Four Winds Martial Arts Training
Shinkendo
Art of the Samurai Sword
Shinkendo is a modern form of swordsmanship created by the founder (or Kaiso)
of Shinkendo, Toshishiro Obata, in 1990. After having trained in several forms of
martial arts during his time as a live-in student (uchi-deshi) at the Yoshinkan Dojo,
Obata, in 1980, moved to America, and ultimately in 1990 created the art now
known as Shinkendo, which can be considered both an improvement on and a
distillation of the vast martial arts experiences Obata gained during his life.

Students of Shinkendo learn sword techniques that are different than many taught
nowadays; most sword arts began as battlefield methods whose traditions were
reified primarily into set forms during the long peace of the Edo period (1600-
1868), or transformed as swordsmanship was increasingly modified into Kendo, a
sport-like version of sword practice that commonly uses armor and a light bamboo
sword called a shinai. As such, Shinkendo’s techniques are in many ways a return to
more realistic methods of sword training, while still maintaining a link to the
traditions that brought them to us.

Shinkendo is not just a martial art, it is an approach to life. In Japanese, the word
"shinken" has several meanings, but the two which are most applicable are “serious”
and “true sword.” Thus, practitioners of Shinkendo are learning an art that teaches
them the true principles of the sword while also acting as a philosophy toward life:
do nothing unless you do it with full commitment. Such an outlook is what allows
mankind to succeed at any endeavor, and it is this philosophy that Shinkendo
inculcates.

Shinkendo involves all traditional aspects of sword training. Represented by the
Goho Gogyo training principle, students are introduced to the five principles of
sword practice: Suburi (sword swinging methods), Batto-ho (sword-drawing
methods), Tanrengata (solo forms), Tachiuchi (paired sparring), and Tameshigiri
(test cutting). These five rings of swordsmanship are interlocked and build off one
another, creating a well-rounded swordsman capable of using the sword skillfully,
effectively, and artistically. Their interconnectedness expands the Shinkendo
curriculum and allows students to study the sword holistically while encouraging
deeper study of the principles of Shinkendo.

Students of Shinkendo also learn another independent form of swordsmanship
called Toyama-ryu. This style was taught to imperial officers in Japan until the end
of World War 2. Obata Toshishiro trained with master Nakamura Taizaburo,
learning Toyama and Nakamura ryu swordsmanship. Obata Toshishiro has
incorporated  Toyama-ryu into the Shinkendo curriculum; now it is called Gaiden
Waza, or borrowed techniques. Ranks are awarded separately for Toyama ryu, but
the techniques are taught as part Shinkendo.

The sensei at Four Winds Dojo is Jeremy Sather.

The Dojo is located at:
Corsello's Kenpo
1200 Welsh Road, Suite K
North Wales, PA
19454

Classes are held every Tuesday beginning at 8:00 P.M until 9:30. Jeremy is also
available for private lessons.  For more information regarding Shinkendo or the
class schedule, please contact Jeremy at:

Phone: 267-516-0573
Email: jsather@sas.upenn.edu

For more information about the Shinkendo Honbu Dojo or Toshishiro Obata,
please click the image below.

SHIN


KEN


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Link to Shinkendo Home Page