o ...... how do you tell whether that is real or fake ? how about this one ? http://tokumeikan.com/home.htm can someone tell me what is Katori Shinto Ryu and Ono-ha Itto Ryu ? no , wikipedia sources , I read them before . I prefer to listen from you guys .
http://www.koryu.com is a fairly good source for information on ryuha and koryu in general, including some information on where they are taught, and how to differentiate between fakes and the real thing. Though, it never hurts to check with those with actual experience (as you are doing here!)
Katori Shinto-ryu and Ono-ha Itto-ryu are both very old, genuine and influential kenjutsu schools. If you find a legitimate teacher of either of these, then I would say go for it absolutely. How to tell if a dojo is real or fake? Well, I would suggest you listen to the people in this forum who are living or have lived in Japan. They know what they are talking about. Unfortunately, it is getting a lot harder to detect the fakes these days, even for people who are somewhat educated about the subject. This is because the frauds are becoming a lot more sophisticated in their efforts and they now have a wide range of media (books, videos, DVDS and now even Youtube) to copy from. They have also learned now to shed the trademark signs of frauds (e.g. red gi, yin-yang symbols, dragons and tigers) and are adopting more "Japanese looking" attire and trappings. Thus, they are now armed with enough superficial knowledge to fool even people who have done their homework. Ming, you are perfectly correct in not wanting to rely on Wikipedia or other sources. Reading the material at koryu.com is an excellent way to weed out the majority of cheap frauds, but unfortunately it is no longer foolproof. Sadly, many frauds are now so advanced in their fakery that the only way to stay ahead of them is to check with people who are actually on the ground in Japan or have contacts there. Good luck.
This dojo practices the Sugino line of Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto-ryu and apparently mainline Ono-ha Itto-ryu. However, I am not sold about the founder. For how long? What are his licences in the This matters a great deal. If he has only been living in Japan for 1-2 years, he shouldn't be fully teaching, since he hasn't fully internalized the teachings, mindsets, habits of everyone of these ryuha. Yagyu Shinkage-ryu, Ono-ha Itto-ryu, Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto-ryu and Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryu are all sword schools with VERY different methodologies. Yagyu Shinkage-ryu and Ono-ha Itto-ryu are apples and oranges in the way things are run - the only real similarity is that they use the Japanese sword. Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto-ryu, is even more different. I'd go and have a look before joining, but I'd also do a hell of a lot of homework on everything related. Mr. Tong (The founder of Tokumeikan) from further reading has only spent 4 years in Japan. It is not clear if he still does regular visits. But even then, 4 years and four different koryu? Not enough time spent learning IMHO. (I spent 9 1/2 years in Japan learning koryu and make twice yearly trips to Japan to touch base and make sure I know my chosen arts to the best of my abilities. I still think that my time spent living in Japan was not really enough.) Just do your homework and research. Do kengaku (Observe training) and see what the atmosphere and technique is like.
My opinion? 4 years spent learning a single gendai art isn't enough, let alone 4 koryu arts + kendo! Go to Kendo World and ask someone who has done kendo for 4 years whether they consider themselves a sensei...
It would be interesting to find out what licenses and teaching permission he received from the ryu-ha in Japan. I imagine those would give a clearer and idea of how his ability was viewed by the ryu-ha.
Absolutely.. They won't, and, I have a family member who's a rokudan and he doesn't really like being called "sensei"
If you don't have any luck finding a kenjutsu dojo, but you still want awesome fighting ability, you could try this
Do not sit down on your office chair, there might be a dwarf ninja with a bamboo spear ready to jab it up yer ****.
There are HNIR practices in Calgary. Not so far for you to travel. http://ejmas.com/tin/2005tin/tinart_gilham_1005.html
I am there now for an HNIR seminar http://seidokai.ca/iai-nitenseminar.html I was told that the new homepage was put up yesterday. I will try to post the URL before I leave. Regards
