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View Full Version : Kenjutso/Iaijutso in or around Dallas, TX



nugget96
1st April 2006, 04:53
Greetings,
I am looking for a Kenjutso/Iaijutso dojo somewhere in the dallas area. If anyone could help I would really appreciate it. Been trying to find a suitable sword art school for some time. Thankyou for your time and consideration.

Respectfully,
Vince Inglhofer

Douglas Wylie
1st April 2006, 19:52
Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu is taught in Denton TX by John Ray sensei. He is the senior instructor in the US for the 22nd soke, Ikeda Takashi.

http://www.dentondojo.com/

pgsmith
3rd April 2006, 19:19
Hello Vince,
Japanese sword arts are pretty slim pickings for an area with as much population as DFW. Shoot me an email and I can fill you in on pretty much everything in the area.

Charles Mahan
3rd April 2006, 20:41
Oh I don't think it's all that bad comparatively. Ray-sensei's up here in Denton, you're in Plano, and then there are at least two different Kendo groups. One in Addison and one in Southlake.

4 isn't too bad considering how little there is in other areas.

pgsmith
3rd April 2006, 21:00
I guess you're right. But I think of the Los Angeles area, or the Seattle area, or New York. They've got bunches of choices. I've always felt that, for the number of people that live in this area, there just seems to be a lack of interest in the Japanese arts in general. Especially when you consider that there are several universities and several large Japanese companies in the area. Too many cowboys, not enough samurai! :)

Charles Mahan
3rd April 2006, 21:22
Vince,

You are more than welcome to swing by the dojo and watch practice during any of the regular training sessions listed on the website Doug posted. Saturday morning is a good choice, as we all head down to a mexican food place for late breakfast. It's a good oppurtunity to ask questions and get to know people.

nugget96
4th April 2006, 14:45
thankyou guys very much for your prompt reply....unfortunately saturdays are out for me.....I work commission and Sat is one of the best days.....cant miss it.....but I am off on Thursdays......but this week I am preparing for Scarborough Faire......as I will be working the Angelsword booth. If you guys ever want an exceptionally made weapon check out the website Angelsword.com or come swing by Scarboroughe Faire down by Waxahachie. Should be pretty fun.

nugget96
4th April 2006, 14:47
whoops...forgot my name....lolz

Vince Inglhofer

Charles Mahan
4th April 2006, 15:35
thankyou guys very much for your prompt reply....unfortunately saturdays are out for me.....I work commission and Sat is one of the best days.....cant miss it.....but I am off on Thursdays......but this week I am preparing for Scarborough Faire......as I will be working the Angelsword booth. If you guys ever want an exceptionally made weapon check out the website Angelsword.com or come swing by Scarboroughe Faire down by Waxahachie. Should be pretty fun.

I don't know if Ricky Mangus is working the booth this year, but if he is say hi. I'm afraid we aren't really much interested in the swords at Angelsword for training purposes. Unless they've changed substantially in the last couple of years or so, the katana like swords don't really meet our needs. Don't get me wrong, they look like nice weapons, and there's a lot of cool stuff coming out of Angelsword, but not really anything that we can use for training.

Having worked commission for 5 years I can sympathize. Saturday is typically our most crowded class, so perhaps it's just as well. There are classes on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday as well. Tuesday night doesn't start until 7pm so it's easier to deal with traffic.

Kendoguy9
4th April 2006, 15:55
<<I guess you're right. But I think of the Los Angeles area, or the Seattle area, or New York. They've got bunches of choices.>>

Sorry for the thread drift but I just realized that the Baltimore, DC, Northern VA area (all within an hour or so drive from any one location, depending on traffic) has a lot of Koryu. I know of off hand:

Daito-ryu aikijujutsu
Yagyu Shinkage-ryu heiho and Seigo-ryu batto
Jikishinkage-ryu heiho
5 Shindo Muso-ryu jo grous with the various weapons
Katori Shinto-ryu
Muso Shinden-ryu
Masaki-ryu manrikigusari
Toyama-ryu batto/Nakamura-ryu batto
Mugai-ryu iai-heiho
a branch of Heki-ryu kyudo

And I might be missing a few.

I am not including kendo, seitei iai, judo, aikido, karate, etc. dojo either.

Wow!

Mark Murray
4th April 2006, 16:32
<<I guess you're right. But I think of the Los Angeles area, or the Seattle area, or New York. They've got bunches of choices.>>

Sorry for the thread drift but I just realized that the Baltimore, DC, Northern VA area (all within an hour or so drive from any one location, depending on traffic) has a lot of Koryu. I know of off hand:

Daito-ryu aikijujutsu
Yagyu Shinkage-ryu heiho and Seigo-ryu batto
Jikishinkage-ryu heiho
5 Shindo Muso-ryu jo grous with the various weapons
Katori Shinto-ryu
Muso Shinden-ryu
Masaki-ryu manrikigusari
Toyama-ryu batto/Nakamura-ryu batto
Mugai-ryu iai-heiho
a branch of Heki-ryu kyudo

And I might be missing a few.

I am not including kendo, seitei iai, judo, aikido, karate, etc. dojo either.

Wow!

wow, is right. I knew there were a few, but not that many.

Could you list the 5 SMR jo groups? I knew of a few, but not that many. :)

Where is the Daito ryu located? Do they have open seminars? If PM is better, that'd be okay.

Thanks and sorry for the thread drift,

Charles Mahan
4th April 2006, 20:53
Huff-sensei(MJER Seitokai/ZNIR under Maruyama-sensei) still has a few students training in Woodbridge, Va as well.

nugget96
5th April 2006, 14:42
the angesword weapons are designed to do one thing......CUT......and they are superior in doing it.....the top 5 places in tamashigiri are held with his swords. anyways.....ill be getting a bokken from them as well. I have already emailed and gotten a response from the sensei at The Dojo.....he informed of a location in plano....that is even closer to me.....but that one is more toward tamashigiri........what do you guys think as a good course of action......learning cutting....or the more intense discipline and solo forms at the dojo in denton. Thank you guys for all your help and information.

respectfully,
Vince Inglhofer

Charles Mahan
5th April 2006, 15:13
Well. Paul Smith, who posted above, is the guy in Plano that Ray-sensei pointed you towards.

I'm reasonably certain Smith-sensei does more than just tameshigiri. We don't do it at all in Denton. It was banned within our organization by the 21st soke. What you might ought to do is ask Smith-sensei if it is ok to sit in on a class and observe.

pgsmith
7th April 2006, 17:05
I'm reasonably certain Smith-sensei does more than just tameshigiri.
Yup!
Most of our practice consists of kata and kumitachi. We only cut once every six to eight weeks.


... the top 5 places in tamashigiri are held with his swords.
Gotta point out that the cutting competition that Mr. Watson held at the Texas Ren Faire is not tameshigiri. First, he was using Bugei wara, which is very easy to cut. Second, tameshigiri is about testing what a person has learned in their practice. It is as much about proper attitude and body positioning as it is about completing the cut. It's very easy to learn how to cut something with a sharp sword (or even a dull one for that matter). It's much harder to learn how to properly use a Japanese sword in the manner that it was intended to be used.

Cheers,

nugget96
9th April 2006, 02:54
touche' mr. smith :)

Vince Inglhofer

rache
11th April 2006, 20:48
I have to agree that angel swords cutting is to test the swords performance more than anything else. They are very good swords but out of the price range for most students. I am pleased by there recent lean toward more traditional katanas.

Sorry in advance if this is getting off topic

Edit for spelling...

Wilkes
1st January 2016, 20:15
Hi Paul,
I just joined the group and am new to the practice...very new actually. I am going through some old posts and also live in the Dallas area. Do you have any addiaiotnal suggestions? I will check out the schools in Denton, Addison and Lancaster to start off with.
Thanks

Cady Goldfield
2nd January 2016, 02:16
Welcome to E-Budo, Wilkes.
Hopefully, someone will have some information to offer you regarding what's available locally. Our resident Texan swordsman, Paul Smith, might have some suggestions. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the forums.

Wilkes
2nd January 2016, 13:35
Thank you Cady. I have my first Kendo class this Tuesday and will follow up with an Iaido class next weekend, both at the DFW KIK. Interestingly, these classes are close to my home and in my old high school gym...I had no idea! If it seems like a good fit, I will slowly start getting my gear. I hope you have a happy new year.

Cady Goldfield
2nd January 2016, 15:27
Glad you found a dojo and a new pursuit. Good luck with your training, and enjoy. Happy new year.