Rumiko and I went to the annual Kumamoto Budokan kobudo martial arts demonstration for the day. A substantial list of martial arts masters from the Kumamoto area performed demonstrations of their swordsmanship, archery, bojutsu, jujutsu, and shurikenjutsu for the small crowd. The Kumamoto Budokan is a wonderfully traditional structure with a wide-open wooden floor, high […]

Rumiko and I rode the trains to Noda City for training at Masaaki Hatsumi’s Bujinkan Hombu dojo on a rainy Sunday afternoon. It was a nostalgic feeling to walk the streets of Noda once again, and I was amazed at how much the small industrial city has not changed in the 30 years I have […]

I visited the Aikido Hombu dojo in the Ikebukuro section of Tokyo as a guest to watch the 6:30 am class taught by 3rd generation Doshu (“Master of the Way” – title of the headmaster of Aikido) Moriteru Ueshiba, grandson of Aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba. Doshu Moriteru Ueshiba was kind and welcoming to me personally, […]