Following our October 2025 trip to Japan that included training at the birthplace of iaido with the members of the Shinbukan dojo and a ceremony at the Hayashizaki Jinja (known as the Iai Shrine), we decided to restore a kamidana (a small, elevated Shinto shrine) to the shomen (front wall) of our dojo in honor of the connections that we had made. In the same way that an embassy is considered sovereign territory of the nation it represents, we wanted to bring a tangible representation of the “spirit” of Japan into our dojo.

The presence of a kamidana in a traditional Japanese martial arts dojo can cause hesitation among Christian practitioners, as well as members of the Judaic or Islamic faiths. The concern is understandable: the First Commandment strictly forbids placing other gods before God, and a kamidana represents Shinto—a religion involving kami, or spirits. However, a closer examination of the role of kamidana within the context of Budo (the martial ways) reveals that the shrine most often represents cultural, historical, and respectful traditions rather than active theological worship. For the religious student of martial arts, maintaining a clear conscience requires distinguishing between religious idolatry and cultural respect, recognizing that a kamidana in a dojo need not conflict with personal faith. Read more at https://www.ittendojo.org/articles/kamidana. #ittendojo