Natori Ryu today

The School
Natori-Ryu today is an organization for the study and
promotion of historical samurai warfare and historical
Ninjutsu as it relates to Natori-Ryu. The organization is
headed by a project leader who determines the direction of
the school, he is assisted by research teams and other
school representatives. www.natori.co.uk
Project Leader
Our project leader is Antony Cummins, he rightfully heads
the school with full blessing of the remaining Natori family.
He is also responsible for heading the research and
translation team that brings us the material, which in turn
gives us our school teachings.
Jodai – The Castle Steward
The Jodai in medieval japan was a position of trust and responsibility, he was the
person left in charge of the castle management when the lord was out on campaign
and made all decisions in his absence. In our school today the position of Jodai is to
manage and run the organization under the direction of the project leader, all
administration and activity regarding the Natori-Ryu org should be directed to the
castle steward, currently Andrew Thoburn. thoburnandrew@gmail.com
Membership
A membership is open to anyone who wishes to support Natori-Ryu, it costs a
donation of £11 for lifetime membership. A registered member in return for their
donation will receive their own personal Natori number, access to the member’s only
newsletter called the ‘The Drop’, and they will get their name added to a logbook
held at the Eunji temple in Wakayama which is available for visitors to see. The
registered member is not yet an official student but expressing interest and
supporting the school.
Student
Anyone can study and train in Natori methods, we actively
encourage people to do this, however, a formal individual
student of Natori-Ryu is someone who has attained
membership, and completes the foundation course. Only
then will the person be recognized by the Natori-Ryu
organization as a formal student. It is also required that
the student keep active and taking part, joining in,
communicating, and sharing with others from the school
in places like the hub Face Book group.
Affiliated study groups
An Affiliated dojo is a group of students or members who come forward and request
to form an official study group. Affiliated study groups if permitted will be recognized
as studying Natori-Ryu by the organization where they can then work towards
becoming a fully recognized branch representative, or they can simply study Natori
material alongside their current training regime. If registered with us they will get
recognition as studying Natori-Ryu teachings but they do not represent the
organization, they simply study Natori-Ryu teachings alongside their own arts, and
do not have permission to use Natori-Ryu in their name.
Branch representatives
Branches are our core groups who enter as affiliated study groups and request
permission to move forward in commitment. They are formal study groups who study
the Natori material equally alongside their other arts or as the main art within their
dojo. Branch activity is coordinated by a branch captain, and they must use Natori-
Ryu and the area they are located as the name of the group. Branches have
obligations and requirements to meet each month if they wish to remain as a Natori-
Ryu branch.
Registered Troop
A registered troop is the highest level of group recognition we have in Natori-Ryu
and the standards and commitment expected are set high. A troop is registered at
the temple where it receives a dojo name from the monk Jyuho Yamamoto. To
become a registered troop requires several things to be achieved including the group
captain completing the Heika Jodan mokuroku course. On top of this, registered
troops also have monthly obligations and requirements. Although the dojo name
given from the temple is theirs to keep permanent, if obligations and requirements
aren’t met, the group will be removed from the Natori-Ryu roster and no longer be
registered as a troop within the org.
Eunji Temple
The Eiunji temple in Wakayama is our spiritual home for
Natori-Ryu. It is the location of the grave of Issui-Sensei
himself. Issui-Sensei’s death tablet along with markers
and such of other Natori family members are cared for
there by the head monk Jyuho Yamamoto, and the
remaining living Natori family continue to use the
temple to this day. Jyuho Yamamoto is a key member
of the project leader’s research team and responsible
for writing the Natori school Kanji itself. The temple also
holds the log book with all registered members names
and numbers, visitors are very welcome there to see
this, to pay respects to Natori’s grave, and to see other
cultural treasures held at the temple.
Course Programs
In Natori-Ryu we have courses available for members and
students to enroll on. There are courses being released over
time, each focusing on different aspects of study in the
school. It is through these courses that the achievements are
earned for job roles, titles, and also to become an official
instructor of Natori-Ryu. Some courses are fully online, some
only done in person, and others a combination of personal
study and in person training. Courses planned for future
release will offer long term commitments like the mokuroku
and also short courses of as little as a couple of months. We
do not have a usual Kyu Dan grading system, instead the
courses are the route to advancement in Natori-Ryu.
Job Roles / Job Titles
Within the organization there are many tasks and jobs which
require people to take on, most of these are short term tasks.
However, there are opportunities for more permanent and
important positions, these will require commitment and
achievement through completion of courses and such before
people will be considered.
Group Captain
Group captains are in no way a title of instructor, teacher or sensei. Group captains
are appointed as a spokesperson and administrator for the group only. It is the group
captains job to liaise with the Jodai regarding group matters and it is the group
captains responsibility to ensure any group obligations are met. It is however the
whole groups responsibility to put forward training and activity for the group study.
Do not address the group captain as sensei during Natori trainings unless they have
been officially appointed so by the organization.
Teachers/instructors
To become a recognized instructor of Natori-Ryu requires certain standards and
achievements to be met, this is done through completion of courses, one of which is
the Heika Jodan Mokuroku. More information on other courses required will be
available soon.
The Hub Facebook group.
The Natori-Ryu hub FB group is simply a social chat room and place where students
should come together to discuss the teachings of Natori-Ryu with other members. To
be a member of the hub does in no way make anyone a student, however, part of
being a student is about sharing and communicating with each other, the hub is one
of our main places to do this. The hub is where most notifications and adverts for the
organization are placed, so to keep updated the hub should be checked regular.
Other Arts
Natori-Ryu is not your mainstream type martial art, it is a school of military tactics
and warfare - Gungaku. And although there are a few individual concepts or
techniques which are very much the usual physical skills found in a regular martial
arts school, it probably accounts for less than a couple or few percent of the first
scroll - the Heika Jodan no maki, and then only a tiny fraction of that in relation to the
whole school curriculum. However, the scrolls do tell us that the physical arts are
important and we should be constantly training in them, so for this you gain tuition in
other schools who specialize in those areas.
For training in martial arts alongside Natori-Ryu we recommend Daito Ryu, this
school is often difficult to find and get access, so opportunities are being put forward
to gain membership and trainings in this art through Jodai Thoburn who is an
instructor of Daito Ryu and direct student of Certa Shihan, head of the Daitokai line
of Daito Ryu. You are of course free to continue your current study in any Japanese
arts you are already undertaking.
For further information look to the Natori website- www.natori.co.uk or contact the
Jodai direct via FB, messenger, or email thoburnandrew@gmail.com with any
questions.
Antony Cummins ties the full organization together and heads the project into its
future, he is the current leader of Natori Ryu and should be shown the degree of
respect that you would show any head of a school.
The current Jodai is Andrew Thoburn. The project leader runs the full organization,
the Jodai runs the school element of the organization, this means that all questions,
discussion, disputes, and requests regarding school activity should be addressed
through him and not direct to the project leader. Any and all decisions made by the
Jodai carry full authority and backing of the project leader, to question the castle
steward’s actions is to question the project leader himself.
Some of the other important people within
the Natori Ryu organization are pictured
here. All should be known and play a vital
role in the development of the school.
Right- Jyuho Yamamoto.
Jyuho is the head monk at Eunji temple and
grave keeper to the Natori family inc Issui
sensei. He is also a key member of Antony’s
research team.
Below- Mieko Koizumi.
Mieko is a key member of the research team
and one of the main translators, she also co-
authored the lost samurai school with
Antony.
Below right- Yoshie Minami.
Yoshie is a main player of Antony’s research
team and the main translator for the Natori

School. Yoshie is co-author to the book

of samurai vol 1 and 2, as well as many of
the other non Natori texts.
The organizational structure for Natori Ryu follows approx. this chart. New members
register and get their personal number, become formal students through this
foundation course, and then there are groups, admin, researchers, the temple, and
other activity branching off in various directions.