A Time to Return
RyuTe friends and family,
Welcome back! We are pleased to announce Taika's RyuTe organization has returned to active status. Since Taika's passing in 2012, the organization faced many challenges. This is not uncommon when an organization so closely linked to the identity of it's founder struggles to find a way forward while coping with such a loss.
As a result of the passing of Tasshi James Logue the year prior to Taika's death, it became Taika's expressed intent that the RyuTe organization continue to be run by a board of directors and that his students work together to continue the study of RyuTe.
A great deal of effort went into defining a path according to Taika's wishes, but after several years the organization eventually became inactive in the official sense. These challenges fortunately have not prevented many of Taika's students from carrying on the art as they continue to gather and train together under the flag of RyuTe, sharing their knowledge amongst one another and introducing the next generation of students to the art, just as Taika had hoped.
In 2023, members of Oyata Shin Shu Ho began discussing the value of returning the organization back to a formally active status with the goal of ensuring the future of the art. We knew the undertaking wouldn't be easy, but things worth doing rarely are. So, after many discussions with the senior ranks and former board members we asked Taika's family, Mrs. Oyata and Taika's son, Masaki, for their blessing to reform the RyuTe Association. With their full support, in the latter part of 2024, we set about the process of re-forming the organization as a 501(c)3 nonprofit. Our reason for choosing this structure is to ensure the art belongs to the membership and that the proceeds are used for the continuation of the art.
It is in this spirit we have restructured the board, separating it into two distinct roles: The Board of Directors guides the operation and direction for the RyuTe Karate Kobudo Renmei while the Technical Advisory Board is responsible for upholding the highest standards of RyuTe training and is responsible for administering dan rank promotions. Together, we will work to continue creating training opportunities for our members, providing support to RyuTe dojos, and most importantly, introducing the next generation of practitioners to the art of RyuTe.
We invite you to continue to your martial arts journey with us in the incredible art of RyuTe.
Sincerely,
RyuTe Karate Kobudo Renmei
Board of Directors