Kashima-Shinryū in Finland

Kashima-Shinryū is a traditional Japanese martial art (koryū). It was established around five centuries ago by Matsumoto Bizen no kami Ki no Masamoto together with Kunii Genpachiro Kagetsugu. The roots of the school lie in a thousand or more years old Kashima-no-tachi. Present head of the school, Dr. Seki Humitake, is the 19th generation headmaster (Shihanke).

In 1964 Seki-sensei was awarded the rank of Menkyo-Kaiden in Kashima-Shinryū. During the same year, the then current headmaster, Kunii Zen'ya officially nominated Seki as his successor.* Before Seki-sensei Kashima-Shinryū was a relatively small school. It was difficult to become a member of the school. For a foreigner it was virtually impossible. In 1976 Seki-sensei started to give Kashima-Shinryū instruction in the University of Tsukuba. Just a couple of years later the first non-Japanese were allowed to begin their Kashima-Shinryū studies.

Kashima-Shinryū can be studied not only in Japan but also in the United States, in Europe and in Israel. However, genuine Kashima-Shinryū is still not be easy to find. In the USA Kashima-Shinryū is taught in Athens, Bozeman, Eureka, Fortuna and Los Angeles. European chapters are located in Breda, Frankfurt, Helsinki, Ljubljana, London and Tampere. In addition, satellite schools exist in Germany and in Israel.

In Finland Kashima-Shinryū is taught on the premises of the University of Helsinki and of the Tampere University of Technology by Robert Franzén, Peter Nystén, Mikko Vilenius (currently in Japan) and Ari Yliniemelä. The Finnish branch belongs to the Kashima-Shinryū Budō Renmei, an organization coordinated and directed by Shihanke (Seki Humitake), Soke (Kunii Masakatsu) and representatives of Kashima Jingu.

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*A photograph of Kashima-Shinryu Shihanke Soden Ottegaki (鹿島神流師範家相伝 追而書), addressed to Seki Humitake, written and signed by Kunii Zenya in 1964, can be seen in “Legacies of the sword - The Kashima-Shinryu and Samurai Martial Culture”, page 116.