Martin Souza studied Aikido in his childhood and later, in 2001, Japanese swordsmanship under Chris Mills Sensei in his hometown, Bainbridge Island, in Washington State. He began teaching sword to a group of interested Reed students after being admitted to the college in 2004. The next year, he earned a first-degree blackbelt from Russell McCartney, headmaster of the Ishi Yama Ryu sword school. He graduated from Reed with a B.A. in Religion in Spring 2009, and began teaching kenjitsu as a P.E.class the following Autumn. The group he established continues to practice independently.