As a child, I was always enthralled with stories of knights and samurai, in area of chivalry, honor, courtesy, humility, and especially, in their fighting arts. Until one day, I finally decided it should not only be an errant desire, but one made into reality. Of the three legitimate schools I found in the US which taught kenjutsu, the Japanese Art of the Sword, Samurai Academy was not only the closest one to me in Boston, but also as it turned out, better than anything I could have imagined. The kenjutsu and hand to hand self-defense techniques that I had the opportunity to witness and learn were readily applicable to real life situations one would encounter in daily life. This is very important and in stark contrast to a martial art I previously learned, which did not serve me in any type of real world self-defensive situation one would encounter in daily life. It is still very amazing to me that combative techniques used for hundreds of years in medieval Japan are still so effective in 2014.
The instructors and especially Soke Grandmaster Tsuji are always willing to help me improve on techniques. Beyond that, they were always willing to lend an ear towards any problem I may have outside of the dojo walls in my personal life, and show genuine concern in times of need. And this speaks a lot about the Soke Grandmaster Tsuji and the instructors at the dojo; the insistence on constant self-improvement and generally leading a healthy, happy life.
Schedule-wise, I work in the Financial District, but the class schedule is very accommodating to busy schedules in case I cannot go some nights of the week. For example, there are adult martial arts classes Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday, and I am encouraged to attend every single one. I have a car, but it is only a short bus ride from Quincy Center Station so it is convenient to get to and from the dojo. I would strongly recommend that anyone who decides to give Samurai Academy a try, to give it a full month before passing judgment and deciding if it is for them or not. I say this, because each class is different, so for example if you were hoping to learn kendo techniques, and aikijujutsu is taught instead on a particular night you attend class, it can be easy for the uninitiated to think that there is no kendo taught at all. Rather, because there are no two classes that are alike, I feel that a full month's worth of classes is necessary to get a full sense of what Samurai Academy has to offer. And lastly, I think that any new student must see Soke Grandmaster Tsuji perform and teach a technique. After the first time I saw him do so, I was convinced with no doubt in my mind, that everything Soke Grandmaster Tsuji is the bread and butter of what true martial arts is. read more
