SMAA HQ - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Elite SMAA Board of Advisors
Ann Kameoka Sensei is a member of the elite SMAA Board of Advisors. She is the co-author of The Japanese Way of the Flower: Ikebana as Moving Meditation (Stone Bridge Press).
Job Titles:
- Journalist / Author and Expert
Mr. Dave Lowry literally grew up in the Japanese cultural arts. As a boy, he commenced a lifelong study of Yagyu Shinkage Ryu swordsmanship under a Japanese teacher who was living in Missouri. In 1985, Mr. Lowry's experiences growing up as a Westerner, who was deeply immersed in Japanese cultural and martial arts, formed the basis for Autumn Lightning (Shambhala), his first book, which was widely acclaimed. His sequel to this book, Persimmon Wind, was published by Tuttle.
In addition to Yagyu Shinkage Ryu, Mr. Lowry has trained in karate-do and a variety of modern martial ways. His current and primary martial arts activities are focused on Yagyu Shinkage Ryu, Shindo Muso Ryu (an old combative art utilizing a four-foot staff), and aikido.
He is heavily involved with the Japanese community in the St. Louis area, and he has practiced a wide variety of Japanese arts including go (an ancient Japanese game), shodo (calligraphy), kado (flower arrangement), and chado (tea ceremony). Mr. Lowry is also active in the organization and running of the St. Louis Japanese Festival, the largest such festival in North America. He is on the Executive Board of the St. Louis Japanese Festival as well, and he is the President of the St. Louis-Suwa Sister City Committee.
Mr. Dave Lowry has a degree in English, and works as a professional writer. He has authored numerous books, including Sword and Brush (Shambhala); his monthly columns appear in several martial arts magazines, and he is the restaurant critic for St. Louis Magazine.
Mr. Lowry, SMAA Senior Advisor, has taught at the SMAA Seminar & Conference, and he is a regular contributor to the SMAA Journal.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Contributor to the SMAA Journal
Guy Power Sensei, a frequent contributor to the SMAA Journal, is a direct disciple of Nakamura Taizaburo Sensei. Nakamura Sensei, Hanshi/tenth dan Toyama Ryu iaido, was the founder of Nakamura Ryu Batto-do and the leader of the International Iai-Batto-Do Federation. Iaido is a modern form of Japanese swordsmanship, while batto-do equally emphasizes combat effectiveness, self-cultivation, and cutting of objects. Both disciplines are designed to cultivate the mind and body through the use of the sword.
Job Titles:
- Director of the Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts
- Division Director for the SMAA Traditional Jujutsu Division
- Traditional Jujutsu Division Director
H. E. Davey Sensei is the Director of the Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts, which offers instruction in Japanese systems of yoga, martial arts, healing arts, and fine arts. He's a founding member of the SMAA as well as one of three SMAA Primary Directors and the editor of the SMAA Journal.
He began studying Saigo Ryu martial arts at age five under his late father, who trained in Japan and the USA, and who held instructor certification from more than one martial arts association in Japan. Saigo Ryu features jujutsu throwing, pinning, and grappling techniques stemming from older methods originating in the Aizu-Wakamatsu area of Japan. It also features training with the sword, spear, staff, short stick, iron fan, and other weapons.
Mr. Davey is a Division Director for the SMAA Traditional Jujutsu Division. His SMAA title/rank is Shihan/eighth dan. For over 50 years, he's studied jujutsu in Japan and the U.S. He has also presented Saigo Ryu in bilingual lecture-demonstrations in Tokyo.
In middle school, Mr. Davey began Shin-shin-toitsu-do, a system of Japanese yoga and meditation founded by Nakamura Tempu Sensei. He's a member of the International Japanese Yoga Association in Kyoto and the Wakuwaku Honshin Juku in Osaka, and he holds the highest teaching certification from these associations, which are devoted to the teachings of Mr. Nakamura.
Mr. Davey also studied shodo, or Japanese brush writing and ink painting, for 20 years under the late Kobara Ranseki Sensei of Kyoto. Mr. Davey holds the top rank in Ranseki Sho Juku shodo and exhibits in Japan. He's received numerous honors in these exhibitions, including Jun Taisho ("Associate Grand Prize").
H. E. Davey's articles on Japanese arts and his artwork have appeared in many American and Japanese magazines and newspapers. He's the author of several books on Japanese yoga, brush calligraphy, flower arrangement, martial arts, and more. Information about his writing can be found at https://www.michipublishing.com/.
Herbert Z. Wong Sensei's first exposure to the martial arts occurred in the Chinese schools he attended as a young boy in San Francisco's Chinatown. Martial arts were taught as part of the cultural arts curriculum and on an ad hoc basis at Chinese community centers. In 1959, Wong Sensei began his formal martial arts training in karate-do with Walter E. Todd Sensei at the International Judo, Karate and Aikido School. He was one of the first group of students at the school to earn a black belt, which he received in 1961. He continued to train diligently and was awarded his second dan in 1963.
The United States Army drafted Wong Sensei in 1963 and sent him to Okinawa. During that time, he began training with Shimabukuro Eizo Sensei (tenth dan) in Shobayashi Shorin Ryu karate-do. Throughout the time he was in Okinawa, Wong Sensei managed to train almost every single day. Because of this dedication and his previous experience, Wong Sensei earned his black belt in Shorin Ryu near the end of 1964. He was awarded his second dan in August of 1965, which was shortly before he finished his military service and returned to the United States.
After returning from Okinawa, Wong Sensei resumed his undergraduate studies at San Francisco State University and continued to practice Shorin Ryu. In 1965, he started the Asian Martial Arts School in San Francisco with Andrew Chan Sensei. He also began training in Sil-Lum Hung Gar (Tiger-Crane) kung fu under Master Y.C. Wong in San Francisco that same year. Wong Sensei was one of Master Wong's first three students in the United States. Wong Sensei continued to train with Master Wong and teach at the Asian Martial Arts School until he left the San Francisco Bay area to pursue his graduate studies.
In September of 1970, Wong Sensei started in the doctoral program at The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. While simultaneously pursuing his doctorate degrees in clinical and organizational psychology, he was also teaching classes in Okinawan karate-do and Chinese kung fu. In 1974, Wong Sensei was also made the head of Shorin Ryu for the Midwestern and Southern Divisions of the United States by Shimabukuro Sensei.
After receiving his doctorate degrees, Wong Sensei returned to the San Francisco Bay area in 1975 to run a psychiatric clinic and psychology training center. A few years later he started doing consulting work in addition to running the clinic.
In addition, he continued to travel to Okinawa to train with Shimabukuro Sensei. He received a number of promotions over the years and was awarded his eighth dan in 2005. He was also awarded the title of Shihan by Shimabukuro Sensei, and he received the same ranks from the SMAA.
Job Titles:
- Director of the International Hoplology Society
Hunter B. Armstrong Sensei, Director of the International Hoplology Society , holds a menkyo, or high-level classical teaching license, in Shinkage Ryu Heiho Koryu and Owari Kan Ryu sojutsu, which he studied in Japan. Shinkage Ryu includes classical swordsmanship (kenjutsu and batto), naginata (halberd), kogusoku, grappling, nagamaki (long-bladed halberd), bo (staff), etc., while Owari Kan Ryu involves the use of the kuda-yari, or spear, and sword. Mr. Armstrong, author of Strength & Conditioning for the Combative Athlete, editor of Hoplos, the martial arts journal of the IHS, and a member of the SMAA, offers training in both ryu.
He can be reached care of:
Job Titles:
- Headmaster of Kobori Ryu Suiei - Jutsu )
Iwasaki Hisashi Sensei, SMAA Senior Advisor, is the Soke (Hereditary Headmaster) of Kobori Ryu suiei-jutsu. One of the highest ranking martial artists in Japan, he teaches and preserves a very rare and esteemed form of ancient bujutsu.
John Evans' training in martial arts began in his teens when he visited the Anchorhold, an Anglican monastery in the UK, where tai chi chuan and yoga were taught as ways to facilitate contemplative prayer. At Oxford University, he trained in Shotokan karate-do. After graduation, he lived at the Anchorhold for five years, continuing his study of tai chi chuan and yoga.
In 1981, Evans Sensei travelled to Japan, where he was introduced to Mikkyo (esoteric Buddhism) near Mount Takao through Shugendo and kenjutsu ("the art of the sword"). The core of Mikkyo are the teachings of the Buddhist Shingon and Tendai schools brought to Japan by monks who travelled to China to study. In Japan, mountain ascetics (yamabushi) added to these forms of Buddhism native Shinto practices connected with traditionally sacred mountain areas. This knowledge was passed on directly from teacher to student through a systematic and progressive ascetic training in the mountains called Shugendo, "The Path of Training and Testing." This also involved training in martial arts; the ancient yamabushi were renowned for their martial skills.
Job Titles:
- Expert
- Member of the SMAA Board of Advisors
An expert in Masaki Ryu classical martial arts and a direct student of Nawa Yumio Sensei
John Quinn Sensei is a member of the SMAA Board of Advisors. Quinn Sensei lived in Japan for over 20 years where he studied karate-do, jodo, and forms of koryu bujutsu ("old-style martial arts"). In particular, Quinn Sensei is expert in the ancient Masaki Ryu. The Masaki Ryu is perhaps best known for its use of the manriki kusari (weighted chain) and kusari-gama (chain and sickle).
Quinn Sensei is a direct student of Nawa Yumio Sensei, the 10th generation Headmaster of Masaki Ryu. He received high-level teaching certification from Nawa Sensei, and he is the founder of the Masaki Ryu Bujutsu Kenkyukai.
Quinn Sensei is one of only a handful of people--anywhere in the world--licensed to teach Masaki Ryu. He lives in Virginia, where he teaches this time-honored martial art.
Joseph Rippy Sensei was born in 1946 in San Mateo, California. He has, however, lived most of his adult life in Tennessee. Married with three sons, aged 32, 29, and 24, Rippy Sensei received a University of Tennessee degree in Asian Studies (Japanese) in 1980. His interests include Chinese metaphysics and the art of Wado Ryu karate-do, which he teaches privately to a select group of children and adults.
The name Wado Ryu is composed of three characters: Wa means "harmony," do means "way," and ryu means "system." From one viewpoint, Wado Ryu might be considered jujutsu rather than karate-do. When the founder Ohtsuka Hironori Sensei first registered his art with the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai in 1938, it was called Shinshu Wado Ryu Karate-Jujutsu, which reflects its hybrid nature. To the untrained observer, Wado Ryu might look similar to other styles of karate-do; many underlying principles, however, are derived from jujutsu.
Rippy Sensei began karate-do training in 1964, when he was invited to join the Wado Ryu system by Cecil T. Patterson Sensei (1930-2002). Wado Ryu is one of the most widely recognized karate-do systems in Japan, and it is known as one of the four major styles of Japanese karate-do (as opposed to original Okinawan systems).
In 1968, Rippy Sensei met and trained under Ohtsuka Hironori Sensei. He later studied directly with Ohtsuka Sensei (1892-1982), who tested Rippy Sensei for his third dan in 1976. Ohtsuka Sensei was a licensed Shindo Yoshin Ryu jujutsu expert when he met the famed Okinawan karate-do exponent Funakoshi Gichin Sensei (1868-1957), founder of Shotokan karate-do. After learning karate-do from Funakoshi Sensei, Ohtsuka Sensei merged Shindo Yoshin Ryu with karate-do to create Wado Ryu.
In 1979, Rippy Sensei began practicing with Suzuki Tatsuo Sensei (Wado Ryu eighth dan). He continued to study with Suzuki Sensei from 1979 to 1988, primarily when this teacher visited Tennessee and Florida each year. In 1984, Rippy Sensei successfully represented the USA at the 50th Anniversary Wado Ryu Invitational Tournament in Tokyo, Japan. While there, he trained at Sakai Kazuo Sensei's dojo in Yokohama. Sakai Sensei (now tenth dan) was then Wado Ryu Chief Technical Director, and he further practiced with Sakai Sensei whenever he visited the USA.
In 1988, Rippy Sensei received his sixth dan certificate from Ohtsuka Hironori II (the current Saiko Shihan, or Grandmaster, of Wado Ryu). In 1989, he also trained with Osaka Toshio Sensei (seventh dan) of Salt Lake City, Utah. Rippy Sensei currently receives direction from Ohtsuka Kazutaka Sensei , the son of the current grandmaster and grandson of the art's founder, via the U.S. Eastern Wado -Ryu Karate-Do Federation.
At present, Rippy Sensei is nearing the completion of a book on teaching karate-do to children. He returned to Japan in 2008, where he continued his lifelong study with the Ohtsuka family.
A San Francisco Bay Area native, Kevin Heard Sensei has been studying Japanese cultural arts for over twenty five years. He holds teaching licenses in Shin-shin-toitsu-do, a form of Japanese yoga, as well as related healing arts. He also holds the rank of menkyo chudan (a traditional teaching license roughly equivalent to fourth through sixth dan in modern ranking systems) in Saigo Ryu martial arts.
Heard Sensei serves on the SMAA Board of Advisors. He is also the former assistant editor for the SMAA Journal and the former webmaster for the SMAA website. He currently holds the title/rank of Fuku-shihan/sixth dan in the SMAA's Traditional Jujutsu Division. He has demonstrated Saigo Ryu aiki-jujutsu several times at the Kokusai Budoin Sogo Budo Taikai, held annually in Tokyo.
Mr. Heard earned bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of California at Berkeley. After working in the software development industry, he returned to the University to become Director of Computing and Information Services for UCB's School of Information. His professional interests include UNIX/Linux system administration, building information systems based on open standards, open source software, and privacy and security in the digital age. He is co-author of Mastering Netscape SuiteSpot 3 Servers (Sybex).
Job Titles:
- Professor Emeritus of English at Kyoto Sangyo University
Professor emeritus of English at Kyoto Sangyo University , Kobori Ryu martial arts expert, and teacher of Shin-shin-toitsu-do (Japanese yoga)
Mark Colby Sensei began studying Kodokan judo in 1969 in the USA. The majority of his training took place under Japanese and Japanese-American teachers at Seikikan Dojo, one of Washington State's oldest schools of judo. He successfully competed in numerous tournaments, often placing first, qualifying to compete in the United States Judo Federation Nationals, and winning medals in the AAU Junior Olympics.
He received his first dan in 1976 from the Northwest Yudanshakai, United States Judo Federation, and Kodokan Judo Institute in Japan. His tournament success continued, and in 1979 he began training with the U.S. Olympic Judo Team at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
He married a Japanese woman, and he moved to Japan in 1980, where he started practicing judo with the Koichi Riot Police. The training in Japanese police dojo is notoriously rough, and the riot police are known as the roughest of the rough. Colby Sensei practices with the Koichi Riot Police to this day, and he has trained weekly at the Kodokan for over 20 years. The Kodokan is the birthplace of judo, and it's widely regarded as an international Mecca for judo practitioners. He also trains at the Nippon Ne Waza Kenkyujo, a dojo devoted to researching ground grappling within judo.
Two of his biggest tournament wins were the USA-Canadian Championships in 1981 and the 1985 Maroto Kaigai Championship in Japan. He was the Grand Champion at both events, winning every weight class. This is a feat usually accomplished today by heavyweight competitors. Colby Sensei is of average height and build. His win at the Maroto Kaigai Championship harkens back to the days of classical judo when smaller judoka competed in tournaments without weight classes and sometimes won overall.
The Maroto Kaigai Championships is a particularly important event, and Colby Sensei's victory is significant. So impressive was this triumph, that he was featured on NHK national television in Japan.
Colby Sensei teaches and practices traditional judo in the USA and Japan. His daughters have both studied at the Kodokan since childhood, with Julie Colby winning the United States Judo Association Nationals in her weight class in 1997.
Colby Sensei currently lives in the countryside of Chiba Prefecture. An author and artist, he is also a successful businessman. He is CEO of CGIKK. Based in Tokyo, CGIKK creates and implements innovative solutions for medical associations, healthcare professionals, and the medical industry.
Given his belief in preserving traditional judo and his lifetime of training, much of it under legendary teachers in Japan, the SMAA is honored to have Mark Colby Sensei on our Board of Advisors.
Job Titles:
- Member of the SMAA Board of Advisors
Otsuka Yasuyuki Sensei, the current Soke (Headmaster) of Meifu-Shinkage Ryu, is a member of the SMAA Board of Advisors. Meifu-Shinkage Ryu is based on Katori Shinto Ryu, one of Japan's oldest forms of koryu bujutsu. Meifu-Shinkage Ryu specializes in the use of shuriken (throwing stars and darts) and the fundo kusari, a weighted chain. Otsuka Sensei, a published author of budo books, is one of the highest ranking martial artists in Japan and one of very few people in the world teaching an authentic system of shuriken-jutsu. His desire to join the SMAA points to the value of the work our group is doing internationally to promote and preserve genuine Japanese budo and koryu bujutsu. He lives in Ichikawa-Shi, Chiba, Japan and teaches throughout Japan, Europe, and the USA.
The SMAA is active around the world and lead by both Western and Japanese martial arts experts. Otsuka Sensei joins a number of prominent martial arts teachers in Japan, who actively support our association and validate the ranks issued by the SMAA. Their presence in the SMAA speaks volumes about the importance of our group and the degree to which it is respected in Japan, the birthplace of budo and koryu bujutsu.
Job Titles:
- Attorney and Aikido Practitioner
Michael Donnelly Sensei's interest in Japanese culture began with his exposure to the art of aikido at the New Jersey School of Aikido in 1976, while in the U.S. Navy. He was a fourth-degree black belt in aikido, affiliated with the Shudokan Martial Arts Association. In addition, Mr. Donnelly was an SMAA Senior Advisor.
Donnelly Sensei, while primarily interested in budo ("martial ways") in Japanese culture, was also interested in the history of medical ethics in China and Japan and their legal and philosophical interactions with Western medical ethical models and practice. He expanded his martial arts background to include dabbling in Tai Chi Chuan and Arnis.
Mr. Donnelly lived in New Hampshire with his wife Jayne. He worked as a New Hampshire attorney and, in many hospitals in multiple states, as an ASCP certified pathologists' assistant. While not the legal counsel for the SMAA, he served as our unofficial legal advisor.
On July 20, 2012 Michael Donnelly passed away suddenly from heart-related issues. He was 61 years old.
Donnelly Sensei was one of the first people to join the SMAA. He actually paid for our newsletters and partially funded the SMAA for the first couple years of its existence. He also hosted the first SMAA Seminar, bringing the late Walter Todd Sensei to his dojo to teach aikido.
He helped with the design of the SMAA logo and patch as well. And at one point, he was the General Manager for the SMAA. Donnelly Sensei did all of this for free.
Eventually health problems made it difficult for him to teach aikido, but he remained passionately devoted to the SMAA and budo. Even after his dojo closed, he encouraged his students to remain in the SMAA, and several of them are SMAA members to this day.
Not every SMAA member knew Donnelly Sensei personally, but all of us have benefited from his contributions to the SMAA. He will be missed and remembered.
Job Titles:
- Founder of Shin - Shin - Toitsu - Do
- Founder of the Shin - Shin - Toitsu - Do System of Japanese
Nyle Monday Sensei began his martial arts training in 1965 when he took up the practice of Kodokan judo at a Buddhist church in Bakersfield, California. In the ensuing years he branched out into Japanese Goju Ryu, Shotokan, and Shotokai systems of karate-do. While he enjoyed these activities, he was looking for something more, and in 1972 he came into contact with the late Donn F. Draeger Sensei, who introduced him to the world of classical martial arts (koryu bujutsu). Draeger Sensei was the widely acclaimed author of several pioneering books on traditional budo and ancient bujutsu. He lived for years in Japan, gaining high ranks and admission into several koryu on a level that was unprecedented at the time. His vast historical and technical accomplishments in this field are still largely unrivaled.
At the end of his service in the U.S. Army, Monday Sensei studied iaido in Japan before relocating to Hawaii to work with Draeger Sensei. There he was a founding staff member of the International Hoplogical Research Center and participated in Draeger Sensei's study of Hawaiian martial culture, which resulted in a several thousand-page manuscript now in the archives of the Bernice P. Bishop Museum in Honolulu, Hawaii. During his time in Hawaii, he extensively studied iaido under Draeger Sensei and Shindo Muso Ryu jodo under Draeger Sensei, Quintin Chambers Sensei, and Kobayashi Ichiro Sensei.
Returning to California in 1982, he took up the study of kendo under Chiba Harutane Sensei of the Hokushin Chiba Dojo of the Central California Kendo Federation, and eventually he became the co-founder of the Bakersfield Kendo Dojo. At present, he continues his budo training in Toyama Ryu iaido, Tendo Ryu naginata, and various other arts.
Monday Sensei, SMAA Senior Advisor, holds a Bachelors Degree in Anthropology from the University of Hawaii, a Masters Degree in History (Asian), and an additional Masters Degree in Library and Information Science from San Jose State University. Currently he serves as an Instruction & Reference Librarian at San Jose State, where he is the liaison person for the History Department. He is an avid researcher and a prolific writer on a wide variety of subjects ranging from deep sea diving to the martial arts.
Born on December 14, 1932 in Gunma Prefecture, Japan, Omi Koji Sensei was a member of the House of Representatives of Japan. He was, in addition, the former Finance Minister of Japan. He also served as Japanese Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy and Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs. Omi Sensei passed away on April 14, 2022.
Omi Sensei was also a direct student of the late Nakamura Tempu Sensei, founder of the Shin-shin-toitsu-do system of Japanese yoga and meditation. Omi Sensei was the Chief Director of the Tempu Society, which oversees the teaching of Shin-shin-toitsu-do in Japan.
His support of the SMAA served to illustrate the close ties the group has with Japan, and the degree to which the SMAA is respected in this island nation, the birthplace of budo. Omi Sensei's desire to join the SMAA validates the unique and important work our association is doing to promote and preserve genuinely traditional Japanese martial arts and ways. The presence of people like Omi Koji Sensei, former SMAA Senior Advisor, among our leaders gives added weight to the ranks that our members can receive from the various SMAA divisions. They also serve to further emphasize the international nature of the SMAA and our group's close connection to Japan.
The following is a short list of Omi Sensei's many accomplishments:
1956 Graduated from the Faculty of Commercial Science, Hitotsubashi University
1956 Joined the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI)
1970 Served as Consul at the Japanese Consulate General in New York until 1974
1981 Served as Director-General, Guidance Department, Small & Medium Enterprise Agency until 1983
1983 Elected to the House of Representatives (up to the present)
1990 Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Finance
1995 Chairman Standing Committee on Finance, House of Representatives
1995 Drafted and enacted Science and Technology Fundamental Law
1997 Minister of State for Economic Planning until 1998
Acting Secretary-General, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) until 2001
Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy
Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs
Minister of Finance
Job Titles:
- Headmaster of Meifu - Shinkage Ryu Shuriken - Jutsu )
Martin Sensei lives in Japan, where he is one of the world's leading experts in the art of the Japanese sword.
Paul Martin Sensei is a Japanese sword specialist. A native of England, he lived in Japan for many years, where he studied kendo, iaido, and several forms of ancient swordsmanship, including Ono Ha Itto Ryu. But his main area of speciality is the study, history, and appraisal of the Japanese sword as an art object. He is one of the world's foremost scholars of the Japanese sword, and we're honored to have him as an SMAA Senior Advisor.
Martin Sensei has studied under top sword appraisal experts, sword smiths, and sword restorers in Japan for numerous years, and this is to say little of his budo background. He maintains a fascinating website www.thejapanesesword.com and he is the author of The Japanese Sword Guide to Nyusatsu Kantei, which can be purchased at his site. He has been featured on the BBC, BBC Radio 4, the History Channel, Los Angeles JATV, and Japan's NHK TV. He has been interviewed in Tokyo Metropolis Magazine, The Daily Yomiuri newspaper, and Asahi Weekly in Japan. You can see video of many of these interviews at the site above.
Martin Sensei has contributed articles for the SMAA Journal about the Japanese sword as an art object, its valuation and appraisal, and its history. He provides a unique perspective on the sword and budo, as he is both a martial artist and a sword scholar.
Sawai Sensei was a full professor of English at Kyoto Sangyo University for 23 years, and he taught at the university for 33 years. He entered semi-retirement and became Professor Emeritus of English in 2004.
Karl Scott Sensei has studied the martial arts since 1965, and he has trained extensively both in the United States and in Asia with top exponents of many different Asian martial arts and ways. He has been with the Asian Martial Arts Studio in Ann Arbor since its beginning at the University of Michigan in 1970.
Mr. Scott began to study Toyama-style karate-do with Walter E. Todd Sensei over twenty years ago. He also trained under Ichikawa Isao Sensei, and Shimabukuro Eizo Sensei. He studied with Shimabukuro Sensei in Okinawa as an uchi-deshi, or "live-in disciple," and received a Shihan certificate, directly from Mr. Shimabukuro, in Shorin Ryu karate-do and Okinawan weaponry.
Scott Sensei is also a high-ranking black belt in aikido. His aikido training started in 1973, and he founded the Asian Martial Arts Studio aikido program in 1976. Scott Sensei has trained in aikido under the following teachers:
Tohei Koichi Sensei (founder of Ki no Kenkyukai and judan)
Kai Kuniyuki Sensei (Yoshinkan kudan)
Walter Todd Sensei (rokudan)
Toyoda Fumio Sensei (founder of the Aikido Association of America and rokudan)
Shiohira Hideki Sensei (founder of the Pacific Aikido Association and shichidan)
Scott Sensei is a Division Director in both the Karate-do Division and Aikido Division within the SMAA. He currently holds the title/rank of karate-do So-shihan/seventh dan and aikido Shihan/sixth dan.
Anthropologist Stephen Fabian Sensei has been involved in the Asian martial arts for most of his life. Dr. Fabian lives in New Jersey and trains in classical Hontai Yoshin Ryu, a ryu that specializes in jujutsu and the study of classical weaponry. He resided for several years in Japan and is a direct disciple of Inoue Soke, the 18th generation Headmaster of the Hontai Yoshin Ryu. Fabian Sensei has received a high-level teaching certification from Inoue Soke in Hontai Yoshin Ryu. He is believed to be the first American ever licensed to teach this ancient ryu in the U.S.
Dr. Fabian also studied Hontai Yoshin Ryu and Toyama Ryu iaido in Japan. In November 1989, he became the Toyama Ryu Iaido All-Japan Champion in the Men's Shodan/Nidan Division. Fabian Sensei is a Division Director in the SMAA Traditional Jujutsu Division. His current SMAA title/rank is jujutsu Shihan/seventh dan, and he has a fourth dan in the SMAA Iaido Division.
Fabian Sensei received a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from the University of Illinois and has received the following academic honors: Fulbright Scholar (Brazil 1982-3), Phi Beta Kappa, and Magna Cum Laude. He is also author of Clearing Away Clouds: Nine Lessons for Life from the Martial Arts, in which he shares insights gained from many years of practicing traditional Asian martial arts. At this time, teachers of bona fide jujutsu, like Dr. Fabian, are surprisingly difficult to find outside of Japan.
Suzuki Kunio Sensei, Nakamura Ryu swordsmanship Hanshi, eighth dan, and SMAA Senior Advisor is one of the highest ranking teachers of traditional martial arts in Japan, if not the world. He is a direct student of the late Nakamura Taizaburo Sensei, founder of Nakamura Ryu, tenth dan.
Suzuki Sensei lives in Yokohama, and we are honored to have him on our board of advisors. He joins many other prominent martial artists in Japan, Europe, and the USA, who serve the SMAA without pay. Their devotion to budo and koryu bujutsu is the hallmark of the Shudokan Martial Arts Association.
Suzuki Sensei first started in budo with the study of Wado Ryu karate-do, training under legendary experts in Japan. He rose through the kyu ranks, eventually earning black belt degrees in Wado Ryu before deciding to devote all his efforts to Japanese swordsmanship. He has become one of the highest ranking teachers of iaido (battodo) in the world.
In addition to his training in budo, Suzuki Sensei has received high-level teaching certification in the ancient art of the shakuhachi flute. Long associated with Zen meditation, the shakuhachi is one of Japan's most important cultural arts. Suzuki Sensei feels that the study of such arts can aid martial artists in having a deeper understanding of budo. This viewpoint is shared by many of the leaders of the SMAA, which is why experts in Japanese yoga and meditation, flower arrangement, tea ceremony, brush calligraphy, and other disciplines can be found among members of the SMAA Board of Directors and Board of Advisors.
Suzuki Sensei's desire to join the SMAA validates the unique and important work our association is doing to promote and preserve genuinely traditional Japanese martial arts and ways. The presence of people like Suzuki Sensei and Omi Koji Sensei (former Japanese Finance Minster and member of Japan's House of Representatives) among our leaders gives added weight to the ranks that our members can receive from the various SMAA divisions. They also serve to further emphasize the international nature of the SMAA and our group's close ties to Japan and the classical Japanese martial arts community.
Dr. Kosslow served as the Chairman of the WIKF USA Board of Directors until December of 2006. He is currently the Secretary and a member of the Technical Committee of that organization. He has also served as a member of the Board of Directors for the Georgia Karate League since its inception in 1996. Dr. Kosslow, SMAA Senior Advisor, has owned and operated the Newnan Karate Center in Newnan, Georgia since 1977.
Job Titles:
- Instructor of the Northglenn Judo Club
Warren Agena Sensei is the head instructor of the Northglenn Judo Club in Colorado, and a member of the SMAA Board of Advisors. He has decades of traditional judo experience, having studied with many top judoka, including Otaka Shuichi Sensei, Kodokan shichidan. Northglenn Judo Club has been in existence since 1965 and is the longest continually operating judo dojo in Colorado.
As of 2012, Agena Sensei's dojo is the fifth largest judo dojo in the USA. In addition to judo practice, the club participates in local, state, national, and international competitions. They also sponsor social events for the whole family and participate in fundraising to benefit judo players. Northglenn Dojo is also the home club of two Olympians: Craig Agena, 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and Jo Anne Quiring, 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Moreover, Northglenn Dojo is the club of Lance Nading, former number one ranked judo athlete in 100 kg division and current President of USA Judo, and Agena Sensei has many junior elite athletes practicing at his club as well. Under Agena Sensei's direction, the Northglenn Judo Club won the team championship at the 2003 USA Judo National Junior Olympics. Agena Sensei was also a successful competitor, having won his division in many tournaments, including the US National Junior Olympics in 1977.
Agena Sensei has a Masters degree in geophysics, and he is a geophysicist working with the prestigious US Geological Survey. More specifically, he is Geophysics Group Leader - CentralEnergyResourcesScienceCenter.
He is ranked as rokudan with the Kodokan Judo Institute in Japan and the United States Judo Federation. He is also a member of the Intermountain Yudanshakai, Colorado Judo League, and USA Judo, which is affiliated with the US Olympic Committee. He has taught at the USJF National Teachers Institute. He is one of the judo seniors (sempai) of Richard Burkland Sensei, SMAA Senior Advisor.
Agena Sensei has a detailed knowledge of classic judo kata, in particular Kime no Kata. Kime no Kata is a self-defense oriented kata developed at the Kodokan around 1888. The series is composed of eight techniques from a kneeling posture and 12 techniques from a standing position. Both sets of techniques contain defenses for both armed and empty-handed attacks. Agena Sensei has presented clinics on Kime no Kata at various locations in the USA, including the US Department of Commerce Judo Club in Colorado.
Job Titles:
- Editor of the Classic Budoka