Shudokan Martial Arts Association Home Page
What is the SMAA?
The Shudokan Martial Arts Association (SMAA) is an international coalition of enthusiasts dedicated to promoting traditional Japanese budo and koryu bujutsu. The SMAA, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, is headed by an elite group of high-ranking Japanese and Western instructors whose backgrounds encompass many decades of studying and teaching the traditional martial arts and ways of Japan.
Who can join?
The SMAA invites all individuals who are interested in traditional Japanese budo and koryu bujutsu to apply for membership. There are two levels of membership in the SMAA: full members are eligible to apply for rank and teaching titles; associate members receive all the other benefits of membership, but do not receive rank or titles. All members are bound by the SMAA Code of Ethics. For more information, see the Membership page and the Frequently Asked Questions page.
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The latest issue of the SMAA Journal is nearly complete, but we are presently experiencing computer problems that are delaying its completion. We're working to resolve these issues as rapidly as possible, and we hope to get the new issue to everyone very soon. We're sorry about the delay, and we appreciate the patience of SMAA members around the world.
The SMAA and the Aikikai HQ (Tokyo) are co-sponsors of a great aikido camp in Georgia. The instructor will be SMAA certified teacher Max Roach Sensei (aikido sandan and iaido yondan). Practiced in a spirit of non-competition, Aikikai aikido is fun and practical self-defense. This camp will be beneficial for new and advanced students alike. Instruction will focus on basic and intermediate defensive techniques, including unbalancing and pinning techniques, arm bars, wrist techniques, sweeps, and hip throws. Participants will cultivate balance, coordination, concentration and self-awareness. Pre-registered participants who sign up by May 24 will receive a free uniform. Please contact Mr. Roach with your height and weight for uniform pre-orders. Teacher and group discounts also available. Housing may be available if requested in advance. Questions? Send e-mail to roach.max@gmail.com. We hope to see everyone at this fun and exciting event. And don't forget to ask for your SMAA member discount.
Paul Masters Sensei has joined the SMAA. Masters Sensei lives in England, and he is a direct student of Kubota Toshihiro Sensei, who is widely acknowledged as the most senior teacher of Tenjin Shinyo Ryu jujutsu alive today. Kubota Sensei inherited this over 200 year old martial art, a discipline that was instrumental in the formation of Kodokan judo. Masters Sensei has received a menkyo kaiden, a certificate of full transmission, from Mr. Kubota, which makes him the highest ranking practitioner of Tenjin Shinyo Ryu in the world (aside from Kubota Sensei). Masters Sensei joins other prominent teachers of traditional jujutsu in the SMAA, along with his son Lee Masters, who is also a jujutsu expert. We are honored to welcome Paul and Lee Masters to the SMAA.
We would like to welcome Richard Yamamoto Sensei to the SMAA! Yamamoto Sensei has been practicing classic Kodokan judo since he was a teenager. At over 90 years of age, Yamamoto Sensei is still a very active senior citizen and a seventh dan with the Kodokan Judo Insitute in Tokyo. One of the pioneers of judo in the Northwestern part of the US, Yamamoto Sensei was the chief instructor of Seikikan Judojo for many years. Seikikan was established in the 1930s, and we'll have a biography of Yamamoto Sensei in an upcoming issue of the SMAA Journal.
On July 20, 2012 SMAA Senior Advisor Michael Donnelly passed away suddenly from heart-related issues. He was 61 years old.
Donnelly Sensei was one of the first people to join the SMAA. He actually paid for our newsletters and partially funded the SMAA for the first couple years of its existence. He also hosted the first SMAA Seminar, bringing the late Walter Todd Sensei to his dojo to teach aikido.
He used his experience as an attorney to offer the SMAA free legal advice. He also helped with the design of the SMAA logo and patch. And at one point, when we really needed someone to take over as General Manager, he took on this role for about two years. (Nicklaus Suino Sensei succeeded Donnelly Sensei as SMAA General Manager.) Donnelly Sensei did all of this for free.
Not every SMAA member knew Donnelly Sensei personally, but all of us have benefited from his contributions to the SMAA. The SMAA has lost one of its most devoted members, but his vision of a budo fraternity, a worldwide martial arts association without politics or conflict, will live on. In some ways, the SMAA is part of his legacy. Let's all work together to further this unique international organization that fosters friendship among budoka, regardless of martial arts style or nationality.
On August 17, 18 and 19 Sato Tadayuki Sensei and John Gage Sensei will teach a special seminar in the USA. The event will be hosted by Nicklaus Suino Sensei, SMAA Judo Division Director, and it will take place in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Instruction will be in the Kodokan judo of Kano Jigoro Sensei, the Shodokan aikido of Tomiki Kenji Sensei, and Sato Shizuya's system of modern Nihon jujutsu. Special discounts are offered to SMAA members. Go to the Events section of this website to learn how you can study with two of Japan's leading martial arts teachers.
The SMAA is a federally tax-exempt, nonprofit corporation. As such, your donations to our association are tax deductible. Send your donations, in the form of a check or money order (made out to SMAA), to our headquarters in
Don't miss the 2011 SMAA Europe Seminar in England! Featuring Suzuki Kunio Sensei, direct from Japan, who will teach classic Nakamura Ryu swordsmanship. This is your chance to learn the art of the samurai sword from an eighth-degree black belt and a member of the SMAA Board of Advisors.
Click on the link to learn more about this special event, which will be hosted by John Evans Sensei, SMAA Senior Advisor. But don't wait too long to register, as the number of students that can be accepted is limited to insure top quality instruction.
Click here for more information.
Otsuka Yasuyuki Sensei, the current Soke (Headmaster) of Meifu-Shinkage Ryu, has joined the SMAA Board of Advisors. Meifu-Shinkage Ryu is based on Katori Shinto Ryu, one of Japan's oldest forms of koryu bujutsu. Meifu-Shinkage Ryu specializes in the use of shuriken (throwing stars and darts) and the fundo kusari, a weighted chain. Otsuka Sensei is one of the highest ranking martial artists in Japan and one of very few people in the world teaching an authentic system of shuriken-jutsu. His desire to join the SMAA points to the value of the work our group is doing internationally to promote and preserve genuine Japanese budo and koryu bujutsu.
The SMAA is active throughout the world and lead by both Western and Japanese martial arts experts. Otsuka Sensei joins a number of prominent martial arts teachers in Japan, who actively support our association and validate the ranks issued by the SMAA. Their presence in the SMAA speaks volumes about the importance of our group and the degree to which it is respected in Japan, the birthplace of budo and koryu bujutsu.
Click here for more information.
