are available at https://www.ittendojo.org/articles/swordandspirit. #ittendojo #japanesemartialartscenter #iaido #jujutsu #judo #shodo
Post a Comment
Read more
Image
  The September edition of Sword and Spirit has been posted. In “JMAC at Itten #8,” Itten Dojo chief instructor Robert Wolfe reviews a milestone seminar with Suino Sensei and our JMAC sempai. In addition to the significance of the event in its own right, the seminar was actually the five-year anniversary of the start of our formal affiliation with JMAC. Download the newsletter by joining the Sword and Spirit group on Facebook, or directly from our website, at https://www.ittendojo.org/dbfiles/download/swordandspirit/pdf/95. All back issues of Sword and Spirit are available at https://www.ittendojo.org/articles/swordandspirit. #ittendojo #japanesemartialartscenter #iaido #jujutsu #judo #shodo
Post a Comment
Read more
Image
  The August edition of Sword and Spirit has been posted. In this issue, guest contributor Edward Castillo (Salahuddin Muhammed) Sensei presents a convincing argument defining differences between martial arts and martial systems — “Tradition to Transmission: Distinguishing Martial Arts from Martial Systems and the Role of Pedagogy in Modern Martial Studies.” Download the newsletter by joining the Sword and Spirit group on Facebook, or directly from our website, at https://www.ittendojo.org/dbfiles/download/swordandspirit/pdf/94. All back issues of Sword and Spirit are available at https://www.ittendojo.org/articles/swordandspirit. #ittendojo #japanesemartialartscenter #iaido #jujutsu #judo #shodo
Post a Comment
Read more
Image
The July edition of Sword and Spirit has been posted. In this issue, Itten Dojo chief instructor Robert Wolfe presents a retrospective on the 2025 JMAC Crucible, the 12-hour, locked-in training event from which “Nobody Leaves Unchanged.” Download the newsletter by joining the Sword and Spirit group on Facebook, or directly from our website, at https://www.ittendojo.org/dbfiles/download/swordandspirit/pdf/93. All back issues of Sword and Spirit are available at https://www.ittendojo.org/articles/swordandspirit. #ittendojo #japanesemartialartscenter #iaido #jujutsu #judo #shodo
Post a Comment
Read more
Image
The June edition of Sword and Spirit has been posted. In this issue, guest contributor Edward Castillo (Salahuddin Muhammed) Sensei continues his series on dojo culture with “Creating Dilemmas in Martial Arts: Hot to Build Thinkers, Not Just Robots,” a methodology for instructors to “develop students that can thrive under pressure, not just perform under instruction.” This is one of his best-ever essays! Download the newsletter by joining the Sword and Spirit group on Facebook, or directly from our website, at https://www.ittendojo.org/dbfiles/download/swordandspirit/pdf/92. All back issues of Sword and Spirit are available at https://www.ittendojo.org/articles/swordandspirit. #ittendojo #japanesemartialartscenter #iaido #jujutsu #judo #shodo
Post a Comment
Read more
Image
The May edition of Sword and Spirit has been posted. In “Loaded Guns,” Itten Dojo chief instructor Robert Wolfe responds to a recent and entirely unnecessary incident in the judo study group that resulted in injury, citing the fact that while in modern practice martial arts techniques have been “declawed” to make training safer for the general public, the claws have only been retracted, not removed, and are still present just beneath the surface. Download the newsletter by joining the Sword and Spirit group on Facebook, or directly from our website, at https://www.ittendojo.org/dbfiles/download/swordandspirit/pdf/91. All back issues of Sword and Spirit are available at https://www.ittendojo.org/articles/swordandspirit. #ittendojo #japanesemartialartscenter #iaido #jujutsu #judo #shodo
Post a Comment
Read more