Junzo Sasamori (1886-1976) is perhaps most well-known in Japan’s martial arts community for his work in keeping the U.S. occupation authorities under General Douglas MacArthur from completely banning the practice of kendo. His efforts placed him in the annals of Japanese history as one of the saviors of Japan’s martial arts. 

Born in Hirosaki City to a samurai family, he began his martial arts career studying Ono-ha Itto-ryu at the Hokushindo Dojo under Tsushima Kenpachi and later, Nakahata Eigoro. He entered Waseda University where, as a member of the Kendo Club, he trained under Takano Sasaburo. 

After graduating from Waseda, he worked as a reporter for a political magazine in Japan and then moved to the U.S. for a decade, where he worked as a reporter for a local newspaper in Denver, Colorado. While there, he earned a Master's Degree from the University of Denver and eventually a PhD from the same school. 

Upon returning to Japan, he first served as the Chancellor of the Too-Gijuku High School in Aomori and later as the Chancellor of Aoyama Gakuin in Tokyo until he was  forced out by Japan's military authorities.

After the war, he was elected to Japan's parliament where he served in the House of Representatives for four terms and in the House of Councillors for three. As a member of the Katayama Cabinet, he served as the President of the Demobilization Agency and Director General of the Repatriation Agency. For his work in parliament, he was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure, First Class, Third Degree by the Emperor of Japan.

In 1957, he founded the Reigakudo, a martial arts training center in his home in the Daizawa section of Tokyo as both a dojo and martial arts research center. In 1969, he founded the Komaba Eden Church, a Methodist church, that shared the same building as the dojo, making it the only martial arts training hall-cum-Christian church in Japan. His son Takemi became its first ordained minister. Both the Reigakudo and Komaba Eden Church continue to co-exist and thrive in the same location where they were founded.  

In 1926, Junzo inherited two lines of Ono-ha Itto-ryu to become the 16th Soke of the mainline of the school. He also inherited the schools of Shin Musō Hayashizaki-ryū Iaijutsu and Chokugen-ryū Naginata-jutsu. He would also eventually earn the rank of Kendo 8 Dan and Kendo Hanshi.  

Junzo was the author of Kendo (Japanese only), This is Kendo, with Gordon Warner, Tosenkyo: Exegisis, and his magnum opus, the Secrets of Itto-ryu.