In 2010, Hagakure Dojo is pleased to announce its 40th birthday under the tutelage of Leonard Bean Sensei. Sensei has attained the following awards within the budo world. Nanadan [7th Dan] Renshi Iaido Godan [5th Dan] Jodo Godan [5th Dan] Renshi Kendo He has also been an international, national and regional coach for the British Kendo Association. All of the above arts are practiced at our dojo. If you wish to attend our Iaido or Jodo sessions, your first visit will enable you to see how our classes are run. After this, you will need loose fitting clothes, such as a tracksuit. You will also need to bring kneepads if you wish to practice Iaido. However, if you cannot kneel, adjustments to your training can be made to accommodate this. Wooden swords [bokuto] will be provided. After a period of attendance, Sensei will advise you on the the purchase of the correct hakama and gi [the names given to the Japanese clothing we wear for training]. We train in a very safe environment, with qualified instructors, who have coaching awards as recognised by the British Kendo Association. We have a very high standard of dojo etiquette, which you will learn about as part of your budo training. Please take a look at the downloads page and read our Budo Charter and Dojo Constitution to familiarise yourself with the way our dojo is run. We are starting a new 'beginners' class at the dojo on Monday nights. This will be a 12 week introductory course for those who are interested in finding out about Iaido and how a dojo operates. All are welcome. Please email Sensei for details using the link above. Also, please check the 'Other Hagakure Dojo' page, as we have now opened a dojo for younger members - Hagakure Shonen Dojo. We very much look forward to meeting you at the dojo. Please contact us here for further details of how you can join our dojo.

Coaching staff

At present we have one senior coach and five assistant coaches. All staff have British Kendo Association coaching awards. We have a range of abilities and grades so anyone is welcome to join us. Please click here to contact our Sensei, Leonard Bean, to find out more details.

Practice times and locations

Please click and drag on the maps to see more of the local area and nearby travel links.

Our Monday night dojo is at Hugh Cubitt Hall, which is equidistant between Angel and Kings Cross tube station. Jodo is from 6 - 7.30pm, Iaido from 7.30 - 9.30pm.		Friday night Jodo training is at Winton Primary School on Killick Street which is just round the corner from the Monday night dojo from 7 - 9pm.
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HAGAKURE SHONEN DOJO Head teacher: Leonard K. Bean Sensei, 7th dan renshi iaido, 5th dan renshi kendo, 5th dan jodo International, National and Regional Senior Coach Dojo leader: Dave Fanning Sensei, 4th dan iaido, 4th dan jodo, BKA Coach level-1 Assistant teacher: Gill Wacey, 3rd dan iaido, 1st dan jodo, BKA Coach level-1 Formally established January 2010 in Hackney, London as a branch of the main Hagakure dojo, Hagakure Shonen dojo specializes in the instruction of budo, in the form of iaido and jodo, to students of junior age. Generally we welcome students between the ages of 8 and 17 years-old. Students will be integrated, if they wish to pursue their studies into adult life, into the main Hagakure dojo as they mature, at Bean Sensei’s discretion. The children are encouraged to develop in a way that suits them individually and are allowed to do so at their own pace. The small class size allows students plenty of individual attention. A safe training environment is maintained and bullying or any disrespectful behaviour is absolutely prohibited and will not be tolerated. The dojo membership fee includes the hire of training equipment and clothing, the latter of which is maintained by the student/parent and exchanged when the student grows out of it. Training times: Sunday mornings, Beginners 10:30-11:30, Advanced 11:30-12:30 Parents are expected to remain at the dojo while their child is in attendance. For more information, email or telephone 020 7249 6527

Iaido is a martial art that originated and developed in medieval Japan to train samurai in the use of the long-sword called katana, either for self-defense or to prepare them for battle. Today the art is taught as sets of forms (kata), concentrating on a smooth steady drawing of the sword and big, strong, efficient cutting whilst at all times maintaining perfect posture and balance. The ultimate aim of Iaido is spiritual and bodily harmony.

The equipment used in Iaido practice is a blunt-edged sword called an iaito, or for beginners, a wooden sword called bokuto or bokken. Special clothing is worn as well, but all you need to start training is some loose comfortable clothes and a pair of kneepads – the bokuto is provided by the dojo.

Iaido can be practiced by anyone – irrespective of age and physical ability. The depth and intensity of the training is increased gradually and tailored to suit the individuality of each student. With the accumulation of experience it leads to the full realisation of one’s physical and spiritual potential. Above all, practicing Iaido is a lot of fun and can become a way of life.

ZNKR SEITEI IAI KATA 1 Mae – to the front 2 Ushiro – to the rear 3 Ukenagashi – catch and slide off 4 Tsuka ate – strike with the handle 5 Kesa giri – diagonal cut 6 Morote tsuki – thrust with two hands 7 Sanpo giri – cutting in three directions 8 Ganmen ate – strike to the centre of the face 9 Soete tsuki – thrust with supporting hand 10 Shiho giri – cutting in four directions 11 Sou giri – multiple cuts 12 Nuki uchi – sudden attack

MUSO SHINDEN RYU KORYU IAIDO

Shoden (Entry level)

The word "Shoden" can be translated as the "entry-transmission", and was derived from the Omori-ryū iaido. Omori-ryū was said to have been created by Hayashi Rokudayu Morimasa, the ninth headmaster of the Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryū, who lived from 1661 until 1732. It has been included in the Muso Shinden-ryū at the entry level, and contains the following techniques (names and ordering can vary between different branches of the ryū):

1. Shohatto (Shohatsuto) (First)
2. Sato (Hidarito) (Left)
3. Uto (Migito) (Right)
4. Atarito (Ushiro) (Back)
5. Inyoshintai (Yaegaki)
6. Ryuto (Ukenagasi)
7. Junto (Kaishaku)
8. Gyakuto (Tukekomi or Oikiri)
9. Seichuto (Tukikage)
10. Koranto (Oikaze) (Chasing the Tiger)
11. Gyakute Inyoshintai (Inyoshintai kaewaza, Hizakakoi)
12. Nukiuchi (Batto)

Chūden

The word "Chūden" can be translated as the "middle-transmission", and was derived from the Hasegawa Eishin-ryū iaido. Originally created in the seventeenth century by Hasegawa Chikaranosuke Eishin (Hidenobu), who was the seventh undisputed headmaster of the Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryū. Hasegawa Eishin-ryū has been included in the Muso Shinden-ryū at the middle level. It contains the following techniques:

1. Yokogumo -cloud bank
2. Tora issoku -tiger's step
3. Inazuma -lightning
4. Ukigumo -floating cloud
5. Yamaoroshi -wind down from the mountain
6. Iwanami -wave hitting rocks
7. Namigaeshi -wave turn
8. Urokogaeshi -dragon turn
9. Takiotoshi -waterfall
10. Nukiuchi -draw/cut (Sudden Cut or Joi-uti)

Okuden

The word "Okuden" can be translated as the "inner-transmission". Nakayama's oku-iai is divided into two groups, suwari-waza, and tachi-waza; sitting and standing techniques.

Suwari-waza

1. Kasumi (Mist)
2. Sunekakoi (Knee Covering)
3. Shihogiri (Attacking the Four Sides)
4. Tozume
5. Towaki
6. Tanashita
7. Ryozume
8. Torabashiri (Tiger Run)
9. Itomagoi 1 (Farewell 1)
10. Itomagoi 2 (Farewell 2)
11. Itomagoi 3 (Farewell 3)

Tachi-waza

1. Yukizure
2. Tsure-dachi
3. Somakuri (Continuous Attack)
4. Sodome (Attack One After Another)
5. Shinobu (Secret Attack)
6. Yukichigai (Receive and redirect the opponent's attack)
7. Sodesuri-gaeshi (Pushing Through the Crowd)
8. Mon-iri (Entering Through the Gate)
9. Kabezoi (By the Wall)
10. Uke-nagashi
11. Ryohi-hikitsure
12. Oikake-giri
13. Gishiki

Legend has it that Muso Gonnosuke invented the first set of forms for using a jo (a wooden staff of approximately 4-foot length) in order to defeat the famous swordsman Miamoto Musashi. Musashi had beaten Gonnosuke in a sword duel and uncharacteristically spared his life, enabling the latter to return sometime later and repay the compliment, courtesy of his jo technique. "Muso" means "dream", as Gonnosuke had the techniques revealed to him in one, after meditating. The jo became part of the Muso Shinden Ryu syllabus along with its smaller cousin the tanjo.

Jo practice has become refined and systemised by the ZNKR as Seitei Jodo, which is taught at Hagakure Dojo in addition to our iai syllabus. Jo practice is split into two main sections: individual/paired kihon waza (technique) and paired kata (forms) simulating actual combat between jo and sword [a wooden sword, bokuto, is used in practice].

KIHON NO UCHI WAZA 1 Honte uchi 2 Gyakute uchi 3 Hikiotoshi uchi 4 Kaeshi tsuki 5 Gyakute tsuki 6 Maki otoshi 7 Kuritsuke 8 Kuri hanashi 9 Taiatari 10 Tsuki hazushi uchi 11 Dobari uchi 12 Migi taihazushiuchi 13 Hidari taihazushi uchi

SEITEI JODO KATA

1 Tsuki Zue

2 Suigetsu

3 Hissage

4 Shamen

5 Sakan

6 Monomi

7 Kasumi

8 Tachi otoshi

9 Raiuchi

10 Seigan

11 Midaredome

12 Ranai

Barnstaple Spring Seminar - 6th - 7th March 2010

Iaido

1st Kyu

Antonia Inganger

1st Dan

Valentina Lupi

2nd Dan

Oliver Hilton-Johnson


Jodo Spring Seminar - 20th - 21st March 2010

1st Kyu

Valentina Lupi

1st Dan

Julio Vial


European Championships - 16th - 19th November 2009

Jodo

1st Dan

Jo Hirst
Gill Wacey


Darlington Seminar - 31st October - 1st November 2009

Iaido

1st Dan

Julio Vial


Ishido Sensei 30th Anniversary Summer Seminar, Brighton. Sunday 9th - Friday 14th August 2009

Grading Passes

Iaido

1st Dan

David Ulicsak
Rowan Mottram
Ben Burton (Hagakure West London)

2nd Dan

Vai Hoang
Mike Higgins (Hagakure West Country)

3rd Dan

Gill Wacey


Jodo

1st Dan

Takako Nakasu (Hagakure West London)
Ben Burton (Hagakure West London)

3rd Dan

George Fletcher (Hagakure West London)
Simon Fletcher (Hagakure West London)
Tom Duffy (Hagakure West London)

4th Dan

Dave Fanning
Dragomir Lubomirov (Hagakure West London)

Jodo taikai

Gill Wacey won silver in the 1st Kyu category
Jo Hirst won bronze in the 1st Kyu category
Dave Fanning won silver in the 3rd Dan category
Gill Wacey won best overall performance of the day

Congratulations to all those who passed their gradings, won medals and awards in the jodo taikai.



British National Iaido and Jodo Competition 11-12th July 2009

Iaido

Ikkyu

Valentina Lupi won a bronze medal

Shodan

Gemma Collins won the silver medal

Yondan

Simon Fletcher won a bronze medal

Fighting Spirit was won by Dave Fanning

Jodo

Mudan

Gill Wacey and Jo Hirst won a bronze medal each

Sandan

Dragomir Lubomirov won the silver medal

Dave Fanning won a bronze medal

Fighting Spirit was won by Rob Colson

In the team event, Dragomir Lubomirov won Fighting Spirit

In Asahi, Hagakure won a silver medal, Hagakure West won a bronze medal.

Congratulations to all those who won medals and took part over what was a very enjoyable weekend.

Dojo Representatives

The new constitution [adopted at the British Association AGM on 30th May 2009] has, as part of its structure, a Dojo Representatives Committee (DRC) for each Bu.

Hagakure is represented in the following manner.

Iaido - Leonard Bean Sensei
Jodo - Dave Fanning
Kendo - Debbie Bevan

Stevenage Jodo Seminar 25th-26th April

Congratulations to those from our dojo who passed their jodo examinations.

Ikkyu

Gill Wacey
Jo Hirst
Julio Vial


Barnstaple Grading - 6th - 8th March 2009

Congratulations on all those who successfully passed their grading.

Ikkyu

Valentina Lupi

Shodan

Alastair Williamson
Gemma Collins
Oliver Hilton-Johnson

Nidan

Jason Oliver


News from the Masamune taikai 27th February - 1st March 2009

Jason Oliver won a bronze medal in the Shodan division of the taikai.

Contents

• Name
• Mission Statement
• Structure of the Dojo
• Dojo Officials
• Duties of Dojo Officials
• Membership
• Subscriptions and Finance
• Changes to the Dojo Constitution
• Complaints Procedure
• General

1.0       Name

• The dojo’s name shall be Hagakure Dojo, herein after referred to as ‘the Dojo’.
  
  

2.0       Mission Statement

It is the intention of the Dojo:

• To promote the practice of iaido, jodo, kendo and related martial arts.

• To make these martial arts accessible to all.

• To train students to a high standard, providing expert tuition to all those who wish to take up iaido, jodo and kendo as a discipline.

• To strengthen associations with other dojo that practice these arts, both nationally and internationally.

• To provide information and courses on other martial arts (tanjo, jitte etc.) to allow members to form a holistic view of martial arts.

• To maintain and improve Hagakure Dojo’s reputation within the British Kendo Association (the BKA), nationally and internationally at events, displays, competitions and courses.
  
  

3.0       Structure of the Dojo

3.1       The Dojo will be constituted by this document (the ‘Constitution’), supplemented by additional detailed policies (‘Policy documents’).

3.2       Policy documents will be maintained and developed as required to provide additional detail and clarification on the rules and operation of the Dojo.

3.3       In the event of contradiction between the Constitution and Policy documents, the terms of the Constitution will prevail.

3.4       Ultimate responsibility for the running of the Dojo lies with the Head Teacher who will appoint Dojo officials to assist, as necessary.

 

4.0       Dojo Officials

4.1       All Dojo officials are appointed by the Head Teacher.  The appointed officials will conduct administration and coaching as directed by the Head Teacher.  Planning activities, buying equipment and administering Dojo matters must be approved by the Head Teacher.

4.2       The appointed officials will consist of the following officers:

• Secretary
• Equipment Officer
• Safety Officer
• Child Protection Officer
• Equal Opportunities Officer
• Complaints Officer

4.3       All appointed officials, by accepting their post, accept the responsibility of that post and must adopt a serious attitude towards the position.

 

5.0      Duties of Dojo Officials

5.1       The Head Teacher is responsible for:

• Ensuring that all Dojo Aims and Objectives are followed through.
• Providing a high standard of instruction and leadership for the members.
• Keeping in regular contact with the BKA.
• Appointing suitable officials to carry out Dojo functions.
• Ensuring the good conduct of Dojo members during Dojo related activities.
• Administering the finances.

 

5.2       The Dojo Secretary is responsible for:

• Administering the membership of the Dojo.
• Providing secretarial support to the Head Teacher and updating members on upcoming events.
• Ensuring affiliation to the BKA. 
• Compiling introductory material for new members in conjunction with the Head Teacher and other officials.
• Maintaining a log book that contains details of members experience and relevant qualifications, and reports from activities and competitions.

 

5.3       The Dojo Equipment Officer is responsible for:

• Producing an annual inventory of equipment.  The Equipment Officer is also responsible for updating the inventory when necessary.
• Storing and maintaining all equipment in accordance with the manufacturers and safety regulations.
• Keeping accurate records of all safety checks undertaken in an Equipment Log Book.
• Recording information concerning equipment failure or damage in the above mentioned Log Book.
• Recording the whereabouts of all equipment in the Equipment Log Book and ensuring that the returned loaned equipment has suffered nothing more than expected wear and tear.
• Ensuring that equipment is not loaned to members who are unskilled in its usage, unless they are supervised.
• Advising the borrower on the correct care of the loaned equipment.
• Preventing the usage by anyone of unsafe equipment, and organising the repair or disposal, when necessary (and agreed by the Head Teacher), of this equipment.

 

5.4    The Dojo Safety Officer is responsible for:

• The welfare of all members relating to their budo practice.
• Ensuring that there is a first aider present during training.
• Ensuring that there is a BKA-qualified coach present prior to any practice occurring.
• The completion of the annual Risk Assessment form.
• Facilitating the integration of the novice within the dojo, and their access to relevant information and advice.
• Ensuring that participating novices understand all aspects of an activity, paying particular attention to skill levels required, risks involved and equipment requirements.
• Advising the novice on their suitability for Dojo activities/seminars.
• Promoting safe practice within the Dojo at all times
• Promoting the benefits of further training for all members; and providing the Dojo with the relevant information.
• Liaison with the relevant bodies over all matters concerning safety.

           
5.5    The Dojo Child Protection Officer is responsible for:

• All budo-related welfare matters pertaining to Dojo members who are under 18.
• Ensuring that all Dojo coaches have current Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks in place.
• Ensuring that the Dojo is compliant with the BKA child protection policy.
  
  

5.6    The Dojo Equal Opportunities Officer is responsible for:

• Ensuring that all Dojo members comply with the Dojo’s Equal Opportunities policy.
• Responsible for updating the Dojo’s Equal Opportunities policy as necessary, in consultation with the Head Teacher.

• The Dojo Complaints Officer is responsible for:

• Setting up Complaints Panels to consider any complaints referred by the Head Teacher.
• Chairing Complaints Panels.
  
  

6.0       Membership

6.1       Membership of the Dojo will be subject to a probationary period, as determined by the Head Teacher.  No one will be refused membership based on their gender, ethnic origin, religion, sexual orientation or age (N.B. for safety reasons no student under 10 years of age will be accepted for membership. Students 10 -18 years of age must have written parental consent to become members and to take part in Dojo activities).

6.2       All members of the Dojo must also be members of the BKA.

6.3       Dojo members must act with due regard for the Dojo Constitution and Policy documents.

6.4       Dojo members must not act in such a way as will bring the Dojo into disrepute.  If a member is considered to have acted in such a way as to bring the Dojo into disrepute they will be subject to the complaints procedure.

7.0       Subscriptions and Finance

7.1       A membership fee is required from all Dojo members each year on 1 January. The Head Teacher will determine this fee and is responsible for its collection.  Any member failing to renew their membership by 31 March will be deemed to have left the Dojo – in such instances the BKA will be informed.

7.2       Dojo coaches shall receive no direct or indirect payment for coaching‑related activities within the Dojo, except for legitimate expenses incurred in connection with Dojo business.

 

8.0       Changes to the Dojo Constitution

8.1       Changes can only be implemented if approved by the Head Teacher.
                                                      

9.0       Complaints Procedure

9.1       This procedure has been created to allow members to raise complaints about issues which might include the following:

• The safety of activities.
• Poor standards of instruction or leadership.
• The standards of equipment used for activities.
• Poor administration.
• Disregard to the Dojo’s Equal Opportunities policy.

• Concerns should initially be raised with the relevant section coach.  If necessary, the concern can subsequently be put to the Head Teacher who will be the final arbiter of all complaints/concerns raised within the Dojo.  The Head Teacher may, owing to the nature/seriousness of the complaint, refer the complaint to the Dojo Complaints Officer who will arrange for a Panel (consisting of the Dojo’s accredited coaches and an external member – usually the sensei of Hagakure West London Dojo) to consider the matter and present their findings to the Head Teacher for consideration.

• If a complaint is upheld it is open to the Head Teacher to reprimand, suspend or expel a Dojo member from the Dojo.

• Any child protection concerns will automatically be referred to the BKA Child Protection Officer.

 

10.0       General

10.1     The contents of this Constitution in no way affect the legal rights of individual members of the Dojo.

All downloads are in PDF format. Please click to download.

Membership form

Hagakure Dojo constitution

The Budo Charter

How to clean a sword by Debbie Bevan

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