Taikyoku Araki-ryu Pac NW

  There are many resources available for information on classical Japanese martial arts, with popular and scholarly sources in English readily accessible. This Recommended Reading List is updated from time to time as more work is published. Online Resources  Check out  Kogen Budo  for writings by Ellis and others on classical martial traditions.  Koryu.com  gives a good general sense of the modern practice of classical Japanese martial disciplines. This article  at Budo Japan and  this one  by Dr. Karl Friday. Dr. Friday has various writings online and in print addressing and re-assessing Japanese warrior culture in light of ongoing scholarly research. Everything he writes has relevance and informs how we approach practice.  Popular Sources on Classical Martial Arts Good reading for a general introduction to the study of classical traditions would be  Diane Skoss' Koryu Books  series. They bring the work of a number of current ...

  Our study is  focussed on Araki-ryū’s close combat catalogue ( torite  and  kogusoku ) in an  innovative model that allows exploration of diverse practice methodologies.  M ost of Araki-ryū’s close quarters   kata ( pattern-practice)  apply nearly “as is” to modern-day tactical and protection  situations involving edged weapons.   How  they are trained is our primary concern.  Close combat is violent, involving intense interactions of physical force and opposing will. Practice must include elements of opposition to properly prepare for actual encounters.  Training that does not include opposed work has been appropriately decried as “empty forms” and "mere choreography" for hundreds of years. However classical pattern-practice ( katageiko )  can  embody principles while embracing adaptability. As grappling ability is foundational to our practice, we use a modified version (simply called  kumiuchi  )...