Yuji Yabuki is the 18th Generation Headmaster of Ono-ha Itto-ryu, a four-hundred-year-old school of samurai swordsmanship. Born in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, he entered the Metropolitan Police Department in 1992. In 1995, he studied kendo and Ono-ha Itto-ryu at the Metropolitan Police Department's Martial Arts' Specialty School. He held positions as assistant kendo instructor in the Kitazawa Police Station, the Police Academy, the 7th Riot Squad, and the General Education Division of the Metropolitan Police Department. In 2019, he was promoted to instructor in the Kendo Instruction Office, a position he holds to this day. Promoted to Kendo 8th Dan in 2024. Internationally published author and translator. Mark Hague's martial arts career has spanned over 42 years, 19 in Japan. He started training in Ono-ha Ittō-ryū in the Reigakudō under Sasamori Takemi in 2002 and was awarded a Kana license in 2009, making him the highest-ranking practitioner of Ono-ha Ittō-ryū outside of Japan. He continues to practice under the school's current headmaster, Yabuki Yuji, and regularly teaches in Japan, the U.S., and Europe. Additionally, he holds licenses in Daito-ryū Aikijujutsu and dan rankings in several styles of karate.