Scudieri sensei: I was interested in swordsmanship from an early age. In 1978 I attended my first kenjutsu seminar and was hooked. 

KIAI: How would you describe your early teachers? What were your early days' impressions about their skill and teaching methods? 

Scudieri sensei: My recollections are of very traditional, strict professionals. Their methods were simple and direct. There was never any talking and you were expected to be able to give it and be able to take it. My ken Sensei was so strict we were required to wear a suit coat and necktie to class. I did so for twenty years. I was so very impressed by the skill levels and sense of power generated through these individuals I knew; I really wanted to learn these arts. 

KIAI: Which was the thing on classes you most liked and most disliked while you were a Kyu grade student? 

Scudieri sensei: I disliked large classes because I liked personal attention. I loved the feeling of being completely washed out, sweaty and spent at the end of class. 

KIAI: Is there any major thing in your teaching that you have modified from what you learned from your sensei? 

Scudieri sensei: Well, I guess the most obvious is, that since I left theTenshin Ryu six years ago I don’t teach their system anymore. 

KIAI: Can you remember any funny anecdote from your early days of studying swordsmanship? 
  
Scudieri sensei: No 

KIAI: What do you think about modern eclectic nihonto styles and systems, such as Shinkendo, Goshindo, various Gendai Kenjutsu styles etc. - that are being created by mixing various more traditional systems? 
  
Scudieri sensei: Because someone takes five waza (techniques) from the Itto Ryu, five from the Shinto Ryu and five from the Yagyu Ryu mixes them together and claims to be teaching an eclectic style does not mean they are teaching Japanese swordsmanship. Do they know how these waza fit into the basic heiho of the original ryu?  Do they know the hiden in these waza? I doubt it. I would call them mimics. A ryu may borrow a few kata or waza from other ryu and call them taryu or “other styles” However they are not mixed into the ryu. They just contain something the Sensei wants his people to know. 

Now, in my humble opinion, for an organization or dojo to be teaching Japanese swordsmanship there must be certain elements. First, you must have shinza or at least tokonoma. If you are training in a recreation center or school gym you can place something in front like a small portable shinza with a norin (banner) somewhere to generate the feeling of a dojo. You must have strict dojo reishiki. Hakama and gis are black, white or blue, period! Seniors over sixty might wear a pinstriped hakama. Of course kimono at the appropriate time are a must, at least for seniors. Next, there must be strict katana reishiki. We use only antique katana in our dojo. I would suggest hand-forged blades at the very least.  

Now the heiho or strategies behind the waza should reflect the founder’s own actual experiences through a long hard martial arts career. A system is not just its waza but how the waza are executed. Techniques should be masterful, efficient and work. The Sensei should have studied the science of tameshigiri (cutting) and the essence of temoto (grip) with considerable depth. There must be kihon, oku, zanshin, mushin and haragei. Dan ranks may be used for ken but I feel the sho kyu, chu kyu, jo kyu and kyosei system with a menkyo would be more appropriate. Now for one to call their system a ryu, they had better be 45 years old and with at least two generations of black belts. Again, in my humble opinion, any dojo or organization with these minimal requirements could claim Gendai status without complaint, however, if these requirements do not exist they are no more than a bunch karate guys with sticks. 
  

KIAI: How do you see the future of Japanese sword arts? Are you a pessimist or an optimist when it comes to the "survival' of traditional training methods? 
  
Scudieri sensei: I figure they will be around for a long time. I am a bit pessimistic as to the traditional aspects. In the next twenty years or less all the older Japanese masters who are in their eighties and nineties now, will be gone. These men were truly the last of an era. They witnessed the end of the Edo period and the end of the Emperor God. This will not happen again. Their traditions will evolve as the next generations come to power. So even the most Koryu of arts will change. The wheel turns… 

KIAI: You are also teaching Karate in your dojo. How does these two areas - karate and Japanese swordsmanship - relate to each other? 

Scudieri sensei: These two arts relate like In and Yo. One is armed, one is empty handed. One is aggressive, one is defensive. One kills with a sword, one kills with an empty hand. One is circular, one is linear. So even as opposites they relate strongly to each other. Now on another level we have incorporated a few ken principles and waza into our karate system so the student has a small working knowledge of the sword. In older ken ryu they teach you atemi or striking methods with your aiki and ken waza. So both are interrelated there also. One cannot exist without the other. 
  
KIAI: If I may simplify it a bit, kenjutsu (in here - a wider term used as a synonym for "Nihon-to-jutsu") consists of several main areas: kihon (basics drills, strikes, guards, kiri geiko, etc.), kata and katachi (solo and paired drills, including iai or batto forms), tameshikiri and sparring (in any form, including prearranged sparing, light bokken kakari randori, or shapr ji geiko, kendo match, or chanbara). Which of these areas are your most favorite, and which are most important in your dojo? 

Scudieri sensei: I really enjoy all aspects of swordsmanship and don’t have a favorite part. In the dojo, dynamic kihon are the most important because they are the foundation for everything. Bokken kumitachi and two-man shinken kata for advanced students would be next, all types of sparring than kata. 

KIAI: For the readers of our Magazine, would you please describe your teaching program and ranking structure in your dojo. 

The first part of the kenjutsu program is where the student learns dojo reishiki (manners) and how to put on their uniform correctly. They learn how to walk in the dojo and pick up weapons correctly and safely. Next would be ashi waza, tai –sabaki (body movement) and temoto. 

Scudieri sensei: The student is introduced to five iai kata to teach them how to batto, (draw) notto and turn while doing such. They learn katana reishiki and proper blade maintenance. Happo-kamae and happo-giri is a staple in the beginner’s routine. After about six months they are ready to test for sho kyu. At each level such as chu kyu or jo kyu there are more challenging kata, kumitachi and testing requirements. At jo kyu or upper level, tameshigiri is studied along with jo- staff kata and waza. Shoto and tanto are also added. The concepts of zanshin and mushin are introduced also. When a student has trained hard for three or four years then they may be ready for kyosei or yudansha level. (black belt) When kyosei is obtained the actual waza and hei- ho (strategy) of our system begin to appear through advanced kata and advanced kumitachi. Ni ten waza and naginata are also studied at this time. After about ten or so years of hard training you are tested for Renshi.Haragei and some oku/hiden are then introduced. 
  

KIAI: We have seen on photos and videos from your dojo that you have a very traditional interior. I have also learned that you have a very formal approach in training, with full respect to traditional rei ho. Having all this in mind, I believe it would be interested if you could describe what a black belt exam looks in a dojo like yours? How long is the exam? What is the "inauguration" ceremony?  

Scudieri sensei: First thing we do is light a stick of incense and pour a small amount of sake in the cups on the kamiza just before the test. Everyone lines up and then a rin (bell) is struck 3 times, than rei and muk so (meditation) 

We than do warm ups, kihon and then the test begins. Whether a karate test or ken test the process is quite similar. First kata are performed with terminology questions asked at certain points. They may be about stances, sword parts etc. Next are kumitachi or ippon kumitachi, tachi dori, tanto waza etc. Karate students than do tameshiware and ken students do tameshigiri. (breaking or cutting) Last would be sparring for karate students. This includes very strong free sparring against one and multiple opponents. 

The idea is to test a good cross section of the various skills they have learned. Depending on how many are testing the process takes usually takes about two hours. Menkyo are handed out to ken students and a standard black belt is awarded to karate students. At the end of the test muk so, rei, the rin is struck again and as the last tone fades away, so fades the test 

For the inauguration we go back to my home which is located right next to the dojo. We share a few refreshments and do a few toasts of warm sake. Then it’s back on the mat first thing in the am. 

  
KIAI: You seem to have a very fine group of associates and students, of which some are now running their own clubs. Are they all teaching the same things like you, or maybe they have a freedom of making scertain modifications in teaching methods and rank requirements? 
  
Scudieri sensei: There are no changes or modifications allowed in the ken and aikijutsu related waza. It is all the same. I also do all promotions in these areas. The instructors however have considerable freedom in their karate programs and may promote their students in this area. The basic rank requirements are pretty much the same in each dojo and at each belt level. I travel to them and they to me on a regular basis to maintain quality control. 

KIAI: What are your personal plans and hopes for your future budo practice and progress? 
  
Scudieri sensei: I plan to continue doing what I’m doing and hope to die in the middle of a full-on Gekken kumitachi at the age 103 with a huge smile on my face. 

KIAI: Thank you very much for your time, sensei.