James Loriega

James Loriega was born and raised in New York City. While he holds instructor credentials in numerous martial disciplines, he is best known as the founder of the New York Ninpokai, one of the premiere training facilities for the traditional ninja arts. Over time, the Ninpokai hosted many foreign instructors and established numerous affiliate branches (shibu) around the world.

It was while visiting those affiliate branches in Western Europe that Loriega first learned of the existence of indigenous combat systems. Between visits and seminars at these dojo, Loriega would scour the cities’ bookstores searching for native-language martial arts books to add to his library. It was while he was thus occupied in Seville that he happened upon a modern-day school that still taught the use of traditional edged weapons

The blade most associated with the Spanish, and the one used in the practice of these arts, is the navaja – the elegant folding clasp knife first developed during the 17th century. It is around the use of this folding clasp knife that these arts – known collectively as Acero Sevillano – developed and evolved.

Since 1990 Loriega returned to Spain on an almost yearly basis, as much to teach ninjutsu as to learn the regional styles of edged weapons. In 1996, Loriega received certification as an instructor de Armas Blancas Sevillanas.

In 1999, Loriega published Sevillian Steel, which presents an overview of navaja and its history of use among Spaniards and other Western Europeans. His well-received translation of Manual of the Baratero followed in 2005 The publication of these navaja-themed works brought Loriega a steady and continuous flow of requests to conduct navaja workshops at Western martial arts events. His participation and technical demonstrations in those events earned him a nomination to the International Masters at Arms Federation (IMAF) and Loriega was formally accepted as a master of historical Spanish edged weapons.

Since the inception of the workshops in 2006 Loriega, along with the fencing masters from the Martinez Academy of Arms, has been a steadfast instructor at the Annual Spanish Martial Arts weekend, which feature training in exclusively Spanish styles of rapier, saber, knife, and stick combat. To ensure participant safety in these formidable edged weapons arts, Loriega has designed a series of authentically-detailed knives in various navaja configurations, manufactured for him in aircraft quality aluminum by KeenEdge Knives.

Loriega continues to travel and 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.