Shintaido of America is hosting a celebration of life for Brad Larson on 10 December 2023 via ZOOM. Brad died unexpectedly at home on November 2nd at the age of 62, a victim of an apparent homicide. As our community has experienced shock and grief, we hope for an opportunity to come together as a community to celebrate Brad and his life.
Brad began his Shintaido studies in 1987, in Cambridge, Ma. He initially studied with Michael Thompson, Master Instructor, and then furthered his studies for many years with Joe Zawielski, General Instructor in Worcester, Ma. There he was an integral part of the weekly Worcester area group, developing strong and deep connections within this group and the larger SNE community.
Over his 36 years of studying Shintaido, Brad’s love of the weapons (boh, bokutoh, jo, and bokken) was always shining through. He traveled to many workshops and gasshukus at the Shintaido Farm and around New England, and more broadly up to Quebec and California to study with Master Ito Sensei. He also spent many hours studying and crafting bohs, jo and bokutoh which he freely shared. At his home, Brad was frequently seen with his sticks, reflecting his love and joy of movement with them. He particularly loved running up Rattlesnake Hill, Shintaido boh in hand and had become a recognizable fixture in the fabric of the neighborhood.
As well as achieving the rank of Shintaido Instructor, he was also ranked Shodan in Kenjutsu (sword). He served many years on the Board of Shintaido NorthEast along with serving as Treasurer for Shintaido of America.
Brad was born October 23, 1961, in Mitchell, South Dakota and was living most recently in Sharon, Massachusetts. Brad received his Master’s Degree from Harvard University and began his career in Museum exhibit development at the Children’s Museum in Boston. He was widely appreciated in his field for the creation of ‘Story Habitat’, a means to help organizations record and save memories. Brad has a teenage son, Lucas Jasper Sincero Larson. He is mourned by his family, parents Merle and Virginia Larson, sisters Julie Larson Mudry and Jill Larson plus nieces, aunts, uncles, and cousins. He was involved with Biodanza, drumming, and was past president of the Sharon Historical society. He frequently wrote Haikus and added beautiful photos of nature.
Please join us on Sunday, 10 December via Zoom. Times: 9am West Coast, 12noon East Coast, 5pm UK and 6pm Europe.
Shintaido of America (SOA) is honored to announce the release of the English version of Shakunetsu; Chronicles of the Creation of Shintaido, a Japanese Martial Art. The goal of this collective biography is to provide the stories of many who studied Shintaido in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Pierre Quettier, author of the book, shares his academic analysis of these interviews.
Shakunetsu was first released in French in January 2022. In October 2022 the board of SOA agreed to sponsor the efforts to release an English version of this book. A group of five, Peter Furtado, Nancy Billias, Lee Seaman, Lee Ordeman, and Pierre Quettier guided by the coordination efforts of HF Ito, undertook the editing and proofreading of the English version.
First let’s understand the time and settingwhen the creation of Shintaido was being developed.
Pierre Quettier, Shintaido General Instructor, author, and sociologist states:
“In the extraordinary burst of the sixties, a group of young Japanese idealists embarked on a quest typical of the time: to break down the cultural and class barriers of the venerable budō to bring the essence to the greatest number. They founded Rakutenkai, the “society of optimists”, then, in 1975, a brand new discipline, Shintaïdō.”
Peter Furtado, Shintaido Senior Instructor, Journalist, and historian writes in the foreword:
“This unique book is complex in its ambition and structure. At its heart is the raw material of history – it brings together the oral testimony of 19 Rakutenkai members who describe in their own words how they came to join, what they were seeking and what they found. But this is supported, and given meaning, by the more academic commentary of sociologist and shintaido instructor Pierre Quettier, who carefully places their testimony in the contexts of the Japanese martial and other arts, and of the youth culture – in Japan and around the world – of the time, which had many similarly grand ambitions to change the world, though taking a different path up the mountain. He also offers a personal, honest, and sometimes painful account of the process of meeting the contributors and assembling the texts. As a social scientist who takes the name of that discipline seriously, he sticks closely to the evidence he has collected, declining to conjecture or judge, and refusing to repeat myths unless they can be grounded in fact. In the introduction, he explains the physically and emotionally arduous – and extended – process of preparing this work.”
HF Ito, Master Instructor, and co-founder of SOA remembers how important he felt about having these biographies collected from Rakuntenkai members:
Some time at the beginning of 2000, I got a call from Pierre Quettier who wanted to interview the former Rakutenkai members, who devoted their young lives in order to create Shintaido founded by Master Aoki during the ‘60s~’70s, I immediately understood his intention as a sociologist!I remembered there was a series of documentary films produced by NHK, in which the directors collected stories of many Japanese engineers, scientists, & entrepreneurs who worked behind scenes, in order to encourage & rebuild the Japanese industry, economy, and technology which were crushed by the events of WW II. The title of this program was “Project X”. So, this is how I started to work together with PQ to publish a book, later named “Shakunetsu!”
Pierre Quettier describes his enthusiasm for this academic project:
“Having studied ethnology . . ., now holding a teaching-research position at the University of Paris 8 and well versed in biographical methods in the social sciences, I decided to take up Bernard Ducrest’s historical project as my own and to initiate a process of collecting life stories of the Rakutenkai members. H.F. Ito was enthusiastic about it and in 2002 I obtained a small budget from the head of my service at the university; with it H.F. Ito and I traveled all over Japan to interview the members one by one.”
Members of the project team who spent nine months of intense editing and proofreading share their impressions.
Senior Instructor Lee Seaman:
This is an amazing project. I began practicing Shintaido in Tokyo at the end of 1975. Ito-sensei had left for San Francisco the month before, the Shinjuku office was being run by Minagawa-sensei, and my first keikogi was labeled “Sogo-budo Renmei” rather than “Shintaido.” Because I understood Japanese, I was often asked to translate formally and informally at gasshukus, and we also went to Sunday services at Nogeyama, so I got to know many of the original Rakutenkai members. I’m so grateful for Pierre’s interviews, which capture the voices of their keiko and the joys, fears, and complex human relationships, not only of that time and place, but also the Shintaido art form as it lives and grows in our lives today.
Senior Instructor Lee Ordeman:
It was a privilege and a great benefit to participate as an editor for the Shakunetsu project. I helped edit the book’s biographical section, which will be of most interest to those of us who practice shintaido. Even though I practiced in Tokyo for 10 years in the 1990s, I only got to know a few of the Rakutenkai members mentioned in the book, and so I was very interested to finally read the personal stories of so many of our oldest sempai. I was fascinated to learn about their childhoods, sometimes very challenging, about how they met and started keiko with Aoki Sensei, Ito Sensei, and others, about their daily lives and experiences in keiko and what shintaido has meant to them beyond the dojo, even after leaving shintaido circles. All the bios inform our current practice and how we relate as a community. Some of them are quite moving and inspiring. I now enjoy a deeper sense of the people who came before me, whose bodies helped create and transmit the forms and the spirit of shintaido to others and ultimately to us. The movement of their bodies can be felt in our movement, and now their stories can be understood and felt as our story.
Senior Instructor Peter Furtado:
“I am a historian who has spent my career communicating academic historical understanding to non-academics and across cultures globally. Pierre asked me to help him in two key ways. First was to support his chapters that contextualize the interviews at the heart of the book, and in particular to work with him on placing the Rakutenkai in the context of 1960s Japan, notably its countercultural and radical spirit, in order to ensure that the book’s references, some of them quite obscure, make sense to a modern Anglophone audience. Second was to introduce the book by way of a Foreword that explains both its rather unusual structure and its author’s approach, deeply grounded in French academic tradition, in order to help the American reader, who is more likely to be a Shintaido practitioner than an anthropologist, understand what to expect.
It was a great privilege to contribute in this way and to work with Pierre who was amazingly constructive and responsive to queries great and small. I believe the book is both fascinating and important in multiple respects, and it’s wonderful that Shintaido of America has invested so much time and energy in publishing it in English.”
Instructor Nancy Billias:
Working on this project has been a very special kind of group kumite. Through proofreading and copyediting, I have learned so much about the origins and early days of Shintaido! What began as a chore became an enticing process. Each meeting has really been like a mini-keiko, with the instructors doing fine-tuned quality control in meticulous detail and with constant deep attention to faithfully transmitting the history of our art form. The result is a precious artifact that will benefit every Shintaido practitioner. Many thanks to Pierre and Ito and the whole team for their dedication to ensuring that these memories are recorded for future generations.
Gratitude is also given to other volunteers who gave their time and talents. These volunteers for editing include Stephen Billias, Derk Richardson,and Guy Bullen. Sarah Baker has formatted the work for a print-on-demand via Amazon. Thank you also goes to Mieko Hirano for consolidation of biographies and translation, Peter Furtado for the Preface of English edition, Pascal Lardellier for the French foreword and Jean-François Degremont for the afterword. Pierre Quettier receives the deepest gratitude for 20 years of nurturing the writing and translations of this book.
Shintaido of America is excited to introduce our new National Technical Council, Chair, Robert Gaston.
With Robert’s extensive experience and passion for Shintaido, he brings a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm to our team.
We want to give thanks and express our deep appreciation to Shin Aoki, who dedicated over 15 years to the role of NTC Chair. He will continue as an active member of the council.
Robert is a Senior Instructor and holds the rank of San Dan in Bojutsu and Yon Dan in Kenjutsu and has spent over 35 years teaching and practicing Shintaido.
In addition to his technical expertise, Robert is also a dedicated and approachable educator. He is committed to creating a positive learning environment where students feel comfortable and enjoy participating in his keiko.
We are confident that Robert will make a significant impact on our organization.
Please join us in welcoming Robert to his new position.
Message from Rob
I would like to begin by thanking Shin Aoki as outgoing NTC chair for the many years he has provided us with clear and gentle leadership. I would hope to fulfill my role as well as he has.
I realize that many of you may have some idea about what the Shintaido of America National Technical Council (NTC) is and what we do. To quote the Shintaido of America bylaws. “The role of the National Technical Council is to oversee the quality of Shintaido instruction in the United States. Specifically, they are charged with resolving technical questions, acting as a resource for local instructors, keeping track of the status of instructors on sabbatical, and disseminating information about Shintaido of America’s policy on maintaining instructional credentials. Our current members are listed on the Shintaido of America website at http://www.shintaido.org/national-technical-council/“
I have three main areas where I would like to focus my time over the next two years during my term as chair:
1. Supporting instructors who are currently teaching or may want to start a class and may need help with curriculum design to advance their practice and teaching. We have funds to send emissaries from NTC to locations where they can help our instructors in this way. Please feel free to request support to advance your teaching, practice and development of your class.
2. Making technology available via the Shintaido of America website and YouTube Channel where people can see various Shintaido movements, keiko videos, lectures, etc. The information on the website documents curriculum and examination requirements for kata, kihon and kumite.
3. Facilitate communication to empower Shintaido instructors to advance and grow their understanding of Shintaido of America’s mission to transmit the form and spirit of Shintaido in the United States.
So, whether you are a seasoned/active instructor, current NTC member, new practitioner or someone who has been away from Shintaido for a while, please feel free to reach out to me and the NTC to let us know what’s on your mind about Shintaido.
Included here, you will find our current offering of over 190 videos ranging from highlights captured during keikos and larger gathering, replays of Sunday Zoom keiko, katas for reference, and interviews and talks.
You are welcome to browse the videos in one giant list. Also, on the Home page, you will find them sorted by categories and then into playlists by topics such as:
Interviews & Sharings Don’t see an interview of someone you’ve wondered about, let us know. You’ll also find insights into Shintaido practice shared by HF Ito formally and informally.
Podcasts Currently working on our second season. You will find our complete first season here as well. The new season has two podcasts that are released twice each month. Hear David Franklin read from our book selection Untying Knots: A Shintaido Chronicle by Michael Thompson. In 2023 we are also offering periodic interviews. So far this year we have listened to Mario Uribe, Kent Nagano, and Brad Larson.
Shintaido Disciplines An assortment of videos from Kenjutsu, Bohjutsu, Karate, and Shintaido
Shintaido Keiko and Events See replays of Sunday Zoom keiko, revisit workshops and gasshukus including PacShin Kangeiko in 2022 and 2021, workshops in Quebec and much more.
Created Playlists This area contains all the playlists that have been created on the SOA channel. All of these playlists can be found in the headings at the top of the page, but if you know the grouping of videos you want to see, this is a good place to look.
Videos The “Videos” area is just that, all the individual public videos posted on the Shintaido of America YouTube channel. Maybe you know what you are looking for by title, but are not sure which category or playlist it might be in. Or perhaps you simply want to browse all of the videos to see if something sparks an interest.
It is also possible to search just Shintaido of America’s videos on YouTube by title.
At first, this may seem confusing but just stick with me.
On the Shintaido of America YouTube Home page, there is a large search bar across the top of the page. This bar is used to search all YouTube channels.
To keep your search within the Shintaido of America videos, please notice there is a second magnifying glass. This is below the Shintaido of America banner “Opening to Life” and below the level of Jumping Man. Scroll all the way over on the far right to find the Search Icon/magnifying glass.
Use this search icon to search locally on the Shintaido of America channel.
The best way to learn is to just poke around and see what you find. You can’t break it, we promise.
Please let us know if the Channel is missing something you would like to find here. Or maybe the content is okay, but you’d like shorter or longer videos. Maybe you have an idea that just isn’t here at all.
If you haven’t already “subscribed”, please do it today and enjoy our channel.
Subscribing is completely free and as easy as clicking:
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Please let us know what type of content you enjoy. Was the content useful? Any suggestions are welcome.
Greetings from your friends at the board of Shintaido of America! It’s time to renew your membership. Last year we added to our membership and QUADRUPLED the amount of traffic on our website. Can we do that again this year?
Your $60 annual membership fee now offers more benefits than ever. While most groups are now (thankfully!) back to holding keikos in-person, the technological lessons learned during the pandemic have continued to stretch and strengthen our practice.
Zoom offerings:
Connie Borden, Rob Gaston, and Sandra Bengtsson continue to co-teach a weekly Sunday ZOOM class from 9am to 10am Pacific Time. Everyone is welcome to join. Many of these classes are available on the Shintaido of America YouTube channel.
Ito-sensei teaches regularly on Zoom from his home in France. From the UK, General Instructor Charles Burns teaches several classes each week from his dojo. Shintaido of America members are warmly invited to join.
The second season of the Shintaido Podcast was launched on February 5, 2023, on several listening platforms. Season Two of the podcast begin with chapters of the book Untying Knots: A Shintaido Chronicle by the co-founder of Shintaido of America, Master Instructor, Michael Thompson, narrated by General Instructor David Franklin. Michael Sensei was feted at the launch by the receipt of a Lifetime Achievement Award during which several of his students offered their memories of his gorei. Here’s what one member said:
Watching the podcast brought many memories from the last 20 years. I consider myself so damn lucky for being introduced to Shintaido and all of you. I often wonder where would I be today without Shintaido, what life would I have, who would I be… Gorazd Drozina
Also on the Podcast, David hosts a series of interviews on Shintaido-related topics with various people familiar with our practice, including the visual artist Mario Uribe, rock musician Amanda Palmer and classical conductor Kent Nagano.
General Instructor and Shintaido of America Board Director Connie Borden hosts a monthly podcast discussion group on the last Tuesday of each month. Please contact Connie if you’d like to join in!
In addition, Shintaido of America supports our community of practitioners by providing members with:
1. Full access to the Shintaido of America Website. Check it out! New things are happening all the time! We now feature a media page that includes all our newsletter, YouTube and Podcast links.
2. Body Dialogue is now completely digital and appears in real time as postings on the website.
5. Liability Insurance for instructors and students – so you and your students are covered no matter where you practice. This is available to members at no cost.
6. Access to the most up-to-date changes to the curriculum, which continues to develop, especially the Kenjutsu curriculum.
7. Support to our instructors and the National Technical Committee.
8. Communication with International Shintaido Technical and Exam Committee (ITEC)
9. Leadership by Shintaido of America and ESC as the organizing and sponsoring organizations for international activities.
10. Shintaido of America examinations and Shintaido of America Diplomas.
11. Shintaido of America has 4 grants for 2023. These grants are to support start up costs for new classes or expand Shintaido into healthcare and associated settings. Contact Connie for more information.
Membership fees are still only $60. For ALL of the benefits listed above, your annual membership works out to only $5 a month, or 16 cents a day!
Alternately, a check for $60 payable to SOA can be mailed to:
Shintaido of America Membership 426 Day Street San Francisco, CA 94131 (as of 12/2023)
We sincerely hope you will consider renewing your membership, and join us as Shintaido of America moves into the future!
Connie Borden, Chair SOA Board of Director Shin Aoki, Chair SOA NTC Sandra Bengtsoon, Treasurer Nancy Billias, Membership David Franklin, Podcast Michael Thompson, co-founder H.F. Ito, co-founder
