The Seifukan Dojo was established in 1990 with the purpose of studying classical martial arts and culture, particularly that of the Takeuchi-ryu kobudo, the Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryu iai, and the modern Seitei Iaido. It has gone through various changes of locations, ending up the last couple of years at the Mo'ili'ili Community Center Weinburg Room, in Honolulu, Hawai'i. The community center is near the University of Hawai'i at Manoa, in bustling downtown Mo'ili'ili. The Takeuchi-ryu is associated with the Chofukan Dojo in Kyoto, Japan. The Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryu is associated with Ohmori Masao and the Rakutokai organization of Kyoto. The seitei iai is recognized by the Hawaii Kendo Federation and the All Japan Kendo Federation.

Training schedule: Friday nights. Takeuchi-ryu training is 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Iai is 7:30 to about 9 p.m. The club takes a break during regular holidays and long breaks during the Christmas-New Year's time and a month off in August.

Dues: The only dues are $25 a month for iai or Takeuchi-ryu practice to help defray the room rental. Rank registration fees for Takeuchi-ryu may be assessed for the main dojo's benefit in Japan. Iaido rank registration and promotion fees are through the Hawaii Kendo Federation.

Contact: Email Wayne Muromoto at wmuromoto@hotmail.com. Snail mail: Wayne Muromoto c/o Tengu Press, PO Box 61637, Honolulu, Hawai'i, USA 96839.

Student policy: Students are accepted regardless of race, religion, or gender. Usually, no one under the age of 14 will be accepted for training except in special cases. Students may also be turned away if the instructors feel that the applicant may not be well served by our particular training system. Students are asked to eventually obtain the proper training outfits for Takeuchi-ryu and/or iaido on their own.

The teachers and training leaders:

Wayne Muromoto had several years' worth of training in various martial arts, including Kodokan judo, Shito-ryu karatedo, aikido, iai and naginatado, before he went to Kyoto, Japan, to study Urasenke tea ceremony on a scholarship in 1984. While there, he trained at night under Ono Yotaro of the Chofukan Dojo Takeuchi-ryu, and Ohmori Masao at the Butokuden in Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryu. When he returned to Hawai'i, he was encouraged to establish a branch club of both the iai and Takeuchi-ryu. He waited until he had returned several times to Japan several times and obtained a higher ranking, opening a small club in 1990. He currently holds a daigeiko teaching rank in the Takeuchi-ryu and a sandan in seitei iai. Wayne has a bachelor's degree in Japanese Language and Literature from Cornell University. He has an MFA in Fine Art from the University of Hawai'i. He has been a journalist, high school instructor, and publisher of Furyu the Budo Journal. He is presently an instructor at a community college in graphic design. Besides the above, he is a student of tea ceremony and a sometimes student of tai chi ch'uan.

A picture taken some time around 1987, when Wayne (left, front), received a scroll for the Takeuchi-ryu batto iai forms from Ono Yotaro (front, right). Wayne was a lot skinnier then, with black hair.

Rev. Clark Zenkyu Watanabe is a fifth dan kendo practitioner, shodan in seitei iai (from Kyoto) and an ikkyu rank in Takeuchi-ryu. He spent a year in Kyoto studying tea ceremony at the Urasenke Foundation, and several years at Mount Koya training to become a Shingon Buddhist priest. Rev. Watanabe holds a BA from the University of Hawai'i in religion and currently is a priest at the Koboji Shingon Temple in Honolulu.

Current practicing iaido yudansha ("black belt"): Harold Uehara (shodan).