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Brooklyn, N.Y.: Maestro James Loriega, Raven Arts institute of Sevillian Steel
http://www.sevilliansteel.com
Maestro
James Loriega began his formal edged
weapons training in 1967 when he embarked
on a lifelong study of martial arts with
Ronald Duncan. In the mid-70s, after
achieving various instructor-level ranks
in Asian systems, Loriega gained his first
exposure to the Western martial traditions
under the tutelage of Maitre Michel Alaux,
a former coach to the US Olympic Fencing
Team. It was from Maitre Alaux, and his
assistant at the time, Ms. Julia Jones,
that Loriega learned the rudiments of épée
and saber.
In
September of 1980, Loriega founded the New
York Ninpokai, the city’s premiere
training academy for the traditional arts
of ninjutsu. In 1990, while conducting
ninjutsu seminars in Spain, Loriega
discovered the acero sevillano knife arts
of Andalusia. These arts include the use
of the cuchillo (knife), puñal (stiletto),
bastón de estoque (sword cane), bastón de
paseo (walking stick), and navaja (clasp
knife). His summers from 1991 to 1996 were
spent in
Seville learning the
intricacies these Andalusian arts.
In
August of 1996, Loriega received
certification as an Instructor de Armas
Blancas Sevillanas, under Maestro de Armas
Santiago
Rivera, then headmaster of the Escuela
Sevillana de Armas Blancas. At this time,
Loriega also completed his first
translation of Manual del Baratero.
Since
1996, he has operated a recognized branch
of the Escuela Sevillana in New York City
known as the Raven Arts Institute of
Sevillian Steel.
In
September of 2000, following the
publication of Sevillian Steel, Loriega
was formally acknowledged as a Maestro de
Armas Blancas Sevillanas.
In
January of 2002, Loriega was inducted as
an Acknowledged Instructor to the
International Masters-at-Arms Federation (IMAF),
where he is recognized for his mastery of
the navaja and other Andalusian edged
weapons. Based in Milan, Italy, the
mission of the the IMAF is "to preserve,
study, practice and teach the martial arts
of the western world heritage.
Furthermore, it is the intention of the
IMAF to function as a guild of
professional teachers in keeping with the
tradition and heritage of arms."
Loriega’s
extensive writings have appeared in
mainstream martial arts publications such
as Black Belt, Warriors, Ninja, and
Tactical Knives. His first book, Sevillian
Steel: The Knife-Fighting Arts of Spain,
(1999 Paladin Press) presents an overview
of the edged weapons culture, styles, and
strategies of this western martial
tradition.
A
second book, Scourge of the Dark
Continent, (1999 Loompanics) outlines the
history and martial applications of the
African sjambok (a rod-like whip made from
rhinoceros hide).
Loriega's
third book is the annotated
English-language translation of the 19th
century Manual del Baratero, published in
March 2005 by Paladin Press. A sequel to
Sevillian Steel, detailing the technical
intricacies of using the navaja, will
shortly follow.
Today,
Maestro Loriega continues to travel and to
train, in addition to offering instruction
at the Raven Arts Institute, where courses
are available in the use of the folding
knife, stiletto, sword-cane, walking stick,
improvised weaponry, and unarmed combatives.
When not traveling to conduct seminars,
Maestro Loriega divides his time between
teaching in New York City and training in
Seville and Nice
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