David Hall (opens in a new tab) received permission to teach Jikishinkage-ryū from its 18th head, Namiki Yasushi, when he left Japan to attend his doctoral program at UC Berkeley. He did so first in California when in graduate school and later in Maryland, at his dōjō the Hōbyōkan.
David Hall held a jomokuroku associated to his Jikishinkage-ryū practice, issued by Namiki Yasushi. He participated in public enbu in Japan, demonstrating the curriculum he had learned, though the fourth kata set called habiki.
Namiki Yasushi died in 1999 and his successor, Itō Masayuki, who was also one of David Hall’s teachers, along with the late Kato-sensei, died shortly thereafter in 2001. Namiki’s two sons continued training after that time as the Jikishinkage-ryū Ku’unkai.
