(top) Craig Douglas of Shivworks at his Edged Weapons Overview. (bottom) Araki-ryū’s Kyoten no Itami by 17th generation shihan. Our practice focusses on the close combat methods ( torite and kogusoku ) of the classical Araki-ryū tradition, yet incorporating training modalities not commonly seen in koryū. This includes implementing practical grappling principles in both kata (pattern-practice) and oppositional work. The latter is not freestyle in the sense of "sparring," but constrained to parameters present in armed encounters. Much of Araki-ryū's original close combat curriculum can be applied "as is" in modern contexts with little adjustment. How it is practiced and understood in context is critically important. And a s the etiquette within the martial tradition conveyed vital aspects of psychological preparation, essential elements are retained in our study. A background competitive grappling is foundational to practice, and we use a modifi...
Araki-ryu torite kogusoku