Shinto Muso Ryu Jo Minneapolis
A wooden stick versus a samurai sword.
The stick always wins.
How?
Shinto Muso Ryu Jo, practiced in Minneapolis, Tuesday and Sunday nights.
Shinto Muso Ryu is a historical martial art. It originated from Feudal Japan, and taught samurai how to disable and detain a swordsman using a 4-foot wooden staff.
Our parent dojo is the Finger Lakes Koryu Kai in Ithaca, NY. The head teacher is a fully licensed instructor in Shinto Muso Ryu Jo. We practice the koryu version of the art, traced to Nishioka Tsuneo and Shimizu Takaji.
In feudal Japan, Musō Gonnosuke Katsuyoshi 夢想權之助勝吉 lost a duel to Miyamoto Musashi 宮本武蔵. His defeat inspired him to build an art around the jo — a four-foot stick.
The resulting martial art proved so effective that it was formally adopted by the Kuroda clan as its official policing tradition. The castle pictured was theirs.
Shinto Muso Ryu was a closely held secret of the clan from the 1600s until the 20th century, when it was taught openly. First in Tokyo, then eventually to us.
Tuesday and Sunday nights. You advance through the curriculum individually, not as a group.
None needed. Many people discover the classical arts while practicing more mainstream ones.
Loose clothing to start. Eventually practice weapons and an outfit — several Twin Cities suppliers carry them.
“You’re holding a stick. Your opponent has a sword. It feels like a disadvantage, but that’s the point.”
Read why our members trainCome watch.
Historical Japanese martial arts have a reputation for being mysterious and closed off. Not so with our group. Our senior teachers hold full transmission licenses, with lineage documented to 17th century Fukuoka. Join us Tuesday and Sunday evenings in Minneapolis.
Traditions like this survive by being handed to the next generation.
Beginners welcome. Write us to visit a class.
