Seminar Instructor
John Evans holds seventh dan in Nakamura Ryu swordsmanship and was the first foreigner to train intensively with Nakamura Taisaburo Sensei in Japan where he lived for 11 years. He is the head teacher of the Fudokan school in London and his book Kurikara – the Sword and the Serpent will be released by Blue Snake Books in December. He is a senior adviser with the Shudokan Martial Arts Association.
The fluidity of Nakamura Ryu Battodo requires considerable skill and great power in the lower body to master the necessary transfer of momentum from one cutting movement into the next. This ability is learnt through correct tanren or conditioning which binds together internal and external power. This seminar will focus on the use of the tanrenbo to cultivate this ability and its application in kata, tameshigiri, uchikomi and kumitachi. Shibori tanrenbo can be purchased for use in the seminar. The tapered handle of the shibori tanrenbo develops correct tenouchi without muscular strain.
Lecturer (Saturday)
SMAA member Paul Martin, who is presenting the lecture and Q & A session on Saturday afternoon, is an accomplished martial artist and expert on the Japanese sword. In 1993 he joined The British Museum in London, eventually achieving his goal of joining the Department of Japanese Antiquities.
Paul left the British Museum in 2003 and relocated to Los Angeles, where in 2005 he curated an exhibition of modern Japanese swords (hailed by the Los Angeles Japanese Consulate General “as the first exhibition of its kind in America.”) at The Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena.
In October 2006, he became the first non-Japanese to win the NBTHK Tokyo Chapter kantei kai (sword appraisal meeting). He continues to study the Japanese sword as well as kendo, iaido, Ono‑ha Itto Ryu kenjutsu, and battojutsu in Japan.
Schedule
Friday, September 10
19:00 – 21:00 Lecture on tanren and demonstration of its applications
Saturday, September 11
11:30 – 13:30 Tanrenbo and abdominal breathing
13.30 – 14.30 Lunch break
14.30 – 15.30 Lecture and Q and A with Paul Martin on swords for tameshigiri
15:30 – 18:00 Tanrenbo training and kata
Sunday, September 12
09:00 – 13:00 Tanrenbo training kumitachi and tameshigiri
Seminar Fees
Seminar and Shibori Tanrebo $220 (SMAA members $180)
Seminar only $160 (SMAA members $120)
Friday lecture and demonstration only $15
All seminar booking and enquiries: info@battodo-fudokan.co.uk
For enquiries about SMAA membership: shudokan@smaa-hq.com
Kurikara – The Sword and the Serpent
The Eightfold Way of The Japanese Sword
by John Maki Evans
(To be published by Blue Snake Books in December 2010)
This book sets out the eight components of training essential to complete Japanese swordsmanship. This is not a manual of a single system but indicates the principles that underlie all sword schools giving practical examples and anecdotes from the author’s wide experience. Battodo is currently the fastest growing Japanese sword art and the author was the first foreign student to train closely with Nakamura Taisaburo, widely acknowledged as the master of this field. This book also explains how inner power is necessary to achieve mastery such as Nakamura Sensei’s and how it can be systematically developed. This systematic approach is based on the authors training in Mikkyo (Japanese Vajrayana Buddhism) and shugendo (mountain asceticism).
This seminar is sponsored by the Shudokan Martial Arts Association
What is the SMAA?
The Shudokan Martial Arts Association (SMAA) is an international coalition of enthusiasts dedicated to promoting traditional Japanese budo and koryu bujutsu. The SMAA is a nonprofit corporation, headed by an elite group of high-ranking Japanese and Western instructors whose backgrounds encompass many decades of studying and teaching the traditional martial arts and ways of Japan.
Who can join?
The SMAA invites all individuals who are interested in traditional Japanese budo and koryu bujutsu to apply for membership. There are two levels of membership in the SMAA: full members are eligible to apply for rank and teaching titles; associate members receive all the other benefits of membership, but do not receive rank or titles.
Location of the Dojo
The Alameda Aikikai Dojo
2025 Clement Avenue
Alameda, California 94501
USA
We hope to see many SMAA members at the lecture/demonstration and or the weekend seminar. Don't miss your chance to learn the art of the Japanese sword from one of the world's top experts!
