Originally Posted by
hyaku
Josh do you have some sort of vested interest in the Ryu?
No, to be perfectly frank I don't care at all about your ryu. I have an interest in the Nippon Kobudo Kyokai and Shinkokai, and the statements made about them in this particular thread. It's not about the validity of different groups -- my whole point is that the Kyokai and Shinkokai don't wade in those waters.
You say, "The Kyokai only recognize us." My question is, what do you mean by this, given that the Kyokai is not in the business of "recognition", and in any case a glance at their website shows that this statement is not, on the face of it, true?
You reply that, "The Kyokai has a rule of only one group of a particular ryu." Okay, again, a glance at their website shows this to be, on the face of it, not true. They have two Yagyu Shingan Ryu groups, two Hyoho Niten Ichiryu groups, two Tenshin Shinyo ryu groups, two Araki-ryu groups, and that's just going by the names. There is one group called Yagyu Shinkage Ryu, but also two other groups that do Yagyu Shinkage Ryu, and these groups make mention of that fact in their ryu-writeups. Again, this has nothing to do with which group is "valid" or "legitimate" or "the true heir", or any of that crap, nor does it have to do with Hyoho Niten Ichiryu in specific. I'm asking for clarification on the statement of "only one group of a particular ryu", because it seems shaky, and at the least requires clarification.
Then you say, "[The Shinkokai] don't meet yearly any more," which really needs clarification, if not out and out revision, because the Shinkokai meet every year for multiple embu, including the Shimogamo Jinja embu which set off this entire thread.
So, to reiterate, it's probably not possible for me to care less about inter- or intra-ryu politics, or the so-called validity of any group. Hell, in all honesty, if someone said, "Where should I go for the mainline of HNIR?" I would undoubtedly point them to Mr. Iwami's group. My questions and concerns in this thread are purely about the Kyokai and Shinkokai as organizations, your comments thereof in this thread, and any misconceptions that may arise from them.
Josh Reyer
Swa sceal man don, žonne he ęt guše gengan ženceš longsumne lof, na ymb his lif cearaš. - The Beowulf Poet