KAGESHUJIN DOJO

The Kurai Kotori Ryu is a tradition that follows the path of Sword & Shadow. The sword (刀) serves as a foundation weapon used to cultivate hand/eye coordination, enhance intuition pertaining to the crucial art of timing, heighten awareness to combative distancing, and imbue the importance of strategic thinking in all things. The shadow (影) serves as a concept for how to approach conflict in a manner that uses guile over brute force, calm resolve over rash action, and the ability to adapt to an enemies aggression like a leaf that floats on the surface of water... harmonizing with the natural flow of energy.

Kenjutsu (剣術) is a universal term that encompasses many skills used by a swordsman or swordswoman. To practice Kenjutsu (fencing skills), one must first become masterful at exhibiting proper etiquette with the weapon, understand its anatomy, and how to care for it. One is taught to hold the weapon, combative postures, basic attacks, conditioning, movement drills, body dynamics, combination attacks, and precision training. The sword practitioner then begins partner practice to learn advanced cuts, parries, blocks, clashing, striking, and controlling techniques before learning the prearranged fighting sets that test their overall knowledge along with the classical strategies used by the Samurai of Feudal Japan.   

Ninjutsu (忍術) is a comprehensive system comprised of many sub-systems. A Ninja must turn their body into a weapon, thus the term for their unarmed fighting skills is Taijutsu (body art). Taijutsu involves striking, joint manipulation, throws, pressure attacks, finger locks, chokes, and reversals. Beyond unarmed skills, the Ninja must become skilled with Nin-Buki (weaponry). Nin-Buki is comprised of dozens of specialized weapons, including throwing blades, staves, halberds, chains, sickles, spears, cords, short bow, and blowgun. The Ninja is also exposed to the famed skills of their ancient predecessors involving wilderness survival, climbing techniques, silent movement, and escape and concealment.   

The Kageshujin Dojo is dedicated to practicing, refining, perfecting, and transmitting all the skills maintained by the Kurai Kotori Ryu, but that is only a part of the equation. The most important factor is ensuring those within our martial family cultivate themselves in a constructive manner. Many things will happen to us as we journey through life. We will make friends and acquire enemies, we will find love and experience hatred, we will engage in war and cherish peace, we will have successes and suffer losses, we will live and we will die, but what really matters are the choices we make while on this journey. Many are quick to point out the flaws of the world. Crime, hunger, hatred, and corruption. It is easy to acknowledge these things exist, yet most people sit and watch as events unfold around them. The Kurai Kotori Ninja should actively seek out ways to make a positive difference in the world. This is the path.

  Since we are adapting to the Covid-19 pandemic, we are currently focusing our training schedule almost entirely on Kenjutsu (swordsmanship). This will allow us to remain a safe distance from one another as we refine our sword fighting skills. Beyond swordsmanship students will also have an opportunity to practice Kata (solitary forms) with both unarmed and weaponry skills at outdoor park locations.

 DOJO SOURCE

8031 Wadsworth Blvd A-4 

Arvada, Colorado 80003 

- Wednesdays 7pm to 9pm and Sundays 11am to 1pm -

We are also offering training at public park locations where he will be teaching Bo (long staff), Hanbo (short staff), Kyoketsu Shoge (rope knife), and many other unarmed and weapon skills. 

CONTACT US for times and locations.

SHADOW MASTER ONLINE is a resource for those who wish to learn the arts of the KURAI KOTORI RYU in a virtual setting. The content is delivered via instructional videos and dramatized clips showing the skills in action in a fashion that captures the spirit of the elusive Shadow Masters.    *Note - The Shadow Master Online website was due to launch fourth quarter of 2020 but the Covid-19 pandemic halted video production. We are now looking at a release sometime in 2021. Until then, please feel free to look through the planned  program content listings below or CONTACT US if you are interested in learning more about long distance training. 

CONQUEST: WEAPONS OF THE NINJA 

Conquest is a TV show on the History Channel hosted by Peter Woodward. In each 30 minute episode, Woodward teaches his small group of assistants a particular type of weapon, or a set of weapons from a particular time period, while demonstrating their function, describing their comparative advantages and disadvantages, and discussing their history.  In episode 24, he examines THE WEAPONS OF THE NINJA. Assisted by real life Ninja Master Mark Steven Grove of the Kurai Kotori Ryu, Peter explains many aspects of the art of Ninjutsu while Mark teaches various unarmed and weaponry skills.