02/07/2026
Our "mon" (紋) or school emblem (and patch). This contains several important symbols of our lineage and philosophy.
(a bit long, but with a payoff at the end!)
First, you have the kanji for "bu" (武) at the center. That is because everything we do and are flows from our understanding of that character.
Second, you have the black yin-yang like shape. That is a "mitsudomoe" (三ツ巴), also called the "hidari gomon" (左御紋). That was the royal crest for the Ryukyu Kingdom and appeared on its first unified flag. We have that in our mon as a reminder of our teacher, Taika Seiyu Oyata who also included it in his mon.
Third you have the three hands. We call these the "Three Hands of Bu" and they represent our journey in and understanding of bu. The first one, the Closed Fist, represents a beginners understanding of bu. Someone at that stage of understanding will use their fists and body to protect themselves and their loved ones when needed.
The second one, the Open Palm, represents an intermediate understanding of bu. Someone at this stage will attempt to avoid conflict and talk their way out of it should it start to arise. This is an improvement over the Closed Fist as conflict doesn't start to begin with so no one need be injured or worse.
The third hand at the top is the Giving Hand. That represents the highest level of understanding of bu. It represents the idea that the best way to defend yourself is by helping to lift up everyone in your community. Rather than being passive and waiting for a violent situation to occur, you proactively work within your community to provide opportunities for others to grow and improve their position in life. By providing these opportunities you eliminate the reason those in the community had to choose violence because they now have a positive alternative. This proactive work is not just "self defense", but true "Live Protection" because you're not just protecting yourself or your loved ones, but you're improving life for everyone in that community.
This philosophy was taught to us by Taika Seiyu Oyata and has become the focus of our mon and mission. As such, we continue to donate 100% of our revenues (that's right, every dollar we ever take in) to the ACES Foundation (https://www.acesmontgomery.org/). That foundation works with high school students who come from families who haven't benefited from higher education to graduate from high school and gives them tuition assistance to be the first member of their family to attend college.
As of today, we have donated nearly $14,000 to this incredible charity and we will proudly continue to do so in the years to come.
