It is often repeated that the koryu are not for the masses. That they demand a lot more of the student than the gendai arts. I have heard things like "one must learn to speak good Japanese to study koryu" "one can only learn good koryu by staying in Japan for extended periods", etc.
How much of this is true, ie. what does the koryu demand from the student that a more modern art does not? How does this show, if a person begins to study a koryu art in the same manner as he would study Karate-do, Kendo or similar modern arts, how would he find out that he's doing "the wrong thing", would he not get rank or what?
Any comments are welcome.