剣法

Gassan Kenpō

The Gassankan [ 月山館 ] maintains a practice of classical Japanese weapons arts that is centered around the combative use of the sword. Our kenpō (剣法; "sword methods") are drawn from several sources, including lines of Shinkage-ryū practice passed down at the Hōbyōkan founded by Dr. David Hall, as informed by my continued practice of internal martial arts.

Some of my ongoing research can be found in the references, including a small book on Kashima-shinden Jikishinkage-ryū kenjutsu:

The Truth of the Calm Spirit: The Practice of Shinkage-ryū Heihō as Taoist Internal Alchemy, M. Raugas, 2025.

 

Gassankan Keiko 2021

Where To Train

I moved to Seattle in 2016 and began working with a small number of people to preserve my practice. Eight years later, I handed that practice to two of my senior students to lead, to help further their own development.

The weekly training I began in Seattle is now held in the SODO neighborhood, led by my two senior students as Tōsha Dōjō [ 闘者道場 ], part of the Lonin League cooperative. This includes:

1. Foundational walking and cutting practices.
2. Four seasons arrangement of foundational kata.
3. Tactical exchanges performed with leather-wrapped shinai.
4. Free practice called jigeiko.

Inquiries can be made through Lonin at the link above. Some of my published writing on Shinkage-ryū can be found on the references page.