Author: goshuhyohotaisharyu

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Taisha Ryū Sydney Group has found a new home to train in. Everyone has been adapting to the change which is an essential core tenant of Taisha Ryū – learning to flow and adjust accordingly to new environments.

New candidate Anthony has progressed and showing great promise and enthusiasm to his new lessons. The more senior members have been revising fundamentals within the kata and revisiting drills with renewed vigour.

Shortly one of our seniors, Go Kurata will be leaving for his training period of intense instruction (Keiko – old teachings passed down form the Masters) in Japan with Soke and Sensei. In this time, the group will be focused on developing new members Michael and Anthony while the more senior members step up to prepare for the next stage of training in 2026.

Next year presents a new chapter as Taisha Ryū will be holding its first tri-yearly international Keiko in Kyushu Japan. This event brings all of the Monjin across the world to train together under one banner, as a unified Ryū.

Hyōhō Taisha-ryū Australia – Sydney Keikokai with our Sōke and Shihan.
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Hyōhō Taisha-ryū Australia – Sydney Keikokai with our Sōke and Shihan.

In January 2025, the Sydney Study Group for Taisha-ryū welcomed Sōke Eriko Uehara and Shihan

Takahiro Yamamoto for their first visit to Australia.

Over 18 months of planning and preparation enabled the group to bring our Masters to these shores

for what everyone agreed was an amazing experience.

During the time with us, they were greeted with perfect weather conditions for sightseeing, an

amazing electrical storm and cool conditions during our training days.

Whilst in Sydney there was an opportunity display the unique skills and history of Taisha-ryū with

an invitation only seminar at Dee Why PCYC as well as a private demonstration for friends and

family, all of whom have been the backbone of support to our membership over the years to our

training and numerous overseas trips to Japan.

During our closed training sessions, our membership increased by one more member with the

addition of Michael whom has been engaged in Taisha-ryū for nearly a year doing online Zoom

training in a group instructed by Sōke and Sensei. He has also recently joined the team in the dojo

to refine his lessons learned.

Throughout the week, the study group revised fundamentals of Hyōhō Taisha-ryū in such areas as

suburi, Five Elements kamae concepts and slowly moved forward to include body control, kata,

battojutsu fundamentals as well as history and skills knowledge, some of which is covered in the

book: “Unravelling the Cords – The Instructions of a Master in the Tradition of Taisha-ryū”.

On a couple of days, the team was able to share the beautiful city of Sydney, the harbour ferry to

Watson’s Bay, a guided tour of a local Aboriginal sites and Taronga Zoo with our farewell dinner at

Manly Beach.

Though we have all trained together before this was a special occasion and the beginning of very

strong future for the Hyōhō Taisha-ryū Australia Study Group.

We would also like to thank our friends, family and employers all of which have supported the group

over the years or even directly in these events.

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An update

So it’s been a while since we posted on this page. Out lack on social media is actually a sign of our focus to our training. Over the last two years, our Sydney group was training for the first major grading for monjin (students) of Hyoho Taisha Ryu. This grading , held in Hitoyoshi, coincided with the 450th anniversary of the Ryu, founded by Marume Kurando.

In early 2022 the members of the Sydney group were informed along with the the rest of the Ryu that there would a significant grading to be held during the anniversary in September 2023. Those that had attained the standard required for their level were invited to participate. The gradings were to be held in Yatsushiro and Hityoshi, Kyushu. 

As such, members of the Sydney group became intensely focused on this grading to perform at their very best to honour the teachings of our founder Marume Kurando as well as our Soke Eriko Uhara and Sensei Yamamoto.  The training we conducted was detailed at a granular level, focusing on fundamentals, body control and pair kata for both Odachi (long sword) and Kodachi (short sword) as this would be the exams faced by the attendees from Australia. 

Many hours of personal training in our private time as well as our regular scheduled training on Tuesday nights and Sunday mornings as well as the odd Saturday here and there made up the practice and study preparation. 

When finally the big week arrived and the entire Ryu’s membership converged on Yatsuchiro, it was a celebratory feeling as it was the first time the majority of the international student body was able to come together with our Japanese masters and fellow monjin to be as one big family.

Apologies for our absence and lack of posts. We will now post regularly to keep all who are interested up to date with the activities of Taisha-ryu Australia.

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Finally, back in the dojo.

After a year of training using Zoom, the three of us who are in Sydney were finally able to get together in the dojo.

I was very sceptical about training online, but for “the basics”, I found it useful – especially because we have regular sessions with the Soke and our Shihan,Yamamoto-Sensei. It also allows people who aren’t in Sydney or Yatsushiro to join.

But anyway, today we were able practice kata again.

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Kumamoto 2018 – Autumn Trip – At Kanrenji Temple in Hitoyoshi

On the evening of the 23d of October, Yamamoto-sensei invited Adrian and Glen and I to come with him to Kanren-ji temple in Hitoyoshi so the two new monjin could have the chance to be there and receive their bokken after it being blessed.

 

All bokken issued to Hyoho Taisha-ryu monjin are handmade in Hitoyoshi of local Oak and are blessed at the Kanren-ji temple by the Soke or Shihan before being issued to the monjin, only a few of whom including Wynton, who is another member of our Sydney group have had the experience of actually being there in the temple when it was done.

Posted by David 36号

 

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Kumamoto 2018 Autumn Trip – new members accepted – Induction and training

In October 2018, the Soke and Yamamoto-sensei accepted Glen and Adrian, two new members from Australia into the Hyoho Taisha-ryu. They are both now official monjin (members) of our ryu – a process that has taken two years since they first expressed interest. They were inducted at the Ryu Sen Kan dojo in Yatsuhiro and had the rare honour of being present at Hitoyoshi’s Kanrenji temple when Yamamoto-sensei ceremoniously blessed their issued Taisha-ryu bokken over lit candle. Training consisted of four days of five hours sessions of what Yamamoto-sensei calls Intensive Training at the Ryu Sen Kan dojo and at the Kagami Budokan in Yatsushiro.

 

 

 

Posted by David 36号