Meishinkan Kenjutsu
5 Melrose Ave Ottawa, ON, Canada

We are the Eastern Ontario study group branch of Tokumeikan. We practice the teachings of Hyoho Yagyu Shinkage Ryu, a traditional school of Japanese swordsmanship practiced by the Tokugawa Shogunate. This school of kenjutsu is known for ‘The Life Giving Sword’ and has roots in Buddhist philosophy. In our practice our focus is less on winning our battle, but instead not losing- a very different and less aggressive mindset than many other sword based arts. We have a welcoming ...and positive atmosphere where we all strive to better ourselves and our community, and aid in each other’s personal, physical and spiritual/mental development. The study group is led by Sensei Erika Gaal, and she has previous experience with other schools of swordsmanship that include Kendo, Iaido and Jodo, as well as other schools of koryu. We’d love for you to join us!

Last call! Registration will be closed by the end of today, so if you want to attend please make sure to fill out the registration form https://docs.google.com//1JE73gHdvx5fdifpU4nYbgPjjJrR/edit

We’ve got a lot of work ahead! Fukuro Shinai are an old training tool used in Japanese swordsmanship, dating back hundreds of years. They are made from a solid... bamboo pole that has been sanded and then split several times at the top. The split end of the bamboo is then covered in a leather bag that has been laced along one edge. We offer these when we have bamboo (which we have access to during gardening season) and this year we are lucky to have many orders to process. For those that have placed orders for these, we appreciate your patience- they take a lot of work! #fukuroshinai #japaneseswordsmanship #koryu #leathercraft #handmade

"Yagyu Shinkage Ryu’s style of fighting is that, almost all the strikes are to the hands to disable the opponent, not kill the opponent. The purpose of Yagyu Sh...inkage Ryu is to minimize what kind of damage you do to the opponent to stop them from attacking you. Thwarting the opponent without hurting him is the ultimate goal." "Tebiki" Yagyu Shinkage-ryu The Sword of Compassion #shinkageryu #koryu #kendo #iaido #budo #yagyu #kobudo #aikido #iaijutsu #bushido #martialartists #budoka . Published from Desktop with @InssistApp

A big part of being a Builder of any kind is ambition. Having a vision, paired with the desire to try something new is what develops into motivation. This workshop can help motivate you into building your next Budo project and thinking outside the box. The deadline for registration is end of day Thursday, May 13. That’s tomorrow!... Make sure to fill out the registration form below if you plan on attending: https://docs.google.com//1JE73gHdvx5fdifpU4nYbgPjjJrR/edit

Kajitsuka Sensei and Arakido demonstrating Yagyu Shingan Ryu Bojutsu!

Demonstration at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre (JCCC) in Toronto for Haru Matsuri 2019 "Yagyu Shinkage Ryu’s style of fighting is that, almost all the s...trikes are to the hands to disable the opponent, not kill the opponent. The purpose of Yagyu Shinkage Ryu is to minimize what kind of damage you do to the opponent to stop them from attacking you. Thwarting the opponent without hurting him is the ultimate goal." (Tebiki) Yagyu Shinkage-ryu The Sword of Compassion #kenjutsu #shinkageryu #koryu #kendo #iaido #budo #yagyu #samurai #kobudo #yagyushinkageryu #urbansamurai #kenjutsuworld #katsujinken #kendoka #bujutsu #katana #budoka #tengu #bujutsu #martialartist #aikido #bushido #bushidocode #iaijutsu

Our club has leather workers making martial arts supplies! Whether it’s Fukuro Shinai, weapons bags or tsuba for your shinai/bokken like below, they have what you need! Follow Enso Leatherworks to see everything they offer! #kenjutsu #jodo #iaido #kendo #martialartssupplies #tsuba

Starting today!

A huge and heartfelt thank you to everyone that attended our online anniversary celebration tonight! It’s been a rewarding three years, filled with exceptional people and fantastic experiences! Here’s to another three years of learning and improvement!

Stay tuned! We are so happy to announce an upcoming global workshop in partnership with Tokushikai Canada, taking place May 15! If you are someone that wants to make a positive impact in the Budo community and is open to new ideas and different ways of looking at things, then this workshop is for you!... We will be releasing more information and registration will open this weekend. We would love for you to join us!

This Saturday we are holding the February edition of our online Nomikai! Join us at 8 pm for a relaxed meet up with fellow Budoka while making some new friends. Make sure to email us at [email protected] to receive the Zoom link. We hope to see you there!

"COVID-19 has made it difficult for everyone to get together and practice.But even in such a situation, as long as you firmly hold down the fundamental meaning...s of the dojo, I believe we will be able to search for new types of dojos and a new style of Keiko, such as online lessons." Kajitsuka Sensei Ohtsubo Branch of the Owari Line of Yagyu Shinkage Ryu #kenjutsu #shinkageryu #koryu #kendo #iaido #budo #yagyu #samurai #kobudo #yagyushinkageryu

Our Master Kajitsuka Sensei at the 43rd Nippon Kobud Embu Demonstration 43 in Tokyo. #kenjutsu #shinkageryu #koryu #kendo #iaido #budo #yagyu #samurai #kobudo #yagyushinkageryu

We are the Eastern Ontario study group branch of Tokumeikan. We practice the teachings of Hyoho Yagyu Shinkage Ryu, a traditional school of Japanese swordsmanship practiced by the Tokugawa Shogunate. This school of kenjutsu is known for ‘The Life Giving Sword’ and has roots in Buddhist philosophy. In our practice our focus is less on winning our battle, but instead not losing- a very different and less aggressive mindset than many other sword based arts. We have a welcoming ...and positive atmosphere where we all strive to better ourselves and our community, and aid in each other’s personal, physical and spiritual/mental development. The study group is led by Sensei Erika Gaal, and she has previous experience with other schools of swordsmanship that include Kendo, Iaido and Jodo, as well as other schools of koryu. We’d love for you to join us!

"You strike your opponent and think, 'I've struck,' and your mind will be stuck with that thought. If you relax at that point, your opponent will strike you dow...n." Yagyu Munenori (1571-1646) Official sword master and political advisor to the Shogun #kenjutsu #shinkageryu #koryu #kendo #iaido #budo #yagyu #samurai #kobudo

The longer we stay on our path of training the more we start to realize there is more to our practice than just technique. We’ve started a weekly online discussion on topics relating to Budo philosophy and the applications in our daily lives. If you are interested in attending these Saturday afternoon sessions please contact us at [email protected]

The annual Tokumeikan Bonenkai will be held online this year! For anyone interested in attending please email us at [email protected].

As the cold weather creeps in we tend to spend more time inside, and with social distancing and COVID restrictions our ability to socialize is limited. This is ...what drives us to offer our online Nomikai to all Budoka! Keeping connected is an important aspect of keeping a strong community, so drop in and chat with old and new friends. Join us on December 5th for our second monthly online event, and please make sure to email us at [email protected] to receive the Zoom link!

Outdoor practice in 2 degrees Celsius! We’re grateful to not have snow on the ground yet for this time of year and will continue our classes outdoors as long as we can. Working with weapons of different length can help us develop our understanding of distance and how to manipulate it #budoincanada #outdoortraining #koryu #Iaijutsu #yari #Kenjutsu

Safely practicing partner kata by social distancing! There are always things for us to work on, no matter what restrictions we may have. We can accept that things are not how they were but we do not let it stop us from doing the best we can! What a beautiful night for an outdoor class, and how nice it was to have one of our seniors return after some time off.

Our first online Nomikai was a wonderful beginning! Thank you to everyone that attended and supported our new venture. The next one will be held December 5th, we hope to see you there!