Aly Rustom on Jujutsu and Ninpo in Saitama, Japan

Last Saturday night, as I wrapped up another online lesson with my teacher, James Wright Sensei, I began to reflect on the training I’ve received from him versus many of the other Japanese masters and grandmasters I’ve trained with. I’m in awe of my teacher, who, for simplicity, I’ll refer to as Sensei from this point on.

I’ve been living in Japan for approximately 24 years. During that time, I’ve had the opportunity to train with grandmasters and masters of not only the ninjutsu arts, but also other Japanese martial arts.

As many in the martial arts community know, the “grandfather” of the ninja arts is the famous Dr. Hatsumi. I never met him or saw him in person. However, I did train under a number of his highest-ranking students. One of them was actually Sensei’s teacher, who I’ll refer to as Mr. X for simplicity’s sake.

For approximately 16 years, I trained alongside Sensei, not as a student, but as a colleague. Naturally, he was far ahead of me. He was a master-level instructor while I had only attained the rank of fourth-degree black belt. After earning that rank, I was exposed to the techniques for fifth-degree. I was very disappointed with them. I felt they were completely ineffective in a real-world setting.

It wasn’t until many years later, when Sensei formed the Kobukan, that I was able to revisit those same techniques. This time, they completely blew my mind.

The interesting thing is, Sensei didn’t change the techniques. They were exactly what Mr. X had taught me. Yet somehow, they felt entirely different. The way Sensei taught them made sense. He showed subtle adjustments—how to move, how to strike, how to create the right distance. These small changes made the techniques go from completely useless to totally effective on the street.

I always knew Sensei was a phenomenal martial artist. But his ability to transmit the techniques and teach how to make them truly work surprised me. I’ve trained with many grandmasters and senior teachers in the ninja arts. Each had their own level of skill, knowledge, and ability to teach. But honestly, none of them matched Sensei in all three.

Sensei is the only person I’ve ever met who teaches traditional techniques exactly as they were passed down, while also helping students understand how to apply them effectively in a real situation. Before training with him, I didn’t think that was possible. I thought you had to sacrifice traditional form for practical use. That’s not the case with Sensei.

Another thing that sets Sensei apart is his love of teaching. He genuinely wants his students to understand and succeed. Most of the Japanese masters I’ve trained with only gave small pieces of their knowledge to students. Sensei gives you everything he can. Every class feels like a full-course meal, not just scraps. He goes out of his way to make sure we understand the essence of the techniques while preserving the integrity of the school.

He also knows how to balance seriousness with humor. His classes are focused, but they’re enjoyable too. He makes learning fun without ever watering down the material.

The real tragedy is that so many students out there are looking for this kind of depth and clarity, but they never find it. Instead, they stay loyal to teachers who give them very little in return. Meanwhile, we have someone like Sensei, who has the skill, the knowledge, and the desire to teach, and not enough people know what he offers.

If you’re honest, sincere, and truly want to learn the Takamatsu-den arts, my advice is simple. Come join us. You’ll receive more guidance and insight from Sensei than you’ll find anywhere else. In my opinion, he’s the most capable and knowledgeable teacher I’ve met.

Editor’s Note: The name “Mr. X” is used out of respect for privacy and to maintain the focus on the author’s personal journey, not others.

No, not really. As I mentioned before, I knew Sensei from the previous organization and had seen his incredible capabilities as a martial artist. It was always my dream to train under him, and I knew from day one, and even from before he decided to teach, that if he did decide to teach, each and every class would be phenomenal—and he hasn’t disappointed once.

A couple of things. The first thing that sets them apart from the rest of the Japanese masters and grandmasters that I’ve trained under is that a) he genuinely seems to love teaching, and b) he has an honest desire to transmit everything he has learned to his students, as well as to erase the veil of secrecy surrounding these martial arts. Another thing is that he’s actually battle tested. Unlike many Japanese masters and grand masters, Sensei James Wright has been in numerous physical altercations where his street fighting skills were put to the test. Finally, he is able to preserve the integrity of the traditional techniques, while at the same time making them actually street effective, without altering or compromising the techniques themselves. I’ve not seen anyone else who can do that.

Well, the thing of it is, it’s still evolving. But one thing that has been very glaring is that when training with him, there aren’t any techniques that I think of as being ineffective. In the previous organization when I trained under the grandmaster who taught us all, there were techniques I learned that I thought were ineffective, but with Sensei’s teaching style, each and every single technique is effective. He literally dissect every technique and make sure that is executed in a way that is extremely effective without altering the way the technique is done itself. That’s a huge difference.

I would say to them that I don’t blame them. Their feelings are probably correct. They most likely are stuck or uncertain in the training. This is most likely because their teacher is neither able nor willing to part with the knowledge that they have received. Their teachers may not have a genuine desire to teach the students, and even if they did, does the teacher actually have the knowledge to do so? That’s not the student‘s fault, that’s the teacher’s fault. However, what the student chooses to do going forward is their responsibility.

The best advice I can give them is to join our organization. They will not be let down. If anything, I think they will be overwhelmed by a number of factors: one is the sheer volume of techniques and knowledge that is being transmitted at an overwhelming pace. Second is the genuine love of teaching and care that Sensei puts into transmission of knowledge, and making sure that the students are getting their time and money’s worth.

So to keep it short, come train with us. You won’t regret it.

I am glad this is the last question because it’s the most difficult and complicated to answer. First of all, being Sensei’s uke is an experience that really cannot be put down in words. It’s just something you have to experience. All I can tell you is that it would definitely toughen you up mentally and physically. Another thing that changed with Sensei is I got a lot of my confidence back. My previous teacher had a habit of tearing me down constantly, until I got to the point where I had lost confidence in myself as a martial artist. Wright Sensei built me back up again.