The Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu is a classical style of swordsmanship that was founded in 1447 by a man named Iizasa Chosai Ienao. It consists of a number of different skills such as sword, staff, halberd, spear and the combined use of the long and short sword. The style that is practiced at Winchester is that of the Sugino style, with the current head instructor being Yukihiro Sugino based in Kawasaki, Japan. Yukihiro Sugino inherited the dojo from his father Yoshio Sugino. The instructors at the Winchester dojo have been taught both by Sugino sensei and some of his top European students in France, Switzerland and the UK.
A typical session will include the practice of maki-uchi, the distinctive cutting style associated with the school. It will progress onto yoko-men-uchi, cutting from the side with the sword while moving off the line of attack.