Tenshin Bukō-ryū Dōjō Associated with Ellis Amdur
Ellis Amdur maintains practice in the United States with several long term associates. He is not taking on new students in Tenshin Bukō-ryū Dōjō within the United States, as his line is now maintained by his successors.
Athens Tenshin Bukō-ryū Hokusei Dōjō – practice is under the supervision of Ellis Amdur, who goes to Greece to teach on an annual basis.
Valencia Tenshin Bukō-ryū Hokusei Dōjō – practice is under the supervision of Ellis Amdur, who goes to Spain to teach on a biannual basis.
Tenshin Bukō-ryū Dōjō under the Direction of Other Shihan or Instructors
Funabashi Dōjō, Japan – The core dōjō of the later Showa and Heisei Periods. This dōjō, formerly located in Nakano Ward, Tokyo, is under the direction of current sokedairi of Tenshin Bukō-ryū, Kent Sorensen.
Melbourne Koryu Kenkyukai – The dōjō of Liam Keeley offering training in Tatsumi-ryū, Tenshin Bukō-ryū, and Chen-style taijiquan
Oshinkan – The dōjō of Claire Simon, who teach Tenshin Bukō-ryū, Tatsumi-ryū, Negishi-ryū (shurikenjutsu) and Shindō Muso-ryū jōdō in Toulouse, France. There is also a shibu dōjō in Ottawa, Canada
Shutokukan Dōjō – The dōjō of Meik and Diane Skoss – Yagyu Shinkage-ryū, Tenshin Bukō-ryū & Shintō Muso-ryū (New Jersey, United States)
Yamakaze Dōjō – Tenshin Bukō-ryū dojo in Washington State. Teaching responsibilities are shared by three shihan of two generations: Steve Bowman and Christopher Donka & Neil Chang.
Budokai Australia – Bill Fettes teaches the shoden/chuden curriculum of Tenshin Bukō-ryū, as well as a number of other martial traditions, in Adelaide, Australia.
For other links with association to the Hokusei Dojo, please go to KogenBudo
Prerequisites – The Body
A prerequisite for training in the Tenshin Bukō-ryū of the Hokusei Dōjō is that one maintain a high level of physical fitness. One needs both power and endurance . There are no exceptions to this requirement.
Prerequisites – The Mind
If you find yourself intrigued by Japanese martial traditions, and in particular, Tenshin Bukō-ryū, it is important that you get some idea of what koryu really is. Training is a serious commitment – it would be unfortunate if you went through a rigorous process to enter this ryū and found that it was not at all what you expected. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that you read the following books, either authored by or including essays by Ellis Amdur, before contacting the ryū. See also the Essential Reading page for a number of other important books.
1. Old School: Essays on Japanese Martial Traditions – Expanded Edition
2. The Classical Warrior Traditions of Japan
Curriculum
The Tenshin Bukō-ryū curriculum includes:
Hon-mokuroku
- Shoden: ai-naginata – eleven kata, naginata-tachi – five kata
- Chuden: naginata-yari – five kata, naginata-kusarigama – five kata
- Okuden: kagitsuki naginata-tachi – five kata, kagitsuki naginata-yari – five kata
Betsu-mokuroku
- Bōjutsu-tachi – five kata
- Kusarigama-tachi – five kata
- Nagamaki-tachi – five kata
The central method of practice is two-person forms known as kata. However, there are also a number of absolutely necessary solo training methods to build power, technique and proper physical organization.
Komochi-ryū Kenpō
The curriculum of Tenshin Bukō-ryū was once much larger. Not only did it include kenjutsu kata, but our ryūha was closely associated with Kogen Ittō-ryū kenjutsu, also taught by Suneya Ryōsuke, 14th generation headmaster of Toda-ha Bukō-ryū. The connection between Kogen Ittō-ryū kenjutsu and Tenshin Bukō-ryū has been lost for a number of generations as have a number of sections of the curriculum. Because of this, Tenshin Bukō-ryū practitioners do not receive a very extensive education in kenjutsu, unless they also train in another ryū. Yet the sword is one of the central weapons in the ryū, functioning as uketachi in 25 different kata.
Komochisan is the closest mountain to Bukosan, the namesake of this ryūha. Ellis Amdur developed a kenjutsu school based exclusively on Tenshin Bukō-ryū parameters, and named them after that adjacent mountain. This small ryū includes five standing iai forms and six two-person kumitachi forms. The aim is to enhance the training in sword of Tenshin Bukō-ryū practitioners. It is a fuszoku-ryū: a subsidiary training. Because it is separate from Tenshin Bukō-ryū, it has a separate certification process, with a separate license, in so far as someone getting permission to teach.
An Explanation of Certification in the Curriculum of Tenshin Bukō-ryū
When participants have sufficiently learned a section of the ryū, they are given a certificate of recognition of that level of skill. This is not a teaching license: merely a recognition of the individual has sufficiently learned that portion of the curriculum:
- Shoden
- Chuden
- Okuden
- Dai-Mokuroku
Teaching certification is separate from the above.
- Shihan-dai – at this level, the person has permission to teach under the authority of a specific shihan of Tenshin Bukō-ryū. This license does not grant any independent authority to teach, and is never a certification of complete transmission of the curriculum or mastery of the ryū. The shihan-dai is considered to be a ‘student-instructor’ – and part of his/her learning process is the permission to begin teaching under supervision. If a person quits or is expelled from the ryū, their shihan-dai authority is terminated.
- Shihan – at this level, one has received the complete transmission of the ryū, and has independent authority to set up his or her own dōjō.
Leadership of this martial tradition is under the authority of one individual.
- Soke – The central authority of the ryū is the soke. In tradition, this title is not confined to a transmission within a single family. Rather, a single person is designated by the previous soke to assume that central authority for the ryū. Since the untimely death of 20th generation soke, Nakamura Yoichi, Tenshin Bukō-ryū has been under the authority of Mr. Kent Sorensen, soke-dairi. Shortly before his death, Nakamura sensei requested, in my presence, that Sorensen sensei take over full responsibility for the overall authority of the school until we can develop a young Japanese national to be our next soke.
Any questions about the certification of any individual can be directed to Ellis Amdur.