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I once read that the Amatsu Tatara scrolls themselves were said to have come from the belly of a fish. That single detail made the old Chinese legend of Lü Shang leap off the page. Three thousand years ago, the sage known as Taigong Wang fished for y…

When I travel to Japan it seems like I race from class to class. Or, I race from train to train through Tokyo to explore the historic sites of Japan and our Bujinkan art. But here I stopped the race to enjoy training with Nagase Sensei and think a…

武風 Bufū by Takamatsu Sensei in question is a classical Japanese martial manifesto written in kanbun (漢文) style—formal classical Chinese as traditionally composed and read in Japan. This elevated literary form was commonly used for official proclamati…

Ryūgi-mei, or style names in classical Japanese martial arts, often originated from claims of divine or mythical transmission. Early schools frequently attributed their founding to gods, Buddhas, tengu, or dreams in order to establish authority, refl…

I came across an interesting webpage featuring two photographs from an old scroll titled Takagi-ryū Toribō (Takagi-ryū Cane/Staff Techniques) from 1816. The author is somewhat skeptical about the historical claims surrounding Kukishin-ryū and Takagi-…