Suigetsukan Dojo

05/18/2026

Great day of martial arts from so many amazing teachers yesterday at the 2026 Kilohoana Gasshuku! Many thanks to sensei Hans Ingebretsen and everyone else to organized it and made it happen. And some very exciting promotions were made official at the awards banquet:

* Professor Mike Esmailzadeh was granted the rank of Hachidan in Aikido and Toyama Ryu Battodo
* Gina Rossi received the title of Rehal Professor in Danzan Ryu Jujitsu
* Tim Sheehan received the title of Associate Professor in Danzan Ryu Jujitsu
* Ocean Mottley received the title of Associate Professor in Danzan Ryu Jujitsu
* Gwyn Brookes received the title of Shihan in Aikido
* Lillian Bloom received the title of Shihan in Toyama Ryu Battodo
* Sequoia Patterson received the title of Shihan in Toyama Ryu Battodo
* Gwyn Brooks received the title of Shihan in Toyama Ryu Battodo
* Michael Risher received the title of Shihan in Toyama Ryu Battiodo

10/16/2020

Our dojo brother (William) Kendall Giddens passed away on October 10th after a brief battle with cancer. The joy and focus he brought to the mat whenever he was training was an inspiration to everyone around him. Old school dojo folk: James Woodard, Rebecca and others are gonna get together later tonight to talk on zoom. Let me know via pm/messenger if you want the link. Our class tonight will be dedicated to his memory.

04/06/2020

Dear Suigetsukan Community,
We hope you are doing well in these uncertain times. We miss seeing you all in person, but we appreciate the new (and sometimes unexpected!) ways we've been able to connect with one another.
April 6th has passed, but we will continue to offer only online training through Zoom until the shelter in place order has been cancelled. It has been great to see how many of you have been making use of these classes. Though we all miss the physical contact that training brings us, we believe that the online classes will allow all of us to examine the arts we love in new ways that will further our learning.
You can find these classes list on our website. We are continuing to adjust classes to be most useful to our community, so thank you for your patience as we all navigate these new structures.
This time brings financial hardship for many of us, and we ask that only those of you who are financially able to do so continue to pay your memberships. If you are unable to maintain your dues, we understand and support your decision and want you to come to our zoom classes regardless. If you can, use our Paypal account (see the website under about-us/dojo-dues) or send a check to the dojo at 103 International Blvd. Oakland CA 94606. Please remember that when we re-open, you are welcome to train no matter what you can contribute.
As you are able, please take a moment to check in with those dojo members who are in high-risk categories to offer any help that minimizes their need to venture out in public and to let them know you are thinking of them. A phone-call or brief message goes a long way! If you are in need please use the dojo listserve to reach out to others in our community.
If you have any questions related to the above please email us at [email protected].
Take care of yourself and others!
In community,
The Suigetsukan teaching staff

04/02/2020

Hi all,
We are starting Adult online and teen classes Saturday April 4th via Zoom. The schedule will be on the website and is as follows:
Aikido Wednesday 8pm and Saturday 10am
Toyama Ryu (Sword) Monday 8pm and Saturday 11am
Jujutsu Monday 7pm and Friday 7pm
Sparring/ Calistenics Wednesday 5:45pm
Instructors will be wearing Gis. We are asking you to do so, but it is fine if you do not.
If you are interested in classes please message me or the dojo for the links.
I know that this is a stressful time and respect that some of you may have your hands full and so please know that there is no pressure to attend the above. We hope to also upload most classes to the dojo youtube channel, so people can access them, if they cannot attend the zoom classes.
I hope this is finding you all doing as well as possible given these difficult times
Please take care and I miss you all
Mike

03/27/2020

Hi all,
We are starting Adult online classes Saturday April 4th via Zoom. The schedule will be on the website and is as follows:
Aikido Wednesday 8pm and Saturday 10am
Sword Monday 8pm and Saturday 11am
Jujutsu Monday 7pm and Friday 7pm
Sparring/ Calistenics Wednesday 5:45pm
We will send instructions on how to access the classes. Classes are an hour long, please note all classes are at their regular times except for the Friday Jujutsu class. Instructors will be wearing Gis. We are encouraging you to do so, but not requiring it.
Please remember that I will teach 3 advanced classes for Brown and Black belts this week
Aikido Saturday at 10am, Sword Saturday 11am, Jujutsu Monday at 6pm
Please look for the zoom access info later today
I look forward to seeing you all there. I know that this is a stressful time and respect that some of you may have your hands full and so please know that there is no pressure to attend the above. We are working on a youtube talk about solo training and we hope to also upload most classes to the dojo youtube channel, so people can access them there, if you cannot attend the zoom classes.
I hope this is finding you all doing as well as possible given the circumstances
Please take care and I miss you all
Mike

03/23/2020

Hi,
Ohana 2020 in Hawaii has been cancelled. So sorry, all of you who have been training so hard, particularly our younger students who have been saving up for so long and were really looking forward to what probably feels like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. On the bright side, a few of us are meeting so that we can begin with online dojo content soon. Also if anyone need particular support please reach out the dojo listserve.
Please take care of yourselves in this strange time
All the best
Mike

03/17/2020

Dear Suigetsukan Community,

In times of crisis, we turn to family, friends, and the things that ground us. The dojo is all of that to us. It had been our hope to continue to offer the dojo as a place of community, of connection and of physical practice, but it is clear that we must now take action to protect each other and our communities from the COVID-19 pandemic.

After much difficult deliberation the teaching staff, has decided to temporarily close the dojo as of tomorrow March 17th, and remain closed through April 7th.

This time brings financial hardship for many of us, and we ask that only those of you who are financially able to do so continue to pay your memberships. Please use our Paypal account (see the website under about-us/dojo-dues) or send a check to the dojo at 103 International Blvd. Oakland CA 94606. If you are unable to maintain your dues, we understand and support your decision. Please remember that when we re-open, you are welcome to train no matter what you can contribute.

As you are able, please take a moment to check in with those dojo members who are in high-risk categories to offer any help that minimizes their need to venture out in public and to let them know you are thinking of them. A phone-call or brief message goes a long way!

We are working on keeping everyone engaged with online learning tools. It will take a few weeks to set it all up. So please keep an eye on your email inbox, on our website, our email list, and on Facebook for all updates. If you have any questions related to the closure please email us at [email protected].

Take care of yourself and others!

In community,
The Suigetsukan teaching staff

03/02/2020

Our youth are fundraising to attend this year's Ohana conference. If you got any to spare, they would greatly appreciate it!

I'm raising money to send students from Suigetsukan Dojo's youth program (myself included!)… Josie Chen needs your support for Send Suigetsukan to Ohana 2020!

10/13/2019

Look forward to seeing you all there

A Kilohana training intensive, offering instruction by masters of martial arts. For adults and youth, the arts include JUDO, JU JITSU, AIKIDO, AIKIBUJITSU, KAJUKENBO, KENPO, GOSHIN JITSU, ESKRIMA, and LUA. For further details, visit kilohanausa.com .