Björn O. Fehr was born at the 4th December 1975 in Cologne. At the age of eight he started training in Budo, first Judo, then Aikido. At 14 he started teaching Judo, first to children and later to adults. In 1994 he met Hiroko Fujii Sensei and became her student in Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu Iaido. He traveled to Japan to meet Fujii Sensei's old teachers in 1997 and was awarded Shodan in Iaido from Yokota Sensei in Zentsuchi (Shikoku) after a grading ceremony. One of the most remarkable meetings during his journey in Japan was attending a Seminar lead by the late Fukui Soke, 21st Head of Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu and President of the ZNIR and being introduced to him after.

Back in Germany at the request of his teacher Fujii Sensei, he started an Iaido Dojo in Munich. In 2005 he left Munich and handed over the class to his two oldest students who are still teaching Iaido at the Aikido Dojo Munich (www.aikido-m.de).

In 2006 Björn came to Dublin and contacted the Dublin Iaikai, where he started to train. Together with other Iaidoka he founded the Iaido Association of Ireland ( I.A.I.), to promote Iaido throughout Ireland.

In December 2008 he was awarded Sandan at the Kenseikai Ireland Seminar in Dublin from Chief Examiner David Ansell Kyoshi and Okimitsu Fuji Sensei.

At current Björn is living and working in Dublin, Ireland. He is President of the I.A.I. and also a member of the Technical Board of the Iaido Association of Ireland, as well as the International Division of the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai, Japan's premier Martial Arts organisation.

Contact address: bjoern@iaido.ie.

Nick Johnston began training in Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu Iaido in early 2002 at the East London branch dojo of Kenseikai, under David Hart Sensei (Godan - F.I.S.).

He was awarded Shodan at F.I.S. Taikai in London in late 2003 from Chief Examiner David Ansell Sensei (Rokudan Kyoshi - International Division of the D.N.B.K.).

He was awarded Nidan at the Rensei Taikai in Crawley, Sussex in mid 2005 from Chief Examiner Noburo Mano Sensei (Hachidan - Z.N.K.R.).

In June 2006 Nick was authorised by Okimitsu Fujii Sensei (Shichidan Kyoshi and  D.N.B.K. International Co-ordinator for Kendo) to establish an Irish branch of Kenseikai.

In December 2008 he was awarded Sandan at the Kenseikai Ireland Seminar in Dublin from Chief Examiner David Ansell Kyoshi and Okimitsu Fuji Sensei.

Nick is the head of Kensekai Ireland Dojo and a member of the Technical Board of the I.A.I., the Federation of Iai Schools (U.K.), and the International Division of the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai, Japan's premier Martial Arts organisation. Nick is a former President of the I.A.I. (2007).

Contact address: nick@iaido.ie

Neil Motherway has almost always had an interest in martial arts. His first art was Wado Ryu Karate which he practiced as an early teenager achieving the grade of blue belt over a couple of years. He then discovered Bujinkan Ninjitsu which he studied under Tommy Lawlor Sensei for three and a half years in his late teens.

It was during this practice that he developed a love of Japanese culture and the sword. While training in Ninjitsu was not grade orientated or affilliated to the Bujinkan system in Japan for some time he held the grade of 6th Kyu when he left. However as the dojo didn't really recognise grades untill connection with Japan he would have been considered a senior grade in the Dojo.

While living in the UK he practiced Shotokan Karate for a further year mainly for fitness and because the Shotokan instructors were particularly good teachers with a wise approach to martial arts philosophy. Following a very short and appalling experience with Thai Boxing (Muai Thai) he decided to pursue Japanese swordsmanship as a part of a plan to combine martial arts practice with with academic studies in Transpersonal Psychology and Zen spiritual practice in order to develope an integral approach to his personal development and to develope a form of life coaching or life therapy for use in his professional life as a Psychologist.

His initial idea was to travel to Japan in order to find a sword master who might be willing to take him on as a student and also spend time possibly in a Zen monastery on a spiritual journey in order to add a genuine spiritual dimension to his otherwise academic studies of consciousness and transpersonal psychology. Having sought the advice of his old Ninjitsu sensei in regard to this, he suggested that Neil begin to study Iaido prior to going to Japan so that he could impress upon the Japanese the seriousness of his intentions.

Thus by following this advice Neil found himself studying Iaido in Birmingham under Fay Goodman sensei. He has been studying Iaido for two and a half years at Masamune Dojo, where he has been lucky enough to have received instruction fron Fay sensei (7th Dan) along with a number of lesser Dan graded Iaidoka ranging from Shodan to Godan, allowing him to progress relatively quickly through the grades to Sandan which is his current grade. Neil's training has been predominantly in Seitei Gata Iai as Fay Sensei does not encourage Kyu grades to practice KoRyu Iai as they need to concentrate on Seitei first to get the basics of Iaido; this attitude is a reflection of the attitude of Oshita Sensei and Morita Sensei in Japan. Neil will continue to study under Fay Sensei and maintain his membership of Masamune Dojo as he is now turning his focus on KoRyu in his own training. However he will have to travel to Birmingham as often as he can to achieve this. Neil now find himself in Ireland and having been asked to teach Seitei Iaido, he is very happy to do anything that he can to nurture Iaido in Ireland and so humbly offers his limited knowledge of Iaido to anyone who wishes to honestly follow the path of Bushido.

Neil was awarded Sandan in 2008 at a seminar in Birmingham.

Neil is head of Masamune Dojo Ireland and a member of the Technical Board of the I.A.I.

Contact address: neil@iaido.ie