Every year our Soke,Hajime Hayabuchi, visits us here at our Phoenix dojo. Soke (pronounced So-kay) means “headmaster” and it is the top rank at our school. Our Soke is the 16th Soke of the original or true line of Araki Muninsai Ryu Iaido. He was chosen by his grandfather Miyuki Hayabuchi, the 15th Soke, and succeeded him in 1998 upon his grandfathers death at the age of 91 years. As you can imagine, our current Soke has a wealth of knowledge to offer us, so his visit is always a special occasion!
As a dojo, these visits from Soke are very important, as they not only help us improve our style and grow as swordsmen, it also helps to keep our dojo connected to our home dojo in Japan. During this time he gets to meet new students, teach us new techniques and give tests so that students may obtain a new rank.
During his visit we will also have the opportunity to go out to dinner and spend time with him at various outings. If you’re curious about learning how to use the sword and want to stop buy, you’re welcome! Call Sensei Corella at 623-915-9091 – see you soon!
