David Castan
The head instructor and founder of Senki Dojo is Dai-Shihan David Castan. David is qualified as a Physical Intervention and Conflict Management trainer and has delivered courses to the security sector for over 20 years before joining the Greater Manchester Fire Brigade. These include Door Supervisors, Close Protection Operatives and and many other professional organisations. David has provided security to high profile clients and uses his extensive experience of working in the security sector and Martial Arts knowledge to provide base reality training. David has many years experience in Martial Arts and Security. He has over 30 years experience in Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu and ran numerous dojos around the Greater Manchester area before founding Circle Martial Arts Centre in Manchester in 2011 where he ran Senki Dojo Manchester (Currently closed due to the premises being sold during COVID). On the 2nd of June 2000, David Castan passed the Godan test (5th Dan test). The special significance of this is that he was the 1000th person to pass this test. On passing this Hatsumi Sensei awarded David with a special gift, a Bujinkan gold medal and a poem by Grandmaster Hatsumi which refers to the past, the present and the future of the Bujinkan. With this Soke Hatsumi had fulfilled one of his main intentions of having 1000 Shidoshi (Teacher) and with this great honour and responsibility David commits himself to teach these warrior traditions through his school "Senki Dojo" (Training Hall of the 1000th Warrior Demon). |
Gavin Chadwick
Shihan Gavin Chadwick has over 20 years experience in Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu arts, is qualified to deliver Physical Intervention and Conflict Management and has studied a number of sport martial arts including boxing, thai boxing and karate before finding a martial art that takes its spirit from bushido (warrior way). Gavin has run classes in the Bury and Rochdale district for the past 10 years and currently runs his classes (Senki Dojo Bury) from Bamford Academy in Rochdale. Oliver Benson
Oliver Benson operates Senki Dojo Stockport and has taught alongside his teacher, David in Manchester - where he also trained - for several years. Oli has trained in the Bujinkan under Castan Sensei for over ten years, and has been fortunate enough to train with some of the most highly regarded martial arts instructors in the world, including Japanese masters. He has studied a variety of martial arts, both prior to and since accidentally taking a lesson at Senki Dojo, Manchester in 2010 and discovering the Bujinkan. |
Through Bujinkan Senki Dojos, Sensei David Castan, Gavin Chadwick and Oliver Benson are committed to teaching the Samurai and Shinobi Martial Arts of Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu. Today they regularly train with high ranking instructors at International levels and also travel each year to Japan to gain knowledge in the Bujinkan Martial Arts with Grandmaster Dr. Masaaki Hatsumi and his senior students. Their purpose is to bring back and preserve the historical accuracy of these traditional arts, as well as translate this living Budo (warrior path) into the modern context so that it can be easily understood and used by individuals to better themselves.