External Resources

Below are links to resources and training opportunities recommended in traditional martial arts and culture:

☵ The Hobyōkan is a private dōjō in Rockville, Maryland led by David Hall, long-time student of Donn Draeger, Namiki Yasushi, and Yagyu Nobuharu. Arts taught at the Hobyōkan include Shindō Muso-ryu jo, Kashima-shinden Jiki Shinkage-ryu kenjutsu, and Yagyu Shinkage-ryu heihō.

☵ Yin Cheng Gong Fa North America (YCGF) is the Chinese internal martial arts organization led by Zhang Yun laoshi, lineal disciple of the late Grandmaster Wang Peisheng. Zhang Yun and his senior students are excellent sources of instruction in Baguazhang, Taijiquan, Xingyiquan, and Tongbeiquan. The YCGF website has a number of links to active training groups. In addition to the branches listed above, Rives Thornton holds Taijiquan classes Impact Martial Arts of Cascadia in Bellingham, WA.

☵ Araki-ryu Torite Kogusoku is a fierce martial tradition maintained by Ellis Amdur. He also a shihan of the classical naginata school Tenshin Buko-ryu, and maintains a blog called Kogen Budō.

☵ The Shinyokai is a koryu jujutsu organization led by Toby Threadgill, preserving the Takamura-ha Shindo Yoshin-ryu, a late Edo-period style of jujutsu encompassing both armed and unarmed combat in a refreshingly integrated manner. The Shinkyokai website has a comprehensive listing of current branch dojo.

☵ The Lonin League is a nonprofit martial arts collective focused on historical martial arts from around the world. Lonin is a group of groups, all lead by volunteer coaches.

☵ The Yushinkan. The Yushinkan is a Daito-ryu Kobukan and Takumakai shibu (branch) in NYC which teaches a traditional form of aiki-jujutsu as passed down by students of Takuma Hisa, who trained under Takeda Sokaku and Ueshiba Morihei in Daito-ryu. It is a small and dedicated group worth investigating as a source of training in Daito-ryu if you are in the tri-state area.

☵ The Seattle Aiki Club is a dojo located near Seattle led by Kenneth Freeman, which is part of Daito-ryu Aiki Jujutsu Kobukan under Takeshi Kawabe.

☵ The Ryuzukan (龍頭館) is a Daito-ryu dojo led by Chris Covington and Brian Wagner in Baltimore under the permission of Kondo Katsuyuki, the current leader of mainline Daito-ryu. Kondo Katsuyuki trained under Takeda Tokimune, the son of Takeda Sokaku.