Martial Arts and Culture
Inner Dharma is a writing project concerned with classical and traditional martial arts and culture that resulted in several publications.
In 2004, while visiting Dewa Sanzan (出羽三山) and the Gassan Dai Jinja (月山大神社) on Mt. Haguro, I decided to commit myself fully to the practice of classical and traditional martial arts. I shifted the focus of my training from Aikidō-inspired goshin-jutsu to Chinese internal martial arts and traditional Japanese swordsmanship.
Inner Dharma hosts a series of essays and articles documenting my progression and understanding along those paths. Over time I began pulling together my notes and thoughts into longer work on different lines of Shinkage-ryū, Japanese martial arts history, and the mountain religion of Shugendō.
The phrase hyakuren jitoku (百錬自得) means that through a great deal of practice you can better understand yourself. I am grateful for the opportunity to know myself a little better for having trained and written about my experiences. I feel each person needs to walk their own path, come to their own decisions about where and how best to train, and determine what the path of shugyō (austere training) means for them.
Mark Raugas
Seattle, WA
