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Gyokkushin
19th December 2005, 02:14
I was considering opening a school in the UK (London/Bristol/Cardiff) but do not know how well received kenjutsu with tameshigiri would be nor if I would be entering on someone's backyard.

I would be most appreciative if anyone could give me some feedback if tameshigiri would do well in the UK and if there may be enough student interest to sustain a school there.

Cheers!

John Dzikowski
Kyushin Ryu (Kumiuchi, kyujutsu, kenjutsu, batto)

Chidokan
20th December 2005, 19:16
There are quite a few ryu here in the UK already, so please state which style you wish to teach, it may be you can just join one of the groups and save a lot of trouble finding dojo and members etc.
You have also specified quite a wide area for a dojo, (nearly the whole of central england in fact!), so I am guessing you are not sure where you are staying yet?
As for tameshigiri, there is some interest and it goes on here already, but only as a part of study, not as an end in itself.

Gyokkushin
20th December 2005, 19:56
There are quite a few ryu here in the UK already, so please state which style you wish to teach, it may be you can just join one of the groups and save a lot of trouble finding dojo and members etc.
You have also specified quite a wide area for a dojo, (nearly the whole of central england in fact!), so I am guessing you are not sure where you are staying yet?
As for tameshigiri, there is some interest and it goes on here already, but only as a part of study, not as an end in itself.


I teach the Kyushin Ryu (koryu) style of kenjutsu as instructed by Inugami Hidetsuni. Being that it is a koryu, the Kyushin has not only kenjutsu but also bo, jo, yari, naginata, tanto, shoto, kyu, kusari as well as kumiuchi and calligraphy (bunburyodo). Our tameshigiri was also done with naginata, tanto and shoto, so this would be part of the practice.

As far as where I would be staying, that would depend upon where the dojo would be located. I am not particularly favoring a specific place. Hopefully, I would like to host a taikai where practicioners from around the UK could compete and tameshigiri would be one of those events.

Thank-you for your reply!

Cheers!

John

poryu
21st December 2005, 13:48
HI

There is already Kyushin Ryu in the UK

http://www.kyushinryu.com/

yoj
21st December 2005, 13:54
Although they don't appear to be the kyushin:

"In the early 90's we left this association and joined another continuing and increasing our national and international relations. Our group of clubs was now growing very rapidly including the opening of clubs outside of Kent with one of our Club Coaches moving to West Sussex with his employment, soon we had clubs in West Sussex as well our native Kent so the name Kent Ju Jitsu Clubs didn't seem quite right so the name "Kyushin Ryu Ju Jitsu" was chosen by the club coaches as the name we would be known by from this time onwards, it meant that the name could be used in any clubs that we opened wherever they were situated"

Gyokkushin
21st December 2005, 15:01
HI

There is already Kyushin Ryu in the UK

http://www.kyushinryu.com/

That looks to be true however, they do not appear to train with weapons and I do not remember having that rainbow of belts when we came through the system. Perhaps we both are Kyushin but I do not see much that is similar...

John Dzikowski

Mekugi
21st December 2005, 17:44
Hey John,

Where did you learn this? From what I understand, Kyushin Ryu is a dead martial art. Yet, I do know that some of the techniques are preserved in Kumamoto as the Higo-ryu no taijutsu kata. In addition to that Kyushin-ryu's modern significance is felt as part of the Butoku-ryu Judo seitei kata formation comittee. It was around in Fukuoka for a long time and there were some of the Sosuishitsuryu shihan that studied it, but it made it's way into obscurity. A friend of mine met the living lineal successor (in lineage only, he does not practice or have any students) in Chikugo, Fukuoka- but his father was the last.


I teach the Kyushin Ryu (koryu) style of kenjutsu as instructed by Inugami Hidetsuni. Being that it is a koryu, the Kyushin has not only kenjutsu but also bo, jo, yari, naginata, tanto, shoto, kyu, kusari as well as kumiuchi and calligraphy (bunburyodo). Our tameshigiri was also done with naginata, tanto and shoto, so this would be part of the practice.

As far as where I would be staying, that would depend upon where the dojo would be located. I am not particularly favoring a specific place. Hopefully, I would like to host a taikai where practicioners from around the UK could compete and tameshigiri would be one of those events.

Thank-you for your reply!

Cheers!

John

Gyokkushin
21st December 2005, 17:52
Hey John,

Where did you learn this? From what I understand, Kyushin Ryu is a dead martial art. It was around in Fukuoka for a long time and there were some of the Sosuishitsuryu shihan that studied it, but it made it's way into obscurity. Yet, I do know that some of the techniques are preserved in Kumamoto as the Higo-ryu no taijutsu kata.

Myself, and about 4 long time regulars with over a dozen or so transients, learned from Inugami Hidetsuni in South Pittsburgh. He never had a website nor email. The school was smallish so our kyu, bo and naginata work was done outside wether it snowed or not. :)

Is there any interest for this training in the UK?

Cheers!

John Dzikowski

Mekugi
21st December 2005, 17:54
Is this person available (or alive) to contact? Where did he learn?

Myself, and about 4 long time regulars with over a dozen or so transients, learned from Inugami Hidetsuni in South Pittsburgh. He never had a website nor email. The school was smallish so our kyu, bo and naginata work was done outside wether it snowed or not. :)

Is there any interest for this training in the UK?

Cheers!

John Dzikowski

Steve Delaney
21st December 2005, 18:00
Hey John,

Where did you learn this? From what I understand, Kyushin Ryu is a dead martial art. It was around in Fukuoka for a long time and there were some of the Sosuishitsuryu shihan that studied it, but it made it's way into obscurity. Yet, I do know that some of the techniques are preserved in Kumamoto as the Higo-ryu no taijutsu kata.

Indeed, as someone who has had to translate English letters for the secretary of the Nihon Kobudo Shinkokai, the topic of Kyushin-ryu has come up repeatedly from both the UK and from Australia. We have had to reply that it is no longer active.

There is a dojo in Kumamoto, that teaches Judo and Shiten-ryu Kumi-uchi. They also teach the Higo-ryu taijutsu no kata, which contains at least one kata from Kyushin-ryu.

I thought that the Inugami family line had gone with Inugami Gunjiro. The current master was Noda Jintaro, who died a few years back.

Chidokan
22nd December 2005, 20:27
So how long did you train with him for? just curious...
It would also be nice to find out the ryu has not disappeared and is still ongoing in Pittsburgh, I am sure some of the people who write here would be interested in popping along.
As for the UK, its the same as anywhere else... you have people who are only interested in going if you babysit them from their house to the dojo and handfeed them, others who 'try it for a while', then the obsessive types you cant get rid of... :) Like me :D
You will find your ability here will also dictate how many students you have. OK, we have conmen here who just do it for the money and people go there because they dont know any better, however we also have very long term teachers who have been involved in MA since WWW2...these are the people in the area you have to 'compete' against. No doubt you will have an interest in your ryu, but I hope you have a proper job as you wont make any money at MA over here!!!! :D (if so we would have all left our boring jobs years ago!)