tagged w/ Art and Lifestyle
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"In the absence of the warrior-protector, the only way that a government can protect a society is to remove the freedom of its people. And in such a society, the sons and daughters of Lions become sheep".
James Williams
Nami Ryu Aiki Heiho
James Williams is the President of Bugei Trading Company, Inc. He has been studying martial arts since 1960 and teaching since 1975. James has trained, competed in, and taught a number of different martial disciplines: Japanese, Okinawan, Chinese, Filippino, as well as the Brazilian system of Jujitsu as taught by Rorion and Royce Gracie. His experience includes western wrestling, which he also coached, as well as competing in boxing and kickboxing. His love of samurai martial traditions came with his study of the Yanagi ryu of the Yoshida han under Don Angier Sensei and the martial traditions of the Kuroda han as taught by Kuroda Tetsuzan Sensei. James also studied Daito ryu Roppokai with Okamoto Seigo sensei.
James also teaches Close Quarters Combat to police and military both foreign and domestic. The method used, "The System of Strategy," is based on those skills developed and cultivated by ancient warriors. He is the designer of the "Hissatsu," a close quarter battle knife that is produced by Columbia River Knife and Tool. James is certified as an instructor of Systema, an Ancient Russian Martial Art taught by Mikhail Ryabko and Vladimir Vasiliev. Williams sensei teaches Nami Ryu Aiki Heiho, (kenjutsu, iaijutsu, tanto jutsu and aikijujutsu) and The System in Encinitas California.
"James Williams of Bugei Trading Company fame, treated the Blade Show attendees to a rare show of skill with the Japanese sword. We were all quite impressed by Mr. Williams' poise and presentation as he used both one and two handed cutting techniques to sever 4 inch and 5 inch bundles of Tatami (rice straw) mats. In particular, we enjoyed seeing Mr. Williams make multiple cuts in rapid secession and even sever falling mats in mid air. But perhaps the greatest exhibition of skill was the finale where Mr. Williams demonstrated how a highly killed swordsman could suddenly drop low to the ground to avoid an opponent's blow while simultaneously drawing and cutting with his own blade. Most impressive! While Bugei Trading is a fierce competitor of ours in the sword business, we never want to become so mean spirited that we can't recognize real skill and ability when we see it. We congratulate Mr. Williams on the fantastic demonstration we were privileged to watch and encourage all of our readers who love swords not to miss it next year!"
Lynn Thompson, Cold Steel Knives (read more testimonials)
Martial Arts Experience
• Wrestling at the high school and collegiate level
• Kenjutsu-Japanese sword art
• Iaijutsu-Samruai sword art
• Shorin ryu Okinawa-te
• Tanto jitsu-Samurai knife art
• Takwondo
• Hojojitsu-Samurai restraining art
• Judo
• Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
• Aikido
• Temple Tai Chi
• Arnis de Mano
• Hung Gar Kung Fu
• Boxing
• Kick-Boxing
• Tang Soo Do
• Aiki Jiu Jitsu-Samurai unarmed art
• Systema-Russian military art (certified in Russia)
Instructional Experience
• Coached wrestling - Jr. High and High School Level
• Taekwondo
• Tang Soo Do
• Coached Boxing and Kick Boxing
• Currently teaching
Kenjutsu
Iaijutsu
Aikijujutsu
Systema
Military combatives and knife defense
Police Arrest and Control and knife defense
• Teaching seminars and giving demonstrations throughout the United States &
Canada
• SureFire Institute Low Light and Combatives Instructor
Specialized Experience
• Employed as personal bodyguard
• State of California Concealed Weapons Course
• Current CPR qualified.
• Designer of the Hisstasu, a CQB/Anti-Terrorist knife being produced by
CRKT (Columbia River Knife and Tool).
Military Experience
• U.S. Army Infantry
• Military Police
• 6th Army Competitive Pistol Team
• Officer Candidate School Graduate
• California Post Certified Firearms Instructor
• Advanced Hostage Rescue Course graduate • SFI Low Light Instructor
Agencies and Personnel Taught: List incomplete
• Naval Special Warfare Combatives Instructors
• Law Enforcement SWAT agencies nation wide
• USAF Air Mobility Warfare C
http://www.bugei.com/virtue.html"In the absence of the warrior-protector, the only way that a government can... more
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Smartly dressed young Japanese professionals casually converse in a dimly lit bar at what appears to be any other hotspot in Tokyo.
But between sips of sake, the stakes are high. These singles are here for konkatsu, or marriage hunting.
This latest mainstream trend of actually seeking a spouse is a departure for tradition-driven Japan and from the era of office ladies and arranged marriage.
Today, with more Japanese women holding careers after the equal employment opportunity act was passed in 1986, government statistics show marriage rates are on the decline and the marrying age is rising.
"Until the 1980s, we had this system of arranged marriage, or meeting people through work," says Masahiro Yamada, who coined the phrase konkatsu with co-author Tohko Shirakawa. "So there was a system working for a lot of people. So you didn't really have to make an effort. You didn't have to be that active to meet someone."
The word "konkatsu" is a spinoff of the term "job hunting." As their best-selling book "Konkatsu Jidai, or The Era of Marriage Hunting," flew off shelves last year, the concept has become a socially acceptable trend.
Businesses in this economic recession are cashing in.
Since changing his publicity plan at his bar, Green, from a singles bar to a members-only konkatsu bar, manager Yuta Honda says business is up 400 percent.
"In this downturn economy," Honda says from his bar in the city's Roppongi district, "if you just go after money, you will not succeed. You have to give customers some kind of value or benefit."
In the nearby neighborhood of Shibuya, a "konkatsu cooking class" offers the benefit of expertise in the kitchen -- or, perhaps, the chance to meet a potential spouse.
Participants pay about $60 to mingle in a small group at a private residence. There they partake in an intimate cooking lesson, chopping up vegetables and sampling sauces side by side.
After preparing their meal, they eat together as a group and see if any of the sizzle from the kitchen transfers to the residence dining room.
Kunio Saragai, a 32-year-old systems engineer, tells ABC News he's at the class because "he's not a good cook and wants to learn," but he also joined for konkatsu. He says he hopes to ask out one of the women he met that night. Yamada, also a sociology professor at Chuo University in Tokyo, has observed differences between singles culture in the East and West. He says singles in Japan are too comfortably passive.
"They wait for somebody to find you, or to talk to you, or to approach you," he says. "It's not how Americans act. Too many people are waiting."
Speaking in broad terms, he attributes some of the laid-back mentality to a group he calls "parasite singles." It is another popular buzz word and refers to adults who enjoy a carefree lifestyle by living with their parents, or as his name suggests, feeding off of them. "In Japan, there are many people in their 30s and 40s who live with their parents. They have company so they don't really feel lonely," Yamada explains. "They don't feel the urgency, that's why they are waiting. They wait for somebody perfect to come to their life. That also has to change."
MORE @ linkSmartly dressed young Japanese professionals casually converse in a dimly lit bar at... more
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