About Our Training...

Our goal in training is to promote a dual-life value (valuing your own life and the lives of your family, friends, peers, etc.), and to emphasize that in our training. Our desire is to develop a protector-ethic within the minds and hearts of the students.  The conduit through which we train our bodies and awareness in order to face conflict is traditional japanese kobudo (lit. old/ancient martial ways).

​

自然行雲流水  

SHIZEN GYO-UN RYU-SUI

The name of the dojo derives from a JAPANESE phrase 行雲流水 "gyo-un ryusui" meaning "drifting clouds flowing water”.  The term came to mean "taking life easy" or "accepting things naturally and for what they are."  WE use this term to describe a core principle in learning good taijutsu (lit. body skills) and moving according to nature.

 

Training with traditional and modern weapons is central to understanding our empty-handed taijutsu and is part of the regular training in the dojo. Understanding core fundamentals of training with various lengths of staff and bladed weapons are important ,as most other specialty weapons derive themselves from the movement of learning these.

​

The curriculum is derived from Hatsumi Sensei’s Ten-Chi-Jin Ryaku No Maki (a manual for teachers), as well as from densho/written teachings of the various martial lineages. 

 

3 of these are lineages of Ninpo or Ninjutsu, and 6 of these are classical fighting arts passed down from  Japan’s samurai and ninja families.  We practice these arts both inside the dojo, as well as outdoors in the cases of training larger weapons of ninjutsu training.