September 2022 Zen Nihon Sōgō Budō Renmei’ (全日本総合武道 連盟 – All Japan Budō Federation) course and demonstrations in Kyoto, Japan. I am planning to attend to represent Ryōi Shintō-ryū and other Ryōi Shintōkai members are also welcome.

At a very early stage of my training with James Shortt Sensei in the late 1970s, I remember him mentioning a rumour that the Takeuchi-ryū (竹内流) Jūjutsu (柔術) School had written a manual for the notorious and feared ‘Kempei-tai’ (憲兵隊 - military police regiment). Recently at auction, I obtained a copy of a Kempei-tai Hojōjutsu  […]

This Uchida-ryū tanjōjutsu (内田流短杖術) was developed by Uchida Ryōgorō (内田良五郎 1837-1921), who was Menkyo ranked in the Shindō Musō-ryū (神道夢想流). Uchida Ryōgorō son Uchida Ryōhei (内田 良平 1873 –1937), was famous for founding the pre-war untra-nationalist 'Kokuryūkai' (黒竜会 - Black Dragon Society). In addition to Uchida-ryū tanjōjutsu (内田流短杖術) Shindō Musō-ryū (神道夢想流) that he learnt from […]

In the early 17th century Fukuno Shichirouemon Masakatsu (福野七郎右衛門正勝) mastered Yagyū Shinkage-ryū (柳生新陰流) Heihō (兵法 - war method, strategy) and this became one of the Gōryū (合流 - confluent streams) that led to him founding Ryōi Shintō Yawara (良移心当和) - which would later be known as Ryōi Shintō-ryū Jūjutsu (良移心当流 柔術). Almost 400 years later, […]

I was recently asked, do we have traditional weapons in Ryōi Shintō-ryū (良移心当流) ? The answer is yes. There are a variety of traditional weapons that would have been used at different ranges of engagement. Included within these are the techniques of: • Kenjutsu (剣術), Kodachi-jutsu (小太刀術) & Tantō-jutsu (短刀) •. Shuriken-jutsu (手裏剣術) • Battō-jutsu […]

This is another very nice video from Jesse Enkamp, where he explains distance and timing in terms of the three methods of taking, or seizing the initiative. Albeit that this clip is Karate based, these strategies are universally applicable (including within the advanced levels of Ryōi Shintō-ryū) and would probably have initially developed from swordsmanship. […]