The Establishment of the International Neoclassical Karate Kobudo Society
As of November, 2023, the International Neoclassical Karate Kobudo Society (INKKS) was established by the founding members of the Board of Directors:
Nathan Ogden - 6th Dan, Shihan, Tengoku-Ryu
Noah Legel - 4th Dan, Shorin-Ryu | Instructor, KishimotoDi
Paul Musolf - 4th Dan, Shotokan | 1st Dan Hakko-Ryu | Instructor, Latosa Escrima
Kyle Doan - 4th Dan, Matsumura Seito Shorin-Ryu | 1st Dan Goju-Ryu
Ronald Gillespie Jr. - 4th Dan, American Open Style Karate
The INKKS vision is to create an organizational family that takes an academic, intellectual, and pragmatic approach to furthering the higher learning and continuing education of martial arts students and instructors, with the possibility of acting as an accrediting body for purposes of awarding certifications of rank and teaching titles.
The INKKS is a society that is dedicated to researching and practicing karate and kobudo to revive the original intain, aims, and goals of the pioneers of pre-modern-day karate. Our goal is to approach the study of karate and kobudo through the lens of academic and intellectual pursuit, as well as pragmatic physical applications, dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical, rather than only theoretical considerations.
The INKKS seeks to revive the training methods and ideas of karate and kobudo prior to the formation of modern styles and organizations that hyper focus on tradition, pedigrees, lineages, and preservation of single schools of thought. The primary goals of the organization are to create a society of practitioners who are revered equally as colleagues in the study of karate and kobudo, regardless of age, rank, gender, or experience. Furthermore, this study society seeks to be free from stylistic boundaries, political agendas, and unidirectional modes of thought, learning, teaching, and practicing of karate and kobudo. Our pedagogy and approach can be summed up by a quote from the famous 19th Century classical music composer, Gustav Mahler: “Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire.”
In addition to the Board of Directors, the organization is also served by a Board of Advisors, which consists of a diverse, international collection of martial artists and subject matter experts who assist the organization at varying levels with everything from the development of educational materials to the creation of training modules to the organizing of events to the testing and certification of rank.
