Kenjutsu in Dallas

Simple. i am looking for a Kenjutsu School in Dallas or perhaps a jujitsu school that teaches the former as part of it's curriculum. I know of the Dallas Kendo and Iaido Club but they do not teach Kenjutsu. However I did find the Iaido practice fascinating and beautiful.

There was a place called Dallas Budokai. Sadly they aren't listed in the phone book or on line. I know that this is very typical for a traditional school.

Thanks for your help.

Domo!

[Walker]

Surely no cowboy samurai is going to give you the time of day if he don’t know who you is.

I live in Dallas. Here is a link to the Budokai you mentioned.

http://www.dallasbudokai.com/

regards,
Warren Wright

[carl mcclafferty]

Gloch for Hire:

I have a student who just started teaching outside Dallas you can reach him at bostick@digitex.net! Being a cop (like most of us) he'll insist that you leave your glock at home and reveal your secret identity. LOL

Thanks
Carl McClafferty

Thanks for the help guys. I really appreciate it alot.

Dave Brown
aka Glock: For Hire

[Charles Mahan]

I would like to suggest that you stop up in Denton during one of our practices. I think you might find something of interest at 223 Oak St, which is just off the square. Classes are offered on the following schedule, Mon 5:30PM to 6:45PM, Tues 7:00PM to 8:30PM, Thur 5:30PM to 7:00PM, and Sat 9:45AM to 11:00AM.

We practice Iai, but not the Kendo federation Iai. Specifically it is Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu Iai, under the auspices of the Zen Nippon Iaido Renmei and the Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu Seitokai. Our sensei, John Ray, holds a 7th dan and has maintained very close connections with the Seitokai in Japan. In fact, John has only recently returned from training trip to Japan where he was lucky enough to train directly under Ikeda-soke, the 22nd leader of MJER. Feel free to ask around. Ray-sensei's credentials are well known.

MJER may not be exactly what you are after, but it is the real deal, and is worth the drive to check it out.

You can learn more at: www.dentondojo.com

Charles Mahan

[pgsmith]

Hey Carl,
So you convinced Joe to start teaching? That's cool! When is he going to put up a web site?

Cheers,

[carl mcclafferty]

Paul:
It only took four years to convince him so far, website is probably a long way off LOL.

Charles:
I agree that working out with John Ray Sensei in MJER would be a good idea for anyone and worth the drive. I don't think the "real deal comment" wasn't directed towards us and I don't think anyone has ever questioned John's credentials. Yamada Sensei SGR will be here in El Paso on the 16th, you're all welcomed.

Thanks
Carl McClafferty
PS Give John my best. Tell him I'll stop to visit next trip to Dallas and will call first.

[Charles Mahan]

Charles:
I agree that working out with John Ray Sensei in MJER would be a good idea for anyone and worth the drive. I don't think the "real deal comment" wasn't directed towards us and I don't think anyone has ever questioned John's credentials. Yamada Sensei SGR will be here in El Paso on the 16th, you're all welcomed.

No, it was certainly not directed at you and yours. Nor was it directed at anyone. It is an affirming statement regarding our school, not a disaffirming statement regarding any other. I'll try to explain why I stuck that in there.

I have lurked for several years on this list and others. In that time, I have seen a lot of people posting queries for places to train. Of these people, a certain number dismiss Iaido as not-real or somehow less than kenjutsu, and state so in their queries. Usually these people have ascertained by reading various lists that Iai is about meditation and self improvement to the detriment of the fighting system, or that Iai is only a subset of a fighting system, or that Iai sucks(as has been stated a few times), etc. etc. ad naseum.

These are simply false viewpoints as anyone who has trained in a koryu long enough to have a genuine feel for the system can tell you. (How's that for qualifying a statement )

The comment was meant to reassure members of this particular audience that MJER, as practiced under the auspices of the ZNIR and particularly under John Ray sensei, is in fact legitamate and very powerful. It was not meant to disparage any other group in any way. I personally have little interest in what others do, but I admit I am a little defensive of what I do.

As for the idea, that no one has questioned Ray-sensei's creditials, this is true on the surface and false a little deeper down. I have certainly never heard or read anyone attack Ray-sensei directly. That said, there are those online who make very disparaging remarks about Iai ,and thus MJER, as systems of combat. These remarks reflect both on myself, my sensei, the ZNIR, MJER seitokai, and Iaidoka everywhere. Thus a little reassurance that Iai is the 'real deal' seems to be in order.

When online, I try not to make disparaging remarks about others. One reason is the old saying, if you don't have anything nice to say... Another reason, is that I try not to talk about things I don't know enough about. These two principles help keep me from looking like too big an ass while online.

I apologize if the previous post sounds like anything other than an endorsement of the Dojo in Denton.

Charles Mahan

McClafferty-sensei, I would like to offer you a personal invitation to visit our small school anytime... you are always welcome.... and congratulations on your student's beginning to teach. As your student, I am certain that he will be a positive addition to those of us already practicing the sword arts here in North Texas.
Sincerely,
John Ray

[carl mcclafferty]

Ray Sensei:

Thanks John, I appreciate the invite. I will introduce Joe, you'll like him. Nice man, good cop. Knowing you will can only improve him.

Carl McClafferty

Glock with a name like that I would be very hesitant
to recommend you to the instructors I know. The name implies
a degree of violence. That implies you wish to learn not for
the Art but as ways to improve your arsenal of lethality.

A responsible Teacher will never take you in. I would not
and would not recommend you to anyone I know. In here we
are a serious group of people and we can easily know and
see in words what your really mening is.

A change of heart and attitude may get you in the door.

Good Luck,

Maximilian Schell

[Senjojutsu]

I will leave it up to Mr. Brown to argue if his screen name is crass and denotes a certain mindset.

However I just want to say in the study of Iaijutsu, no matter what its ancillary spiritual benefits, does center around the techniques of effectively slicing open another human being.

The original bunkai of many of the waza, especially at the Okuden level, are "first-strike" or assassination techniques.

Legend denotes MJER founder Hayashizaki Jinsuke Minamoto no Shigenobu underlying motivation in developing his sword art was to revenge his father's death.

Many of the soke of the various Batto and Iai Ryu lineages actually had to KILL people in the course of their lives using their swords. It went with the job description of warrior and swordmaster.

Those of us who have invested years in martial arts study understand the "when do I learn to kill" students do not last. They lack the discipline, get bored, and leave to study whatever happens to be the "ultimate fighting system" for the given year based on magazine covers or advertisements.

I just don't want the study of Iaijustsu to be sanitized for today's political correctness. It will then cease to be "the real deal".

Regards

Maximillian,

If you knew me personally you would be embarrassed by your response.

I do train with a handgun. I am very disciplined and serious about it. I train with the heart of the "life giving blade", i.e. the blade that is used to destroy evil is protecting life. Are you familiar with that philosophy?

Judge me based on my character, my dedication to training, and or my respect towards others. Judging me based on a handle on a website is careless and embarrassing. If I had a name like samurai, or sword, or ronin : for hire, you would never have responded in such a manner. You probably would have felt it to be in the spirit of the board. Besides what is a ronin, a masterless samurai for hire.

Perhaps this will help.I am a student of the 20 rules of "Zen and the Art of Combat Pistolcraft".

They are as follows:

1.) Skill at Arms, to take life is used only in defense of life.

2.) Skill at arms and the carriage of arms both allow and require a morality and philosophy above those of the unarmed man.

3.) Discipline is required in life, combat and training. The undisciplined weapon-bearing man is a fool.

4.) A man who knows merely his weapon and technique will fail.

5.) A man who knows neither himself nor his weapon will fail.

6.) Trust your mind and body in an emergency. It is too late by then to think.

7.) Learn to feel, to be in touch.

8.) Your weapon is part of you, part of your body, not added to it or grasped by it.

9.) It is enough to learn one thing from each practice session.

10.) Fire each round in practice or combat as if it was the only one.

11.) Watch others. Learn from their successes or mistakes, but watch everyone.

12.) Never skimp on equipment, but do not substitute equipment for skill.

13.) Your enemy is merely a man.

14.) Return an attack with aggression, not fear.

15.) The unprepared man criticizes the prepared man until the enemy appears.

16.) Do not take a half-hearted measure. Be definitive in all movement. Be precise.

17.) Speed comes from smoothness, the elimination of excess movement, and definitive thought, not by merely faster movements.

18.) Never compare your capabilities against those you compete or shoot with. Comparison creates doubt. There is only one great contest, to which there is never doubt to the winner.

19.) Your weapon is never to be displayed unless you intend it to be used.

20.) You will be accountable for your actions with your pistol: to the law immediately, and to your conscience forever.

All of these rules apply to all martial arts.

If you are in the DFW area or find yourself here please feel free to drop by the DFW Gun Range. I work there part time. I would love to be able to personally discuss philosophy or your recommendations for a kenjutsu and/or iaido school.

Thanks.

Best wishes

David S. Brown
aka Glock: For Hire
(214) 630-4866

[David T Anderson]

Originally posted by Glock: For Hire
Maximillian,

If you knew me personally you would be embarrassed by your response.

David -- the point is we _don't_ know you personally. Your postings [the ones that I've read ] indicate that you are a serious and well-motivated person, but before that, your nom-de-plume suggested to me that you were quite the opposite. Also, you started off this thread by breaking one of the few rules we have here...the one about using your real name as a signature on each post.

I would venture to say that there are many martial art dojos that wouldn't have given you a second chance after making similar mistakes. You might want to consider that....