Itten Dojo
Itten Dojo is a private center for the practice of budo, located less than ½ mile from the intersection of Interstate-81 (Exit 61) and Wertzville Road (Route 944) near Enola, Pennsylvania. Please click here to download the dojo brochure in Acrobat (PDF) format, or click here for a map to help locate the dojo.
We regard the martial arts as a special and significant part of our lives, and we admit as new members those persons we believe will likely share our enthusiasm and dedication. Previous experience is not required. An applicant’s initial call to make an appointment to observe class is the first step in undertaking the challenge of a lifetime. For information on applying for membership and a detailed explanation of the cost of tuition and required equipment, please click here.
Two complimentary martial arts are practiced at our dojo:
• Yamate-ryu Aikijutsu — An elegant, unarmed, throwing and pinning art derived from Daito-ryu aikijujutsu.
• Ono-ha Itto Ryu Kenjutsu — Classical Japanese swordsmanship.
In the same way a Japanese sword is created through the heat and pressure of a forge, a martial artist is crafted by means of the intensity and shared purpose of a dojo. Within the dojo, rank is determined solely on the basis of demonstrated performance, and expectations of women are the same as those for men of comparable size.
New students — especially those without prior martial arts experience or current participation in athletics — are guided very carefully in their early training, so that they are able to build the requisite level of physical conditioning and basic skill without undue risk of injury or discouragement.
While the necessary uniforms and equipment required for training can be obtained through the dojo, only the prospective student can provide the most important ingredients for the creation of a martial artist — enthusiasm, dedication, a strong sense of fun and adventure, and the ability to retain forever the receptiveness of a beginner’s mind.
Staff
Robert Wolfe, the chief instructor of the Itten Dojo, began martial arts training in 1975 and has taught since 1985. Mr. Wolfe has trained in swordsmanship since 1990 and aikijutsu/aikido since 1992, receiving in 2000 the rank of oku-sandan in Yamate-ryu aikijutsu and in 2008 full authorization to teach the Amdur approach to aikido. In addition, Mr. Wolfe holds the rank of 6th dan in Isshinryu karate, was awarded a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Japanese Studies from Bucknell University in 1978, and is certified by the NRA to teach the Refuse To Be A Victim® crime prevention and personal safety seminars. He is a division director and supervisor within the federal civil service. As an author, Mr. Wolfe has published numerous articles addressing the martial arts in a variety of periodicals, ranging from popular magazines such as Inside Karate, Martial Arts Training, and Aikido Today Magazine, to internationally distributed, academic publications such as the Journal of Asian Martial Arts.
Randy Manning is assistant instructor to the kenjutsukai, having trained in swordsmanship since 1993. Mr. Manning holds a Master of Business Administration Degree from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, and is a Patent Agent, registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He retired from his position as Development Engineering Manager for the Fiber Optic Division of Tyco Electronics, but continues to serve as U.S. expert to the IEC SC86B, an international organization that develops standards for fiber optic passive components and interconnection devices.
Alan Starner holds the grade of sandan in Yamate-ryu, chuden in aikido, and sandan in Isshinryu karate, and has trained in swordsmanship for more than 10 years. Mr. Starner is a Business Development Manager for the Eastern Pennsylvania division of Advantage Sales and Marketing. He serves as assistant instructor to our aikido class.
John Butz is graded nidan in Yamate-ryu and chuden in aikido. He is a loan specialist with AgChoice Farm Credit and serves as assistant instructor to our aikijutsu class.
Visiting Staff
Rodney Uhler instructs our kenjutsukai. Mr. Uhler traveled to Japan in 1994 in search of the roots of classical martial arts, and spent 14 years studying under Okabayashi Shogen, founder of Hakuho-ryu Aiki-budo. Prior to his return to the United States in 2009, Mr. Uhler was awarded a shihan license in Daito-ryu aikijujutsu and a menkyo in Ono-ha Itto Ryu Sokaku-den. He is president of Nine Circles USA, a martial arts supply company specializing in Japanese budo.
Mitsuko Hashimoto Uhler also instructs our kenjutsukai. Mrs. Uhler hails from Mino, Osaka, has studied budo extensively since 1982, and was the first student of Okabayashi Sensei to be awarded a shihan license in Daito-ryu aikijujutsu. She currently serves as vice-president of Nine Circles USA.
William Maren instructs our aikikai. Mr. Maren is chief instructor of the Shoshin Dojo in Channahon, Illinois, and has been a student of Japanese martial arts for more than 30 years. He began studying karate in the mid-1970’s, and later, kendo. These arts served as stepping-stones to the forms of budo Mr. Maren studies and teaches today: Tenshin-ryu kenjutsu and Yamate-ryu aikijutsu. Mr. Maren holds senior-level licenses in both these arts.
Technical Advisor Emeritus
Ellis Amdur served as technical advisor to the Itten Dojo aikikai from 2003 to 2008, during which time the dojo collaborated in an experiment to create a pared-down method of aikido practice focusing on the structure of technique rather than on specific waza. Mr. Amdur’s approach to aikido training is based on five vectors, or movement themes, which form the “scaffolding” within any aikido technique, with the goal of developing students who are both adaptable and ready to function in free-style paradigms such as counter-techniques and sparring. Mr. Amdur is a licensed instructor in two koryu, and has practiced martial arts for approximately 45 years, 13 of them in Japan. He has written a number of books on martial arts, as well as on the verbal de-escalation of aggression. Information on his work and books can be found at www.edgework.info.