Eikoku Roshukai Chief Instructors and Dojo Leaders
Contents
Eikoku Roshukai Chief Instructors
Mark Sykes
Mark Sykes-sensei is a 6th Dan Chief Instructor Eikoku Roshukai. Granted Menkio by Iwata-sensei in 2000, Mark is a highly accomplished teacher in the school as well as specialisms in other sword arts.
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Mark Sykes is a highly respected and senior UK-based martial arts instructor specializing in Musō Jikiden Eishin-Ryū Iaido and Hyōhō Niten Ichi Ryū. He is a founding instructor of the Eikoku Roshukai (the English branch of the Japanese Roshukai) and one of the founders of the Shiroi Bara Dojo in Leeds.
Mark began his martial art studies in the 1970s in Ju Jitsu as a teacher and competitor which he pursued for over four decades, in the mid 80s he began his journey in Iaido Japanese swordsmanship, leaving England to study in Japan under Matsuo Haruna sensei in 89/1990. Along side Modern Iaido, Mark was taught Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu, Tachi Uchi No Kurai and Niten-Ichi Ryu schools of swordsmanship.
In 1994 Mark along with his senior training colleagues brought over Iwata Norikazu Sensei 19th Generation headmaster, for the international seminar in Leeds, devoted to traditional Eishin ryu (old school).
His notable history and lineage in the art include:
- Teaching License: In 2000, he was personally awarded a teaching Menkio (Licence) in Musō Jikiden Eishin-Ryū by the late Iwata Norikazu Hanshi (head of the Roshukai Japan).
- Training in Japan: He has made numerous trips to Japan to train. During an extended stay in 1990 he trained under Haruna Matsuo Sensei at the Musashi Dōjō in Ohara, Okayama ken, including Yamashibu sensei and Oshita Sensei.
- Hyōhō Niten Ichi Ryū: In 1996, 10th Sōke Imai Masayuki officially granted Mark Sykes permission to teach and promote the historic Hyōhō Niten Ichi Ryū in Europe.
- Eikoku Roshukai Leadership: Alongside instructors Steve Watering, Neil Kemp, Mark Sykes serves as one of the Chief instructors for the Eikoku Roshukai, providing traditional training to students in the UK.
- Mark Sykes is an international teacher and has taught in America, Canada, Russia and parts of Europe.
- Mark continues to study via teaching, in addition he has produced alongside his training colleague Steve Watering training DVDs on Omori and Eishin ryu and has contributed to the translations of Iwata sensei’s lectures in a three-book series, he also supports and contributes to the inhouse Magazine Obi as well as numerous martial art magazines.
- Mark has further supported and lectured at the Royal Armouries Museum where his interest in Historical Japan continues.
Steve Watering
Steve Watering-sensei is 7th Dan and was one of Iwata-sensei's UK deshi. Together with Mark Sykes, they formed the group that would become Eikoku Roshukai today.
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Steve started Martial Arts from the age 15 mainly through Karate and Taekwondo and found an Iaidō club in Leeds when he was 27. This sparked his interest and he has continued his studies in Iaidō to this day.
He started learning Musō Shinden Ryū and Jodo under the auspices of the BKA and by 1990 had achieved 4th Dan and 3rd Dan respectively. The main teacher responsible for Iaidō in the UK at that time was Ishido Sensei. Steve then became interested in Musō Jikiden Eishin Ryū and studied under Okimitsu Fujii Sensei, Haruna Sensei and Ōshita Masakaz Sensei. At this time together with Mark Sykes they formed a self help group whose aim was to raise funds for brining Japanese Sensei into the UK. This was successful and they brought Haruna Sensei for a Seminar in Leeds. This group evolved into the Musashi UK and whilst with this group he achieved 5th Dan in Iaidō.
In 1995 Steve and Mark organised a seminar through Colin Hyakutake Sensei and Eguchi Sensei for Iwata Sensei and his deshi to teach in the UK. After the success of this seminar Musashi UK was renamed Eikoku Roshūkai in honour of Iwata Sensei. After the first event many seminars were held both in the UK and Japan. Steve became one of Iwata Sensei’s UK deshi and later named Steve’s dojo “Doshukan” as well as assigning him a personal Mon. In 2000 he was awarded his 6th Dan by Iwata Sensei.
Currently Steve is studying and promoting Iwata Sensei’s teachings at a period just before he came to the UK (1988) as it reflects an older style of Iaidō and when he was arguably still at the top of his game. Steve has spent most of his time teaching and he has helped set up and support many Iaidō clubs in the UK (some of which are still in existence). In addition he has produced 2 beginners training videos (Omori Ryū and Eishin Ryū) in conjunction with Mark Sykes.
Tim Hamilton
Tim Hamilton-sensei is instructor of Chidokan dojo, Darlington and 6th Dan. Highly experienced with a background in other martial arts, Tim-sensei has trained as an iaidoka since the late 1970's.
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Tim started martial arts at a karate club at age 14, however that closed so moved to a taekwondo club, where he met John Sparkes, who also did aikido and kendo.
Started kendo in 1976, buying a gunto two years later to learn iai. Through John, Tim met Roald Knutsen and visited him regularly for kendo and iai. In 1980’s, Tim met Neil Kemp and others at a BKA seminar, and started seitei iai with them, although he was already was doing MJER at this point. Through them Tim met Haruna and later Oshita senseis, then Iwata sensei in 1995. This meeting convinced Tim that Iwata sensei was the man to teach him. Tim says “when I asked about oroshi, which [sic] I felt wouldn’t work. He proved it did, and I have done it that way ever since”.
Through visits to Japan and at seminars in the UK, Tim met many of his deshi, all 8th dan level sensei, as he would only allow us to see top level iai. Iwata sensei introduced Tim, and Roshukai more widely, to Kochi dojo and Takeshima sensei, and have since kept in contact with the dojo, practising with his successor Murunaga sensei, and also Steve Coniaris sensei who first met Tim many years ago in Preston.
Please contact before attending seesions at the Darlington Dojo in case the dojo is closed due to seminars.
Martin Simpson
Martin Simpson-sensei is instructor of Shiroi Bara Dojo, Leeds having trained at the club for 36 years and counting.
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Martin-sensei has chosen to write about himself for his bio:
" My martial arts journey started at 16 years old (1978) - I saw through the school gymnasium doors a Jūdō class being taught, my interest was immediately raised and decided I would join. The class was being led by a visiting instructor assisted by one of the school teachers.
After joining the school class I found out that the visiting instructor was from a local club Bushidōkan in Clifford (Nr Boston Spa). Following that, I joined Bushidōkan and my martial arts journey began in earnest. They ran classes in multiple disciplines - 3 hour sessions, Tuesday was Jūdō, Aikidō and Atemi Jutsu, Thursday was Karate, Aikidō and Atemi Jutsu. This provided a more rounded skillset allowing arts to compliment each other. Further down the line Saturday training was introduced so there was around 10 hours training a week. The dōjō was in an old school/church hall without heating or cooling so you certainly felt the change in seasons. Bushidōkan expanded to the surrounding villages and had multiple clubs running concurrently. As such, I progressed in my journey and inevitably it led to teaching and I was able over the years to teach at various Bushidōkan dōjōs. Most of my teaching gravitated towards Aikidō/Aiki-Jutsu.
The martial arts community is actually quite small and as an instructor you are sometimes fortunate to visit and train in other dōjōs in the area. You get to know most of the instructors and build a rapport with like minded souls. One of those clubs was based in the centre of Leeds run by a famous local martial artist Frank Ryder. As visitors we trained there occasionally in Ju-Jitsu and Aikidō and got to know many of the members. One of those was a talented young martial artist called Mark Sykes who trained in multiple arts including Japanese sword. Myself and Colin Wood (another Bushidōkan instructor) had always had an interest in Japanese sword and following a chat with Mark were invited to a Budō Festival (multi disciplined) as guests. Included were sword demonstrations and we discovered that Mark was an instructor at a local Japanese Sword dōjō (Shiroi Bara). We requested to come along and possibly join. This will have been in the very late 1980’s early 1990’s. The club at that point was in Chapel Allerton having moved there from it’s origins in Armley. The two instructors were Mark Sykes and Steve Watering and the style was mainly BKA based Seitei Iaido with Koryū (old style) added. The story of how clubs moved from the BKA to Musashi UK and then Roshukai has been told elsewhere so I will not repeat it here.
At this point my other martial discipline began to tail off (getting a bit old for all that crashing and banging) so sword became the main source of training. I think the main shift in our sword journeys happened in 1995 with the visit to the UK of Iwata Norikazu (Hachidan Hanshi) together with his supporting instructors. This is really when our sword journey for Musō Jikiden Eishin Ryū assumed a new direction and energy.
In addition to MJER, myself and Shiroi Bara are also a member of the UK Shibu for Hyōhō Niten Ichi Ryū (HNIR) school of Kenjutsu. Our HNIR journey began in the early 1990’s. Mark Sykes spent an extended period staying in Ohara (Okayama prefecture,Japan) and training with Matsuo Haruna Sensei together with MJER he also taught him HNIR. On his return he passed on that knowledge to Shiroi Bara students. Eguchi Soshin Sensei who travelled with Iwata Sensei on his 1995 visit was also a member of the same HNIR dōjō in Japan, the Hombu dōjō in Usa. We trained hard in the subject and in 1996 we were invited to visit the home and dojo of the HNIR 10th Soke in Usa (Ōita prefecture, Japan) - Imai Masayuki Sōke. During our visit we were granted permission to pass on the teachings and establish a European teaching base for HNIR. We had three teachers in Shiroi Bara who taught HNIR - myself, Mark Sykes Sensei and Colin Wood Sensei. Shiroi Bara has maintained it’s links with the Hombu dojo through Imai Sōke (10th headmaster), Iwami Toshio Sōke (11th) and Kajiya Takenori Sōke (12th and current) HNIR and MJER despite being different schools do compliment each other and there are many similarities. Interestingly Iwata Sensei and Imai Sōke were good friends and had many discussions about the art of the sword. I along with six other Eikoku Roshukai teachers were fortunate in August 2000 to be awarded teaching certificates and the title of Shihan (exemplary roll model) and tasked to pass on Iwata Sensei’s teachings to the group as Senior Instructors. Six of these instructors are still active members and teachers within Eikoku Roshukai.
I have had the opportunity and privilege to teach at many dōjōs, local and International Seminars and been invited to teach in other countries So my martial arts journey of 48 years continues through passing on the teaching of MJER and HNIR in the best way possible ‘mouth to ear’ and significantly ‘heart to heart’. The journey doesn’t end and is a lifetime study. I have much to learn and at times still feel like a beginner, this is the pull that urges you to continue. Teaching is a privilege and also brings with it obligation, not only to the school but to my teachers and mentors that have been so generous to me over the years.
I have been very fortunate to have been taught by so many knowledgeable and generous instructors who are open and willing to share their passion for maintaining the legacy that is held with the Koryū styles. My teachers didn’t have secret teachings or things that were held back until you were worthy, they showed everything, it’s just that it revealed itself the more experience you gained and the more questions you asked. Iwata Sensei said you can judge a student’s level by the questions they ask, I hold with that philosophy and as he did, invite questions and more questions. It is not just the how, more importantly it is the why and why not that take your knowledge deeper. Shiroi Bara is a healthy club, still practicing in the same dojo after 36 years, may it continue for many more, the instructors and the people will change but the Shiroi Bara family and spirit will continue.
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