Instructors visit Japan

Posted by admin on 26 October 2009

Coventry Taiho Jutsu members Robert Cowley and Ruth Stronach flew to Japan this September 2009 to attend the 8th international Aikido Festival in Kyoto, and to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the passing of kenji Tomiki Shihan.



I was proud and honoured to represent the self defence section of the BAA (British Aikido Association) and to accompany the technical adviser (Brian Eustace sensei 7th Dan Tomiki Aikido) to this prestigious and largest event in the history of Aikido, after accepting the invitation from the chairman Robert Jones 6th Dan Tomiki Aikido.

Japan is a bustling country with history and places to visit in abundance, cyclists are everywhere they seem to rule the roads and even more so the pavements, dodging these alone was very good self defence avoidance training. You’re never to far away from a national monument or a traditional eating house to try the local cuisine. For the most part of our trip we were not in the more western sections of the country so finding something to eat was to say the least tricky but very exciting to see exactly what we had ordered.

Sumo Demonstration.


After the invite I made many visits to training sessions in Sheffield and was invited to the squad training sessions at Loughborough university, along side this I gained a coaching qualification from the Baa and have opened a Taiho Jutsu school in Coventry.

So how did I become a member of the British Aikido Association?

It all started in 2005 whilst on a TaeKwon-Do trip with Mr. Archer to Atlantic city, for a four day training seminar with the now Grand master Choi Jung Hwa. During this visit I witnessed a master class session from a Dutch master demonstrating self defence; needless to say I liked what I saw and was eager to find out more on my return to England.

Kendo Demonstration.


This is when I discovered Taiho Jutsu or Arresting martial art, it’s a mixture of Aikido / Judo and police restraints all rolled in to one, and is known as the official self defence section of the BAA for the use of self defence and also as a sport in its own right. This system was introduced in the seventies by my instructor Brian Eustace sensei 9th Dan Taiho, 7th Dan Aikido, and 2nd Dan Judo.

The Tournament

50/60 competitors from the BAA travelled to the national heritage site known as the Budokan centre Japan, in the hope of winning the men’s individual tanto randori (sparring with a knife)  with other entries from the ladies individual, ladies team, men’s team, and also a mixed team competition.





The event was held over four days with training seminars at the Budo centre before the tournament, these were held by  the worlds leading technician and historians of Aikido, master’s Fumiaki Shishida and Tetsuro Nariyam, also during and after the tournament there where  displays of traditional Japanese arts such as Sumo and Kendo, these were displays of the highest quality with an age range from 5 to 90 year old practioner.

The end of the competition soon came around and I’m pleased to say that the BAA won the men’s individual competition for Tanto Randori for the first time since the eighties I think, the ladies team where runners up only to a superb Japanese team, the men’s team also won medals in the Kata / Patterns section of the event,  in total winning five medals for the great Britain team.

There where two main high lights for me and Ruth on this trip apart from the abundance of sites and wilderness to discover, the first of which was a complete shock as we quietly sipped a couple of beers out side a small restaurant, Tetsuro  Nariyama joined us for a brief chat after seeing us enjoying the fruits of Japanese beer he chatted over an orange juice before leaving us to discuss the events of the day. This to a TaeKwon-Do student would be like sitting with Grand master Park Jung Tae or Grand master Ki Ha Rhee, it really is that big a deal in the Aikido world.

The second was training in the famous Osaka Dojo with the man him self Tetsuro  Nariyama Sensei free of charge this was by invite only and it was a very intimate affair, priceless really,

Both Ruth and my self will be hoping to return in four years time to Tokyo, but in the mean time we will be preparing to compete in Moscow next year at the European championships.

Robert Cowley & Ruth Stronach
www.coventrytaihojutsu.com
www.coventrytkd.net