The Opening and Closing of Doors

Updated:

I trained in the art of Kashima-shinden Jikishinkage-ryū (鹿島神傳 直心影流) at the Hōbyōkan before moving to Seattle in 2016. I then worked with a small number of people in order to maintain my practice. This activity centered around the performance of traditional kata as informed by my understanding of internal martial arts principles, the analysis of kata in a process called kuzushi and pressure testing called tameshi-ai.

I practiced Jikishinkage-ryū independently after moving to Seattle — first distance and then the pandemic made it difficult to receive further instruction. Over time I have taken to practicing kenjutsu more and more with posture and body mechanics drawn from my study of internal arts. However, making changes to the fundamental practice of an art has impacts and effects (even if no art stays entirely unchanged, despite what their practitioners might think). I can't now as easily work with beginners in the way I was first trained. That does not mean that introductory practice was wrong in some way, or needs to be changed. Maybe it is time for others to pass it forward.

I have entrusted weekly kata practice to my two senior students, Jake Harlin and Nicky Sayah Sina. When I visit class held by them, I now do so as a guest and spend my time providing feedback and exploring kuzushi with them. They are the ones who hold the space for intense kata practice as I learned it. I, in turn, provide feedback on their expression of internal martial arts ideas and help them culvitate the proper mindset to conduct their own training as shugyō.

While I think I still attempt to cultivate the spirit of Shinkage-ryū in my practice, I cannot claim what I am doing is true or correct. In cultivating a more withdrawn approach to my study, I am reminded that the final level of practice of Jikishinkage-ryū, called marobashi or marubashi (丸橋), is silent.

It is time for me to take that silence as the path.

The phrase hyakuren jitoku ( 百錬自得 ) means that through a great deal of practice you can better understand yourself. My focus has shifted over time more towards this kind of self-reflection than being primarily concerned with self-preservation. I am grateful for the opportunity to know myself a little better for having trained. I am grateful both for the chance to have worked with several people as my understanding has evolved and for my conversations with experts in the field. I am better for those interactions and I am inspired by the progress those around me are making, each on their individual paths.

I would not have been able to do so without the generosity, patience and trust of my teachers:

    お礼申し上げます.

Resources

Where To Train

There are several surviving lines of Jikishinkage-ryū kenjutsu in Japan; I recommend interested parties seek them out.

In the United States, the Hōbyōkan maintains a practice of Jikishinkage-ryū as taught to Dr. David Hall by Namiki Yasushi and Ito Masayuki. Dr. Hall has several senior students active in the art:

  • Chris Covington and Brian Wagner in Baltimore, MD also train in Daito-ryu aiki-jujutsu.
  • David Sims in Durham, NC is also licensed by the Naganuma branch of Kashima-shinden Jikishinkage-ryū.

In Seattle, Tōsha Dōjō ( 闘者道場 ) is the introductory practice led by two gentlemen I have mentored, which I mentioned above. It meets as part of the HEMA cooperative called Lonin League.

Bibliography

Below are some books I recommend on classical and traditional Japanese martial arts;

  1. Hall, D.A., 2012. Encyclopedia of Japanese martial arts. Kodansha USA.
  2. Hall, D.A., 2013. The Buddhist goddess Marishiten: a study of the evolution and impact of her cult on the Japanese warrior. Global Oriental.
  3. Iwasa, M., 2005. Kashima Shinden Jikishinkage-ryu. The Origin of Samurai Swordsmanship from Kashima Shrine. Samurai-Bushido Society.
  4. Yamada, J., 1927. Kashima Shinden Jikishinkage-ryū 鹿島神傳直心影流. Suishinsha.
  5. Amdur, E., 2015. Old School: Essays on Japanese Martial Traditions--Expanded Edition (2nd Edition). Freelance Academy Press.
  6. Amdur, E., 2018. Hidden in Plain Sight: Esoteric Power Training within Japanese Martial Traditions (2nd Edition). Freelance Academy Press.
  7. Friday, K.F. and Seki, F., 1997. Legacies of the Sword: The Kashima-Shinryu and Samurai Martial Culture. University of Hawaii Press.
  8. Knutsen, R., 2004. Rediscovering budo: From a swordsman's perspective. Global Oriental.
  9. Knutsen, R., 2011. Tengu: The Shamanic and Esoteric Origins of the Japanese Martial Arts, Brill.
  10. Krastev, G., Allera, A. and Takahiro Y. 2023. Unravelling the Cords: The Instructions of a Master in the Tradition of Taisha-ryū. Purple Cloud Books.
  11. Ohgami, S. and Threadgill, T., 2020. Shindo Yoshin Ryu: History and Technique.

Updated: