In his nearly 30 years studying and teaching Aikido, Jim taught the curriculum presented by Shizuo Imaizumi and his Shin Budo Kai organization. Imaizumi was a proponent of incorporating traditional Japanese weapons to complement his Aikido instruction. Several of the required forms are taken from the Shinkage Ryu school of swordsmanship. Here is the description of Shingage Ryu, taken from Wikipedia.
Shinkage-ryū (新陰流) meaning “new shadow school”, is a traditional school (koryu) of Japanese martial arts, founded by Kamiizumi Ise-no-Kami Fujiwara-no-Hidetsuna, later Kamiizumi Ise-no-Kami Nobutsuna[1] (上泉 伊勢守 信綱, 1508–1578) in the mid-sixteenth century. Shinkage-ryū is primarily a school of swordsmanship (kenjutsu and iaijutsu) and is a synthesis of Nobutsuna’s studies in the school of Kage-ryū (Aizu). Shinkage-ryu can also refer to Kashima-derived schools such as Kashima Shinden Jikishinkage Ryu and Kashima Shin Ryu.
While there are over 20 recognized Shinkage Ryu forms, we will offer four:
These forms offer a nice blend of training with both the shinai and the bokken … the yin and yang of letting go and restraint.