Tōsha Dōjō
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Seattle Jikishinkage-ryū
Two of the people I have mentored in the kata of Kashima-shinden Jikishinkage-ryū, Jake Harlin and Nicky Sayah Sina, have progressed to the point where they have a firm grasp of the art's fundamentals as I learned it at the Hōbyōkan.
Over the last six years we have practiced weekly at Lonin League, a martial arts cooperative in Seattle. I am handing Jake and Nicky this practice to continue as I enter a period of reflection and more singular focus in my training. I am working to align my kenjutsu practice fully with internal martial arts principles and do not want to distract their training in doing so, until I am ready to communicate clearly, especially if I might diverge somewhat from the teachings I received.
I have given them the name Tōsha Dōjō to use to refer to their practice; they maintain traditional kagageiko and conduct pressure testing called tameshi-ai. I visit them from time to time to continue their training, especially around the process of analysis of kata called kuzushi. Those interested in Jikishinkage-ryū training in Seattle can reach Nicky and Jake at Jiki at Lonin.
Their weekly practice concentrates on unpō (