June 2026
Sōjaku-no-koto (相尺之事; mutual distance or measure) is one of the formal matters listed in historical mokuroku of Jiki Shinkage-ryū kenjutsu. We examine its relationship to Sino-Japanese philosophical concepts.
May 2026
Last in a series. We examine a seal of transmission of self-protective methods dated 1675 and compare it against a different line of transmission from 1812.
May 2026
A brief discussion of the seasonal mappings of kata in Jiki Shinkage-ryū kenjutsu and how those relate to Daoist complementarity, five phase theory, and partially to Mikkyō concepts.
May 2026
Tracing the threads from the legendary Kyō Hachi Ryū and Kiichi Hōgen at Kurama, through the tengu pantheon of Mt. Atago, Kōyasan, and Kotohira, to the eight cipher-names Sekishūsai used to hide the Yagyū Shinkage-ryū Tengushō kata in his picture catalog.
May 2026
A poem by Fu Dashi (497-569).
April 2026
Tàijíquán, along with Xíngyìquán and Bāguàzhǎng, forms the core of the internal martial arts, distinguished by their grounding in Taoist philosophy and Neigong practices.
March 2026
A retrospective on twenty years of training in kenjutsu.
March 2026
These notes collect the documentary side of some of my research into the *gokui* (極意) of Kashima-shinden Jiki Shinkage-ryū.
June 2025
Reading the kata of Jiki Shinkage-ryū through kuzushi — from the hidden order of initiative in tō-no-kata, through the turning point at its capstone, to the close-quarter application of kodachi — framed by the triad of heaven, earth, and man.
April 2025
Last year I began additional training in the union of Yoga and Buddhism offered through Tibet House. As part of this training, an essay comparing the Astanga (8-limbs) of Patanjali with the Buddhist Noble Eightfold path.
September 2024
Link to an essay on kata, heihō and shugyō, where I compare and contrast different surviving lines of Shinkage-ryū and reflect on my own practice.
September 2020
On solo practice, free sparring, entering HEMA competition, and the waning intensity of classical martial arts. A synthesis of reflections from 2017 to 2020 on what it means to keep kenjutsu practice alive.
August 2019
Reflections on a decade of practice in Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū, the decision to leave the art, and an analysis of what may lie hidden beneath its surface.
July 2012
Some notes on Japanese mountain religion from the Tōhoku region of Japan and its importance to pracititioners of arts derived from the teachings of Takeda Sokaku.
August 2011
Some details on my ongoing practice of yoga and vajrayana.
March 2008
In Xíngyìquán classics there are three levels of practice described: ming jin, an jin, and hou jin. Ming jin is called “visible practice,” where skill is evident in the characteristics of movement and motion. An jin is called “hidden practice,” where technique is expressed inside the body. Hou jin is called “dissolved practice,” where the body is transformed.