Hōki-ryū iaidō

description of the school

Hōki-ryū is one of the oldest classical traditions of Japanese swordsmanship. Founded in the late 16th century by Katayama Hisayasu*, it is distinguished for its curriculum of iai, the art of sword drawing. Indiana is the only location in the United States where this rare koryū is practiced. Our group is headed by Paul Smith, 2nd-dan, who teaches under the supervision of Dr. Nakamura Tetsu*, 8th-dan and hanshi (pictured above doing a test cutting at a public demonstration in Bloomington, Indiana). We are a part of Nakamura sensei's Hōki-ryū organization, called the Kangyō-kai