Instructors of Baton Rouge iaido - Profile pics coming soon

Neil Melancon is kanchou, or head of Baton Rouge Iaido and is currently ranked hachidan kyoushi in Seitokai, or 8th dan with his second of four shogo, or teaching ranks.  He is also a member of the Zen Nihon Iaido Renmei, where he is ranked renshi rokudan.  He is a direct student of John Ray sensei, kyudan hanshi, of Denton, Texas.

Neil began iaido in August of 2000, travelling to and from Denton many times for tutelage, and practicing at Gentle Wind Dojo.  He became kanchou in 2003.  In 2006, Baton Rouge Iaido Dojo was formed as a separate entity and has continued to this day.   In 2024, he  was named as director of the Beikoku Tendai Iaido Kai koshukai, the annual national training event, now held in Oklahoma City.  In addition to iaido, he has practiced kendo, judo, aikido, and jyodou, as well as three Chinese martial systems, although he is not active in any of those other forms.  

He lives in Baton Rouge with his wife, Sherry, and pets.  Professionally, he is Assistant Director of Communications at the Louisiana Farm Bureau.

John Lautermilch is currently ranked hachidan kyoushi, or 8th dan with his second of four shogo, or teaching ranks in Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu Seitōkai, and rokudan in the Zen Nippon Iaido Renmei.  He is a student of John Ray sensei, kyudan hanshi, of Denton, Texas, and was a member of The Denton Dojo for over 20 years.

John began his training iaido in July of 1999 with his son Chris, and has trained continuously since then. After several years of increasingly frequent, extended visits to Baton Rouge to visit Chris and John's grandson Liam, John changed his dojo affiliation from Denton to Baton Rouge.

In addition to iaido, John has practiced judo and jodo, although he is no longer active in either of those martial arts.  John, his wife Cherian and their dog live in their motor home full-time, and are regularly off adventuring around North America.  John is a retired Naval Reservist and corporate attorney.

Nicholas Wilson started Iaido in 2005. He is currently ranked nanadan-renshi, or 7th dan with the first shogo teaching rank in Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu Iaido Seitōkai and Sandan in Zen Nippon Renmei Iaido.

In addition to Iaido, he practices Shodo (Japanese calligraphy) and is a member of a shodo organization that is based in Osaka, Japan.

John Borne is a senior student in the Baton Rouge Iaido dojo with the rank of nanadan renshi, or 7th dan with the first shogo teaching rank (renshi).  

John began training in iaido with the Baton Rouge dojo in September of 2007.  In addition to iaido, John has practiced taekwondo, judo, hapkido, and Moo Duk Kwan tang soo do, and holds the rank of 5th dan in taekwondo registered with the Kukkiwon in Korea, with a Master Instructor Certificate from the Kukkiwon.

John is a former information technology, cyber security, and risk management professional, retired from Louisiana State University (LSU).

Joseph David is currently ranked rokudan, or 6th dan in Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu Iaido Seitōkai and sandan in Zen Nippon Renmei Iaido.  He is a direct student of Neil Melancon sensei. 

Joseph has been training in iaido since 2004.  Additionally he practiced various other martial arts including hapkido, tae kwon do, tang soo do and hanmudo.  He owned and operated the Louisiana Academy of Traditional Martial Arts from 2009 to 2019.  

He lives near Lafayette and is a licensed clinical laboratory scientist working as a laboratory automation and informatics specialist.