Introduction to Sugawara-ha Katori Shinto Ryu Swordspersonship

Join us for an ongoing class in Sugawara-ha Katori Shinto Ryu Tachijutsu, taught by Rob Dillon. This three-hour introduction will open the door to one of Japan’s oldest martial traditions, preserved and practiced today as a path of discipline, mindfulness, and whole-person fitness.

No prior martial arts experience is required. All are welcome.

• Foundational movements of Tachijutsu (swordspersonship)
• History and lineage of Sugawara-ha Katori Shinto Ryu
• An introduction to kata practice (form-based training)
• The cultural and philosophical grounding of the art

Rob Dillon has been training in martial arts for more than five decades, beginning with taekwondo in 1972 and moving into Japanese swordspersonship inspired by the works of Donn Draeger. In 1995, he began a thirty-year journey of study with Patrick Nichols, Mark Jones, and Sugawara Tetsutaka as a lifetime member of the Sugawara Sogo Budo Kenkyujo. In 1999, he received mokuroku certification from Sugawara-sensei.

A professional educator for most of his life, Rob is Professor Emeritus of Theatre and Dance at Southeast Missouri State University, where he taught and published for 25 years. His teaching approach blends scholarship, pedagogy, and embodied practice, offering students a chance to explore Katori Shinto Ryu as both martial art and lifelong path.

Host or Publisher Daiyuzenji Rinzai Zen Temple