Tsumaki Seirin Genshin (14th Soke Tamiya-ryu Iaijutsu)
Minasan,
Konnichiwa. It is with a sense of great sadness and loss that I must give the following news. On June 5 at 6:32 AM (Japan time) the current and 14th Headmaster (Soke) of Tamiya Ryu Iaijutsu, Tsumaki Seirin Genshin passed away quietly at his apartment in Odawara, Japan. At the age of 102 years and 3 months old, he enjoyed a long and successful career in Iai, living to see Tamiya Ryu Iaijutsu expand beyond the borders of Japan into South Korea and North America.
Soke Sensei came to visit the North American Branch of Tamiya Ryu Iaijutsu in the summer of 1998, and to his final days, continued to talk about the people he met and how encouraged he was to see such dedicated students of this ancient sword art in the West. In his tenure as the 14th Soke of Tamiya Ryu Iaijutsu, Soke Sensei’s dream was to see Tamiya Ryu Iaijutsu gain a foothold in other countries…a dream that all of the members of the United States Tamiya Ryu Iaijutsu organization, both past and present, have devoted themselves to through their studies in the Dojo and in their daily lives.
We would be most appreciative for your incense and prayers for the Tsumaki family during this difficult time.
Doumo arigatou gozaimasu.
Michael Gennan Alexanian
General Manager & Head Instructor
United States Tamiya Ryu Iaijutsu
Michigan Honbu Dojo
"Do not regret being ignored; regret being ignorant."
Ryuko