In the late 1960s, Donn F. Draeger represented shinto muso ryu at a prestigious public demonstration in Tokyo. Many of Japan’s oldest martial arts — its classical koryu — were demonstrated. It was one of the first times a non-Japanese had been invited.
Draeger was demonstrating the art with Shimizu Takaji, his teacher. Draeger was using the jo, or stick, and Shimizu the wooden sword. During one kata, Shimizu’s strike caught Draeger’s weapon at just the right angle to take it out of his grip. It went spinning off merrily behind him.
Moments like those, of course, say everything
