What is the Suio Ryu?
The Suio Ryu is one of the few extant koryu, or ancient systems of martial arts, practiced today. It was founded around 1600 by Mima Yoichizaemon Kagenobu, and has followed the traditional method of oral transmission. Today, the head of the Suio Ryu is Katsuse Yoshimitsu Kagehiro, who lives and teaches in Shizuoka City (formerly Shimizu city) in Shizuoka prefecture in Japan.
It encompasses a broad variety of techniques from pure iai-jutsu drawing techniques, to semi-armored grappling techniques called kogusoku. Amongst the waza, or techniques, of the Suio Ryu are jojutsu, paired sword forms called kumi-iai, naginata-jutsu, pure kenpo sword forms, and wakizashi techniques. The emphasis of the Suio Ryu is practical application; although kata practice is the norm, every technique is intended to be delivered with full strength and intent, as if one were actually cutting against a live opponent. In many ways, this is part of what makes the Suio Ryu unique, for most of the techniques that comprise a kata are meant to be paired against techniques from other waza so that their applications can be both understood and tested.
The Suio Ryu was brought to America thanks to the efforts of Kiyoshi Yamazaki, who met with Katsuse-sensei and arranged for several of his students to begin training in the Suio Ryu. Since then, those students have trained as direct students of Katsuse-sensei, and were allowed to join the Suio Ryu family as a full branch organization. Today, there are several dojo in America that are officially permitted to teach Suio-ryu, including Anaheim and Irvine in Southern California, San Francisco, Rhode Island, Ohio, Omaha, and Washington.
For more information about the history of the Suio Ryu, please refer to the history section of this website.
About Katsuse Sensei
Katsuse Yoshimitsu Kagehiro is the 15th Soke, or headmaster of the Suio Ryu and teaches out the Hekiunkan Dojo in Japan. He is also the 12th generation Soke of the Masaki-ryu Fukuhara-ha Kusarigama-jutsu. In addition to his responsibilities as Soke, he is the technical chairman of the Shizuoka Prefectural Kendo Federation, and takes an active role in both training and judging Iaido and Kendo competitions throughout Japan. He has performed demonstrations all over the world, including both Great Britain and America.
For More Information
For more information, please contact:
Suio Ryu Iai Kenpo12800 Garden Grove Blvd Suite J
Garden Grove, CA 92843
(714) 528-9304
Or via e-mail at info@suioryu-usa.org
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