9 February, 2007
Believe it or not, I am still here. Even though I have not updated this page in a very long time the Eishinkai is still alive and kicking. I guess the main reason that I have not updated in so long is that there never seemed to be a lot of news to report. But there is some, so I will pass that along.
In November of last year, I was down in Denton, Texas for the 6th annual United States Iaido Embukai, hosted by John Ray Sensei and the Denton dojo. If you don't know, this event is a gathering of MJER students and instructors from around the country, and even from around the world. We all converge on Denton and have a weekend of training and socializing which ends with the Embukai on the last day of the event. The embukai is a tradition in budo in Japan in which trainees and instructors of a particular art gather together and hold a formal "embu" or demonstration. Although outsiders are welcome, this event is actually performed for the benifit of those involved in the art and is a chance for each person to get up and demontrate his waza before the group. The meaning of the embukai actually goes deeper than just a demostration but we will talk about that at another time. In any case, we had about 60 or so participants in the weekend event and it went very well. As I have said before (and it can't be said enough,) we are all very thankful to Ray Sensei and his students for hosting this event every year and for making each year better than the one before. I would also like to thank everyone who participated, particularly all of the visiting Sensei.
With some luck, this year should be a particularly important one for the Eishinkai here in western North Carolina. When I came here 2 years ago, it was my intent to construct a small dojo on my property in the mountains where my students and I could train. Settling into the area and into my new home has taken a bit more time than I expected but I am finally somewhat firmly planted here. What that means for the Eishinkai is that I can finally turn my attention to the construction of the dojo. I actually started that process several weeks ago when I had some people come to do the final grading and preparation of my site. The site was actually excavated nearly two years ago but I needed it widened in order to provide more space for the building. Now, this site has been widened and is just about ready for the foundation work to begin. It is pretty exciting to think that we could actually have the dojo built and ready for use sometime this year.
In the meantime, I have been teaching Iaido to a group of Aikido students down in Greenville, SC. Joe Beckham, who is the sensei of the Aikido School of Self Defense, asked me to come down a little over two years ago and do a demonstration for his people. That demo resulted in a group of Aikido students becoming students of MJER along with Beckham Sensei himself. I now go down to Greenville as often as I can to spend a day working with the students there and a couple of out of town students who have joined us.
And the last bit of news is that I am planning to do a revamp of my website beginning very soon. I originally threw it together in a bit of a hurry and it has never been quite what I wanted it to be. It looks very ameteurish in it's design and it isn't really laid out very well. My links page contains links that don't link to anything and I need to put some new pictures on the picture page. I might end up just adjusting the site here and there or I might redo it all together. I would like to steamline it to make it simpler and quicker to load. High speed internet service finally made it's way up to where I live (I live way back in the mountains) and the pain of working on a dial-up connection has finally gone away. That makes working on the website much more pleasant. We'll see what happens over the next few weeks.
That's it for now. I could say that I will update this news page more often but I don't want to promise something that I can't do. I ask those of you have have e-mailed me with an interest in training in Iaido to hold on a little longer for the dojo to be completed. Those of you who are interested in training in MJER and haven't contacted me, let me know who you are so I can keep you advised of what's happening with the Eishinkai.
Keep checking the site for updates and information on MJER here in the Great Smokey Mountains.
17 August, 2004
I'm back again to update the news page. Things are still pretty much like they were the last time but I do have a few things to mention.
First, I have pretty much settled into my location here in western North Carolina. I am still in the process of preparing a permanent home so I can get out of the small appartment I live in now. I have been trying to locate a facility from which I can start teaching here but it is more difficult than I though it would be. Since I am interested in sharing space and not getting a space that is entirely my own I am rather limited on what is available down here. But now that I am settled in I am starting to really get serious about finding something. Eventually I will build a small dojo on my property in the mountains but for now, I need a place to get started in. So, keep checking the website and I will put out the word as soon as I have success.
I will be going up to Virginia in a few weeks for a training weekend with the Northern Virginia Eishinkai which is now in the hands of Matt Hayden. We will put in a full weekend of training and try to find time for a little sushi during the three days I will be there.
Next on the schedule is the annual US MJER seminar and embukai down in Denton, Texas in early November. This event is hosted this year (as it always is) by John Ray Sensei and his students. This year is the fourth year we have gathered for this event although it is technically the second annual official US gathering. We are looking forward to more participation this year than ever and it is looking like it will be an outstanding event.
So, that is not too much to report but I did want to say a few words so everyone would know I am still here and still working on getting the training started down here. It will be nice to get a local place to train so I don't have to keep running off to Tennessee just to practice Iaido (although Lola Sensei has been very generous in allowing me and my students to use her dojo any time we want.)
That's it for now. I will keep you posted on any news or events.
8 January, 2004
It's about time to updte the news page again. Actually, it has been about 2 years since I updated it last time. I keep hoping that I will start doing this on a more regular basis but I guess I will just do it when I do it.
Anyway, there has been a lot going on in the eishinkai in the last couple of years. The most important issue is a rather big change in the way things are done at the dojo. Recently , I have retired from the Navy and had to make a difficult choice on where to live. The Northern Virginia area is a bit too hecic and busy for me and since I own land in the mountains in North Carolina, that is where I decided to relocate. So, as I write this I am sitting in an apartment in Sylva, NC where I will live while I am building my house in the nearby town of Cullowhee.
Needless to say, this greatly changes the way things are done at the dojo, since I am now 500 miles away. What I have decided to do is to turn the everday operation of the dojo over to my senior student, Matt Hayden. I have complete confidence in his ability to oversee the training in my absence. This doesn't mean that I am gone for good. Since I relocated to North Carolina I have been back to Woodbridge several times, sometimes holding weekend-long training sessions to help make sure the students stay on the right track. Everyone at the dojo is committed to continuing their training even though I won't be around as much anymore. The Eishinkai still considers the acceptance of new students but the decision in these matters is mainly the responsibility of Mr. Hayden. If you are interested in knowing more about the dojo you can either contact me or Mr. Hayden.
Currently, I am in the process of getting settled in my new location but I anticipate starting a new branch of the Eishinkai in this area in the near future. If you live in the Western North Carolina area and are interested in studying Iaido, contact me and I will give you further details about my plans to teach in this area.
In other news, October of last year took me down to Denton, Texas for the third annual United States MJER gathering. As usual, the event was hosted by John Ray Sensei since his dojo is not only centrally located in the U.S. but also because he is the Senior MJER instructor here in this country. The weekend event consisted of a day of seminars conducted my Ray sensei, myself, Warren Stanley Sensei and Andrej Diamantstein Sensei. The second day consisted of some informal training and then finished with the formal Embukai. In Japan, the annual embukai is a very important event for MJER practitioners and we try very hard to conduct our embukai just as it is done in Japan. If I can get ahold of some pictures of the event, I will post them to the photo album page. The pictures there are getting rather old and need to be changed anyway.
Well, I think that will do it for now. I will be back again for further updates as necessary, hopefully sooner than four years this time.
14 February, 2002
Well, it is well past time to update the news page again. We continue to press on in our training. We have a nice comfortable group now of about 12 people including myself.
In December I had the chance to go down to Denton, Texas and spend some time with John Ray Sensei and his students. While I was there I sat in on a dan examination that was being held. There were about 12 students testing for ranks ranging from shodan up to yondan. Even though John and I administered the test, of course the official blessing has to come from Japan and I have learned recently that all of the students were successful in their testing. Congratulations are in order to all of the examinees. Well done!
Also I recently spoke with Ray Sensei about his mid-December trip to Japan and got the run-down on his trip to visit and train with our Soke, Ikeda Sensei. It seems that John was the first non-Japanese to actually spend a couple of days with the Soke training in his dojo. This was an outstanding chance for some representation in Japan for those of us who are training in MJER in the states. In general, we are a small group over here. To my knowledge, there are only 5 of us who are teaching here in the states who have direct affiliation with either Ikeda Soke or the ZNIR and are teaching with their knowledge and blessing. If there are any others out there, we would be pleased to hear from you.
Here on the home front, the most recent excitement was our trip to Japan in September (maybe not so recent news but news nonetheless.) Be sure to see the review of our trip, which was written by one of our Eishinkai members, Dave Drawdy.
I will be heading back to Japan in April if all goes as planned, this time alone. I will spend a week or so with Maruyama Sensei in Saga and then travel with him up to Kyoto for the spring events there, which are always held during Golden Week every year. This is the biggest assembly of ZNIR people and includes MJER people as well as ZNIR members from other styles. It is a three-day event that includes a day of embu, a day of testing (rokudan through nanadan kyoshi), and a day of senior testing (hachidan and above.) I will be staying at the dojo while in Saga and will be spending pretty much the whole time training with Maruyama Sensei and discussing various matters with him. I would like to spend some time with the Soke but this is a busy time for him and I don't know if that will be possible.
Of course, we wouldn't be able to continue our study of Iaido here at the Eishinkai without the support of a lot of people. Maruyama Sensei supports us from 10,000 miles away and we wouldn't have a place to train without the support of our Goju Ryu friends, Steve and his students who own the dojo we use. Here in the Eishinkai itself we have Al to thank for being our Secretary/Treasurer, Matt who is our resident Videographer among many other things, and Dave, our senior student and founding member of Sword Buyers Anonymous. And we shouldn't forget Ernie, who is our resident time-keeper (when he walks in the door we know it is exactly 30 seconds until class time.)
That's about it for now. I will be back again someday with the next update, probably after I get back from Japan.
1 July, 2001
Let's face it, I'm not very good at updating this page as often as I should. But at least I am doing it and I guess that's better than nothing.
There is some news to report. To all of you who haven't heard, congratulations are in order for our good friend and from the New England Iaido Kyokai, Warren Stanley, who was promoted to Rokudan a few weeks ago. Stanley Sensei was in Kyoto during Golden Week and participated in the grading which is held by the ZNIR every year at that time. With the dedication and energy he puts into training and teaching Muso Jikiden Eishinryu Iaido there was no doubt he would earn his Rokudan, the test was merely a formaility in my mind. Anyway, be sure and congratulate him if you have the chance.
Another bit of news which I haven't reported is our get together in Texas in April. We all met in Denton and had an excellent weekend of training and business discussions with Ray Sensei and his students. This was the probably the most MJER Godan and above who have ever gotten together in one spot in the states to this date. Present at the meeting were John Ray, myself, Scott Irey and Andrej Diamantstein as well as all of Ray Sensei's students. This was the first meeing of what we are hoping will become a more formal association in the future. Warren Stanley was unable to be present due to his trip to Japan but we look forward to seeing him at future events.
Here on the homefront, the Northern Virginia Eishinkai is growing almost faster than I has really envisioned. We now have 12 members all together and that is close to the maximum that we can really handle right now. We have a trip to Japan planned for October which will inolve myself and four students from the Eishinkai. We will spend about a week in Kyushu with my Maruyama Sensei at his dojo in Saga City. During that time we will cram in as much Iaido and sightseeing as we can and probably return to the U.S. very worn out. We are all looking forward to it. At 84 years of age, Maruyama Sensei doesn't have many active years remaining. You can't stay young forever but at his age if I am in as good shape as him I will be thrilled. He says he will retire from teaching when he reaches 90 so we don't have much time left to learn from him.
That's about it for now. Don't give up on me and keep checking the news page and once in a while you will be surprised with an update. See you next time.
11 February, 2001
Well, for those of you who have been checking the site faithfully waiting for an update to the "news" page, I have finally gotten around to saying a few words.
Since I have not been able to find time in the past few months to work on the site, one of my students was kind enough to take over the webmaster duties from me and he will be taking care of the updates except for this page which I will contine to write. Al Michaels is now the new site manager and I feel that he will do a much better job and fixing and maintaining the site than I was able to do. It seems that he has already greatly improved the photo page by making it load much faster than it did before. Apparently my graphic files were too big and were slowing things down.
At the dojo we are plugging along. We have a membership of 5, not including me, and they are all good, dedicated students. I have always said that I would rather have one or two dedicated students than one or two dozen who are unwilling to dedicate themselves to the training. We are still able to accept others who are interested but be ready for an interview process to ensure that we are right for you and you are right for our art.
Many of you who have seen my "pictures" page have probably wondered why we have pictures of almost everyone except us here at our dojo. The reason is that I have been negligent in taking some for the site. I finally took some today and if they turn out well you will see them pop up on the site in a few days.
I had planned a trip to Japan in the Spring but that looks like it will happen in the Fall instead. Since Maruyama Sensei in Japan has not seen any of the students here at the Eishinkai we have made a video tape to send to him to at least let him know who is who and that we are making progress. It would be great to get Sensei over here for a visit but even though he is in good health he is over 80 and he does not want to fly. The most we can do is try to get over there to see him as often as we can.
Well, that's about it for now. Look for updates and improvements to the site as Al continues to work on it. As usual, we welcome input and feedback about the site.
20 July, 2000
Well, it's about time to update the News page once again. I know from the hit counter on my index page that there are a few people who are checking the site now and then so I will try to update things as often as I can. I am still very interested in hearing opinions and comments about the site.
The new floor in the dojo is working out well. I had some doubts at first since it is a little different from the polished hardwood floors found in many dojos but it is turning out to be very nice. I will try to get some pictures on the photo page in the semi-near future.
I received a letter yesterday from my friend and fellow MJER practitioner Warren Stanley (5th dan). Stanley Sensei lives and teaches Iaido in Welleslley, MA and has founded the New England Iaido Kyokai. Stanley Sensei and I met in Japan a number of years ago when we were both training with Hon'ami Sensei of the Kamakura Iaido Kyokai. For a couple of years we were out of touch and finally got back in contact late last year. I am looking forward to the possibility of visiting and training with him and his students later this year. I have put a couple of pictures of him and his students on the photo page. Anyone in that area who is interested in Iaido can get in touch with me and I will put you in contact with him and his group. He is also hoping to have a website soon so stand by for that.
Well that's it for now. I will be back with more news when there is some.
16 June, 2000
Updating my news page shouldn't be a sad thing but unfortunately this time it is. Our Soke, Fukui Torao, has passed away. I only received the news two days ago and I have no other details at this time but I will pass on whatever I know as soon as I find out.
6 June, 2000
Well, it's been more than a month since I've updated the update page but I have finally gotten a chance to sit down and do it.
The first bit of news does not deal with the Eishinkai, at least not directly. My good friend and fellow Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu practitioner and teacher John Ray in Denton, Texas has recently been promoted to Nanadan (seventh dan). If you know Ray Sensei please be sure to congratulate him on his promotion.
Here at home there is also exciting news. Our dojo has just gotten a new wooden floor. Along with Carbone Sensei and several students, I spent the last four days helping to install the new floor. Up until now the floor has been concrete with a thin layer of carpet covering it. Some of the students have never trained on anything but the old carpet so all of us, karate and Iaido students alike, are looking forward to breaking the new floor in. I will try to get a few pictures in the very near future and post them on the photo page so everyone can see how fantastic the Dojo looks now.
Well, other than that there is really nothing new to report. I always enjoy the feedback I get about the website so don't hesitate and the inquiries about Iaido so don't hesitate to e-mail me if you have comments, suggestions or questions.
29 April, 2000
Our Eishinkai website is just a week old and we have had a lot of visitors. Thanks to evryone for your comments and suggestions about the site. I would like to ask your help in letting me know if you are having trouble viewing some of the pages. Some people said that they were experiencing overlaps on some of the elements on some of the pages. I'm trying to figgure out how to fix it but it looks fine on my browser so it is hard for me to figgure out the problem. I will keep trying and in the meantime if anyone has any suggestions about the problem, please let me know. Thanks for your help!
21 April, 2000
Well, the Eishinkai website is finally ready to be published. We have been working on it for a while and finally decided to publish it using the Homestead web publishing service because it is free and we have enough space to maintain our modest site and keep the information updated. We will be updating it and trying to make it a better site as we go along. We ask anyone who finds errors of any kind in the site to please let us know so we can fix them. We know there will be some we just want to try to keep them to a minimum.
As for the Eishinkai itself, we have finally started training at the Shobukan dojo in Woodbridge, VA. I cannot thank Steve Carbone Sensei enough for allowing us to use his dojo to pursue our training in Iaido. For dates and times when we train, it is best to contact us since things are a little flexible until we get settled down. I think there is enough information in the website to give you a good idea about what we do but please feel free to contact us if you have questions or comments.
Well, that's if for now. I will be updating this page freqently so check back now and then for new news about the Eishinkai.
