NOT JUST ANOTHER DŌJŌ
A dōjō is classically a place of training; typically the formal place for students of Budō and other forms of martial arts to study and train, but certainly, the education and training offered within a dōjō has never been limited just to martial arts. A dōjō was and is a place of study in subjects also more spiritual, more introspective or meditative in nature, even artistic pursuits may be fitting subject matter.
Yes, we do teach Budō, which has been one of our great passions for decades. We offer students a detailed program in Amatai no Shugo-ryū or Multitude of Dragons School, a shinden or modern ryū (ryū can mean school or also dragon) drawn from several traditional forms of Budō. Yet, beyond our martial program, the Way of the Sword and the Way of the Empty Hand, we offer the student an opportunity to learn how not just to live, but to live better, and can lead one to the path of health and self-cultivation as an individual and as a valuable, prosperous, contributing member of the community.
The etiquette, training methods, equipment and techniques of Amatai no Shugo-ryū are the product of a long, proud historical development. The philosophical concepts taught at Shisei-Dō Dōjō are the very concepts that have helped shape the art, aesthetics, ethics and philosophy that stand at the core of Japanese culture.
For us then, Shisei-Dō (至誠道 ) is the way of the height of enthusiasm in each project we undertake and the way we live. Everything we do, everything we study and teach here, whether it is Amatai no Shugo-ryū Aikijutsū, Iaido, Wa-Dō, or how to find peace, harmony and prosperity in our lives, is a work of love, done with the greatest enthusiasm.
The name Shisei-Dō Dōjō is based upon the words and teachings of one of Japan’s greatest intellectuals and educators, Yoshida Shōin (吉田 松陰) who lived and died a premature death during the last days of the Tokugawa Shōgunate, a time of great political and social upheaval.He once wrote:
Shisei ni shite ugokkazaru mono wa, immadakore arazarunari
"If one has shisei to do something, if one does something with shisei, if one does not forget shisei when one does something, one can accomplish anything."
A part of our philosophy, our approach to what we do at the Shisei-Dō Dōjō, how we go about it, and how we live can be summed up in the following creed:
- To mold the mind and body.
- To cultivate a vigorous spirit,
- To hold in esteem human courtesy and honor,
- To associate with others with sincerity,
- To forever pursue the cultivation of oneself.
- To love ones country and society.
- To contribute to the development of culture
- And to promote peace and prosperity among all peoples.
Copyright 2009 by Shisei-Do Dojo and Shisei-Do Publications. All rights reserved.
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