Itten Dojo

KAKEMONO OF THE MONTH — APRIL 2022 The hanging scroll for April, again from calligrapher extraordinaire Paul Myers, is another portrait of Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism — this time, standing on a reed. According to legend, following an unsuccessful audience with the Chinese Liang-dynasty Emperor Wu, Bodhidharma is said to have crossed the Yangzi River without a boat, standing on a single reed to continue his journey to promote Zen. #ittendojo #aikijutsu #kenjutsu #iaido #shodo

  The March edition of Sword and Spirit has been posted. In “The Frog in a Well,” Itten Dojo chief instructor Robert Wolfe reflects on the Japanese proverb and a favorite saying of his old karate sensei, two philosophical insights that continue to guide Itten Dojo in its quest for excellence. Download the newsletter by joining the Sword and Spirit group on Facebook, or directly from our website, at https://ittendojo.org/downloads/Itten-eNews-2022-03.pdf . All back issues of Sword and Spirit are available at https://ittendojo.org/sword-and-spirit.htm . #ittendojo #aikijutsu #kenjutsu #iaido

  Is there a teenager in your life, 14 years or older, that might benefit from greater focus, self-discipline, and courtesy? If so, consider budo, the traditional martial “Ways” of Japan. For hundreds of years, these arts have instilled virtues and enhanced personal capabilities across a range including but far exceeding self-defense. As one of our teachers put it: “The very thing which makes traditional martial arts practice valuable, the thing which helps make people stronger and improves character, is its difficulty. It is through overcoming the difficulty (or, more accurately, adapting oneself to the requirements of the art), that one learns about one’s strengths and weaknesses, and builds on the strengths while transforming the weaknesses into strengths or gives up because of pain or fear; and thus does the practitioner define himself or herself.” — Nicklaus Suino, in his book Practice Drills for Japanese Swordsmanship Now in our 30th year, Itten Dojo is recognized nationa...

  Although I always post an announcement when members of Itten Dōjō receive promotions, I never do that with regard to myself. It’s also the case that we don’t typically display promotion certificates, believing the appropriate place for such documents is tucked away, out of sight, in a fire safe. The only certificate heretofore displayed in our dōjō, in my office, is for the final promotion I received in karate, from Ted Vollrath Sensei — and it’s only been displayed to honor his memory. Recent circumstances, however, incline me toward making an exception to both policies. In consequence of issues with a former organization, I have been for almost two years without documents certifying rank in aikijutsu, one of the primary arts I teach. This hasn’t really been any kind of practical impediment, since anyone can readily check into my history and experience. But the fact remains that anyone entering the office of a professional expects to see a credential hanging on the wall, whether...

  MOMENTUM While warming up prior to a recent aikijutsu practice, Mr. Butz and I were discussing something—I don’t remember exactly what—but he mentioned “momentum” in the context of the dojo collectively and training individually. Ever since that evening, the concept of momentum has been stuck in my mind. I’ve thought about individual members of the dojo and instances in which their iron-clad intent to move forward, or the dissolution of their intent, made all the difference. And I’ve thought as well about the ongoing story of our dojo, how it’s survived one black swan event after another. Some events were just random bad luck while others were essentially attacks, evidently made with the hope of taking us down. The dojo is now in its 30th year of operation. Still here. And growing. With momentum. Read more by downloading the newsletter by joining the Sword and Spirit group on Facebook, or directly from our website, at https://ittendojo.org/downloads/Itten-eNews-2022-02.pdf . All ...

  KAKEMONO OF THE MONTH — FEBRUARY 2022 This month’s offering from calligrapher extraordinaire Paul Myers is a portrait of the actor Nakamura Utaemon IV portraying Bodhidharma (as described in the December post, the founder of Zen Buddhism). The original work on which this scroll was based was brushed by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, circa 1848. #ittendojo #shodo #aikijutsu #kenjutsu #iaido

Relationships are the Most Important Thing In Japanese, the term “kai” means a group or association. In the context of budō, kai typically refers to a group training together in the same art. Within Itten Dōjō, there are three, separate kai: the aikijutsu-kai (Aikijutsu Tendōkai), the kenjutsu-kai (Ono-ha Ittō-ryū), and the iaidō-kai (Musō Jikiden Eishin-ryū). Each of the groups is independent of the others, but every person training with us is first and foremost a member of the dōjō and we all support each other, regardless of our individual interests. Many members train in more than one art. Different martial arts organizations have wildly differing views on what actually is most important in training — at least this has been our experience, and I think we can make a strong claim to having seen it all. Believe me, it wasn’t all good. Itten Dōjō is now in its 30th year, and several of us had decades of training prior to the founding of the dōjō. Over the course of the past three decad...