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. - Chris 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 ...

  Our teacher, Ellis Amdur, describes Taikyoku Araki-ryū as "rooted in an old koryū, but done in a non-traditional manner."  Our study  allows exploration of diverse practice methodologies, hearkening back to an earlier era, before these arts were "traditional."  Practice is centered in katageiko , or pattern-practice, but  includes elements of opposition to properly prepare for violent encounters.  Done this way, c lassical pattern-practice   can  embody principles while embracing adaptability, where t raining that does not include opposed work has been appropriately decried as “empty forms” and "mere choreography" for hundreds of years.   Instructors: Brandon Uttech in Seattle and Chris Leblanc in Portland, OR are both certified  by Ellis Amdur  as  Taikyoku Araki-ryū  instructors. Chris  served in a highly decorated law enforcement career for over 28 years, working in Patrol, SWAT, and Training assignments, in...