Martial Arts in Sendai

Sorry for taking so long to post this onto my own blog, but here goes:

I've searched the wide open frontier that we've come to know as the internet in order to bring to you any information regarding the role that martial arts plays in Sendai. What you are about to read are my few, but true findings. Before I dive into that, I think it should be noted that it states on Tohoku Gakuin University's website that one of the extracurricular activities for students in our summer program is training in the arts of Kendo and Judo.

My first search revealed a school for martial arts, called the "Sendai City Martial Arts Center". Out of the two recreational schools that I would come across, this one seemed to have the widest variety of styles being taught. Some of the arts being taught here include Kyudo (a Japanese form of archery), Judo, Karate, Kendo, Naginatajutsu (the art of wielding a Naginata, a combination of a bo staff and a small sword), and Aikido.

The second school that I found is called "Southern Highlands Martial Arts", and it not only is set in Sendai, but it also has a branch in Australia, as well. They say on their website that their main focus is to school their students in self-defense and sport fighting. Some of the arts being taught at this school are Karate and Jujitsu.

During my journey, I came across a martial art that goes by the name of "Yagyu Shingan-ryu", which originated in both Edo (now Tokyo) and Sendai. The Sendai version of the art, called Yagyu Shingan-ryu Heiho, has been around since the early Edo Period (around 1600), and focuses mainly on styles relating to weapons combat, Jujitsu, and Kappo (healing techniques). According to the Martial Arts Database, "The word shingan is rooted in Zen philosophy, and was chosen to describe a fundamental concept of the style. Shingan means 'mind’s eye', or 'heart's eye', and refers to the ability to sense an opponent's thoughts or feelings via an inner sense". As far as combat is concerned, I can't imagine a technique more useful than to be able to know your opponent's actions before he or she can execute them.

This was all of the information I was able to gather on martial in Sendai for the time being. I hope you find this information useful, and I hope you practice wisely.

Sources:
http://www.tohoku-gakuin.ac.jp/en/special_courses.html
http://www.group-niji.org/fun/martial_arts/310.html
http://www.koshikishma.com/sendai.html
http://www.mardb.com/yagyu-shingan-ryu/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yagyu_Shingan_Ryu