On Kikusui, our new logo and eternal youth

Taken from the cover of a book, Adam Mitchell purchased at an antique book store in Japan, the "Kikusui" logo literally translates to “Chrysanthemum water”. It's original reference is to a Chinese legend and Japanese noh theater play, attributing eternal youth to drinking the morning dew from chrysanthemum leaves.

The adoption of this logo in 2022, calls forward our commitment to preserving the Japanese tradition (represented by the Chrysanthemum) of traditional martial arts, along an unbroken stream of teaching (represented by the flowing water) by our teacher, Unsui Sensei and the schools of Kobudo he has taught to us. 

Our area of the Hudson Valley was heavily mined for iron ore between 1810 and 1900, leaving deposits of rusted iron throughout the hills in Putnam County, NY. This color represents our part of New York, and the tradition of 'rusted iron' found within our soil.