SELECTED BY AN-SHU

FEATURED POSTS

Mountain Quest 2025

Rainy Mountain Quest 2025 on North Carolina’s Grandfather Mountain is now a grand memory… As promised, I will list notes from the kata taught over the August 2025 weekend. These are from the Kuki Shinden Ryu bojutsu collection Sabaki Kata GEKICHU KERI AGE TSUKE IRI GORIN KUDAKI (“Crushing the abdomen”) I did not include the description of what the adversary is doing with his sword in these descriptions. I don’t expect anyone to learn and apply this technique without having been there. It is listed as a reminder for those coached through the kata at Mountain Quest 2025.

August 3, 2025 No Comments

Dealing With Symmetrical and Asymmetrical Violence

The purpose and methodology preserved in our To-Shin Do kata were not created to address mutually consented fighting, where we agree to fight another martial artist until one of us quits. Our practice methods address handling non-consensual violence. That means self-protection, or stoping harm when attacked with criminal violence. The purpose determines the strategies used to achieve the goal. The strategies dictate the tactics. The tactics determine the choice of techniques. “Winning a fight I agreed to take part in” is not the same as “eliminating harm from invasive criminal violence”. You can’t take the strategies, tactics, and techniques used to achieve one goal and put them into action to achieve a different goal. This is not a value judgement

July 27, 2023 1 Comment

ALL POSTS

Radiating Inspiration

Martial arts masters who share the gift of inspiration with us radiate something we feel in their presence: We pick up a quality in them

Learn More »

February 27, 2018 No Comments

1981 Interview with An-shu – 37 Years Later, Still Valid?

The following comes from a 1981 issue of Kick Illustrated magazine. I had some pretty bold and controversial opinions 37 years ago. How does this

Learn More »

January 26, 2018 1 Comment

An-shu Defined

People have asked about the meaning of the An-shu title that Rumiko and I use. Though the world knows our school as SKH Quest Center

Learn More »

January 3, 2018 27 Comments

A Secret Tip from our Ancestors

Get out of the dojo and into nature now and then. No healthier way to discharge pent-up energies. The mind-body throws off its excess energies

Learn More »

November 29, 2017 No Comments

Dual Approach to a Common Value

To-Shin Do was developed with two purposes in mind. First, it is a modern adaptation of ancient ninja combat art philosophies. The techniques have been

Learn More »

September 28, 2017 1 Comment