A Quiet Pioneer of Western Budō

The international martial arts community is mourning the passing of Quintin Chambers Sensei, who died peacefully at his home in Hawaii at the age of 92. A respected teacher, scholar, and one of the earliest Westerners to live and train extensively in Japan, Chambers played a pivotal yet understated role in preserving and transmitting traditional Japanese martial arts to the modern world.

Born in 1932, Quintin Chambers began his martial journey with judo in 1954, training at the Budokwai in London and later at Cambridge University. His path would soon take him far beyond the UK. In 1961, Chambers moved to Japan, where he would spend the next ten years, lecturing in English at Saitama University while immersing himself in the study of budō at a time when very few Westerners were accepted into classical training circles.

Japan in the 1960s was still largely closed to outsiders when it came to traditional martial arts. Yet Chambers earned the trust of some of the most important teachers of the era. In 1965, through the introduction of Terry Dobson, he met Masaaki Hatsumi Sensei, then an emerging figure who would later become the head of the Bujinkan. Chambers went on to train in Noda, making him one of the earliest foreign students of Hatsumi Sensei.

His training was wide-ranging and formidable. Chambers studied under Otake Risuke Sensei of Tenshinshō-den Katori Shintō-ryū, one of Japan’s most revered classical traditions. He also trained in Shindō Musō-ryū Jōdō, Aikidō, and other koryū systems, benefiting from introductions made by legendary figures such as Donn Draeger and Shimizu Takaji Sensei.

In a later interview with Budo Japan, Chambers recalled this formative period with characteristic clarity and humility, tracing his path from the Kodokan and Aikido Hombu to his first encounter with the jō—a simple wooden staff that would become his lifelong focus. What began as a question to Doug Rogers about the weapon he was carrying would ultimately define Chambers’ legacy.

Before leaving Japan, Quintin Chambers and his wife collaborated with Hatsumi Sensei on what would become a landmark work: Stick Fighting: Techniques of Self-Defense (1971). Drawing on material from Kukishin Ryū, Shōbukōkai, Asayama Ichiden Ryū, and Tenshin Koryū Kenpō Hishigiden, the book remains widely regarded as the definitive English-language reference on hanbō techniques. For many practitioners in the West, it was their first exposure to Japanese classical weapons outside of judo and karate—and it continues to be studied decades later.

After settling in Hawaii, Chambers established his own dojo, which he named Mugen Dōjō—“limitless dojo.” The name reflected his philosophy: that the serious student of budō is never finished learning, particularly in an art such as Shindō Musō-ryū Jōdō, with its more than 400 years of history.

At Mugen Dōjō, Chambers Sensei focused primarily on teaching jōdō. His curriculum followed the traditional structure of Shintō Musō-ryū, beginning with kihon (fundamentals) and progressing through paired kata of jō versus sword. Emphasis was placed on timing, distance, control, and mental focus—principles Chambers embodied both on and off the training floor. His teaching style was quiet, precise, and uncompromisingly traditional, reflecting the trust placed in him by his Japanese teachers.