Discussions on the Eugue Ryu style of Karate.

[Eugeu_Ryu_Stylist]

I was not able to test for awhile because of an injury, and then we had to postpone class for awhile, because Sensei had important business. So I will be testing within three weeks.

[SamuraiDave]

Hello Everyone! I studied under Sensei Topp for over nine years. I just learned recently that there was an Eugue-Ryu school out in Kansas. Hello to all the Kansas students. I am currently living and teaching in the southwest of England. Kieran, have you ever met Sensei (Ronald) Smith? He teaches at the dojo in Bellefontaine. He's my little brother. I would be interested in learning more about the Kansas school. We both share our lineage back to Kensensu Yama-Eugue, but I would be interested to learn if their head-instructor trained under Ray Flowers, Oscar Adams, or Michael Young. I understand the Kansas school has been in touch with Sensei Kohler's school in Lima, Ohio. I occasionally trained with Sensei Kohler for several years though I haven't seen him in about 5 years. I know there are Eugue Ryu schools in Kansas City, Kansas and in Ohio in Lima, Wapakoneta, Bellefontaine, and probably soon in Marysville, and also my own in England. There was a school in Delphos, Ohio, but I don't think they teach there anymore. Hope you are are dedicated students. Kieran, did you pass your belt test? Cheers from rainy England!

[SamuraiDave]

I just learned the Kansas City School lost one of their instructors. Sensei Steven Williams passed away on 17 March. My condolences to all his friends, family, and students.

[Eugeu_Ryu_Stylist]

Yes, Sensei Steven Williams was my Sensei's Teacher. I never got to meet him, though through my Sensei I hear he was a great man and a Great Teacher.

[SamuraiDave]

Well I haven't been back in the states in two years though I am planning to go back to Ohio in June. Considering moving back, though if I do I will probably like to go out to Kansas and visit the dojo out there and everybody I can. Good excuse to visit a friend of mine in Topeka. Do you know anything further about your lineage? Take care!

[Eugeu_Ryu_Stylist]

I will post the lineage of the style on my next post. I do not have time right now. Thank you.

[Kieran-Lilith]

Okay, I'm back to the forums, finally.

Yes, I passed. I can't believe I passed...It was hard and cruel and painful...and it was probably the best night of my life.

SamuraiDave- It's nice to meet you. It ususally seems like there's so few of us Eugue Ryu people out there...but there are more than there were. I didn't even know we had that many schools. I'm not sure about the one in Delphos, there's a Sensei who I think was in that school and his sister, but they don't come to our school very much anymore. For a while, they came all the time.

Yes, I've met Sensei Smith. We met at the all day workshop in August, and he's been up at our dojo since then.

Hey, when you come in June, are you going to visit us?

Eugue_Ryu_Stylist- I've been to your school's site, and it's really interesting. It's a lot more extensive than my sensei's site is.

Do either of you have blogs that you use to journal what goes on during your classes, just for future reference and for sharing with other MAs?

[SamuraiDave]

Hi Kieran! Sorry, don't have anything online at the minute though you can email me anytime you have any questions. I plan to make it to all of Sensei Topp's class (Karate and Aikido) whenever I am back in Ohio. I know the website he has is actually a website of one of the other students so that's why it's not huge. Glad they finally updated it though. Been studying Judo and Aikido over here in additional to the Karate and Jujitsu in the states I learned. The atmosphere over here is quite different from Ohio, both in good ways and bad ways. The instructor in Delphos was "Weasel" Randy McElroy I think, trained with him a few times, nice guy. Email me sometime and I will tell you more, have to run, busy day today. Take care, Kieran. Take care everyone else.

[SamuraiDave]

Hi Kieren,

Talked to my little brother last night, he said he definitely remembers you from the extra seminars. He said you had spirit and seemed to be a dedicated student. Placing an order soon from the new catalog, going to spend this weekend making some kata videos for my students. We still have a kata night and a sparring night at the end of each month, I assume Sensei Topp still does the same. As far as I know, there are only a few black belts teaching in Sensei's class- Me and Sensei Smith, Sensei Jones and Sensei Shockley, and Sensei Chad Topp, Sensei Barnett, and his dad (though I think his Shodan is honorary). Barnett works down in Cincinnati last I heard, Smith spends most of his time teaching in Bellefontaine, I teach over here now, and I think Chad is still in the Marines. You should see Sensei Jones and Shockley often I think, they spend a lot of time over in Wapak. In the other schools I think Randy McElroy stopped teaching in Delphos. Sensei Kohler and his crew still operate up in Lima, where Sensei Young lives. Other than the Eugue Ryu school in Kansas I think that is all of them. There may be others but I have been out of the loop since I moved across the pond three years ago. There are quite a few other black belts but I am unaware of what they are doing. I know a few of them live in Lima. Hope you are enjoying your green belt. Good luck with your driving courses and of course happy birthday.

[Kieran-Lilith]

Yeah, Sensei still has kata and sparring nights on the last Tuesday and Thursday...hey! Kata night's on Tuesday! With the kid's class I suspect it's going to be very hard for the kids. Their katas got messy, and we all know how Sensei feels about that. In the adult class I'm not sure if we'll do kata, though. We've been working on a lot of aikido techniques in there.

Something that might interest you- We've been told that Black Belt Magazine is getting rid of all their VHS, and it's one video for $5.

Thanks for all the information about the Senseis. I hadn't even known how many there are, and I'm not too sure who some of those you mentioned are. I do know your brother and Sensei Jones, I met Sensei Young once, Sensei Barnett sounds familiar, but I'm not putting a name with a face.

And thanks, I treasure the green belt (and wish it would break in faster, it's really stiff) and I'm having fun driving....I almost drove off the road on Thursday, but that's only the second time I've done that. So I think I'm doing fairly well.

I'm guessing your brother mentioned my birthday, because I'm pretty sure I didn't. Thanks, though. Sweet sixteen...