Julian:
Thank you for the compliment, but I must hasten to point out that if the koryu (big K or little k, it doesn't matter) are in my hands, then they are in deep trouble. Fortunately, that is not the case, so we can all breath a little easier. I am just a neophyte in koryu, having spent most of my time in gendai arts like kendo and kyudo.
The issue that Cady brings up regarding "martial personalities" (are people who train in budo in the modern world real martial personalities or are they just hobbyists?) is a legitimate one; I was just reacting to the fairly explicit assumption that this is more of a problem with koryu than gendai arts ("Koryu and Stagnancy" is the name of the thread, after all).
I don't believe this. Koryu may use kata as its primary training method, and there is a danger that kata can degenerate if it is not done correctly. However, the assumption that free sparring will correct this is just as flawed, since few, if any, arts permit free sparring that could approximate real "combat" conditions (whatever these might be). Personally, I think that free sparring, properly done, can perhaps introduce SOME of the gut-wrenching panic associated with a real fight. I practiced kendo with Japanese riot squad police, and I was scared to death most of the time. Still, deep down, although I knew that practice was going to be painful and difficult, I think I knew that my life wasn't in danger.
It seems to me that if one is looking for "martial personalities" (however one might define this term) these days, the best place to look would be in the army or the boxing ring. Soldiers are trained to kill people, so I think that it will certainly be easier to find a "martial personality" there than anywhere else. Boxing may have rules, but I can't imagine any other "sport" that requires more raw physical courage that boxing. People do occasionally get killed in the ring.
Anyway, this is an endless discussion. I think it all depends on the teacher you happen to find.