Inner Dharma began life as a blog, when such things were first starting. It shifted over time to longer-form essays and articles on classical and traditional, especially internal, martial arts and I am pleased to announce that some of its content is now published. Below you can find chronological training updates and short notes from the first 10 years of Inner Dharma.
December 2025: Reflecting on twenty years of writing on martial arts, the integration of internal principles into classical swordsmanship, and a concluding pilgrimage to Japan.
June 2025: I recently visited Koyasan Tokyo Betsuin 高野山 東京別院 in Shinagawa as well as the Tokyo National Museum to see exhibits of nihonto, including examples from Masamune, and early Buddhist sculpture.
February 2025: An example of the deconstruction of kata. Kuzushi is the name for the activity of pulling apart and analyzing kata in Shinkage-ryū, making connections between different parts of its curriculum. It also at times can refer to sudden, spontaneous, change.
February 2025: I attended Kagami Biraki at Lonin League in Seattle, Feb 2025. It was a privilege to see the demonstrations of budō from members of Tenshin Bukō-ryū, Takamura-ha Shindo Yoshin-ryū Murakumo Dojo, and Japanese Fighting Arts Northwest.
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.
June 2024: Tōsha Dōjō is a small training activity that meets weekly as part of Lonin League in Seattle and is focused on traditional kata practice and free sparring with armor and shinai.
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 Bukō-ryū and our guests Japanese Fighting Arts Northwest.
June 2023: Visiting Tsubaki Grand Shrine America in June of 2023, before it is closed.
February 2023: An essay published at Kogen Budo, where I look at some older writings from Japanese koryū that reference classical Chinese military treatises, and then examine how practices described in those works may be represented in arts surviving today.
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 Bukō-ryū class at Lonin.
September 2021: I provide some information on the organization, goals, and overal training context of my efforts at preserving a practice of Jikishinkage-ryū kenjutsu (heihō) and related arts as part of the Gassankan.
May 2019: Pittsburgh seminar in Northern Wu Style Tàijíquán with Zhao Zeren and Zhang Yun.
May 2018: Kagunomine is the spring peak observance practiced in certain forms of Shugendo. With spring in full bloom, I look back over the last six months and provide an update on my training. Ideas both orthodox and heretical abound.
September 2017: I have been spending time at solo practice, consulting with colleagues, and free sparring. I remain inspired by what I see some of the local HEMA community doing with their arts and have benefited from being able to witness some of their skill first hand.
March 2017: From 2005 to 2015 I actively trained in an unofficial line of Katori Shintō-ryū and decided not to attempt to resume that practice, even though I now live in a nexus of the art taught in a traditional manner.
September 2016: Moving to Seattle — continuing to walk the same paths.
August 2016: The Hobyokai and Masakikai held a memorial enbu to commemorate the passing of Karunakanan, senior Shindo Muso-ryū student of Donn Draeger.
June 2016: Bagua Dao practice and reflections on the development and expression of Jin in Jikishinkage-ryū kenjutsu.
June 2016: A short training update and reflection on preferences in martial arts.
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.
March 2016: This winter, the Hobyokai and Masakikai and guests gathered for their annual kagami biraki gathering.
February 2016: I spent some time organizing my jūjutsu teaching recently, to more easily transmit foundational elements. I also had the opportuntiy to practice with several of my Jikishinkage-ryū sempai I hadn't trained with in some time.
August 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.
August 2015: Decluttering practice, finding inspiration.
March 2015: This winter, the Hobyokai and Masakikai and guests gathered for their annual kagami biraki gathering.
January 2015: In the new year, I have decided to focus my martial arts efforts to continued regular participation in two schools — Yin Cheng Gong Fa and the Hobyokan
November 2014: I am, over time, attempting to focus my kenjutsu practice. I have studied under two schools of Japanese swordsmanship that may once have been related in the distant echoes of time, but now are quite divergent. It is interesting to explore the benefits each provide to a practitioner, and how they relate to my continu...
November 2014: This weekend, Capital Katori hosted Sugawara Tetsutaka (Aikidō 7th dan shihan, Katori Shintō-ryū kiyoshi) for a three day seminar on Aikidō and Katori Shintō-ryū.
March 2014: This winter, the Hobyokai and Masakikai and guests gathered for their annual kagami biraki gathering.
June 2013: A brief reflection on a demonstration of Araki-ryū and Tenshin Bukō-ryū at the NAMT 2013 Night of Budo by Ellis Amdur a reknowned kobujutsu, Aikidō and internal martial arts researcher and practitioner, demonstrating two arts he has mastered.
March 2013: This winter, the Hobyokai and Masakikai and guests gathered for their annual kagami biraki gathering.
August 2011: In early 2007 I completed a 200 hour level Yoga Alliance certified teacher training at Midtown Yoga in Baltimore under Kim Manfredi in Hatha and Vinyasa Yoga. I took the step to engage in formal teacher training to deepen my asana practice, which began as an adjunct to my rock climbing, endurance sports, and martial...
October 2008: In Baltimore, after leaving my first dōjō in NYC, I continued to work on refining the modern goshin-jutsu 護身術 methods I had first learned with my colleague Ben Lawner. The result was a smaller curriculum informed by our practice of Gao lineage bagua.
July 2008: Some updates on my training in kenjutsu and taiji.
May 2008: I attended the 2008 summer Yin Cheng Gong Fa seminar in Frederick, MD.
April 2008: Linear bagua of Liu Dekuan consits of 64 short movements practiced in eight sets.
March 2008: A discussion of levels of practice in traditional internal martial arts.
March 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 Aikidō.
