The 20th Eishin-ryu Successor: Noboru Kataoka

Obliterating all known probability charts, one chance meeting at a time.

I’ve got a bit of a special post for you today! So in this Murders in the Rue Morgue’esque train of thought, what started with nostalgia for an old Toonami cartoon, and eventually led to weekend shenanigans practicing Japanese at EPCOT, then to dropping in on new and old unexpected friends at the Orlando Japan Fest, I’d forgotten to mention a step in this cavalcade that came about sometime between the anime and the Disney trip: A corny film from 1993 whose VHS I burned to oblivion over the course of many re-watches - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993).

I will probably do a post on that movie later, but today’s post is not to marvel at New Line Cinema going full corn in 1993, it’s to marvel at just how small the world is when you stop worrying about things like probability and odds.

While re-watching this blast from my past, I got the itch to look more closely into the actors whose slapstick antics I’d become so familiar with ages ago, and discovered one of the men playing an Honor Guard soldier was actually a real life accomplished Kendo champion. As I researched further, I discovered he wasn’t just an accomplished competitor, but the 20th successor to a style of Iaido with an unbroken lineage over 400 years old called Muso Jikiden Eishinryu (無双直伝英信流.)

Then I discovered he was still actively teaching, and had a working e-mail! One thing led to another, and now I’d like to present for your viewing pleasure, a chat with the incredibly talented singer, actor, linguist, and swordsman, Kataoka Noboru. Enjoy, and see you all next week!