How did you choose your ryu?

[ahc1272]

Hello everyone again.
The sword arts part of this forum is a bit on the quiet side, I guess? Taciturn swordsmen?

I'm curious and maybe it'd be great to hear from you guys: How did you find your style of swordsmanship/budo and how/why did you choose it?
Were you looking for something specific in the system? Cutting? Fast iai? Practical jujutsu?
How did you come across your master?
Were you walking to the bus stop when you met an unsuspecting master?
Was getting accepted difficult for you?

I don't know about many styles but I have a list of two or three that I'm currently very interested in training in. Trying to make my way and find a dojo. A bit curious about how/why everyone chose their style, etc.

Thank you
Al Chang

[Guy Buyens]

How did you find your style of swordsmanship/budo and how/why did you choose it?
Were you looking for something specific in the system? Cutting? Fast iai? Practical jujutsu?
How did you come across your master?
Were you walking to the bus stop when you met an unsuspecting master?
Was getting accepted difficult for you?


This is an interesting one.

I can tell you how I did it and I can discuss with you how I think it can be done. Let me first tell you on how things worked out with me

I first met my teachers in Italy, in 1983, during a demonstration tour of martial arts (including Sumo, naginata, karate, iai and jujutsu) in Italy.

At that time, I was participating in the demonstration of Shito Ryu Karate myself. Being a member of the national team, I did have some experience, and I believe this is part of the answer. It is much easier to make the choice if you can differentiate yourself.

After the demonstration in Milan, together, as part of a larger company, I travelled from to Sicily where I staid several days in the same hotel with my future teachers. And this is the second secret: spending time together allowed me to understand better how these members of Hontai Yoshin Ryu approached Budo.

The third step was obvous: I took off for Japan because I wanted to study with these people. I am now their student for 20 years.

So basically 3 steps:
1 = admiring the technique and the way how things are done based on some reference (beit personal experience in another art)
2 = getting to know the people
3 = an important personal investment to get beyond the surface

[socho]

when the student is ready ....
I was stationed in Japan. (having spent many years in open hand arts)
style 1 - My language teacher invited me to visit his dojo. I was hooked immediately.
style 2 -In time, one of his senior students, who also happened to train under another sensei, invited me to meet that teacher and train in that style. Hooked again. (later, with permission, started a group in this style)
style 3 - came back to the states, wanted to train, found a dojo led by someone I had met in Japan, friend of some friends, (variation of style 1). more good stuff
style 4 - attended a seminar with a visiting sensei, good stuff. later at a tai kai, got invited to start a study group. more good stuff.
- in between, lots of seminars and some shorter term training in numerous arts, all oddly interconnected, all with valuable lessons.
I'd say acceptance is not usually the issue. Investment from the teachers depends on commitment of the student.

good luck in your search,
Dave

[Kendoguy9]

Dumb luck twice in a row.

When I was in high school and college I did judo and a jujutsu system based off of Hakko-ryu jujutsu and judo kata. Okay stuff but not what I wanted. I wanted to study a koryu of some sort. My judo teacher had gone to Japan and got to train at Kondo sensei's dojo for a night and came back with interesting stories. At the same time Aikido Journal (when it was in print) had been running a lot of articles about Daito-ryu. I was very interested in the art. Plus the jujutsu I was doing was loosely based on Daito-ryu (Hakko-ryu and the Goshinjutsu no kata were both DR influenced). I was lucky because an aikido group (John Goss sensei in Baltimore, MD) began studying Daito-ryu with Kondo sensei and they were close to where I lived. Goss sensei had rented space from my judo teacher early on so I had a bit of an in I guess. From there lots of seminars and lots of travel (thus lots of $$$).

I knew I wanted to study a sword style that was somehow related to Daito-ryu and I just happened to get very lucky again that a sword teacher lived only an hour away and he taught Jikishinkage-ryu (Dr. Dave Hall). I had always wanted to study Jikishinkage-ryu. I read about it in Draeger's book Modern Budo and Bujutsu and thought, "Wow that is a style for me." How much better luck can you have?

I couldn't have asked for any better set up. It isn't every day you get to train in the ryu of your choice much less two of them! I hope you get as luck as I did with the ryu you are interested in. If I may ask which ryu do you think you like?

[Black and Blue]

I was teaching in a recreation center outside Washington DC and the ryu was looking for a place to rent. They rented downstairs. I observed a class and signed up for the next 20 years.I was lucky

Phil Scudieri
US Kobudo Director
ZNBR

[Guy Buyens]

I'd say acceptance is not usually the issue. Investment from the teachers depends on commitment of the student.


This sentence applies to a lot of the discussions on the web

[Chidokan]

started karate, drifted to taekwondo, and a friend did 'sword stuff' which sounded cool, so i went along ( it was kendo). I went to a seminar and also did some iaido (obviously didnt know it was that at the time), and decided to do more.... 30 odd years later I appear to be addicted...:D

[Cliff Judge]

You know, I have a story I can answer this question with, but I haven't figured out how to tell it in an interesting way yet.

[DDATFUS]

I was interested in koryu growing up, but there weren't any training opportunities for it in my neck of the woods. During college I did a bit of aikido and Muso Shinden Ryu iaido. While I enjoyed both arts (and still consider my aikido instructor to be a huge influence on my life), neither was quite what I was looking for.

When I started looking into graduate schools, I researched the locations of American koryu instructors and applied to schools that were within a reasonable driving distance of those dojo. As soon as I started law school I contacted my current instructor and asked if I could watch his class. After watching a couple of classes and having several conversations with him, he invited me to begin training.

This left me with a difficult choice. He teaches two sword arts-- Yagyu Shinkage Ryu and Jikishinkage Ryu. Both arts fascinated me. Much more information is available in English on Yagyu, of course, and I was really intrigued by what I had read. There was much less information available on Jikishinkage Ryu, but I really liked what I had read. What finally tipped the balance for me was when my teacher mentioned that his Shindo Muso Ryu instructor, Donn Draeger, had tried a couple of classes of Jikishinkage Ryu once upon a time and described it as the single most challenging physical training he had ever attempted.

Draeger thought that it was the most challenging training he had ever tried? Seriously, who could walk away from a challenge like that? I started Jikishinkage training and I've never regretted the choice.

[Fred27]

I started out my Martial arts "career" with aikido. I started with MA fairly late in life and my body wasnt (still isnt) in the best of shape. I managed to hurt my back about 4-5 months into the training. Not a major injury or anything but enough to force me NOT to do those frontal/back-rolls for awhile.
While I waited for my back to heal up enough I decided to observe what "those stick-dudes were doing" in the hall next to the Aikido hall.
I ended up taking a few classes and eventually "converted" to SMR-Jodo (and Iaido) full-time.

[J. Mijares]

I got into iai initially because my doctor advised me that if I didn't give up fencing for something a little less traumatic to my body I'd be dealing with a few broken ribs... I'd always been fascinated with the katana (thanks to Highlander The Series), so I started looking for schools that taught iai.

In Summer 1997, I checked out an MJER dojo and Power Sensei's batto-do dojo. The MJER dojo was about 35 miles roundtrip while Power Sensei's dojo was about 35 miles one way and held on a Sunday night. The MJER dojo was a decent size, maybe a little bigger than half a basketball court. Power Sensei held training in a small racquetball court.

Ultimately what led me to settle on batto-do was that Power Sensei was knowledgeable and patient. He was a leader who also displayed humility, and taught us that learning had to also be fun. And also, after my first couple of lessons, he always encouraged me to come back, no matter how much I may have botched a form or how crowded the dojo was (imagine six or more people swinging swords in a racquetball court). I never got that from the MJER sensei who, after the first lesson, told me how much the fees were and left it at that.

13 years later, I'm still making that journey of 70+ miles. Power Sensei is now retired from teaching, but Leung Sensei and I are carrying on the tradition of imparting our knowledge, and trying to do it with the same patience and humility that Power Sensei showed us.

[ahc1272]

Very cool! Thanks for all your answers.
THe process of getting aquainted with the arts seems reasonable and inspiring to see so many dedicated martial artists :)
I'm curious: what were you looking for? *(is that too personal?)

When you saw a new art/technique what was it that attracted you to it? Aesthetics? Practicality (ie if put in such a situation albeit VERY unlikely)?

I guess most would practice an art with a sense that there is something it has offers unique to that art... So by what caliber or aspect do you consider or did you consider??

For right now the arts I'm personally interested in for study involve mainly sword to sword combat and drawing the blade. Not very interested in traditional armor or other weapons (unless for deepening the understanding of the sword).... but does look interesting. I'm also interested in a sophisticated hand to hand (and hand to sword) system that complements the sword system too... So definitely doing my research ^^

Thanks

Al Chang

[ichibyoshi]

I was too lazy to get off my arse and find a koryu teacher so, like a snake, I waited and waited and waited until one came close enough for me to get to without much trouble. Only took about 15 years but he eventually arrived. He was the right one too. :D

b

[Ken-Hawaii]

I got pushed into judo & fencing by my father, who also trained in both arts, because I was such a pain in the okole even at age 5. My first sensei was a 6'8" retired cop who made sure that I was too tired to get into any trouble. I eventually became his senior student, ran my own dojo for a few years, & had a great time, but had to pass it off to my own senior student when my draft number came up as "2," & the following few years were spent jockeying jets in Vietnam. Spent a bit of time training at the Kodokan, & even trained with Donn Draeger for about a month. He showed me quite a few things with a katana that I sure couldn't do with an epee or saber!

But I didn't get involved with Muso Jikiden Eishin-Ryu (MJER) iaido until I managed to talk my wife into studying kendo when we moved to Hawaii 20 years ago, & then found out that Sensei had also trained in iaido. We talked him into starting MJER classes, & we've enjoyed training in it ever since. Then about four years ago, we were attending a meeting of our local Japanese Sword Society & met our SMR Sensei. He is also developing a set of iaido kata to match jodo kata, so we're studying multiple sword forms.

Al, I really think that you should modify your desire to study "hand to sword" techniques, & just take up the jo. If I had to choose a weapon for a street fight, I think I'd pick the jo - incredibly efficient, & downright deadly in the right hands! And that advice comes after studying & teaching martial arts since 1951.