Kanchō 館長 "Organization Head"

The Kanchō (Head of the Organization) of Shisenkan is Ron Kosen ("Mystic Tiger"). He has been learning training and teaching modern martial arts and Kobudō (Old Martial Way) for the past forty-four years. In late 1984 Kosen joined the newly established Genbukan World Ninpō Bugei Federation and made Japan his home in 1987, becoming an uchi-deshi (i.e., direct student) of the founder and head of Genbukan, Tanemura Tsunehisa. Some twenty-five years later Kosen was the highest-ranking non-Japanese Shihan, Menkyo Kaiden, at the Honbu dōjō (headquarters training hall), teaching in his dōjō in Tokyo since 1990.

Seeking to deepen his knowledge and understanding of Japanese martial history, Kosen pursued academic studies and acquired a Ph.D. in Japanese military history under the direct guidance of two of the leading scholars in the West: Professor Jeffrey Mass of Stanford University, and Professor Paul Varley of Columbia University and University of Hawaii. Kosen is versed in medieval Japanese and continues to research its military history while teaching its old martial traditions. In previous years Kosen was a researcher at the Historiographical Institue, The University of Tokyo, and in recent years he is teaching Japanese history at Saitama National University, Saitama Prefecture, Japan, all the while leading his Kobudō students in Japan, Australia, Europe, USA, and other locations.

In late 2022, Kosen officially resigned and parted ways with his long-time teacher Tanemura Tsunehisa, and established his organization Shisenkan for the purpose of providing the highest level of teachings of the Old Martial Way, presenting his deshi with a wealth of knowledge of the martial way and its historical context--teaching Bumon (martial gate) and Shūmon (spiritual gate). Learning and training with sincerety and honesty creates a strong spirit, effective defense skills, and kind heart. Kosen’s ultimate purpose is to spread true and authentic Kobudō throught the world, with an open heart and welcoming spirit, and bring all his deshi to the highest level of skills they can achieve. For Kosen, true Kobudō improves human relations, thus promoting a safer, more peaceful society.

Kanchō's Message