So you want to learn the Japanese sword?

By Anthony Deen

It’s the time of New Year’s resolutions and people all over are joining gyms and going on diets. You’re a little different and you’ve decided that instead of a gym, you want to learn kenjutsu, the art of the Japanese sword.

You’re not sure where to go or who to study with or even which style to study. Believe it or not, making your decision won’t be for lack of opportunity because within three hours of New York City there are over a dozen dojos that teach battodo, the art of drawing the sword. These dojos belong to six reputable organizations and teach a variety of iai-batto ryuha (styles or schools) including Toyama-ryu, Nakamura-ryu, Eishin-ryu and Seitei Batto-Do. There are also more than fourteen teachers in the region who rank fourth dan or above in their respective arts, many of whom study and teach more than one style of iai-batto.

Iai-batto goes back to the 16th century, Hayashizaki Shigenobu developed methods of drawing the sword and attacking in a single movement (supposedly in order to avenge the murder of his father). Often called “iaido” here in the US, modern battodo was taught alongside kendo up until the second world war. Even with modern weapons on the battlefield, back in 1909 the Japanese resurrected their traditional swords arts and began developing Gunto Battojutsu – sword fighting for combat. (For more on that topic see A Short History of Batto-jutsu in America).

Sword instruction typically begins with a bokken or wooden sword before the student begins to use an iaito or mogito, an aluminum sword with a dull blade. In many ryuha, advanced practitioners use shinken — real swords with sharp blades. The curriculum of all styles taught in this area contain kata (single person forms), kumitachi (two-person exercises also called tachi-ai), and shizan (cutting) also known as tameshigiri. Some schools also have “gekken” or sparring, similar to kendo matches, but using padded swords.

Nakamura-ryu Battodo

Michael Shane and Dave Drawdy

Brought to the United States in 1980 by Obata Toshishiro and later Guy Power, Nakamura-ryu is among the newest of the batto schools. That said, it was developed by the late Nakamura Taizaburo over a period of 75 years. Nakamura sensei studied and later taught Nihon Gunto Soho at the Toyama Gakko (Imperial Military Academy) and was one of the three progenitors of today’s Toyama-ryu Battodo. Nakamura-ryu is a refined and effective style with a strong budo sensibility. The curriculum includes eight kata, eight seitei kata, the eight Toyama-ryu kata, and six Toyama-ryu kumitachi. Nakamura-ryu also features a katana versus yari (spear) kumitachi based on juken-jutsu (bayonet). The International Battodo Federation has a limited number of schools in the US, but two are in the Northeast. The IBF holds annual taikai (seminars with testing and competition) in Japan as well as periodically in England and the United States.

Dave Drawdy kyoshi, who leads the US branch of the International Battodo Federation, holds a 7th dan in Nakamura-ryu and studied directly with Nakamura sensei in Japan. He teaches Nakamura-ryu battodo at Kenkonkai Dojo in Virginia, near Washington, DC. Drawdy sensei travels to Japan annually to study with the senior IBF sensei and teaches regional workshops at IBF member dojos and study groups. Drawdy sensei has a keen eye and is regarded as a technical perfectionist by his students. His senior students include Carl Jenkins, Joshua Badgley and Nick Paperno in the Washington, DC area and Michael Shane, here at Zentokan Dojo.

Eishin-ryu Batto-ho

Sang Kim and Carl Long

Eishin-ryu batto is a series of eleven kata and are taught in the region as part of the curriculum of the Masaoka Den of the Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryu Iai-Heiho. This style is based on the Dai Nihon Batto-ho created by Kono Hakuren sensei in 1939.

The dojos that teach this style are led by Carl Long hanshi, who holds an 8th dan in Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryu as well as dan rankings in several other martial arts. Long sensei is also the So-Shihan of MJER’s Masaoka Den, one of only a handful of American teachers who lead a traditional Japanese sword art. His organization, the Kokusai Nippon Budo Kai (KNBK), is based here in the US but is affiliated with Japan’s Dai Nihon Budokukai (DNBK). Long sensei was probably the first person to teach batto in the northeast having begun studying MJER in 1993 with Shimabukuro Masayuki and soon after offering instruction in it at his Sakura Budokan dojo in eastern Pennsylvania. Long Sensei’s senior teachers in the region include Jeff Kozel, based at the hombu dojo; Eric Johnstone in eastern Connecticut; Matt Ubertini in Long Island; Susan Warzek in Albany; Morgan Hooper in Queens, NYC, and Nick Paperno in Washington, DC.

Toyama-ryu Battodo and Seitei Batto-ho

A derivative of the Gunto Soho Batto-jutsu developed in 1925 at the Toyama Military Academy, Toyama-ryu is the most widely taught of the iai-batto. Toyama-ru and Seitei Batto-ho are taught at all dojos of the Zen Nihon Toyama-ryu Iaido Renmei (All Japan Toyama-ryu Federation), led by Hataya Yoshitoki.

Doug Firestone and Sang Kim

Sang Kim, the founder and chief instructor of Byakkokan Dojo, leads the United States Federation of Battodo and is one of the most senior teachers of Toyama-ryu affiliated with the ZNTIR in the United States. With a background in kendo Kim sensei studied with Hataya hanshi and the late Bob Elder renshi, the founder of the USFBD since he was a teenager. Elder sensei was known for expanding Toyama-ryu in the United States. It was Kim sensei who brought Toyama-ryu to the northeast shortly before he opened the Byakkokan Dojo in Manhattan in 2005. His senior students include Charles Choi and Robert Raimondi.

For those who are north of New York City, Doug Firestone sensei offers battodo instruction at Genbukan Dojo, in Hartsdale. He is also a member of the Zen Nihon Toyama-ryu Iaido Renmei and the United States Federation of Battodo and holds the rank of 6th dan with the ZNTIR. With a background in Muso Shinden Ryu and Aikido, Firestone sensei began studying Toyama-ryu under Hataya sensei on the West Coast in the mid-1980s and opened his Aikido of Westchester dojo in 1997. His senior students include Marky Kurihara, Noah Mitchell, Matt Odell and Russell Gordon – all of whom have dojos in the New York / New Jersey area.

Zach Biesanz and Michael Shane

Finally, if you live in Brooklyn and you’re on this website, you’ve come to the right place. Michael Shane, Zentokan Dojo’s chief instructor, holds the rank of 5th dan and began his training with Zentokan’s founder Zach Biesanz, and is now a student of Sang Kim, John Evans, and Dave Drawdy.

The ZNTIR’s Toyama-ryu curriculum includes kata, kumitachi, shizan, and gekken. Local dojos also teach the US Federation of Battodo kata curriculum. The ZNTIR holds annual taikai in Tokyo and Hong Kong, and every year Hataya sensei brings senior Japanese instructors for workshops and grading here in the northeast. Kim sensei offers local workshops throughout the year, and periodically hosts an open taikai for all battodo, iaido and kenjutsu schools, where students of the different styles are introduced to other schools, and engage in friendly competition in kata, kumitachi, gekken, and shizan.

It's worth noting that most of the faculty of these schools study more than one sword art as well as other martial arts, so they bring different perspectives to their instruction.

Of course the best reason to join a dojo isn’t for one sword style over another, but for the people you’ll be studying with. Kenjutsu dojos are places with eclectic, interesting people of diverse backgrounds who all share an interest in Japanese culture, including manga, anime, film, food, history, and language. The teachers are friendly and enjoy sharing what they’ve learned as they continue their own journeys with the Japanese sword.

You can learn more about these dojos by visiting their websites, but the bottom line is with schools in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia / Washington, DC, if you’re ready to study Japanese sword arts there’s no reason to wait. There are great people and knowledgeable teachers at each school, and access to six renshi (expert) level instructors offering some of the best instruction available outside of Japan.

So… what are you waiting for?