Eiko Dai Cosmology – Part II by H.F. Ito Edited by Lee Seaman and Tomi Nagai-Rothe Mourning A number of people close to me have passed away recently: my wife Nicole’s brother Philippe Beauvois, my friend Jim Cummings who was a business partner with my friend and colleague John Kent – in addition to my cousin in Japan. Nicole and I started a morning/mourning ritual to remember them and to pray for their souls. We also hope this will help them in their passage out of this life. According to Buddhist tradition, there is a long “tunnel” called the bardo that the soul must travel on its way to Nirvana. Continue reading →

The History of Taimyo for World Piece is presented in the following URL! http://www.shintaido.org/article/the-history-of-taimyo-for-world-peace-and-healing/  

Dear Friends, It is with great pleasure that I share this history of Taimyo — Taimyo Heritage: From Shakyamuni Buddha to Today, written by Andrew Stones. Many of you may remember Andrew – one of several people who helped me with ITO Gaiden in 2016. This story came form Andrew’s imagination, almost like a movie script. I was unable to include it in my book, but could not keep it a secret in my file – just as a memory. My hope is that this story will deepen your appreciation of Taimyo Kata now and in the future! Click here to read the article! →Taimyo Heritage With Diamond Mudra Ito Continue reading →

By H.F. Ito with help from Tomi Nagai-Rothe and Lee Seaman My full name is Haruyoshi Fugaku Ito. Since many people know me simply as Ito, you may not be familiar with the rest of my name. This is my reflection on what I have expressed through my name, and learned from it. My parents gave me the name, Haruyoshi. Haru means spring, and Yoshi means righteousness. I was told that Haruyoshi came from my great grandfather, who was the first generation town mayor of Hayama-cho*! * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayama,_Kanagawa Hayama is located at the northern end of Miura Peninsula, facing Sagami Bay on the Pacific Ocean. The area has a temperate maritime climate with short cool winters, and hot humid summers. Fugaku is Continue reading →

Shintaido is 50 years old this year, and like a 50-year old malt whiskey, it is rich and mature through its expression in our bodies and our lives. In his essay in Body Dialogue, Michael Thompson described Shintaido planting a new tradition in Japanese martial arts by having students sit and bow to one another in a circle at the start and end of training – rather than in lines facing the teacher. The circle radically changed the relationship of the students to their teacher, and to one another. This innovation by Aoki-sensei marked a new epoch. Click below to continue: 2017_ The Diamond Eight Cut and Life Reflections                     Continue reading →

Taimyo meditation would be held in 4 Tuesday evenings in January~February Theme: Diamond Eight Cut An exercise to align and maintain Mind, Body & Spirit. 426 Day Street 7pm to 8:30pm Cost: $50 for all 4 classes or $15 per class RSVP: Connie at bordensheets@aol.com

Dear Taimyo brothers & Sisters, Traveling with Diamond Eight Cut (DEC): Soon after formally I studied the DEC with Masashi Minagawa at the Reims event, Nicole and I flew back to spend the summer in San Francisco. While there I had three opportunities to deepen my understanding of this kata: It formed a core part of my summer teaching program – 2016 Taimyo meditation classes – at the Day Street Dojo in San Francisco I shared it with Jim S., Connie B., Shin A., Sandra B., Rob G., Chris N., David S., and Mike S. at the Pacific Shintaido Kenjutsu workshop held in San Rafael, August 20–21 I tested it Continue reading →

Dear Taimyo Brothers & Sisters: Greeting from SF CA, where I finished 2 Tuesday evening classes, and 3 more to go! Hope you are well and enjoying your “Taimyo” at wherever you are!! As you have heard already, the 11th International Shintaido Gathering was held in Reims, France at the middle of July, 2016, and it has been successfully completed ! By being a facilitator during the TNEC discussion we had for the last 6 months, the following is a cross cultural analysis* came back to my mind: * After I came to the US in 1975, I immersed myself for several years in comparative culture studies. From that, I Continue reading →

Happy Solstice ! It is with great pleasure that I send you the following text as a support for my Taiymo meditation workshop this summer. When I read this essay from Matsuyama on his understanding of the Heart Sutra and its relationship with meditation, I asked to translate it in English for the Shintaido and Life Exercise practitioners worldwide. Matsuyama’s essay deals with Chuang Zhou (Zhuang Zi), a disciple of Laozi who wrote about Confucius’s teachings. It also describes how some aspects of Chuang Zhou’s book are linked to the Heart Sutra and meditation. Thank you, Shin-Ichi! Haruyoshi Fugaku Ito, June 21, 2015 PS: if you approach it with a Continue reading →