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Welcome!
To the Beikoku Rembukan Dojo...
The Beikoku Rembukan Dojo is dedicated to
the advancement of Shindo Muso Ryu Jodo, a "stick art" first
developed by Muso Gonnosuke in 16th century Japan. We also study
Muso Shinden Ryu Iaido, the sword drawing art.
Our goal
is to earnestly learn and perpetuate Japanese budo within
the context of Western culture.
Who We Are...
The Beikoku Rembukan (America Martial
Spirit
Polishing Hall) was granted charter in 1986 and is named
after the famous Rembukan dojo that once served as the hombu for Shindo
Muso Ryu Jodo in Tokyo, Japan under the strict instruction of Shimizu,
Takaji Sensei.
Although the original RembukanDojo
existed for just less than 10 years, it was
home to many of today's great Jodo teachers. The Rembukan
became a portal that allowed Westerners introduction to many Kobudo,
arts that
were virtually inaccessible at that time. Shimizu Sensei worked
closely with Donn Draeger, a senior member
of the dojo and the senior ranking Westerner responsible for approving
non-Japanese students interested in studying the Shindo Muso
Ryu. Rick began his Jodo instruction in 1974.
Today, Rick resides near Annapolis,
Maryland with his wife Yuriko and their two children. Rick is the
senior instructor of the Beikoku Rembukan and has been studying budo
for over 40 years. Having studied under Shimizu, Takaji, Rick
also spent many years studying with Kaminoda, Tsunemori serving as his
first and only "Shibucho" outside of Japan. Despite
a twenty-five year hiatus, Mr. Kaminoda came to visit Rick each year
from 1995 thru 2000 to compliment Rick's yearly sojourn to Japan.
Times change. Adapting to
economic pressures within Japan many dojo have decided upon amending
standards and redefining themselves as "Sports Clubs" in an effort to
attract more students. Coupled with a relaxation of the
standards for granting makimono or classical scrolls of rank for
increased
revenues has changed the face of many budo and many dojo. Sadly
the Zoshyukan dojo of Kaminoda Sensei and the Nihon Jodokai has
not been immune from these trends.
Although the Rembukan Dojo understands
these developments, it would not be in keeping with our stated goals to
accept these kinds of changes here. We have communicated our ongoing
concerns with some of these kinds of decisions made by the Nihon
Jodokai and the Zoshyukan Dojo over the last 6 or 7 years and have
attempted to redirect some of these efforts without success. We
resigned our "Shibucho" as a form of protest and as of
August 2007 are no longer affiliated with the Nihon Jodokai.
Fortunately we have many excellent
relationships with other teachers in our efforts to improve our skill
sets and we continue to reinforce our standards in our jodo
curriculum. Happily too, are Japanese instruction in iai has not
been effected by these trends. A more thorough explanation can be found
under the
history tab soon.
Personal Note:
I have been very fortunate to have studied with people of the caliber
of Shimizu, Nagamoto, and Draeger Sensei. Specific to those of
us who trained at the original Rembukan Dojo, we were embued with
Shimizu Sensei's sense of mission. He had a strong desire to
promote Jodo throughout the world without losing the heart, the essence
of what Jodo
is. Anyone who shared the mat with this "Meiji Man" knew him to
be single-minded in this task and free from the pettiness associated
with self-aggrandizement. For me as an impressionable young man,
these experiences for which I am most grateful was life-changing.
It is difficult therefore to watch so many changes take place within my
own now former dojo of the last 3 decades. I've seen many
excellent people leave the Zoshyukan, questionable lapses in
financial accountibility and the wholesale destruction of a classical
makimono system. I can not in good conscience allow
the spirit of our Rembukan Dojo to be corrupted and used as a platform
for collecting Western students for the purpose of generating revenues
or cultivating a cult of a single personality. There are now
plenty of Americans ready to step in and perpetuate this under a more
"ignoble" banner.
This was not a decision that was made lightly or idependantly of our
whole dojo membership. Ten of our number went to Japan as
recently as November
2006 to train and to determine whether there was any
positive way forward to reconcile our goals with those of the Nihon
Jodokai. However after this protracted struggle to find solutions
to changes beyond our control, the membership unanimously determined
that it was in
our best interest to stand away from the current affairs of the
Zoshyukan and the Nihon Jodokai.
I do wish to thank the many Japanese voices both amongst budo teachers
and friends that have supported our actions during these "interesting"
times. Their efforts both privately and publically at some risk
to their own relationships have been so very heart warming.
Sincerely,
Rick Polland
Beikoku Rembukan, August 2007
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