Current Dojo News:

Fuku Soke Tsumaki Kazuo (Genwa) Sensei becomes
15th Headmaster of Tamiya Ryu

We would like to take this opportunity to update all of you with regard to the meeting that was held on Saturday, September 22, in Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, at Assistant Headmaster (Fuku Soke) Tsumaki Kazuo (Genwa) Sensei's request concerning the future of Tamiya Ryu Iaijutsu, Gin'ei (Shigin) and Kenshibu following the passing of 14th Headmaster Tsumaki Seirin Genshin on June 5 (Japan time) of this year.

Prior to the meeting, a letter was sent out by Fuku Soke Tsumaki (Genwa) Sensei to all of the Vice Chairpersons and Branch Managers of the Tamiya Ryu Iaijutsu organization in Japan, known as the Tamiya Ryu Shinken Hokokai. This is the organization that was originally founded by Soke Sensei many years ago to serve as the governing body of Tamiya Ryu in Japan. The letter that was sent requested their presence at this meeting in order to collectively decide the future of Tamiya Ryu Iaijutsu and its related arts, following the death of 14th Headmaster Tsumaki Seirin Genshin.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the following Branches of Tamiya Ryu Iaijutsu in Japan:
1) Tokyo Ota / Shinagawa Branch;
2) Fujisawa Branch
3) Isehara Branch
4) Machida Branch
5) Asakawa branch
6) Osaka Branch
7) Fukui Branch
8) Nagano Branch
9) United States Tamiya Ryu Iaijutsu (by written message)
10-12) 3 Branches of Tamiya Ryu Gin'ei

As noted above, USTRI was represented by a message written by Michael Alexanian (Gennan) Shihan.

Here are the results of the meeting, as related to us in an e-mail that we received later the same day from Tsumaki Genwa Sensei:

1) Everyone present at the meeting approved and formally acknowledged Tsumaki Sensei as 15th Generation Tamiya Ryu Iaijutsu Soshi (Headmaster) Tsumaki Genwa. As Tsumaki Soshi has one brother, he felt that taking the title of Soke, or head of the family, would not be appropriate, so he chose to adopt the title of Soshi (head + master/instructor) instead.

2) New Tamiya Ryu Iaijutsu Genwa-kai Board Members:
a) Vice-President: Yasube Sensei (Ota/Shinagawa Branch)
b) Director of Operations: Sugisaki Sensei (Fujisawa Branch)
c) Aide to Soshi and President: Endo Sensei (Isehara Branch)
d) Board of Directors (Riji): Managers of each Branch of the Genwa-kai
(including Michael Alexanian (Gennan) Shihan), who are being
encouraged by Soshi Sensei to work closely together in the spirit of
mutual cooperation for the future of Tamiya Ryu.

3) It was also announced that there will be a new homepage created for all of Tamiya Ryu Iaijutsu, and Soshi Sensei has requested that USTRI send regular reports of its activities to be posted there. Soshi Sensei has also requested that Alexanian Shihan and USTRI webmaster Brent Eastman Sensei work in close consort with Mr. Shiomoto, the webmaster in Japan, with regard to the design and creation of the new TRI website.

4) It was further decided that the design of the patch for USTRI (the updated version of which is on the USTRI main homepage http://www.ustamiyaryu.org), minus the Kanji for "United States" and the Katakana for "Michigan", be adopted as the symbol for the entire Tamiya Ryu Iaijutsu organization.

So, Tsumaki Genwa Soshi is now officially the 15th Generation of the Tsumaki family to head up Tamiya Ryu Iaijutsu, Gin'ei and Kenshibu! As further information about the new website and other related items becomes available, we will keep all of you posted.