Budo, Kobudo & Japanese Artisanry - The Seido Blog

Kimura Jiro Shihan is a Japanese Aikido teacher, the successor of Kobayashi Hirokazu Shihan in Japan, and director of the Buikukai. In 2018, Guillaume Erard, a Daito Ryu practitioner and Aikido historian, and Jordy Delage - who started Aikido in a group affiliated to Kobayashi Hirokazu - teamed up for a joint interview held at the master’s Dojo in Osaka. This is the story of this encounter!

Hoshi Norio is one of those Budoka that you never hear about outside Japan. Reserved, simple, hard-working, away from the internationalisation of martial arts. He is nonetheless an extraordinary Kendoka and police officer. He started Kendo at age 10 aiming from the very beginning to become a professional Kendo teacher.

Following an exciting experience with Yoshinkan aikido practitioners at a Tokyo Police dojo, we were invited to attend the Kanto (Tokyo Region) Police Department’s Yoshinkan Aikido Demonstration / Competition on Tuesday, June 22, 2010 at “Jutsuka”, the training center for the Japanese anti-terrorist units, located in Shin-Kiba (Tokyo).

A few months ago, I wrote a post about weapons from the perspective of traditional craftsmanship. Today, I would like to continue talking about those weapons, but with a different perspective: what consequences the choice of a Bokken can have on your training.

February 16th 2019, Tokyo, Tsukishima Station 1pm. Nicolas Nothum, responsible for Seido's BudoStudies program and Jordy Delage Seido's founder have a meeting with Yamamoto Takahiro Shihan of the Kenjutsu school Hyoho Taisha Ryu for a 3h Keiko (practice) and interview. Here is the story of yet another encounter with a Kobudo master and fantastic human being.

The 24th of March 2019, a group of non-Japanese Budo and Kobudo researchers and practitioners working and practicing in Japan organizes a unique series of lectures on Don Draeger's impact on the martial arts community and beyond. Lectures by four people who knew and succeeded him. As practitioners and working actively for the international promotion of Budo and Kobudo, and because we believe it is of the utmost importance to support events organized by the new generation that succeed to Donn Draeger, Seido and Guillaume Erard offered their assistance to capture and publish videos of the event.

If Budo are ways to self-accomplishment, a company run by Budoka should embrace the same values we strive for in the Dojo. In the continuity of our work with traditional craftsmen and our support to various Budo events throughout the globe, our BudoStudies program was founded in 2016. With this program, we aim at promoting Budo and Budo studies both in and out of Japan by producing Budo-related videos containing interviews and documentaries, as well as providing wide event coverage.

New skin! In our constant effort to pour more and more of our BudoStudies into our activity, we’ve just moved our blog from its old OVH location back to Seido’s own servers. There will be a few changes, but all for the best and the improvement of your browsing experience: new design, faster access, fully responsive website, clearer content and a direct link to our commercial website so that you don’t lose your cart if your shift from one to the other.
More content is to be regularly uploaded, and all previous posts have been updated, so check it out!
We hope you like our new format, and we’re looking forward to see you there!

Every year, in memory of Emperor Meiji, one of the biggest martial arts demonstrations in Japan takes place, the so called "Meiji Shrine Kobudo Embu Taikai". It is greatly supported by the Shiseikan, a training hall for Japanese Budo including Kyudo (archery), Judo, Kendo, Aikido and Kenjutsu (sword's practice).

August 2017, enjoying the quiet summer months, we traveled across Japan to Miyakonojo and the Kirishima Sankei region to visit 3 of Japan's last Bokken workshops. We've conducted 3 interviews and here's the transcript of the second one with Master Matsuzaki Yoshiaki, including some additional comments and information.