Sasamori Soke - Ono-Ha Itto-Ryu Swordsmanship, Sept 19-20, 2015

[Nathan Scott]

Our dojo has scheduled an American open-seminar this September 19^th & 20^th, 2015 (Saturday and Sunday) with Sasamori Takemi Soke, the 17^th Headmaster of Ono-ha itto-ryu. The seminar is open to anyone interested, and there is no obligation to join the art.
 

 
We will be hosting Sasamori Soke in the Los Angeles, California area, along with two other senior instructors from his dojo. Be advised that this will be *the last opportunity* to meet and train directly under the headmaster here in America. Those interested in or already training koryu kenjutsu, iaido, kendo, or aikido are strongly encouraged to attend. Sasamori Soke is a highly respected and skilled exponent of one of the most famous schools of kenjutsu in Japan, who also has a very deep knowledge of classical martial arts in general (Soke also succeeded the Chokugen-ryu O-naginata-jutsu, Shinmuso hayashizaki-ryu iaijutsu, and Muraku-ryu iaijutsu traditions).
 
The Ono-ha branch of Itto-ryu under Sasamori Soke is a very complete and comprehensive school of swordsmanship. Training includes long sword, medium-length, and short sword methodologies. The forms are mostly two-person paired standing kata, but also include kneeling kata and iai (sword drawing) methods. Equipment includes the use of wooden bokuto and habiki (blunted swords), as well as unique “oni-gote” (demon’s gauntlets), which allows for actual contact with cuts. This branch is the mainline of Itto-ryu, one of the earliest and best preserved forms of kenjutsu in Japan. Itto-ryu served as the primary technical foundation for KENDO, and as such, many Kendo-ka also cross train in Itto-ryu. Ono-ha itto-ryu specifically was also influential on the development of AIKIDO.
 
More information on Itto-ryu can be found at the Wikipedia page here:
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ittō-ryū
 
Please reply via PM or email if you are interested in attending so we can add your name to the prospective attendees and better plan the event. It is not too late for us to change venues if necessary, but we will need to make that decision ASAP in order to accommodate all those who are interested.
 
Location: Los Angeles, California
Dates: Sept 19^th & 20^th, 2015 (Saturday and Sunday)
Contact: seminar@nichigetsukai.org
 
I’ll provide updates with specific location and hotel options as soon as we have them ironed out. Pre-registration is required and will be available soon to lock in reservations. We are also trying to arrange for an equipment vendor to set up a table at the event should anyone need anything.
 
Sorry if this ends up being somewhat off-topic here.

 

Regards,

[Nathan Scott]

I've just returned from Japan, and have determined that it would be best all around to cancel this seminar. While Sasamori Soke is currently in good health, I've become aware of health concerns with him coming to America (jet lag) that he does not suffer when he travels to Europe. Furthermore, the scheduling and flights have been difficult due to Japanese holidays and other factors.

I apologize to anyone who had begun to make travel plans, but please understand that this is in the best interest of Sasamori Soke. If anyone is interested in training opportunities for OHIR here in America, feel free to contact me. Otherwise I would encourage prospective students to take a trip to Japan and arrange for kengaku.

Regards,