Santa Cruz Todo Kai

Portland Seminar! Who’s in?

Working on the 5 basic partner bokken kata this month. Come and join us! Beginners welcome. #ryushinshouchiryu #iaido #bokken #martialarts #santacruz #thingstodoinsantacruz

Congratulations Aric on your hard work working toward your Covid-year Shodan achievement. So great to have you with uskeep training! #ryushinshouchiryu #bokken #iaido #santacruzsamurai #martialarts #sword

#patienceisprogress #budo

Phil Ortiz Sensei returns to Santa Cruz in August! Come and train with half a century experience. Meanwhile, we are now training every Thursday at the Pacific Cultural Center. Come and check out this amazing traditional Japanese art of Iaido. Beginners welcome. DM if interested. #ryushinshouchiryu #iaido #santacruz #santacruztodokai #bokken #katana #tameshigiri #iaito #martialarts #thingstodoinsantacruz

Tombo practice . . . .... . . #RyushinKanNY #ryushinshouchiryu #suburi #warmup #iaijutsu #iaido #tombocut #kobudo #katana #practice #japanesemartialarts #budo # # # # # # # # # # # # See more

Happy Mother’s Day from Santa Cruz Todokai! Onna-musha () is a term referring to female warriors in pre-modern Japan. These women engaged in battle alongside samurai men mainly in times of need. They were members of the bushi (samurai) class in feudal Japan and were trained in the use of weapons to protect their household, family, and honour in times of war. #santacruz #santacruzsamurai #budo #iaido #jodo

YAHAGI Sensei will be in Mexico will be in Mexico this fall. #iaido #bokken #martialarts

This Thursday! Come check out amazing training space. Beginners welcome. DM if interested. #ryushinshouchiryu #santacruz #santacruzsamurai #iaido #bokken #martialarts #samurai

Kumitachi Omote training today. We are back in the dojo on Thursday 6-9pm with Phil Ortiz Sensei. Beginners welcome. DM if interested. #santacruztodokai #martialarts #ryushinshouchiryu #iaido #bokken #santacruz #pacificculturalcenter

Tomorrow Saturday special training with Phil Ortiz Sensei. Beginners welcome. DM if interested 9:30am - 2pm at the Pacific Cultural Center in SCruz. 9:30-11:30 PST (Iaido) , 11:30-12:30(Break), 12:30-2:00 PST (Seitei Jodo - also on Zoom) #ryushinshouchiryu #newyorkbudoassociation #santacruztodokai #iaido #jodo #santacruz

Anthoer great night of Budo practice with Phil Ortiz Sensei. We will have a special class this Saturday morning. Please DM if interested. Beginners Welcome. #dogiri #newyorkbudoassociation #bokken #ryushinshouchiryu #iaido #santacruz

Sleepy World Heritage Gokayama’s Deadly Secret. The sleepy village of Gokayama in Toyama Prefecture has remained a time capsule, trapped still in the Edo period.... It is world famous for being one of Japan’s World Heritage Sites because of it’s old fashioned A-framed Gassho-zukuri houses. While many have heard of the famed village, very few people know the samurai connections these old farm houses have. Or its deadly secret. Gokayama wasn’t just a farming village, it was a secret gunpowder production plant! The black powder used in Matchlock guns contains 75% saltpeter, 15% charcoal and 10% sulphur. During the warring States period, saltpeter could not me made, and imports from china or India were required. Therefore an alternative to saltpeter, of which the main component was potassium nitrate, was created. Niter, a mineral form of potassium nitrate, is formed by a mixture of mugwort or hemp, leaves of the shiso and Asiatic dayflower and other wild grasses with the feces of silkworms and human urine in soil to produce a mud that is left for four to five years to ferment. A deep hole about 1.8 to 2.1 meters deep is dug by the floor of the hearth and the soil is stirred several times a year. After four or five years, a large amount of calcium nitrate crystals begin to form on the top of the soil. These crystals are added to water and boiled in an iron pot to make the saltpeter. This saltpeter would not ignite on its own, and so the remaining ingrediants of charcoal and sulfur were mixed to make black power for the guns. During the Edo period, Gokayama was the territory of the Kaga Maeda Clan. It was an area out of sight of the shogunate in Edo, and even the path to and from the village remained a secret. If anybody asked, the region produced silkworms, salt and rice. Today a small museum displays the history and production of Gokayama’s secret Niter production. The exhibitions explains the production process, and offers a chance to handle old matchlock guns, and experience how the guns would be used when under attack. While the ancient homes and quaint village is now known to the world, so too is its deadly secret.

December 7, 2020 Greetings for the end of the year! I wish there was an opportunity for us to practice together in person this year, but I am grateful that than...ks to advances in network technology, I could still train with you, looking at everyone on the screen. I remain fascinated by the ancient form of Japanese martial arts in Ryushin Shouchi Ryu, and my own training continues. I know I am far from the level of spiritual and technical sophistication attained by my predecessors, but I will nevertheless strive for it. In this regard, I am encouraged that an increasing number of friends and colleagues have joined the RSR, with the same goal in mind, all around the world. I sincerely hope that I would be able to convey to you what I have been able to learn and understand. It would be my wish and pleasure to help you in getting closer to the deep dimensions of the ancient Japanese martial arts. To that end, I would like to have as many occasions as possible to practice with you. Please come to the online sessions. Also, please create new opportunities for online training. At the moment, this is the only way to advance our practice. There is a Japanese phrase called Ichigoichie()" I suppose it is somewhat similar to the meaning of "once-in-a-lifetime chance"? Chances are not infinite. All things are impermanent. We must do what we can do here and now. Please do not miss your opportunities. Better yet, create more opportunities proactively. I ask this particularly for those at the teaching level - instructors, assistant instructors, and Shihan-dai. Last but not least, please look after yourselves. Let us celebrate a Merry Christmas and wonderful New Years'. From the bottom of my heart, I sincerely wish you the best of luck, my fellow practitioners. I can’t wait to see you in person and practice together. Ryushin Shouchi Ryu Soke Kunikazu Yahagi ________________________________________________________________ Now or Never Special thanks to Sumie Nakaya for the translation!

Great company...