月山兵法

Gassan Heihō [ 月山兵法 ] is the approach to Japanese swordsmanship maintained at the Gassankan. It draws on methods from the Jikishinkage-ryū kenjutsu taught at the Hōbyōkan [ 宝瓶館 ] as informed by a continued practice of internal martial arts.

We train independently and avoid using the character ryū (流; "school") to describe our activity. We do not consider ourselves an official or formal lineage and instead maintain a practice of traditional sword methods as a form of shugyō.

The famous Jikishinkage-ryū teacher Odani Nobutomo (1798-1864) rejected the concept of school names (ryūmei) as being narrow-minded, arguing swordsmanship should not be divided by lineage or set technique. Rather, he emphasized the importance of learning from one's opponents.

Weekly training is held in the SODO neighborhood, led by my two senior students as Tōsha Dōjō [ 闘者道場 ], which meets as part of the Lonin League cooperative. Weekly training includes:

1. Foundational walking and cutting practices.
2. Four seasons arrangement of foundational kata.
3. Tactical exchanges performed with leather-wrapped shinai.
4. Analysis of kata in a process of deconstruction (kuzushi).
5. Free practice called jigeiko.

Inquiries can be made through the link above, while additional information for current members can be found below: