Jamie T. Ellerbe, Hanshi

Founder of Nagano-ryū Heihō | 19th Generation Custodian of Iwakuni-ryū 

Jamie T. Ellerbe, Hanshi, began his martial arts training on August 18, 1980. Over more than four decades, he has devoted his life to the research, study, and preservation of Japan’s classical martial traditions. Deeply committed to the values and spirit of Bushidō, Ellerbe Hanshi travels regularly to Japan to train, teach, and collaborate in the preservation of ancient martial arts. His work reflects a lifelong pursuit of discipline, cultural understanding, and the warrior’s path.

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In 1996, Ellerbe Hanshi began teaching Daitō-ryū Aikijūjutsu and a modernized form of Asayama Ichiden-ryū Jūjutsu. The following year, he founded the first martial arts student organization at North Carolina A&T State University, dedicated to offering support and self-defense training for victims of sexual assault. His teachings have since expanded into community programs addressing personal safety, date violence prevention, tactical firearm retention, and historical lectures on Samurai culture and ethics.

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Ellerbe Hanshi’s early studies began under Nagano Daisuke Sensei. He is currently a direct student of Michio Takase Sensei, under whom he serves as International Secretary of the Matsuda-den Daitō-ryū Aikijūjutsu Shōbukai. He holds the rank of Nanadan (7th Dan) and possesses several formal licenses within Daitō-ryū, including Shihan-dai Hiden Mokuroku, Hiden Mokuroku, Gokuden, Aiki-no-jutsu Omote and Ura, Daitō-ryū Jūjutsu Hiden Ōgi, and Hiden Mokuroku Sōden.
Additionally, he holds a Nidan (2nd Dan) in Okuyama-den Hakkō-ryū Jūjutsu Renshinkan Shidōkai.

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Ellerbe Hanshi is also the 19th generation custodian (Dai Jūkyū-dai Sōke Daikan) of the final surviving Iwakuni-ryū Ami Mokuroku 守り継ぐ口伝 (Mamori Tsugu Kuden) densho, written in Tenkyū 4 (1747 CE). The Iwakuni-ryū is regarded as a private Koryū lineage and is taught only within his family, ensuring the faithful preservation of its spirit and teachings. His preservation work includes active collaboration with cultural institutions such as the Iwakuni Museum in Japan and ongoing legal and archival preservation efforts in the United States.

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In contrast, Nagano-ryū Heihō, founded by Ellerbe Hanshi in 1997, is a public expression of his decades of research and synthesis — a comprehensive system that unites the principles of Daitō-ryū and Asayama Ichiden-ryū into a living study of Samurai strategy (Heihō).

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Throughout his career, Ellerbe Hanshi has been recognized with numerous honors, including two Black Belt Hall of Fame inductions in 2001 — Grandmaster of the Year and Aikijūjutsu Instructor of the Year — awarded at Madison Square Garden in recognition of his community service and lifelong contributions to the martial arts.

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Ellerbe Hanshi teaches that the founding of Nagano-ryū Heihō was never about invention, but about integration and preservation — bringing together the complete martial disciplines of the Samurai while adapting them for the realities of the modern age.
He emphasizes that while tradition is sacred, technique must remain alive, effective, and responsive. His teaching philosophy is grounded in adaptation, immersion, and realism, sustained by deep respect for the classical traditions (Koryū) from which his art was born.