TOKUMEIKAN

Sugino Yukihiro

In studying under Sugino Yoshio sensei, I was also instructed by his son, Sugino Yukihiro sensei, who was the second most senior instructor at the dojo. I must say that Sugino Yukihiro sensei had a big influence on my development as a swordsman. Much of the spiritual aspects of my swordsmanship such as my kiai and “presence” I learned from Sugino Yukihiro sensei.

I always remember Sugino Yukihiro sensei as a passionate man. He is very passionate about Katori Shinto Ryu and very adamant that it be done correctly. Whether it was the exact foot placement, the position of the blade, the force of the kiai, or the angle of the leading elbow, these were all important points to him. He is a stickler for detail and precision. And this penchant of his for attention to detail influenced me when I trained under him in Japan.

Miyamoto Musashi once said: “The strategist makes small things into big things, like building a great Buddha from a one foot model.” 

When I was at Sugino dojo, I saw many foreign students who were impatient and tried to learn all the more advanced techniques and the more advanced kata, even though they were clearly not technically ready. However, Sensei would always make them go back to the fundamentals. While these students knew a lot of kata, they performed the kata poorly because their form (their technique) was poor. They stressed quantity over quality. In their rush for accumulating kata, in their focus on accomplishment (quantity), they neglected to work sufficiently on the fundamentals. They neglected quality.

Over time, I have come to understand the rationale for his way of thinking. We must pay attention to the small things, because the small things are the basis for the larger things in the art. “From small things come big things.” Great words from a great teacher.