Hōki-ryū iaidō

Instruction at our school is offered by Paul Smith, 5th-dan in Hōki-ryū, under the supervision of Nakamura sensei. A practitioner of Japanese martial arts since 1986, Paul also holds a 4th-dan in Jiyushinkai aikido and studies Shintō Musō-ryū jōdō. Paul has a work webpage at Indiana University's Physics Department.

Training location and times.

Our sensei, Nakamura Testu 中村 哲, holds an 8th-dan and the title of hanshi (master teacher) in Hōki-ryū under the auspices of the All Japan Iaidō Federation. He began studying martial arts at the age of sixteen with a foray into Takenouchi-ryū jujutsu in high school. At Hiroshima University he trained in kendo under Ōta-sensei, earning a 2nd-dan in this art as well as a 1st-dan in the unarmed fighting art of Shōrinji kempō. His interests then shifted to Hōki-ryū, which he studied under Aihara Katsuo (below) for ten years, attaining his current rank in May, 2000. Nakamura sensei calls his group Kangyō-kai, alluding to Katayama’s founding inspiration, which came in the form of the Japanese character kan, or “to pierce.” (As a compound, kangyō means “to follow a course thoroughly”— an ideal for all budō practitioners, perhaps.)

Nakamura sensei is a visiting professor at St. Andrew's University of Education, emeritus professor at Hyogo University of Education, and director of Global Japanese Culture Education Research Center at Kwansei Gakuin University in Japan. The Hōki-ryū school in Indiana began when Nakamura sensei’s academic interests led him to Indiana University at Bloomington as a visiting scholar in 1998. His generous and expert instruction of iaidō soon led to a substantial following of students and the formation of a local Hōki-ryū club. We are grateful that Nakamura sensei kindly continues to supervise iaidō training at the Yobushin Dojo closely. In May and June of 2009 he taught a practicum on iaidō and Japanese culture through the Hyogo University Extension Programs.

Prof. Nakamura has a ResearchMap website and a Wa (Japanese) culture website with information about iaido and his Koinobori project. Note the video of his iaido demo at St. Andrew's University of Education.