What does all this mean?

So basically it is the Welsh Onion School of Martial Arts: A modern Study of Japanese Martial Arts and Ways by a none Japanese person. The idea of the onion may seem strange, but at the time it was discussed it was appropriate.

But Why?

Onions are made from many layers, as are martial arts, the way in which we train, we effectively pickle form, digest ideas, and bring together movements and attitudes from the koryu and gendai systems to investigate and preserve to the best of our practice. The forms we practice have developed into the kihon of what we do. Henka and goshin are simply extensions from the forms we know. Knowledge is constantly being questioned and new movements and ideas investigated and studied.

The reason i chose to use such a title for the practice was mainly to have a bit of fun but also to be as accurate and honest about our practice as possible and not simply call it jujutsu as those that had gone before me did; but to show a little more respect for the koryu jujutsu and nihon bujutsu in general. For many years I trained in an art that was called jujutsu but over the years of research and study I understood what jujutsu really was and that what I had been practicing was really a combination of judo, karate, aikido and a few other bits and pieces and had been innappropriate labelled.

This does not take anything away from those who practiced this or any other system like it, but for myself i could not use this title (for more of an explaination please read the about us section) I have studied various budo for most of my life and also researched the history, tradition and mythology of the Nihon bugei; Tamanegi Ryu is the practice of everything i have done and am studying.

Form or kata is practiced and kept as pure as possible, this means that the time I have spent training over recient years with Merlyns Mahoutsukai dojo and with Quentin Ball in Hakuho Ryu, a classically oriented Daito Ryu, has been focused on developing and preserving form.

I am still learning and improving and it is only through regular practice and guidence that this will be achieved. The essence of what we do is in the preservation of form and the investigation of principles.

Training is not for grade or rank, but rather for self improvement and historical study. This is not to say that we do not have a ranking system or a syllabus but that we do not hold gradings and have formal assesments of that nature. Grade is simply a communication between student and teacher and from these to the other budoka.

We practice formally on Monday and Wednesday evenings from 8:30pm until 10pm at Plasnewydd Community Centre, Shakespeare Avenue, Roath, Cardiff.

Feel free to visit us or contact me directly for any further information.

Lawrence Fisher.