Nishi Kaigan Iaid Doj

The gift of our art. How often can we do something grand? Shine a virtue. And how often in our lives do we know what the right thing would be but the consequences are too dear. How often does the moment present itself, but the circumstances are murky no clear path appears to be there, and only years later do we realize, what precious opportunity we let pass by. In our art the space is clear, the values untouched. When the opportunity arises, not only is it clear cut, but it c...aries no real life consequence, that we would otherwise face. When my teacher left the znir, what the right thing to do was clear, and nothing stood in the way. of cause I followed my teacher, loyalty demands it, his reasons where clear cut and principled. It was not a question if I agree, but a question answered by the core values of our art. Loyalty, makoto, giri towards my teacher, a path clearly drawn in front of me. And in that moment our art gave me a gift, - the opportunity to make the right decision, the loyal decision, putting the art above my self, leaving a organization I was part of for decades, - allowed to show what heart beats in my chest. .. and all that without any real-life dear consequences for my life or practice. I will always cherish that memory, and be grateful for it. See more

Sending my thoughts to all of you like birds in the sky

Function and purpose of a dojo and a organization. I believe the purpose of a Martial arts dojo is to further the wellbeing of its members through the benefits provided by the martial art taught. I believe that developing and furthering physical and mental wellbeing and personal and social empathy and responsibility are the fields in which martial arts can shine, especially because of the way those things are interwoven with the traditions and values martial arts stand for. ...I believe that a martial arts organization is subject to the same fundamentals. Like a dojo for the dojo;s where the organization looks out for the wellbeing of the dojo’s associated with that organization, for their interactions within the individual dojo and between each other and the world, providing support for their development and structures that secure and strengthen there social coherence and safety within there spaces, physical mentally as well as socially. By operating on this principles a martial arts organization can strengthen the positive impact of all connected dojos on the society. When a dojo becomes more important then its members, or an organization more important to it self then the dojos it purports to support then they have turned toxic and self-destruct in the long run. See more

Morning in manila ..

Morning practice

As more I look at my technique the more I know I have to practice more

after practice in cambridge :) it's enjoyable to see steady progress even an ocean away,

Only a year ago...

The weather was cooler in Manila than it was in the San Francisco Bay Area!

On a beautiful day in cambridge ! zoom practice international

Although I neglected to get a screenshot, we were glad to have a visit from Max! Another weekend of fires in the Bay Area presented connectivity issues, but we continue to practice as best we can.

We missed some students today due to the power outages in the Bay Area. Hopefully things will be in better shape by Thursday class at 6PM Pacific time!

cambridge and manila equador and brazil berlin! =nishi kaigan iaido dojo is everywhere!