Warwick martial arts dojo expands to Port Jervis

Port Jervis — Seventeen trainees recently gathered in Port Jervis to train in Iaido, a Japanese martial art known as the art of drawing the sword. The martial art descended from the Japanese warrior class known as Samurai. The Port Jervis dojo (training hall) where they gathered was the Karate Quest Dojo, which officially opened its doors this week. There is another Karate Quest Dojo located in Warwick, which was established in 1996. The students were ages 14 to the mid-50s, and they ranged in martial arts experience from beginner to highly trained. The trainees are committed to series of intensive seminars over a one-year period designed, not only to help prepare them for promotional examinations in the brown belt and black belt gradings, but also to teach them the techniques and strategies of Omori-Ryu, the Shoden or early level of Muso Shinden-Ryu Iaido. Muso Shinden-Ryu Iaido is a koryu, or old school swordsmanship training style. The instructor for the seminar series is Roger Wehrhahn, shihan (teacher of teachers), a sixth-degree black belt) in Muso Shinden-Ryu Iaido as well as a high-level Dan (black belt) level teacher and practitioner in martial arts such as Karate and Kobudo (Okinawan weapons). He will be teaching a new weekly class in Iaido. For more information, go to www.karatequestdojo.com or call 845-858-5425.