Skip to main content

Bujinkan Ukemi and Taihenjutsu.

In our class tonight... well every night, we warm up with ukemi and taihenjutsu drills.  These are so fundamental to Bujinkan training that I do them every class.

What is also fundamental is to try them ryote, katate and mute.  That is: two handed, one handed, and no handed.  This way you are prepared for nearly any situation requiring evasion or hitting the ground.

Two handed gives the most control.  You can use the ground as your ally and "steer" your interaction with it or be steered by it.  You might discover something there to aid in your counter or as metsubushi.

One handed can be necessary if one hand is otherwise occupied.  Maybe you are being thrown by a joint lock on one arm.  Perhaps one arm is injured.  Perhaps one hand is drawing a weapon as you evade an attacker.  In any case, you should know how to do this with the lead or rear hand.

No handed is the most acrobatic.  This takes the most control with the legs.  Often when students don't use the legs properly in their normal ukemi practice, they compensate by absorbing shock with the arms and upper body.  When they first try a no handed version, it can be a bumpy ride.

The ukemi we do every class are:

zenpo kaiten
koho kaiten
sokuho kaiten
zenpo kaeru kaiten
koho kaeru kaiten
oten
mute oten
and  sometimes we add various tobi or aruki, breakfalls and nagare.

These can be done from any kamae.  With or without weapons.

And it's fun!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Japan Report One 令和5年

Every Bujinkan trip I make to Japan feels like a gift. And I always share that with you all in my Japan reports. This trip, I decided to video a lot. Like every day. So there will be quite a few of these. The only issue is that it takes me time to edit all of this video, so these Japan reports may spread out into next year. The first video is here:  Japan Report One 令和5年 The first day of any Bujinkan trip to Japan starts with a marathon. 20 hours of travel by Plane train, and automobile. Also, a lot of walking with a heavy backpack up and down stairs, through airports and train stations, and of course to the Honbu Dojo! Because I’m crazy, I arrived at the airport and went straight to Noguchi Sensei’s class. The class was smallish, maybe 20 people. I was a little shaky on my feet so I slammed some milk tea to get my energy back up. I partnered with Mario From Croatia. Noguchi began with 中伝之捌型 Chūden no Sabaki Gata from 高木揚心流 Takagi Yoshin Ryū. He put a lot of focus into what the opposit

Bujinkan Daikomyosai Party and Training Themes from Japan

What are the current Bujinkan Themes? For my second week of Japan training, I begin with a visit to 上野東照宮 Ueno Tōshōgū. This shrine was built in 1627, and enshrines Tokugawa Ieyasu. I have visited many times, but they did an extensive remodel a few years ago. This was my first time going beyond the 唐門 Karamon and into the grounds. The entire 本殿 Honden is covered in gold leaf and looks spectacular with the gingko leaves fluttering down around me. Michael Glenn at 上野東照宮 Ueno Tōshōgū Later that night, I arrived a bit early for Nagase Sensei’s class. He had moved the class time back 45 minutes so I took the opportunity to review my notes from the prior class. He has been working with 十方折衝 juppō sesshō and the directions for 天地人 Tenchijin and the sanshin within it. He described many aspects of Tenchijin. He would control his opponent at three points, high, middle, and low. He told us the Ten direction is 天照大御神 Amaterasu ōmikami. The Chi direction is 国常立尊 Kunitokotachi no mi

Bujinkan 鎖分銅 Kusarifundō: Truth and Falsehood

Buki-mobile at 鎌倉・山海堂商店, photo by Michael Glenn Do you know the deepest levels of 虚実 kyojitsu lead down the path of 捨て身 sutemi? In a recent class I shared a dimension of kyojitsu that I’ve only ever heard expressed from Hatsumi Sensei. But is anyone willing to take this path? During my class demo, I shot the weight of the 鎖分銅 kusarifundō out into the face of my opponent. A surprise 中振 nakafuri strike, but my use of it was for kyojitsu. The sound of the chain and the weight act as 目潰し metsubushi and caught the opponent’s attention. These sensations hid my next move. It isn’t very safe to use a real kusarifundō in class. Unless your training partner likes dental work or a busted eyebrow, it is safer to use a short cord to practice. But then I noticed my students were missing a key aspect of this type of kyojitsu. Most people think of kyojitsu as being a feint or fake. You mislead and distract the opponent from your real strategy. Many students stop there by using a fake-out. But, for kyo