The April edition of Sword and Spirit has been posted. In “The Life of Hayashizaki Jinsuke Minamoto no Shigenobu,” guest contributor Jack James Sensei shares what is clearly the most extensively researched and documented history in English of Hayashizaki Jinsuke Shigenobu, the founder of iaido. James Sensei works as a translator and interpreter in Fukuoka, Japan. He has won the Fukuoka Prefectural Taikai across multiple grades and has represented Fukuoka at the All Japan Iaido Championships. He studies Muso Shinden Jushin Ryu and leads the Higashi Wakahisa Iaido Branch of Jushin Ryu Tekisuijuku. James Sensei is currently the only non-Japanese instructor teaching this tradition in Japan.

In addition to his training and teaching, James Sensei devotes his time to researching the history of iaido, with a particular focus on Hayashizaki Jinsuke Minamoto no Shigenobu and the art’s development within the Tosa Domain.

We are deeply grateful to James Sensei for his permission to reprint this exceptional article that was first published on jushinden.wordpress.com.

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