Whilst John Danaher no longer teaches at the Renzo Gracie Academy in New York, it still doesn’t mean he’s not missed. As a token of appreciate, a large number of students from his morning class got together and awarded him a Japanese bladesmith’s hammer that was forged in Kyoto.
Alongside this gift was also a plaque that had the signatures of over 100 previous students from his famous morning class. As many people know, Danaher has a tradition of handing out blades and knives to his students as a symbol of growth. According to Danaher, the blade is a morally neutral tool that can be used for good or bad and represents the shaping of an individual. With this in mind, it’s only fair that he got a Japanese hammer as a parting gift which was a nice touch from his students back in NYC.
