Traditional Japanese Swordsmanship

Soke Toshishiro Obata is the founder, director and chief instructor of The International Shinkendo Federation (ISF), an organization dedicated to teaching authentic Japanese swordsmanship. The Shinkendo school emphasizes very traditional and effective swordsmanship, which with serious training, leads to both practical ability as well as an understanding of classical martial arts. Shinkendo is a reunification of what the Japanese Samurai once depended upon, and is an amalgamation of several styles of Japanese swordsmanship. Unified, Shinkendo is a historically accurate and comprehensive style of feudal Japanese swordsmanship.

Sword training includes Suburi (sword swinging drills), Tanren gata (solo forms), Battoho (combative drawing and cutting methods), Tachiuchi (sword sparring) and Tameshigiri (the cutting of straw and bamboo targets). Training always begins using a Bokuto (wooden sword), and later advances to the level of learning to use an Iaito (imitation sword with dull edge). At more advanced levels, the student begins to practice cutting on Makiwara (soaked Tatami mats), and eventually bamboo using Shinken (real sword). Shinkendo requires rigorous physical training, depth of coordination, and intense focus - but the most important aspect of Shinkendo is the emphasis on spiritual understanding, which brings Bushi Damashii (the Samurai/warrior spirit), and is as relevant now as it was hundreds of years ago.