High School Martial Arts in Japan
If you have been keeping up with some of our blogs and facebook, you may know we have been shooting (pun intended) a new film on Kyudo or Japanese archery. We began filming last year on November 3rd and will complete location filming in Japan exactly one year later. While filming our archery movie, we [...]
Old Wounds Open Up…
As a documentary filmmaker I think it’s best to stay out of politics and leave that to Michael Moore. Also filming in China for six months out of every year, you tend to bite your lip when anyone starts talking about the ‘China issues’. I think we serve everyone better by being able to enter [...]
Interview with Uozumi sensei
Uozumi Takashi is a professor at the International Budo University in Katsuura, Chiba, Japan. Beside teaching, he is a prolific writer and has published many books and thesis on Japanese Budo culture and the martial arts. He is Japan’s leading expert on Miyamoto Musashi and his books on the master swordsman are collectors works. We [...]
Kyudo – Japanese Archery in Sendai
Sendai in north Japan… home to some of Japan’s great Kyudo masters. It was here at Tohoku University that Eugen Herrigel was stationed and where he was taught Kyudo by Awa Kenzo sensei. Recently Sendai was in the news as the focal point of last years terrible Tsunami after the earthquake. This photo is Takeuchi [...]
On Location in Japan with Kyudo
We are preparing for our upcoming film shoot in Japan this week and through September. We begin in Sendai where we are filming Kyudo or Japanese archery. The dojos in Sendai will be at the famous Tohoku University Kyudojo and the Izumiku Budokan Kyudojo. We will keep you posted with some photos of the archery. We [...]
Kendo World Keiko-Kai
Kendo World Keiko-Kai at the Nippon Budokan We have joined up with our good friends at Kendo World in Japan to document their first official Keiko-kai at the Nippon Budokan on 30th June, 2012. As always with Kendo World the kendo will be of a very high quality. The instructors for the event are the following: [...]
Iaido in Kyoto
We are currently filming in Japan at the annual Kendo Taikai in Kyoto. Today May 2nd is the first day and comprises mostly of Iai (sword) and some Jodo (stick) and Kenjutsu etc. The third and fourth days will be some very good Kendo including the Hachidan (8th) grading, perhaps the most difficult grading in [...]
Butoku Sai in Kyoto
We are at the Kyoto Budo Center – and the Butokuden training hall of the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai. It is the 50th Japan Butoku Sai and 4th World Butoku Sai International. What this all means is its a meeting of traditional budo arts from karate and aikido to iaido and kenjutsu… and many more. Countries beside Japan [...]
It’s Not Just Mud ….
Nearly a year after the tsunami in Japan, there are many aid groups operating in and around Ishinomaki, none more interesting than It’s Not Just Mud
