内法

Inner Dharma is a blog concerned with traditional martial arts and culture.

The Shin-no-Shinkage heihō of Ogasawara Genshinsai

10 April 2025


Discussing recent scholarship on the early/proto Jikishinkage-ryu kenjutsu of Ogasawara Genshinsai, which he called Shin-no-shinkage heihō, highlighting the influence of Taoism and esoteric Buddhist practice on his swordsmanship.

Kagami Biraki at Lonin 2025

03 February 2025


I attended Kagami Biraki at Lonin League in Seattle, Feb 2025. It was a privilege to see the demonstrations of budo from members of Tenshin Buko-ryu, Takamura-ha Shindo Yoshin Ryu, and Japanese Fighting Arts Northwest.

Visiting Kyoto and Nara

10 October 2024


Visiting sacred places has been an important component of my martial arts training over the years. I recently spent time visiting Kyoto and Nara.

Divergence and Unification in Shinkage-ryū

09 September 2024


Link to an essay on kata, heiho and shugyo, where I compare and contrast different surviving lines of Shinkage-ryū and reflect on my own practice.

The Opening and Closing of Doors

20 June 2024


I trained in the art of Kashima-shinden Jikishinkage-ryū at the Hōbyōkan before moving to Seattle in 2016. I then worked with a small number of people in order to maintain my practice. This activity centered around the performance of traditional kata as informed by my understanding of internal martial arts principles, the analysis of kata in a process called kuzushi and pressure testing called tameshi-ai.

Kagami Biraki 2024

15 February 2024


Kagami Biraki held at Lonin League in Seattle, Feb 2024. Our group performed selected from the curriculum of Jikishinkage-ryū; we were honored to be able to watch the demonstrations by Tenshin Buko-ryu and our guests Japanese Fighting Arts Northwest.

Tsubaki Grand Shrine America

30 June 2023


Visiting Tsubaki Grand Shrine America in June of 2023, before it is closed.

General Qi Jiguans's Jixiao Xinshu and Reflections on Claims of Martial Virtue

16 February 2023


An essay published at Kogen Budo, where I look at some older writings from Japanese koryu that reference classical Chinese military treatises, and then examine how practices described in those works may be represented in arts surviving today.

Kagami Biraki 2023

15 February 2023


Our group participated in a Kagami Biraki ceremony to observe the Lunar New Year in Seattle in January 2023. We performed kata selected from the curriculum of Jikishinkage-ryū and were honored to watch presentation from the Tenshin Buko-ryu class at Lonin.

Keiko at Seattle Budokan

30 August 2021


In August we conducted group practice at the Seattle Budokan in August 2021 during a lull in the pandemic. We have been training outdoors in the Seattle area for the last year after Lonin League lost its space and it was nice to be back for an afternoon in a traditional dojo.

Gogyō Exegesis

14 May 2020


An essay describing my experience, thinking, and choices regarding attempting to practice multiple koryū and then deciding not to.

2019 Pittsburgh Taiji Seminar with Zhao Zeren and Zhang Yun

12 May 2019


Pittsburgh seminar in Northern Wu Style Taijiquan with Zhao Zeren and Zhang Yun.

Perspectives and Priorities – proper training perspective and intensity in classical martial arts

23 March 2019


A discussion of what consititutes proper training intensity in traditional martial arts. An examination of some of the important questions raised by a practice of traditional historical martial arts.

Swordsquatch 2018

16 September 2018


Some photos from final matches at Swordsquatch 2018 in Seattle, WA can be found below.

Swordsquatch 2017

16 September 2017


Photos from final matches at Swordsquatch 2017 in Seattle, WA:

2017 Taiji Classics Seminar

18 June 2017


Attending a seminar detailing excerpts from the Taiji classics.

Aiki and Internal Training

23 February 2017


Collected thoughts on the historical influence of Chinese martial arts on Japanese jujutsu and how they relate to the topic of aiki in Aikido and Daito-ryu. What interested me about internal martial arts and how I have related that experience to my practice of Japanese budō.

Enbu for Karunakaran

15 September 2016


Memorial demonstration in honor of the late Karunakaran-sensei, senior student of Donn Draeger in Shinto Muso-ryu Jo.

Longpoint 2016

15 August 2016


This Saturday afternoon I visited Turf Valley Resort in Ellicot City, MD, to watch the tournament finals at Longpoint, one of the premier Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) gatherings in the United States. Enthusiasts attended the multi-day even from as far away as Gothenburg, Helsinki, The Netherlands, and Italy.

Wu Taiji Quan Seminar with Zhao Zeren and Zhang Yun

23 May 2016


Zhao Zeren and Zhang Yun taught a series of three seminars on the Wu Style Taiji Quan of Wang Peisheng during May 2016 in Princeton, Pittsburgh, and Silver Spring.

Kagami Biraki 2016

01 March 2016


This winter, the Hobyokai and Masakikai and guests gathered for their annual kagami biraki gathering.

Princeton Bagua and Taiji Seminar 2015

15 September 2015


At the end of summer, I traveled to Princeton for a seminar in Bagua and Taiji and was accepted as a formal lineal student by my teacher, Zhang Yun. I also traveled to the Pacific Northwest, where I was able to visit with budo colleagues in Oregon.

Kagami Biraki 2015

01 March 2015


This winter, the Hobyokai and Masakikai and guests gathered for their annual kagami biraki gathering.

Photos from Capital Katori

15 December 2014


From 2005 to 2015, I actively trained in a line of Katori Shintō-ryū maintained at Capital Aikikai. I was introduced to what at the time was a small study group there by Bob Galeone, my teacher in Gao Lineage Bagua. Over the years, I learned a large portion of the curriculum they taught and received their first rank, called mokuroku. Afterwards, our group lead was deployed in the Army and I continued to train, but missed having regular instruction – this is when I began training at the Hobyokan.

Kagami Biraki 2014

01 March 2014


This winter, the Hobyokai and Masakikai and guests gathered for their annual kagami biraki gathering.

NAMT Night of Budo 2013 – an analysis

17 June 2013

A brief reflection on a demonstration of Araki-ryū and Tenshin Buko-ryū at the NAMT 2013 Night of Budo.

Kagami Biraki 2013

01 March 2013


This winter, the Hobyokai and Masakikai and guests gathered for their annual kagami biraki gathering.

Three Treasures and Six Harmonies

01 June 2008


An examination of baguazhang body mechanics compared to modern kempo. A discussion of power generation in internal martial arts. How training in internal martial arts changed my Aikido.

Dewa Sanzan

30 November 2005


Visiting sacred places has been an important component of my martial arts training over the years. It was in 2004, while visiting the Dewa Sanzan area, including Gassan Dai Jinja ( 月山大 神社 ) on Mt. Haguro and the Haguro-san Kōtakuji Shōzenin ( 羽黒山荒沢 寺正善院 ) Kogane-do in Haguro-machi associated to Haguro Shugendō, that I realized I needed to study classical and traditional arts instead of continuing to teach modern goshin-jutsu.