Seishinkan is a martial arts association that teaches both modern and traditional Koryu Japanese martial arts.

The traditional arts studied are Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu Iaijutsu, Ryoen Ryu Nagainata-jutsu, and Daito Ryu Aiki-jujutsu.

The modern martial arts extend the traditional styles by teaching the students to adapt to unpredictable situations.

The guiding principle used in Seishinkan is that the traditional and modern styles reinforce each other. The mindset of the samurai is preserved in the koryu sword and naginata patterns we study, while the modern jujutsu gives contemporary relevance and fosters a fighting spirit.

Seishinkan Society Incorporated

Seishinkan dojos are run by a non-profit incorporated society. Students do not pay for lessons - training fees are a contribution towards costs. Fees are set by individual dojos to cover costs, and any profit is reinvested into the club. All students who have paid current membership fees are members of the society. The goal of the society is to contribute to a better society through the study of high quality martial arts.

Seishinkan Aiki-Jujutsu

The jujutsu taught at Seishinkan is a modern style that has a fairly traditional flavour. For centuries traditional, koryu, jujutsu adapted to changing social and military circumstances. The object of Seishinkan jujutsu is to preserve the mindset of the samurai while updating the techniques for contemporary society. Seishinkan jujutsu is originally based on Daito Ryu Jujutsu, and also has strong influences from Hapkido. The syllabus includes joint locks, throws, groundwork, pressure points, and strikes with hands and feet. Although a wide syllabus is practiced, the different aspects of the style are tightly bound together with a common theoretical approach. All Jujutsu instructors at Seishinkan dojos are required to be members of the New Zealand Jujutsu Federation

Komei Jyuku - Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu Iaijutsu

The sword art practiced at Seishinkan is Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu, a style founded in the late 16th century. The individual branch of the style that we practice is Komei Jyuku, led by the 21st generation grandmaster Sekiguchi Komei Sensei.

This style is one of the largest of the koryu, or traditional style, Japanese martial arts and the same techniques are practiced in different branches of the style with different emphases. The emphasis that Sekiguchi Sensei stresses is one of practical swordsmanship that reflects the spirit of the samurai. He says the style is 'cultural, not military'.

Seishinkan Bojutsu

Seishinkan also include a syllabus of staff fighting techniques. These are a modern synthesis of traditional methods. The style includes a full range of staff lengths, from the Bo (more properly roshakubo - six foot staff), Jo (or Yonshakubo - four foot staff), Hanbo (half bo - three foot staff) down to the Tanbo (short staff, around eighteen inches). The full range of staff skills are only available at the Dunedin Dojo.

Jujutsu, Jiujitsu Ju Jitsu and Aiki-Jujutsu

There is a lot of confusion about the spelling of the name of jujutsu. In traditional Japanese usage, jujutsu is a generic term for fighting skills that do not involve major weapons (such as sword or naginata), however it has come to imply a focus on empty hand fighting techniques. When jujutsu first arrived in the west it was frequently miss-spelled as jiu-jitsu or ju-jitsu and these spellings have stuck in some places. The correct romanisation is 'jujutsu'. Brazilian Jujitsu is a variation of Judo that was developed in Brazil and focuses on groundwork (we do not teach Brazilian jujutsu). Seishinkan Jujutsu is based on the techniques of Daito Ryu, as opposed to Judo which is the original base of the Kawashi Jujutsu that is most commonly seen in New Zealand. Since we have a technical base in Daito Ryu Aiki-jujutsu we use the 'aiki' prefix to articulate the difference in our approach. People who have done Aikido will notice that we use much of the same terminology and techniques as in Aikido since we share a common ancestor in Daito Ryu.


Copyright Seishinkan Society Incorporated unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved.