A blade-based Filipino martial art built around the sword, functioning across every range — from long weapons down to the empty hand — taught in Midtown Manhattan by Guro Viko Perrine, steps from Grand Central Terminal and Bryant Park, with a direct line back to the art's own founder.
Kalis Ilustrisimo — also spelled Kali Ilustrisimo — takes its name from its founder, Antonio "Tatang" Ilustrisimo (1904–1997), born in Bantayan, Cebu. He learned eskrima from his father as a boy, and at age nine set out to reach the United States by stowing away on a ship — which turned out to be bound for Mindanao instead. He went on to become one of the most respected eskrimadors in the Philippines — undefeated in the duels and street encounters that shaped his reputation, and later a guerrilla fighter against Japanese occupying forces during World War II.
Tatang Ilustrisimo didn't take students for most of his life. He accepted his first two — Antonio Diego and Epifanio "Yuli" Romo — only in 1976, at age 72. After his death in 1997, Diego was elected to lead the system. Several of his other direct students, including Christopher Ricketts, went on to become respected teachers in their own right — which is where this Midtown Manhattan program's own lineage connects: Guro Viko Perrine trained under both Ricketts and Diego, putting this class just one generation removed from the founder himself.
The system itself is primarily a bladed art built around the sword, and it's built to function at every range — long weapons, knife, single and double stick, staff, and the empty hand that emerges from the same underlying movement.
That lineage is taught here through Guro Viko Perrine, whose own path into Filipino Martial Arts began with Bakbakan International, training under Masters Christopher "Topher" Ricketts and Antonio Diego — both closely tied to Tatang Ilustrisimo's own circle.
Ours is a training group rather than a daily walk-in class: instruction happens weekly through online sessions and periodic seminars, with Guro Viko traveling to New York City a few times a year to train the group in person.
The system's primary focus — functioning at long, medium, and close range with the same underlying movement.
Close-range blade defense, drawn directly from the same core body mechanics as the sword.
Solo and two-weapon stick work that trains the same angles and structure as the blade.
Extended-range weapon work, covering distance the shorter blade and stick don't reach.
Hand-to-hand application that emerges from the same weapon-based movement, not a separate system.
Long weapon, short weapon, and empty hand are trained as one continuous system, not separate disciplines.
Guro Viko Perrine is a dedicated practitioner and instructor of Kalis Ilustrisimo. His path into Filipino Martial Arts began with Bakbakan International, training under Masters Christopher "Topher" Ricketts and Antonio Diego — carrying forward the art founded by the legendary Tatang Antonio Ilustrisimo, known for his formidable practical combat skill.
Guro Perrine's current focus is teaching and promoting Kalis Ilustrisimo with a strong emphasis on preserving its integrity and legacy. He also offers a free online course through FMA Pulse covering the fundamentals of stick blocks and counters.