Posts

Baba Nobuhara

Image
  Baba Nobuharu, also known as Baba Nobufusa (born 1514/15 A.D and died 1575 A.D) was one of the much trusted 24 Generals of the great Takeda Shingen and is often mentioned in the Takeda clan’s Koyo Gunkan, diaries of war matters as a major personal advisor to Shingen. He loyally served three generations of the Takeda clan in his 40 years service. Baba played a major role in the five battles fought between the Takeda and their rivals the Uesugi clan between 1553~1564, known as the Kawanakajima Campaign. Baba led the attack on the Uesugi’s strategically important Katsurayama Castle in March of 1557, when baba and his men stormed the castle, killing most of the garrison inside and burning the castle while their families committed mass suicide. He was awarded the position of castellan of Matsumoto Castle from 1550, while it was still known as Fukashi Castle, and was responsible for enlarging it considerably. Following the Battle of Mikatagahara in 1573, in which Tokugawa Ieyasu suffered h
Post a Comment
Read more

Sakamoto Ryōma

Image
Sakamoto Ryōma was born on January 3, 1836, the second son of a low-ranking gōshi or “country samurai” in the remote province of Tosa (now Kōchi Prefecture) on the island of Shikoku. His family was an established branch of the wealthy Saitani clan that controlled a mercantile fortune from brewing and fabric, and so were well off despite the low stipend they received as gōshi. Ryōma began to learn swordsmanship at the age of 14 under the tutelage of Hineno Benji, a local samurai. Just a few years after, in the spring of 1853, he set off for the bustling city of Edo (now Tokyo) to refine his skills further. There, he trained under the swordsman Chiba Sadakichi in the Hokushin-ittō school of the discipline. This was the momentous year that Commodore Matthew Perry and the “black ships” of the US Navy steamed into Edo Bay demanding that the shogunate open up to foreign trade. In 1854, Ryōma returned to Tosa, but the prospect of further study lured him back to Edo in 1856. He is said to have
Post a Comment
Read more

WBDS Special Advisers and Verified Nations

Image
World Budo Development Society Saiko Komon  (Special Advisers)...Updated. The following highly respected masters have agreed to be a Saiko Komon to the World Budo Development Society. They have been specifically selected for their immense knowledge base and for their positive promotion of Budo. Each Saiko Komon have agreed to assist on a voluntary basis and receive no financial gain. Malcolm Dorfman...9th Dan. ..South Africa Yasuhisa Shioda...9th Dan. ..Japan Jose Miguel Martinez Barrera...9th Dan...Spain Jeff Ader...8th Dan...USA John Hanratty...8th Dan...Canada John Moreton...8th Dan...UK Jose Witik...8th Dan...Venezuela Gordon Lawson...8th Dan...UK Peter Rosendahl...7th Dan...Sweden Glenn Stockwell...7th Dan...Japan Pavel Antonsson...7th Dan...Sweden Kenji Shodai...6th Dan...Japan Daniel Avinon Antunez...5th Dan...Spain The following nations have a verified black belt holder of at least 5th Dan that have been approved by the World Budo Development Society YUDANSHAKAI. South Africa,
Post a Comment
Read more

Training Advice by Funakoshi Gichin

Image
INDIVIDUAL TRAINING It is a unique feature of karate that it can be practiced alone and at any time and in any place. Insofar as possible, one should wear light, informal clothing similar to that worn in normal daily activity. An area of about nine by twelve feet is appropriate, which can be reduced after some training to nine by six feet. Until one has learned the order of the kata, he should concentrate on this rather than on applying much strength. After understanding the basic structure of the kata, one should then gradually apply more strength. Finally, once he has completely learned the order and acquired a feeling for the kata, he should then begin study of the next kata. GROUP TRAINING Although individual training in karate can be of great interest, there is also pleasure in group training. As in other forms of exercise, there is a characteristic good atmosphere associated with training under the direction of a leader of a group at a school, club, or other self-development orga
Post a Comment
Read more

Weapons and Karate-do by Funakoshi Gichin

Image
  WEAPONS AND KARATE-DO In karate from the beginning, the bare hands and feet have been considered as blades, and it should be practiced with the idea that they will cut when touched, so there is no need to be especially cautious when faced with a weapon, but it goes without saying that distance and body shifting methods should be varied depending on the type of weapon that is used by the opponent. When sufficient skill has been acquired through practice, a sword, dagger, stick and so on should actually be used in practice to learn the techniques against these weapons and to prepare oneselfmentally against them. On the other hand, when one is using a weapon, it is natural to begin depending upon it and consequently lose readiness in the use of the feet, the elbows and the free hand. Should an opponent neutralize the weapon, one could become weaker than a weaponless man. When actually faced with a weapon, one's coat and shoes are useful, and even a handkerchief or piece of paper cou
Post a Comment
Read more

Aikido Dedication by Shihan Saotome

Image
  "Aikido is not philosophy. Aikido is the true expression and revelation of the ever-evolving functions of the universe. Thus is derived the goal of Takemusu Aiki—experiencing the mechanisms of nature’s truth in training and applying the theories in our daily life.  In Asia the word Bu means to halt the danger of the thrusting blade. Since the beginnings of human culture, this concept of Bu has implied a global advancement toward the construction of a peaceful society. “Bu is love,” proclaimed O Sensei, Morihei Ueshiba, the Founder of Aikido and my mentor. Yet no simplistic understanding of Budo can in any way measure the life of unfathomable devotion and dedication O Sensei led in the Way of the true samurai. He strove for a human revelation of spiritual truth, and for world harmony through daily prayer and total unselfish concern for others. We must train hard for the attainment of wisdom, for harmony and an unselfish love for all humankind. Such is the path the Founder of Aiki
Post a Comment
Read more

Kano Jigoro , the founder of Judo, says.....

Image
Kano Jigoro, the founder of Judo, stated.... "...In my youth I studied jujutsu under many eminent masters. Their vast knowledge, the fruit of years of diligent research and rich experience, was of great value to me. At that time, each man presented his art as a collection of techniques. None perceived the guiding principle of jujutsu. When I encountered differences in the teaching of techniques, I often found myself at a loss to know which was correct. This led me to look for and underlying principle in jujutsu, one that applied when one hit an opponent as well as when one threw him. After a thorough study of the subject, I discerned an all - pervasive principle; to make the most efficient use of mental and physical energy. With this principle in mind, I again reviewed all the methods of attack and defence I had learned, retaining only those that were in accordance with the principle. Those not in accord with it I rejected, and in their place I substituted techniques in which prin
Post a Comment
Read more