His love for Japanese culture and arts then let him to Budo. Starting with Mugai Ryu Iaido, Adrian now studies multiple Koryu and Gendai Budo arts including Jodo, Iaido, and Naginata.
He has been granted 1st degree (shodan) in Seitei Jodo from the All United States Kendo Federation (AUSKF).
Laurence Kogetsu Smith has been training in several Budo disciplines for nearly two decades. In 2006, he started training in Meishi-ha Mugai-ryu Iai hyodo and has the rank of 5th degree (godan).
Since Mugai-ryu has a deep connection with Zen Buddhism, he sought zen practice for over fifteen years at Daiyuzenji Rinzai Zen Temple. It was also at that time that he started training in the Hojo no kata, the four seasons of the Jikishinkage-ryu.
In 2010, he began naginata training under Takami Tanner-sensei of the Rocky Mountain Naginata Federation in Atarashii Naginata and Bitokukai Tendo-ryu naginatajutsu.
In 2016, he was very fortunate to be accepted as a student of Peter Boylan-sensei of the Michigan Koryu Kenkyukai to train Zen Ken Ren Iaido and Shinto Muso-ryu. He has been granted 2nd degree (nidan) in Seitei Jodo from the All United States Kendo Federation (AUSKF).
He additionally has training in Kendo, and Shinto Muso-ryu Jodo Fuzoku Ryuha (Assimilated Schools), Kasumi Shinto-ryu kenjutsu, Isshin-ryu kusarigamajutsu and Uchida-ryu tanjojutsu. To compliment Budo training, he has received his Assistant Teacher 1 certificate from the Ohara School of Ikebana under Associate Master / Instructor Margot Wang.
Sean Gill started his martial arts study at the age of 8. He has studied in Shorin-Ryu Karate, Kendo, Mugai Ryu Iaido, Seitei & Shinto-Muso Ryu Jodo, Atarashii Naginata.
Sean’s methodology is based in the pursuit of becoming a better learner and to aid others on their personal development path. The skill of learning and being humble to criticism are arguably the most important and translatable skills you will develop in a committed, long-term martial journey. As an instructor, Sean’s course objective is student-driven development. Outside of the dojo, Sean enjoys Olympic Recurve Archery and was an international competitive archer. He aspires to study Kyudo in the near future.