Updated: Feb 21, 2021
SEITEI JŌDŌ (全日本剣道連盟杖道)
3:30pm - 5:00pm Saturdays
Miyamoto Musashi. Woodblock print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi. (Wikimedia Commons)
Jōdō (杖道), Japanese staff is a practice in coordinating physical actions with mental awareness which is as daunting as it is rewarding. Shinto Muso-ryu jo is a traditional Japanese martial art that uses a four foot long staff (jo) in combat.
#Jodo classes are open to all martial artists interested in attending a weekly class.
Schedule
3:30-5:00pm Saturdays
Hybrid class- Limited in-person training and Zoom link available.
Rates
$15 for affiliated members (or $45 monthly)
$20 for non-members (or $60 monthly)
Instructor
Philip Ortiz sensei started his training in #Jōdō from Yoshitsune Otani sensei (1929 – 2002) and more recently has been studying the art of Jōdō for the past few years under Meik Skoss sensei. Specifically #Seitei Jōdō is practiced by the All Japan Kendo Federation (全日本剣道連盟 Zen Nippon Kendō Renmei). Seitei Jōdō starts with 12 pre-arranged forms (kata), developed by Japanese martial artist Shimizu Takaji and drawn from Shintō Musō-ryū. Shinto Muso-ryu Jo is a traditional school (koryu) Japanese martial art of jōjutsu, or the art weilding a four foot long staff (jo) in combat.
Jodo Training
Jo training has the goal of developing individuals technically, physically, and mentally. Technical training concentrates on combative weapons handling. Physical training involves learning proper martial body movements. Emphasis is also placed on traditional Japanese martial concepts involved in the practice of combative kata.
Jōdō was originally developed as a method of combat at a time when people‘s lives depended on their skill. The training methods that were used and the martial skills embodied in the ryu are worthy of study for any serious martial artist, or for anyone interested in delving deeper into what they are capable of. Distilled within the techniques, jodo is the accumulated knowledge of one of the world‘s most advanced martial cultures. In this practice the goal is to discover, develop, and internalize these skills in the present.
About Shinto Muso-ryu Jo
Shinto Muso-ryu (may also be called Shindo Muso-ryu) is said to be the oldest Japanese combat style using a jo. It was founded in the early seventeenth century by Muso Gonnosuke Katsuyoshi. According to the legend, after losing combat to the famous Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi, Gonnosuke developed Shinto Muso-ryu and successfully won a later rematch. Shinto Muso-ryu is a member of a family of martial arts called koryu, or koryu bujutsu. Once numbering in the thousands, these arts were originally practical training methods used by the samurai, or fighting class, in Japan.