Skip to main content

More 神韻武導 Shin Gin Bu Dou Japan Training Notes

Moonlight Enters the Bujinkan Hombu, photo by Michael Glenn
Below is a video preview of my latest notes from Japan about 神韻武導 Shingin Budo.

When I was training in Japan last week, I wrote extensive notes. I also recorded some video. This is part of my own learning process.

If you've been on a training trip to Japan yourself, you know how compressed that experience can be. Maybe you go to 2-3 classes everyday for 2 weeks. That is more classes than some people who live in Japan attend in a whole year! It is a huge amount of information crammed into a short time.

Hatsumi Sensei told us last week that when we are fighting we have to read the signs or hints (気配 kehai) that our opponent or the situation show us. So I record my notes as I discover these signs. If I get a hint of something important from my teachers, I make a record of it for later.

Then I come home and unpack my luggage. But also unpack my mind and body. I use my notes to debrief myself. They are like a compressed computer file that needs to be unzipped.

This process takes a few months and many classes while I uncover the treasures of my own experience in Japan. Then, when I start to feel confident that I understand, I go back to Japan for more mind, body, and heart transmission.

If you are reading this, then I'm not worried about your drive to learn. You have the ability to get more from training than most people by using all the resources available to you.

Here is your invitation: You can read about my Japan training and also get personal notes here: get your notes.  And an even bigger resource I offer is what I bring back from Japan for my own students, you can purchase this intensive training here: http://www.rojodojo.com/

Here is a preview of my latest:
and the preview link: http://youtu.be/JZl_Lcdy_6U
*|YOUTUBE:[$vid=JZl_Lcdy_6U]|*

In this video, I share 2 specific strategies I discovered about how to use this year's theme of 神韻武導 Shin Gin Bu Dou. I learned from Hatsumi Sensei to create your own kukan and resonate with this divine space. This can be something subtle and hidden, or powerful like entering a sacred space.

In conversation, this may seem more metaphysical than combat related. But doing this physically opens you up and frees you from using your own ego, your own muscle or force, or even your own technique. The results are techniques that the opponent cannot counter.

Comments

Post a Comment

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