Organizers Connie Borden, Rob Gaston, and Lee Ordeman are excited to announce that registration is open for a kenjutsu workshop October 11, 12, & 13, 2025.
Our guest instructor will be Pierre Quettier, 5th dan shintaido kenjutsu and shintaido general instructor. With 49 years of shintaido experience, he has made his recent focus teaching shintaido kenjutsu. He was awarded 5th dan kenjutsu at last summer’s international gasshuku, Dokan ’24. Pierre was chief author and editor of the book Shakunetsu: Chronicles of the Creation of Shintaido, published in July 2023.
Everyone is welcome. All levels of experience are eligible, and we particularly encourage those currently teaching or interested in teaching shintaido kenjutsu.
Curriculum will include Goho Batto Ho (5 drawing techniques for sword), Jissen Kumitachi (practical arrangements of kyukajo) and the three kata developed for shintaido kenjutsu: Shoden, Chuden, and Okuden.
During the six keiko of the three-day workshop, participants will study according to their skill levels. We will use bokken (light wooden sword). Practice with an iaito is optional. At the end of the workshop, participants will be provided means for continued study, such as videos and printed materials. The workshop will be held in the town of Rohnert Park, located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, just south of Santa Rosa.
Cost of workshop, including instruction, 6 keiko, 3 lunches, and dojo, is $320. No one is turned away for financial barriers. SOA members can contact Connie Borden at president@shintaido.org for information on SOA scholarships. The cost of lodging and meals other than lunch are separate.
We will gather for our evening discussions and dinners at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Sonoma Wine Country Hotel. The hotel room rate includes breakfasts, access to a swimming pool, hot tub, and sauna. Parking is $22/day. Please consider staying at the hotel for several reasons: The first is that staying there makes a daily commute unnecessary, it simplifies holding gatherings in the evenings, and there are very limited options for staying with SoA members nearby. Please book directly with the Hotel.
Lunches on each of the three days will be served at the dojo and are included in the registration fee. We are planning a combination of “family style” meals by means of crock pot and/or deli platters. Having meals at the gym decreases travel time and allows for more relaxation time.
As is expected and traditional at gasshuku, all participants contribute to its success by sharing in a number of tasks. These include various preparations before the event, and jobs during the event. Jobs would include supporting the instructors with “sensei care” and hakama care, dojo prep, transportation assistance, and event recorder.
We want to share an invitation to an introductory Shintaido class. This is a great opportunity to learn the very basics of Shintaido.
The class is suitable for absolute beginners, so if you know of anyone who might be interested, please share this invitation! However, we believe that it can also be beneficial for experienced practitioners. Everybody is welcome.
This introductory class is intended to share simple body movements paired with vocal expressions that can lead to mind-body unity and a peaceful connection with others. This class is led by Nicole Masters.
When? Sunday June 8th, 2025 from 3 to 5 PM Where? Energy Wave Center® EESystem™ Energy Spa 120 Pleasant Hill Ave North Suite 330, Sebastopol, CA 95472
The registration fee is 35 USD
Register online and find all the information here: https://energywavecenter.com/shintaido/
Shintaido of America arranged for two Keiko to celebrate H.F. Ito on the weekend of 17 & 18 May 2025. Nicole Beauvois, who lives in France, was in the SF Bay Area for these events. Saturday’s morning Keiko was on Mount Tamalpais , a peak in Marin County, California.
In the evening, we gathered for a potluck dinner & music at the home of Jennifer Peringer and Martha Rodriguez.
On Sunday, Shin Aoki, General Instructor, led Keiko at Lake Temescal in Oakland, California.
About 15 gathered at 8:30am on Saturday the 17th of May. Robert Gaston, Senior Instructor, led the group with the movements of Taimyo on Mount Tam with an overlook of the Pacific Ocean. HF Ito often came to Mount Tam to meditate and gain inspiration. He also brought groups to study Shintaido on Mount Tam.
This inspirational point on the mountain top lent itself to grounding us, while the vista gave us the ability to expand beyond ourselves.
Several people commented on feeling Ito Sensei very strongly. Some commented they could hear him laughing as we struggled to maintain our balance when the gusts of wind blew strongly off the ocean. Others saw Ito in the overhead clouds that were blowing by.
After Taimyo, the group gathered for a picnic to spend more time together and share memories of HF Ito. Our picnic area was in a grove of trees that proved a peaceful break from the wind. Over our casual picnic people told stories and caught up with each other. After many hugs and more laughter, we said our goodbyes until the next event.
At 6pm on Saturday the 17th of May, we gathered for a potluck dinner and music at Jennifer and Martha’s home. Over Indian curry, pasta, salads, and desserts, we continued our conversations. People brought music, poetry, and other creative expressions to share. David Sirgany read poetry. Elli Nagai-Rothe spoke of her experience of growing up with Shintaido and HF Ito that began at the age of six. Kazu Shibao brought photos of HF Ito from 1982. Jennifer strummed her guitar, while Martha played her clarinet. Everyone joined in for these two songs: “Le Martiniana” and “I’ll Fly Away”. Both songs are often sung after the death of a loved one.
On Sunday, the group gathered for Keiko at Lake Temescal. Shin Aoki led the group, deepening our connections. Shin honored HF Ito by teaching Daikihon, the three core movements of Shintaido: Eiko, Wakame and Tenshingoso. Shin explained we learn the kata (movements) from our teachers and transmit the kata as purely as we can to others. However, each of us add our own heart and soul to this transmission.
After warmups, led by Derk Richardson, Shin started with Eiko Sei. We studied Wakame reaching directly to the core of our partner. Then, we studied what Ito Sensei often called “Welcome, come this way.”
One person reached into their partner’s core with a Tsuki attack, while the second person used their hand with palm facing inward, and pivoted allowing the energy to go past. We built upon this kumite as one partner continued to move past and turned, repeating first with a right Tsuki, then a left Tsuki, ultimately both people moved in an infinity spiral of movements.
This kumite included deflecting the attack with “Ah” , transforming this into Tenso and we let our partner sink into the earth. Shin finished with Tenshingoso Sei and Tenshingoso Dai.
Enjoying the sunny weather, we stayed lakeside for a second picnic breakfast. HF Ito was present throughout our meal as his portrait graced the table. We departed the morning with hugs and plans for keeping our connections with each other.
To close with part of the song: “I’ll Fly away,” lyrics by Alison Krauss and Gillian Welch:
I’ll fly away To a land where joys will never end I’ll fly away.
Peace practitioners from around the globe will gather for a week of virtual shared practice and community dialogue about how the Space of Love can inspire our practice and life.
We hope you will join us across space and time to explore “The Space of Love” Aikukan 愛空間 this summer with peace practitioners in the Global Taimyo Community (GTC). Our theme draws from an interview in Taimyo, the British Shintaido Newsletter 2010 entitled, Unification Beyond Conflict and the Space of Love.
Sunday 20 July – Opening 90 minutes Thoughts from Masashi Minagawa on Aikukan Practice together Small group conversations and large group sharing
Monday through Friday 21 – 25 July Drop-in participation in 30-40 minute Taimyo practice sessions led by instructors around the world
Saturday 21 July – Closing 90 minutes Tomi Nagai-Rothe recounts Ito-sensei’s stories about the growth of the Global Taimyo Community and reflects on the future Practice together Small group conversations and large group sharing
Visit the Readings and Videos page of the GTC website for more in-depth articles and other sharing. GTC is organized by the Planning Team – Sarah Baker, Connie Borden, Rob Gaston, Masashi Minagawa, Jean Marc Otto Bruc, and Tomi Nagai-Rothe – and features a website with many GTC resources including links to video and the Day Street Dojo website.
The Shintaido of America Board of Directors and National Technical Committee invite all SOA members to a community meeting on 15 June 2025. This meeting will be held on ZOOM. Over the ninety-minute meeting, the SOA board will share updates on activities, the NTC will present planning for 2026 and the active teachers will share about their teaching activities. There will be time for discussion with our members.
The ZOOM meeting will start at 9am West Coast time//12noon East Coast. We will start doing Shintaido movements so we can connect across time and space. ZOOM link to be sent to SOA members closer to the date. Check your email!
