tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-207974723239112002024-03-04T20:11:14.673-08:00Bujinkan Santa MonicaTrain smart. Live better.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03865775775195298235noreply@blogger.comBlogger299125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-85648843767706203732024-02-22T06:29:00.000-08:002024-02-22T06:29:42.834-08:00Japan Report Four 令和5年<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg93se2q0Hv3QUNUdZdKo1s6xzvwylaYz-UpuC_ypZuS1zrMD5TWh2pB4g8Mpgvf2VCEy_kLwH4LilTIZHcEZcDcdi2_P2nbVLC3t7W0Ao1gggCM7gJu722pWzWKftv1SRCK5nJFVjuhnb2KZYuxWyLrY6654uwu7SozC18ExH1oZtrtGVW_WOBrdt1uRc/s3560/Japan%20Report%20Four%20%E4%BB%A4%E5%92%8C5%E5%B9%B4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2062" data-original-width="3560" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg93se2q0Hv3QUNUdZdKo1s6xzvwylaYz-UpuC_ypZuS1zrMD5TWh2pB4g8Mpgvf2VCEy_kLwH4LilTIZHcEZcDcdi2_P2nbVLC3t7W0Ao1gggCM7gJu722pWzWKftv1SRCK5nJFVjuhnb2KZYuxWyLrY6654uwu7SozC18ExH1oZtrtGVW_WOBrdt1uRc/w640-h370/Japan%20Report%20Four%20%E4%BB%A4%E5%92%8C5%E5%B9%B4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />I start off my <a href="https://www.rojodojo.com/japan-report-four-reiwa5/" target="_blank">Japan Report Four video</a> going to Hatsumi Sensei’s house and the
Bujinkan Honbu office. I do this on every trip because this is how I
submit my rank paperwork for my students. In the video I talk about my
“secret” route to his house. I also recall past times when I could just
visit and have tea with Soke.<p></p><p>During my walk to his house, I review some of my notes from old
classes with Soke. During one class he said 自分の第六感兼ねあいうち Jibun no
dairokkan kane aiuchi. This is when you make your intuition match
reality. Or, more directly, your intuition is combined with something
concrete such as a strike.</p>
<p>Later in that same class, Hatsumi Sensei said 意識をさせない <a href="https://bujinkansantamonica.blogspot.com/2016/01/after-youve-taught-everything-you-are.html">Ishiki</a>
o Sasenai. He was telling us not to allow our opponents to sense our
intentions. Don’t put out any intention for your opponent to read. I
thought it was fascinating to think about dairokkan and the use of
intuition while also hiding your intentions. Hatsumi Sensei’s classes
were full of subtle lessons like this.</p>
<p>Next, I went to an afternoon class with Nagato Sensei. People
sometimes ask me why I haven’t gone to Nagato Sensei’s seminars here in
the U.S. Well the answer is simple, I save my money for Japan. For
example, Nagato Sensei did a seminar in Ohio. For me to buy round trip
airfare from Los Angeles, book a hotel, and pay the Tai Kai fee, the
cost is almost the same as one of my Japan trips. I’d rather spend two
weeks training in Japan than two or three days in Ohio.</p>
<p>It was nice to train with Nagato Sensei. He had just returned from a Tai Kai in Finland. And he spoke fondly of his trip there.</p>
<p>He started the class like normal by asking someone to demo a technique. Someone showed something that looked like <a href="https://www.rojodojo.com/bujinkan-tactics-of-musan-and-kihaku/">霧散 Musan</a>. Then Nagato Sensei did henka based on that.</p>
<p>He did a lot of transitions from one punch to another and pass
throughs using his elbows. It is easy to be distracted by his hand
movements. But he always sets up each technique with perfect distance
and good use of his feet.</p>
<p>The class was full like in the days before the pandemic. My training
partner was from Germany. At the end another guy from Germany took and
passed his Godan test.</p>
<p>Later that evening, I meet up with
some skater friends. They were skating “illegally” in a parking
structure. I got my camera out and filmed their kick flips along with
their ゴン攻め gon zeme spirit. Until a security guard made us move out into
the street in front of the デイリーヤマザキ Daily Yamazaki.</p><p> </p>Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03865775775195298235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-59022908714510415742024-01-05T08:40:00.000-08:002024-01-05T08:40:36.442-08:00Japan Report Three 令和5年<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDoWwk60521iBssLhJ5KMSBRCPZuUrosLS0spUSWFFjk8vCJRhF14woEcXoV0frxGnuPa8D6rU1dVFEaNi25KuyLFEO3TlLUB1KMRU0FVSNbW0Bxm9CKwHp_u2_imcqZxAnAftV28cQFXKVdn-xhxws0ftm_hNc7G8TB0k6PBoHkKQL-pwi5rNC4k9HY4/s3560/JapanReport3Reiwa5Title.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2062" data-original-width="3560" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDoWwk60521iBssLhJ5KMSBRCPZuUrosLS0spUSWFFjk8vCJRhF14woEcXoV0frxGnuPa8D6rU1dVFEaNi25KuyLFEO3TlLUB1KMRU0FVSNbW0Bxm9CKwHp_u2_imcqZxAnAftV28cQFXKVdn-xhxws0ftm_hNc7G8TB0k6PBoHkKQL-pwi5rNC4k9HY4/w640-h370/JapanReport3Reiwa5Title.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Last night Paul Masse invited me and my teacher Peter over to his house
in Noda-shi. While we were in the backyard swapping stories, his wife
Tomoe invited us inside to a warm dinner of ちゃんこ鍋 chankonabe. She and
Paul are very friendly and generous.<p></p><p>Paul asked Peter what he found at the antique weapons market. Peter said
that he was looking for 矢の根 yanone, which are arrowheads. He also said
he bought a tsuba with a giant centipede on it.</p><p>Paul was curious about this so Peter told us the story behind it. He
told us 俵藤太物語 Tawara Tōda monogatari, the legend of Tawara Tōda. I share
my version of the story on the video so if you'd like to watch the full video report, you can find it here: <a href="https://www.rojodojo.com/japan-report-three-reiwa5/" target="_blank">https://www.rojodojo.com/japan-report-three-reiwa5/ </a>. But the short of it is that
Tawara Tōda killed a giant centipede with a well aimed arrow.</p><p>We had a wonderful time over dinner while swapping stories. Paul’s young
boys were full of energy and were running around like crazy people.
Danzo thought it was funny to steal the knit cap off of my head and run
away with it. Well, he also had a runny nose. So without thinking, he
blew his nose into my cap! I decided I wasn’t putting that back on my
head.</p><p>The next day it was raining, so we began our morning at 東京国立博物館 Tōkyō
Kokuritsu Hakubutsukan which is the oldest and largest national museum.
The museum holds a wonderful collection of Japanese art and
archeological artifacts. Many are designated as national treasures. </p><p>The exhibitions range all the way from 30,000 year old paleolithic
tools, to Jōmon pottery from 3000 BC. Buddhist artwork and sculpture are
represented, along with a collection of indigenous Ainu craft works.
The museum also holds swords, armor and a variety of weapons.</p><p>I paid special attention to the arrows on this visit. I also discovered a <a href="https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/559629" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">腰</a><a href="https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/559629">刀 koshigatana</a>
which was new to me. I thought it was a tantō at first but it doesn’t
have a tsuba and apparently is worn differently. I spent a couple of
hours in the museum taking notes and pictures. Even though I have been
here so many times, I wanted to stay longer. But I had to run to catch a
train.</p><p>But I was delayed by a side quest because I stumbled upon a Ninja
festival! They called it Ninja City and it was a gathering of crafts and
farmers from the Iga region who were promoting tourism with the Ninja
hype. They had activities for children throwing shuriken and I even
faced off with a Ninja wielding a giant daikon radish as a weapon! You
never know what you will find in Japan. A surprise around every corner.</p><p>I would have stayed to fight, but I had to run through the rain to fetch
my training gear out of the locker in the train station. Then I had a
long ride out to Yokohama. Paul Masse invited me to his dojo and asked
me to share with his students some things I remembered from Hatsumi
Sensei.</p><p>Of course I was happy to help, but I go to Japan to train, not to teach.
So when Paul bowed in and started the class with ukemi warmups, I was
ready to roll. Then after the warmup, he asked me demonstrate something.
So I did a weapon retention technique with the attacker using <a href="https://www.rojodojo.com/bujinkan-tanto-shiten-and-makikomi/">両手捕り ryōte dor</a><a href="https://www.rojodojo.com/bujinkan-tanto-shiten-and-makikomi/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">i</a> to control my knife.</p><p>Paul then used my technique to explore his own ideas and henka. The
class moved fast and was a lot of fun. Everyone was very friendly and
the spirit of the class was much like Hatsumi Sensei’s classes.</p><p>Afterwards, I rode the train with Paul back to Kashiwa. That became its
own adventure. Paul sprinted during every station transfer. I already
had a long day and was carrying a heavy backpack so I struggled to keep
up. I found out later that he was in a hurry because his children had a
bedtime and he wanted to see them before they went to sleep. The train
ride is almost 1.5 hours from his dojo to where he lives in Noda-shi.</p><p>I am having a wonderful trip. Paul Masse’s friendship and generosity
have enriched my training and today was full of great moments. I will
share more in my Japan Report Four 令和5年 coming soon! <br /></p>Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03865775775195298235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-15681758930110977652023-12-26T08:22:00.000-08:002024-01-05T08:42:28.165-08:00Japan Report Two 令和5年<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx1nKTBXFZ_H34IZM4e3GCF4WBREjYZKm30UDz7YqwFydRBVp3dspUTNHJ08DmWcj0ylAzk7GkmnZIm7AEFcurKE6d-7x5A1LlNI4CCB4LZRM_aYT37ilkfV8s17r2B6Z7Grl0UCpvIH065n79xtxGR72_lsguTpYbTOtG7jkx1ZCn99s_lf39BIWKsig/s1920/UrawaGuitarist.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx1nKTBXFZ_H34IZM4e3GCF4WBREjYZKm30UDz7YqwFydRBVp3dspUTNHJ08DmWcj0ylAzk7GkmnZIm7AEFcurKE6d-7x5A1LlNI4CCB4LZRM_aYT37ilkfV8s17r2B6Z7Grl0UCpvIH065n79xtxGR72_lsguTpYbTOtG7jkx1ZCn99s_lf39BIWKsig/w640-h360/UrawaGuitarist.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Morning Song at 月野宮神社 Tsukinomiya Jinja, photo: Michael Glenn</td></tr></tbody></table><br />On this day of my Bujinkan Japan Training trip, I began with a visit to the the 月野宮神社 Tsukinomiya Jinja Flea Market. There, I found an impromptu concert from a local guy with a guitar. And I also found many antique swords, jutte, and miscellaneous weapons. I finish by sharing a lesson from Hatsumi Sensei about 弱いも支点 yowai mo shiten, using your weakness as a pivot point.<p></p><p>If you want to support my work, sign up to Rojodojo, and you can watch the full video: <a href="https://www.rojodojo.com/japan-report-two-reiwa-five/" target="_blank">Japan Report Two 令和5年<br /></a><br />During my train ride back to the dojo in Noda-shi, I stopped for lunch at a street festival on 大宮銀座通り商店街 Ōmiya Ginza-dōri shōten machi. This was random luck, I just popped out of the station and the party was on! Some nice people whipped up tasty and filling yakisoba for me and I ate it straight off the grill.<br /><br />Once back in Noda, I had a great class with Furuta Sensei. He started the class with tehodoki. But his unique approach is informed by 雲隠流 Kumogakure Ryū. He had us match our own body and shoulder to his grab then change angle or levels. He even had us grabbing our own body or clothing for extra support.<br /><br />Then he changed to hanbōjutsu against a knife attack. He did a flip strike to disarm. If that doesn’t work, pivot under to unbalance. Add a final strike to the hand to finish.<br /><br />Then he showed receiving the knife in a vertical kamae with the hanbō alongside your own body. When he pivoted under, he extended one finger like a jutte to hook the attacking arm. Meanwhile the hanbō is passed behind the attacker’s head to lock his arm and choke.<br /><br />He finished class with sword. He had us receive in 棟水之構 Tōsui no Kamae, then push the attacker’s sword aside. But your own sword must control the center line before you cut down to kote.<br /><br />Great training so far. And up next from my Bujinkan Japan Training trip, <a href="https://bujinkansantamonica.blogspot.com/2024/01/japan-report-three-5.html">Japan Report Three 令和5年</a><br /></p>Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03865775775195298235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-9711613632786641732023-12-15T06:19:00.000-08:002024-01-05T08:45:57.557-08:00Japan Report One 令和5年<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnmrf3FSyL79sz1Jd6L_ty98M4dBf-xdhEDXQhwfYkbbdIipUThTC2cyemt1GogHXoXrGVpOnaXTEjFmS9Vx9-Qyufos49k_E1Vtt5d5-7-1v7MgSQN8_62vQ3qYfcILixG19t8Ofio_XLH_cJysyDtzGblPfeVGG-UH9psCWpgv0313iEiPt4yKiBRmo/s4032/IMG_9770.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Michael at The Bujinkan Honbu dojo" border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnmrf3FSyL79sz1Jd6L_ty98M4dBf-xdhEDXQhwfYkbbdIipUThTC2cyemt1GogHXoXrGVpOnaXTEjFmS9Vx9-Qyufos49k_E1Vtt5d5-7-1v7MgSQN8_62vQ3qYfcILixG19t8Ofio_XLH_cJysyDtzGblPfeVGG-UH9psCWpgv0313iEiPt4yKiBRmo/w640-h480/IMG_9770.HEIC" title="Michael at The Bujinkan Honbu dojo" width="640" /></a></div>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: <a href="https://www.rojodojo.com/japan-report-one/" target="_blank">Japan Report One 令和5年</a><br /><br />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!<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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 opposite hand was doing (the non technique hand). Controlling the shoulder or elbow. Pushing the other side away while capturing a lock on the wrist, elbow, or shoulder. And lots of 虚実 kyojitsu!<br /><br />I was intrigued by 腰投鎌 koshi nage gakari, because he pivoted under the grabbing hand using his head to pass through. Then he gripped the opponent’s belt from behind for the throw. What was hard to understand was that he really threw using his own head and body position against the back of the opponent’s arm. In fact he did many no handed techniques using just his head.<br /><br />He did so much kyojitsu. In fact, during one technique, he said to cover 反対 hantai, so he turned his thumb down and covered the opponent’s rear hand with his elbow. But the elbow was a threat and became kyojitsu hiding the claw or finger strike to 五輪 gorin.<br /><br />When I arrived in Japan, I first noticed all of the construction and changes since my last trip. Nostalgia made me reflect on something Hatsumi Sensei said,<br /><br /><blockquote> Just because someone’s been training for 40 or 50 years it doesn’t mean anything. It doesn’t matter how long I’ve been training, it’s nothing special. I’m still walking along behind Takamatsu Sensei. That’s what the tradition means.</blockquote><br />It made me think that I am doing the same by following Hatsumi Sensei. As a Jūgodan and a Daishihan, I feel this as my duty and responsibility. Soke went on to tell everyone at the dojo,<br /><br /><blockquote> There are many people at a high level, 15th dan and above. Please train with them. These people at the 15th dan level are showing this important feeling. They are moving at this high rank, but at my level I’m doing what I learned from Takamatsu Sensei.</blockquote><br />Soke said this last part because he could tell we did not understand what he was showing us. How could we understand something that he learned from Takamatsu Sensei and that he has been perfecting for many decades? The reality is, we all only can see from our own level. The same happens with my own students. I am following in Hatsumi Sensei’s footsteps, but they are following in mine.<br /><br />He said that the Daishihan are born from him. Training with people who have this connection is how you get a direct line to the teaching in Japan. It is also how to stay connected to the ancient lineage of all who have come before. I can trace my line from Hatsumi Sensei back to Takamatsu Sensei, and those who came before. And I remain a humble student following in their footsteps.<br /><br />Forgive the video quality, I was testing a new app and quickly discovered I didn’t know how to use it. For all the future Japan Reports, I abandoned it and stuck to the familiar. My next Bujinkan trip report is here: <a href="https://bujinkansantamonica.blogspot.com/2023/12/japan-report-two-5.html">Japan Report Two 令和5年</a> <br /><p></p><br />Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03865775775195298235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-3782220567323977522023-11-06T10:19:00.001-08:002023-11-06T10:27:18.466-08:00The Sound of Bujinkan 変化 Henka<p>One Friday night back in the old Honbu Dojo, Hatsumi Sensei moved to a very high level of training right from the start. After he asked someone to demo, he immediately went into counter attacks using his fingertips. And he said to be playful.<br /><br />Hatsumi Sensei painted and hung a scroll in the corner of the dojo. He did this every year to express the yearly theme. This year it was <a href="https://bujinkansantamonica.blogspot.com/2014/04/shin-gin-bu-dou-entering-divine-space.html">神韻武導 Shin'in Budō</a>. You can read this as Budō of exceptional artistry. Or, when you look at the characters for Shin'in, it could be a Budō that expresses the sound of the heart, the soul, or even the kami.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhe4lRo6pb8Ks6EGoZMz3BZX8FH_6MDixVAPfxjj0mpAuFaOehJlS-fkwCXaDOzmM38oNP_SpgBCplwFWMIE_1gucxRW0lGIt68Bt97qL8OX4nqA-p9NXIOcHr56BaJyHaJIWzg4cqP3CbvXs4xnTSXj-fQaI1SG2FTv03r4V0-fLmmrobteyP1GOFWUt0" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="神韻武導 Shin'in Budō scroll in the Bujinkan Honbu Dojo" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhe4lRo6pb8Ks6EGoZMz3BZX8FH_6MDixVAPfxjj0mpAuFaOehJlS-fkwCXaDOzmM38oNP_SpgBCplwFWMIE_1gucxRW0lGIt68Bt97qL8OX4nqA-p9NXIOcHr56BaJyHaJIWzg4cqP3CbvXs4xnTSXj-fQaI1SG2FTv03r4V0-fLmmrobteyP1GOFWUt0=w400-h300" title="神韻武導 Shin'in Budō scroll in the Bujinkan Honbu Dojo" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">神韻武導 Shin'in Budō, Bujinkan Honbu. photo Michael Glenn </td></tr></tbody></table> <p></p><p>Earlier that afternoon, I had made a pilgrimage of sorts to visit 矢切の渡し Yagiri-no-Watashi. The ferry that has been taking passengers across the Edo river for nearly 400 years. The Tokugawa shogunate did not build bridges over rivers to protect Edo. Ferry boats leading to the highway were strictly controlled, but ferries for farmers who had farmland on the opposite bank were allowed.<br /><br />For people who were not allowed to enter Edo, they would cross on these ferries disguised as farmers. A good use of 変装術 <span>Hensō-jutsu</span>! Maybe a few ninjas made this crossing during their travels.<br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4VmvZFAH37h24ImaWRmRRpm96IxMA8ybc0EAwm8GpT2uN9oqW5eLSWswQZsTReQGzNRag0uEZOZsPFMmR_QQX1p8cPk8QSnE8VPFt_o3gDc4sZk13eWzTdqLeZPPe0iGLHyI1aghOB6CPVfyCA6-97hN6atR3gdbJf1dvzoRU5YngaxJYPwV88r1DmPA/s4608/P1170247.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="My student Jesse waits, 矢切の渡し Yagiri-no-Watashi pier" border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="4608" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4VmvZFAH37h24ImaWRmRRpm96IxMA8ybc0EAwm8GpT2uN9oqW5eLSWswQZsTReQGzNRag0uEZOZsPFMmR_QQX1p8cPk8QSnE8VPFt_o3gDc4sZk13eWzTdqLeZPPe0iGLHyI1aghOB6CPVfyCA6-97hN6atR3gdbJf1dvzoRU5YngaxJYPwV88r1DmPA/w400-h225/P1170247.JPG" title="My student Jesse waits, 矢切の渡し Yagiri-no-Watashi pier" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My student Jesse waits, 矢切の渡し Yagiri-no-Watashi pier</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>This ferry was the setting for the sad love story between Masao and Tamiko in Sachio Ito's novel ``The Grave of Wild Chrysanthemums''. It is also the setting for a popular song of the same name. I was surprised to discover that in 1996 the Japan Ministry of the Environment selected this ferryboat as one of the 100 Soundscapes of Japan. <br /><br />Besides the sound of rowing, you might hear the rippling water of Edogawa, some black headed gulls, and skylarks. These sounds were like a mediation for me, setting the tone to prepare for the dojo later. Sometimes what you do before and in between classes is almost as important as the training itself.<br /><br />Now when I show up for a class like this, where Soke is teaching many subtle lessons in his quick and energetic manner, I might have a chance of keeping up. If I can understand just a little of his teaching, my whole trip to Japan will have been worth it.<br /><br />The sound of training wisdom came just before break time. Hatsumi Sensei was showing a form of 指押さえる yubi osaeru, controlling just like I shared in <a href="https://www.rojodojo.com/bujinkan-strategies-of-control-the-fight-disappears/" target="_blank">my training reports from Japan</a>. He grabbed a hold of Nakadai-san and really applied the pain. Nakadai yelped into the rafters from the intensity.<br /><br />But while it may have looked like the finger manipulation was the key to this technique, Soke had actually shifted his shoulder and chest forward. He did this by dropping his left shoulder and raising his right. This made Nakadai’s 胸捕 mune dori almost useless. And it also fed into 親殺 oya goroshi right under Soke’s thumbnail.<br /><br />The train from Atago station rumbled and thundered by at just that moment- rattling the whole dojo. Soke just laughed and chuckled his way through two more opponents. It was hard to hear what he said, but I was lucky to be right under him when he explained,<br /></p><blockquote>分散させる。変化させる。虚実、な?<br />bunsan saseru, henka saseru, this is kyojitsu, isn’t it? </blockquote><br />Bunsan saseru means you may break up or scatter to create variance. You distribute your response to the opponent in a way that causes the breakup of his attack, his tactics, and even his mind or will to fight. Soke expressed the kyojitsu here by offering his mune on one side, but capturing the oya goroshi on the other.<br /><br />While henka saseru allows you to create change. The transformation of the technique arises from shin’in. While Nakadai was screaming in pain up into the rafters, Hatsumi Sensei used his whole body to control from that one point. Then he said 次 次 次 tsugi tsugi tsugi Next next next... The kyojitsu is hidden in the Next.<br /><br />One of my students who made the trip to Japan with me was on his own after that class. I wasn’t very conversational. I sat quietly on the train back to my hotel. I wrote some notes in my composition book. But I paused to listen to the sounds of Japan.<p></p><br />Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03865775775195298235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-1511024332290653532023-10-31T07:17:00.000-07:002023-10-31T07:17:03.201-07:00Bujinkan 鎖分銅 Kusarifundō: Truth and Falsehood <p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizWprtpO0wONhVeSKhAQeUL2mKLNODkOVHfsJpT8XvxpNylZ37jNgBT4KradM0WftYae0ho989p4QxEStSr3gFdc6cR5YCIdqXx1VQ-kcCV9aSp88eJkLupiVqsRN8S9Ab4eR-rRCqegS5tJyVuIBm7IwLxBtIVzHDjEh2a6S8LBFs-sZHMalnYmIQQ_c/s1920/BukiMobileKamakura00116455.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizWprtpO0wONhVeSKhAQeUL2mKLNODkOVHfsJpT8XvxpNylZ37jNgBT4KradM0WftYae0ho989p4QxEStSr3gFdc6cR5YCIdqXx1VQ-kcCV9aSp88eJkLupiVqsRN8S9Ab4eR-rRCqegS5tJyVuIBm7IwLxBtIVzHDjEh2a6S8LBFs-sZHMalnYmIQQ_c/w640-h360/BukiMobileKamakura00116455.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buki-mobile at 鎌倉・山海堂商店, photo by Michael Glenn</td></tr></tbody></table><br />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?<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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 kyojitsu to work, you must have both the truth and the falsehood.<br /><br />You start with 虚 kyo… the illusion, and the next step is to see if your opponent believes it or not. If they do not, then you make the kyo into a real strike! The kyo becomes the 実 jitsu. If they don’t believe the lie, give them the truth. The truth hurts!<br /><br />I shared more details about this during my Japan training with my <a href="https://bujinkansantamonica.blogspot.com/2017/12/kyojitsu-himaku-barrier-between-truth.html" target="_blank">kyojistu himaku</a> article, where the line between illusion and reality is very thin. But I’m about to make it even thinner. So thin, even the words to describe it can be interpreted in many ways.<br /><br />When I studied this technique with Hatsumi Sensei, he threw a tangled cord into his opponent's face. The more messy a rope or cord is, the more Soke seems to enjoy using it. Then he said something which contains a big clue for our use of weapons and kyojitsu.<br /><br />From my Japan notes, I wrote the word for cord in Japanese is himo, and Soke said「紐全くてない」himo mattenai. On the surface this means no strings attached. Or, it could mean not being attached to the string yourself.<br /><br />This concept is related to 捨て身 sutemi. Self sacrifice comes in the form of throwing away the self, dropping the ego, or even non-attachment to weapons. I allow the weapon to exist, but I don’t plan to use it. I only use it if it’s useful.<br /><br />We’ve all heard Hatsumi Sensei advise us not to be attached to weapons. But if you focus on the use of a weapon, you yourself become trapped in its use. You may find yourself forcing techniques that are inappropriate for the situation. Or worse, fumbling with a weapon you do not know how to use, or that has malfunctioned.<br /><br />Many people, when they hold a weapon, all of their focus goes to that weapon. I finished class with the hanbō, but unattached to it. I even throw it into the opponent’s face as a distraction. Throwing it all away leads to victory.<br /><br />Remember that tangled cord that Hatsumi Sensei threw into his opponent’s face? Hatsumi Sensei did not try to untangle or force the rope to function in any particular way. He allowed it to be what it was. And somehow his technique tangled the opponent up in this mess.<br /><br />It was like he attacked the opponent with the tangle itself. How did he do this? Well when you consider his advice, 「紐全くてない」himo mattenai, Soke was not telling us that we should be unattached to the rope. But that we must be one with it!<br /><br />He reminded us to become one with our weapon when he said,<br /><br /></p><blockquote>“You haven’t become one with the rope yet. You release it, and the rope becomes separate from your heart. If you learn to become one with your weapons then your movement will be the correct path of the heart.”</blockquote><br />This path is the foundation for effective kyojitsu. Did you know that kyojitsu required this type of sutemi? I hope you get to explore this in your own training.<p></p>Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03865775775195298235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-68058601529414918102022-12-30T09:47:00.002-08:002022-12-30T17:35:38.008-08:00Bujinkan Daikomyosai Party and Training Themes from Japan<h1 style="text-align: left;">What are the current Bujinkan Themes?</h1><p style="text-align: left;">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.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQYwUl_W4X-HFrmj9lPco1mVc-baWadqz6EY6uOGODyEDY0EXV8PGQA6Pe2b-_MmTSTRneO4V_DCz7bgdQkqmYYlC7KMluaEv_LWFpzCQ7uf9M_qSQa1Powxnms_l648thd9vl6CjdwOvoDowo9mmmslwkmTp3I69CbcnRxSC7cm_wHQRoTbaAXNfu/s4032/IMG_8108.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQYwUl_W4X-HFrmj9lPco1mVc-baWadqz6EY6uOGODyEDY0EXV8PGQA6Pe2b-_MmTSTRneO4V_DCz7bgdQkqmYYlC7KMluaEv_LWFpzCQ7uf9M_qSQa1Powxnms_l648thd9vl6CjdwOvoDowo9mmmslwkmTp3I69CbcnRxSC7cm_wHQRoTbaAXNfu/w400-h300/IMG_8108.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael Glenn at 上野東照宮 Ueno Tōshōgū</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p>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. </p>
<p>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
mikoto (that’s how people pronounce these kanji). And the Jin direction
is the spirit across from you, or your opponent.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhlm1GmipE53zo-FV57hQHfo5nojv4oP-Ie4KsKI1xlmfeBEodLbtqeAZbWrI9oAaph1G51_ZXZDGipCWAHzZlsILOaKhWgj83-zs0q8gUm5MoAGi8KGtwmvBh_omI4_eCPrAWsxMx6ZXGjYHWxtLB9zFCu0BU9XqiVtOsbgnSRF8NCCrq85kOnYKv/s3024/APTL4651MichaelNagase.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhlm1GmipE53zo-FV57hQHfo5nojv4oP-Ie4KsKI1xlmfeBEodLbtqeAZbWrI9oAaph1G51_ZXZDGipCWAHzZlsILOaKhWgj83-zs0q8gUm5MoAGi8KGtwmvBh_omI4_eCPrAWsxMx6ZXGjYHWxtLB9zFCu0BU9XqiVtOsbgnSRF8NCCrq85kOnYKv/s320/APTL4651MichaelNagase.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nagase Sensei and Michael Glenn December 2022<br /></td></tr></tbody></table> <p></p><p>He also emphasized these three points on the jutte: the tip; the
pommel; and the hook. He told us that we have sanshin in our training
development. Learn taijutsu up to godan, bōjutsu from godan until judan,
and kenjutsu until 15th dan. Then after that is what Soke teaches with
mutō dori.</p>
<p>The next morning I dressed up to go to the <a href="https://www.rojodojo.com/crash-bang-daikomyosai/">Daikomyosai</a>
party AKA Hatsumi Sensei’s birthday party. I wasn’t sure what to
expect. Soke has had some health issues and everyone in Japan is taking
precautions for the virus. There was a joke going around that we would
all line up in the parking lot and Hatsumi Sensei would drive by and
wave like the Queen.</p>
<p>Since the Bujinkan Honbu Dojo is still closed (as of December 2022), People ask me about class schedules and where is there <a href="https://bujinkansantamonica.blogspot.com/2014/04/more-shin-gin-bu-dou-japan-training.html">training in Japan</a>
right now? They see my photos of my training at various dojos in Japan
and they want me to give them the location and the schedule. That is not
how it works. These are private classes and you have to be invited or
ask permission.</p>
<p>Technically you even need permission and must be a “member” of the
Bujinkan to train at the Honbu dojo. But in actual practice, anyone can
drop by a class if it is on the schedule. But we all know each other,
and strangers stick out…</p>
<p>For private dojos, every teacher is different and has different
expectations, but it is customary to ask first. This is why it is so
important to form good relationships with the teachers. Or if you are
new to Japan, your own teacher should have these relationships so they
can give you an introduction.</p>
<p>Back to training updates from Japan. The next morning, I went to
Furuta Sensei’s dojo in 茨城県 Ibaraki-ken. He came to pick us up from the
train station for a 25 minute drive to his house. It is a nice old
Japanese house with a garden and an out building for a dojo. We trained
for a morning session, then had lunch in his kitchen. Then we did an
afternoon session.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrdhJ6TmFJcaBxCnBA1mg8d_aCrilch7sz7NJKjX1Kbra2xGy-7iN3yq0KyjZGHlQnobSfm6AE9-4Wof2hxA9-CM74uL3jsvdRv3zAkvrskYGlUsc2k60bL-T5NgEfJjrZ7q_D7Ao1lfBc_IrruAsIymANcxbca_ZNzI0XLvgC3yLJdB_WvRsuCw5u/s1440/XTUQ6897FurutaDojo.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrdhJ6TmFJcaBxCnBA1mg8d_aCrilch7sz7NJKjX1Kbra2xGy-7iN3yq0KyjZGHlQnobSfm6AE9-4Wof2hxA9-CM74uL3jsvdRv3zAkvrskYGlUsc2k60bL-T5NgEfJjrZ7q_D7Ao1lfBc_IrruAsIymANcxbca_ZNzI0XLvgC3yLJdB_WvRsuCw5u/w400-h300/XTUQ6897FurutaDojo.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Furuta Sensei's Dojo December 2022<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p>
<p>It seemed like Furuta Sensei had three years (pandemic years) worth
of teaching waiting to get out. He had so much to share. He told us that
many martial arts in Japan are like 化石 kaseki, or fossils. They are
being preserved but there is no life in them.</p>
<p>Furuta spoke about kata and densho. He said these are like samples of
a dish. You can take a bite of something to taste it, but that is not a
meal. He said that people who only do kata or densho are missing the
meal. This is something I often say to my own students. The Bujinkan is
not just kata or the densho, it is also the kuden and direct
transmissions from teacher to student that are not on any menu.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAk9OOmchCUv6R0wLAeV9z7lCnsPexxzsW0ZGWshfdO94t2RpUB4agpADWq-8_o-ZmvJqk4sZyKo29pA4vUIIb0x1ltZldZI__zFqSos7VXcBFbw7AZjP6xjA0v0KeEridDSca5dZzcWRK2tIrSZ6RFNse0cGu5usCPlUkUBM6kFUghO-rcdP1jw7p/s2000/IMG_E8468FurutaHicho.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="2000" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAk9OOmchCUv6R0wLAeV9z7lCnsPexxzsW0ZGWshfdO94t2RpUB4agpADWq-8_o-ZmvJqk4sZyKo29pA4vUIIb0x1ltZldZI__zFqSos7VXcBFbw7AZjP6xjA0v0KeEridDSca5dZzcWRK2tIrSZ6RFNse0cGu5usCPlUkUBM6kFUghO-rcdP1jw7p/w400-h225/IMG_E8468FurutaHicho.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Furuta Sensei said ここ当たり koko atari</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p>
<p>During training, he had some peculiar angles for evasion. He also
showed various places to strike kyusho as he said ここ当たり koko atari,
meaning “hit here.” I found out later why things looked strange to me.</p>
<p>After training, he took us out to dinner to a local Soba shop. If you
didn’t know, Furuta will be the next Soke of 雲隠流 Kumogakure Ryū. So
over dinner he shared that his recent training used the strategies from
this school. He would hide himself in the space with subtle angling of
his body, just like mountain hiding it’s slopes in the clouds.</p>
<p>Now I realized why all of my classes with him felt different. He had
been expressing ideas from Kumogakure Ryū and I didn’t know it. Based on
this new insight, I had to go back and revise my notes from each
training session with him!</p>
<p>On the flight home from Narita to Los Angeles, I spent some time
reflecting on Hatsumi Sensei’s birthday. The party was great fun for me.
It had been 3 years since I had seen most of my friends here in Japan.
Everyone was happy to let loose a little.</p>
<p>My friend from Senou Sensei’s dojo, Sasa, was entertaining our whole
table. Sayaka, Ueki, and Hirotoshi kept things youthful and I enjoyed
their wonderful smiles and energy. Nakagawa-san dressed up like some
kind of scary geisha with unkempt nose hair and bad jokes.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBiUyMY-DYRDwYXyX7OCAABlklekL7bu1auURRVPKNDSMlJGvl6QaiNYPicEvW3KmU6OysK2bYdwzFdmTgiGKXNd6NGSeRy4HblpiJ3n2mr5mVdNwp8bqTc7yJ2d-1eyFtxKU7LBPdwqfnLzH2eJVQ5nPrZXOgOqKTEbvQVUxLuNNESdG6b1IW2Ofy/s1794/KSAJ4513.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1794" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBiUyMY-DYRDwYXyX7OCAABlklekL7bu1auURRVPKNDSMlJGvl6QaiNYPicEvW3KmU6OysK2bYdwzFdmTgiGKXNd6NGSeRy4HblpiJ3n2mr5mVdNwp8bqTc7yJ2d-1eyFtxKU7LBPdwqfnLzH2eJVQ5nPrZXOgOqKTEbvQVUxLuNNESdG6b1IW2Ofy/s320/KSAJ4513.JPG" width="257" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hatsumi Sensei and Michael Glenn Dec 2022<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p>
<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0yuQduFBzy7SR5HK4GjqOR_L-BUk5UZJUEjAMUe8PAG7IiXHVgMF2_eLvbEjYgSdFlXPrgcw95fWZvvNKqqywUc6qu-32k9PwV29AiT4m76FpVYhZOHGODEbWAxfKEiYQN5DwZar5hrJN2Dmoikxmv8-qzvPfK-NMc8JUYGwXOTR3N55iXLCl7dFw/s1794/GCER1258.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1794" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0yuQduFBzy7SR5HK4GjqOR_L-BUk5UZJUEjAMUe8PAG7IiXHVgMF2_eLvbEjYgSdFlXPrgcw95fWZvvNKqqywUc6qu-32k9PwV29AiT4m76FpVYhZOHGODEbWAxfKEiYQN5DwZar5hrJN2Dmoikxmv8-qzvPfK-NMc8JUYGwXOTR3N55iXLCl7dFw/s320/GCER1258.JPG" width="257" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hatsumi Sensei and Michael Glenn Dec 2022</td></tr></tbody></table> <p></p><p>The restaurant has two levels. Hatsumi Sensei sat downstairs and we
took turns visiting with our birthday gifts to him. I made this trip to
Japan in his honor and I felt lucky I was able to see him.</p><p>I made a video about all of this while I was in Japan that you can watch here: <a href="https://www.rojodojo.com/japan-report-december-2022-part-3/" target="_blank">Japan Report December 2022 Part 3 </a><br /></p>Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03865775775195298235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-4566979228427146652022-12-29T09:40:00.001-08:002022-12-29T09:40:00.171-08:00Is the Bujinkan Honbu Dojo Open?<h1 style="text-align: left;">Who is teaching at the Bujinkan Honbu Dojo?</h1><p style="text-align: left;">The Japan training schedule is irregular and I am following my instincts
rather than any set schedule. Peter Crocoll shared a story about
Hatsumi Sensei using instinct to buy an antique jūmonji yari based on a
feeling.</p><p>Furuta Sensei invited me to his class. He picked us up from the train
station and we went to a high school gymnasium. We warmed up with a bit
of rolling, sanshin, and 骨指基本三法 kosshi kihon sanpō. Then he went into
the kata 乱勝 Ranshō from Takagi Yoshin Ryū. He did a deep dive with many
themes from Hatsumi Sensei.</p>
<p>The next day, I got up early to have coffee with my friend, <a href="https://bujinkansantamonica.blogspot.com/2009/11/chi-haya-buru-japanese-cultural.html">Craig Olson</a>. He told me some funny Nagato Sensei stories. He also told me that Furuta-san would be helping out at the Honbu office today. </p>
<p>This piqued my interest because I had a lot of ranks and paperwork to
be approved and recorded. Many things have changed in the Bujinkan
office, and I had a lot of questions. Craig suggested that it would be
too busy and I should not go. But I risked it, and I was the only one
there.</p>
<p>Niigata-san has done a tremendous job organizing the Honbu office and
the record books. With his and Furuta-san’s help, I was able to get all
of my paperwork submitted properly with all of the correct kanji,
dates, and yen amounts.</p>
<p>While waiting for the ink to dry, I went to lunch at the old Coco’s
in Noda. The restaurant updated with a computerized reservation and
order system. It even had robotic servers to bring the food to your
table.</p>
<p>Then I stopped by the old tabi shop. It was nice to see it still
open. I didn’t know if the elderly couple that ran it would survive the
lack of tourism for 3 years over the pandemic. But the old man was as
helpful and friendly as ever.</p>
<p>My luck continued when Paul Masse invited us to a special class at
the Honbu dojo. He organized this training and got permission a while
ago, not realizing that it was on Soke’s birthday. Paul seemed to think
that was a good omen.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRcEw0hMZY83agP5sLtbi8UHNMEDYrzyiE5TiAPyjhk4Th8YO54gVTwQEXnOs3jBH0_p_yUK_7dDpyBHj7Keo2fwZ-Rhnz-vE-qfzd8eH3A3NoR6uu6BbibAhPyWeKPvKMXWAaf4tZSp1bmz9th_IyV-TteXwVA2ttbazAmSyddStrXMjciF0lFXso/s3425/PaulTellingSouthAfricaStoryHonbuDojo.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1925" data-original-width="3425" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRcEw0hMZY83agP5sLtbi8UHNMEDYrzyiE5TiAPyjhk4Th8YO54gVTwQEXnOs3jBH0_p_yUK_7dDpyBHj7Keo2fwZ-Rhnz-vE-qfzd8eH3A3NoR6uu6BbibAhPyWeKPvKMXWAaf4tZSp1bmz9th_IyV-TteXwVA2ttbazAmSyddStrXMjciF0lFXso/w400-h225/PaulTellingSouthAfricaStoryHonbuDojo.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paul Masse shares a story at Bujinkan Honbu Dojo December 2022<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p>
<p>The dojo has been mostly closed. The Japan training schedule has been
empty. Niigata said that this class was the biggest one held at the
Honbu in a long time. Paul didn’t teach so much as share. We were all
nostalgic and traded Soke tips and tricks with each other. It was a
really good feeling and I am grateful to Paul for organizing this
opportunity.</p>
<p>Paul also invited us to his house to meet with 根岸流 Negishi-ryū Shihan
Kurosawa-san. If you’ve followed my Japan reports from the past, you
know that I’ve studied bo shuriken with Kurosawa before. His methods
really improved my own understanding of shuriken use. <br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_SblqNatBYa5vSNaxN3HA_Y4JqZuDJ_AQANrz0_WoQsgwcOF7o5zyMgn44m68urTYwizMCpII2E12dCDrBOw2HAlme4HafYlckorPhsqfa0qYQHcOltWFZxLbuLSHrdRLjOVZGp0-99csoRtAcvJ8C-GRZJ8v5AQMQlAZVAbib4gWMQVBv5ioP9Fn/s4032/IMG_8257.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_SblqNatBYa5vSNaxN3HA_Y4JqZuDJ_AQANrz0_WoQsgwcOF7o5zyMgn44m68urTYwizMCpII2E12dCDrBOw2HAlme4HafYlckorPhsqfa0qYQHcOltWFZxLbuLSHrdRLjOVZGp0-99csoRtAcvJ8C-GRZJ8v5AQMQlAZVAbib4gWMQVBv5ioP9Fn/s320/IMG_8257.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kurosawa-san shares a variety of weapons<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p>
<p>Paul served some 焼酎 Shōchū with 麦茶 mugicha. Kurosawa-san shared a
variety of hidden weapons and bo shuriken from a few different schools.
He even showed some modern shuriken with a hollow shaft for improved
aerodynamics. He told us that Kan Sensei’s son, 菅 祐寿 Kan Hirotoshi,
helped to design these shuriken.<br /></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNty7Az8xgeklpc7gUWd1FjAXZnjo86pmWasm5IfMhSJTsgz2zB-hLT_tDF6V4t1V6Akv2axcDLn0xYnEcn-j9EqOFwj33tLZHEo4WeMWxVVrHmOkCTS5_Jq8FXr99ngokYEqi5MeR3Cz2Xazra7DdcLUxHrlU9rzYOgiRj7v1pcgnm0Fx7xy_A_bj/s4608/IMG_3070.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="2592" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNty7Az8xgeklpc7gUWd1FjAXZnjo86pmWasm5IfMhSJTsgz2zB-hLT_tDF6V4t1V6Akv2axcDLn0xYnEcn-j9EqOFwj33tLZHEo4WeMWxVVrHmOkCTS5_Jq8FXr99ngokYEqi5MeR3Cz2Xazra7DdcLUxHrlU9rzYOgiRj7v1pcgnm0Fx7xy_A_bj/w225-h400/IMG_3070.JPG" width="225" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">根岸流 Negishi-ryū Shihan Kurosawa-san</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p>
<p>Kurosawa shared 3 different shuriken styles: 直打法 Choku dahō; 反転
hanten; and shutō. He also spoke about 柄飛ばし tsuka tobashi, where your
own sword leaps into your hand during a shuriken throw to deliver a
quick cut. I can’t wait to practice this!</p><p>If you would like to see this Bujinkan training video from Japan follow the link: <a href="https://www.rojodojo.com/japan-report-december-2022-part-2/" target="_blank">Japan Report December 2022 Part 2</a><br /></p>Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03865775775195298235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-21750316188748038022022-12-28T09:39:00.005-08:002022-12-28T10:00:22.083-08:00Bujinkan Training in Japan Update<h1 style="text-align: left;"> Which Dojo's are Open in Japan?</h1><p style="text-align: left;">After three long years, I return for Bujinkan training in Japan. The world is different. Training in Japan is different.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfm4ihf_3r47DFZuh3skfy-b2xAiwDmDBCJPiivUo4_zjmcRCeZRZ5X7gWWuppEcU2cWNUdTnFLKcS5985Rn3DEcNHBNmfGv4BuKrCR8sFAoAoVpGXkBgI2bVpxJo4ZLpR-OecmNxLKTdV5IOZ9vmo6QyzeCTMunDqe4_Jt_4kgFmdq0DnymJYxb9H/s1440/SELZ9291MichaelHonbu.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfm4ihf_3r47DFZuh3skfy-b2xAiwDmDBCJPiivUo4_zjmcRCeZRZ5X7gWWuppEcU2cWNUdTnFLKcS5985Rn3DEcNHBNmfGv4BuKrCR8sFAoAoVpGXkBgI2bVpxJo4ZLpR-OecmNxLKTdV5IOZ9vmo6QyzeCTMunDqe4_Jt_4kgFmdq0DnymJYxb9H/w400-h300/SELZ9291MichaelHonbu.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael Glenn at the Bujinkan Honbu Dojo<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">I share my expectations and my actual experiences. I came here as a scouting trip. I wanted to see what changed and where the Bujinkan is going.</p><p style="text-align: left;">So far I’ve trained in three dojos. Nagase Sensei started my trip with quick, focused taijutsu. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimj1gNxl3wyWqhAVbzLZWFHPpu4m5w4Rd4FDReDMudhYJmSHpI6rPiK7BwTPSOAX03jdrjpJGLBh_H8S_E39fE4xSKzklD50Prj-6P0dJ1loYLWv4p3-vJtzoLhAQjJjKBsMPTjYES8CFOF3EwFSXOE5LuaLgV-mAewkUcjc9mJaMxuHL_-pjP8bW-/s3024/FYQY7210MichaelNagase.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimj1gNxl3wyWqhAVbzLZWFHPpu4m5w4Rd4FDReDMudhYJmSHpI6rPiK7BwTPSOAX03jdrjpJGLBh_H8S_E39fE4xSKzklD50Prj-6P0dJ1loYLWv4p3-vJtzoLhAQjJjKBsMPTjYES8CFOF3EwFSXOE5LuaLgV-mAewkUcjc9mJaMxuHL_-pjP8bW-/s320/FYQY7210MichaelNagase.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nagase Sensei with Michael Glenn November 2022<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />I visited my friend Sakai-san for training in Kasukabe. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd5oZSyEVmqEEJ-OURF6iLxkfn2dqw22gsVuSFan3NPscIWNRzUKSa90tk4AqdTqVAr69tdcXf_dZKEUuiMjMikhsCSb7zYDITdcjAwaXPf2ZjuKvFnwdbFWdetRnr7PoTTp0_bgrpuESLq6Y-YTOgA6cEFmfMfh39N9R-1kHjnL7Cq1RGTm7oqNyR/s1440/EVRN0668SakaiMichael.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1079" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd5oZSyEVmqEEJ-OURF6iLxkfn2dqw22gsVuSFan3NPscIWNRzUKSa90tk4AqdTqVAr69tdcXf_dZKEUuiMjMikhsCSb7zYDITdcjAwaXPf2ZjuKvFnwdbFWdetRnr7PoTTp0_bgrpuESLq6Y-YTOgA6cEFmfMfh39N9R-1kHjnL7Cq1RGTm7oqNyR/s320/EVRN0668SakaiMichael.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael at 酒井一弘 Dojo Novemeber 2022<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />And Furuta Sensei invited me to his dojo.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi068-pUBP_7vOmymc-81cyP2O_BTr9b0en4vYgJqqmFaaB_cdTvOx3FYCqaibcF25frV4bIRcWa_N8hAUoI4GjXtGXMDyMSbJxwVKjjMyll2WvnBVBUUpb8Sv-fPBHiIU4p5gwc_2btuWpoaod_ZW0xxOkVZIOY1QVJdZPPEU1wKOdqL88XjIt4p6C/s1440/FTXQ2552MichaelFuruta.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi068-pUBP_7vOmymc-81cyP2O_BTr9b0en4vYgJqqmFaaB_cdTvOx3FYCqaibcF25frV4bIRcWa_N8hAUoI4GjXtGXMDyMSbJxwVKjjMyll2WvnBVBUUpb8Sv-fPBHiIU4p5gwc_2btuWpoaod_ZW0xxOkVZIOY1QVJdZPPEU1wKOdqL88XjIt4p6C/s320/FTXQ2552MichaelFuruta.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Furuta Sensei and Michael Glenn November 2022<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">Luckily, I found more training than I anticipated. And I’m having a great time. I’m encouraged for the future. And this is only part one of my Bujinkan training in Japan report.</p><p style="text-align: left;">You can watch the video about my training in Japan here: <a href="https://www.rojodojo.com/bujinkan-training-in-japan-november-2022/" target="_blank">Bujinkan Training in Japan November 2022</a><br /></p>Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03865775775195298235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-77495671576062700772022-10-21T11:38:00.013-07:002022-10-21T13:11:06.220-07:00How Do I Prepare for a Bujinkan Class?<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3w5q1ZcEC5EUbgX-aEgv93J5UIeZq0cSrQVYLFIo2aX64GiGcyuiddQoCWNcH8f-p_r_KBjQVXxQ4rJ1x6Euzr6-EgkTbFu10-uEmnDCdsPjd8csfkX88bRtyK08v70JLf41EJm4UEXSh3l3_Y5bOBYUxDhXFxSovsLG952C06AqNTR25zG7nV66d/s1920/MichaelGlennLeandroErlichTheClassroom.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Leandro Erlich's "The Classroom" at 森美術館, photo by Michael Glenn" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3w5q1ZcEC5EUbgX-aEgv93J5UIeZq0cSrQVYLFIo2aX64GiGcyuiddQoCWNcH8f-p_r_KBjQVXxQ4rJ1x6Euzr6-EgkTbFu10-uEmnDCdsPjd8csfkX88bRtyK08v70JLf41EJm4UEXSh3l3_Y5bOBYUxDhXFxSovsLG952C06AqNTR25zG7nV66d/w640-h360/MichaelGlennLeandroErlichTheClassroom.jpg" title="Leandro Erlich's "The Classroom" at 森美術館, photo by Michael Glenn" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael in Leandro Erlich's "The Classroom" at 森美術館, photo Michael Glenn <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />I probably prepare more than most Bujinkan teachers. In fact, I spend 1-2 hours before every training session setting my lesson plan. But when Hatsumi Sensei made me a Daishihan, my prep changed.<p></p><p>I had 5 steps before there were two big changes. Step one was easy for me, but step seven I didn’t even know about until recently. Let’s talk about the easy change first. </p><h1 style="text-align: left;">One: It starts with a Bujinkan theme</h1><p style="text-align: left;">As you know, Soke used to set yearly themes for the whole Bujinkan to follow. This made it easy to decide what to study every class. For example, If the theme was Gyokko Ryū, we could study the techniques and strategies from that school.</p><p style="text-align: left;">But one Fall night in 2017 I showed up to the Bujinkan Honbu Dojo in Japan and change was in the air. Hatsumi Sensei’s wife was ill and Soke had made the difficult choice to move her into a care facility. He sat in front of the Kamidana and said a private prayer at his family shrine.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Then he began class talking about change. He told us,</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><blockquote>We have lots of Daishihan around the world now. Being able to change is the way of living. Our Tradition continues because it changes. It’s the same feeling as mutōdori. People change as they get older. Now is the time for the Daishihan to take the Bujinkan into the future.</blockquote><p>Little did I know I would feel that weight of taking the Bujinkan into the future in less than an hour.</p><p>It happened right after the break. Hatsumi Sensei sat on the floor as they cleared away his ink and brushes. Then he looked at some of the Daishihan and said, please nominate anyone you think is worthy to be a Daishihan. Two of them immediately pointed at me. </p><p>I was relaxing on the mat behind Soke, so he turned quickly to see who they were pointing at. His face lit up when he saw me and said, “Ok!” I think he noticed my shocked expression because he smiled and quickly called Furuta-San over to talk to me.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXG96wEm_NcP6TqgOb7OmjbIIiGOICq4oSzsKdVEedcLyl9kG8o2zgTVrme3nYgo8leIR62XUQBvWC_SnMXNAYtmZTFBEOYlXBhMv5UMQs0sTpICRLh2fxXhK5LU3U1Uwdcn46ZlFN8pTM5Y9eDwxAV90brzy4nDIO3MSgdqGQmhqD3KF3Zed6ivIN/s1453/SokeSenouMichaelDaishihan.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Hatsumi Sensei Awards Bujinkan Daishihan to Michale Glenn" border="0" data-original-height="1005" data-original-width="1453" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXG96wEm_NcP6TqgOb7OmjbIIiGOICq4oSzsKdVEedcLyl9kG8o2zgTVrme3nYgo8leIR62XUQBvWC_SnMXNAYtmZTFBEOYlXBhMv5UMQs0sTpICRLh2fxXhK5LU3U1Uwdcn46ZlFN8pTM5Y9eDwxAV90brzy4nDIO3MSgdqGQmhqD3KF3Zed6ivIN/w400-h276/SokeSenouMichaelDaishihan.JPG" title="Hatsumi Sensei Awards Bujinkan Daishihan to Michale Glenn" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Senou Sensei reads Michael Glenn's Daishihan certificate. photo Peter Crocoll<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p>In the following class on Sunday Hatsumi Sensei made the formal announcement and presented me with the certificate in front of the whole dojo. I bowed and then Soke said to everyone,</p><p></p><blockquote>There is a time for these things and when the time is right they should be given.</blockquote><p>He continued,</p><p></p><blockquote>Next year is the start of a new Bujinkan. I started Togakure Ryū with Takamatsu Sensei in Showa 33 (1958). But I hadn’t been training long. But Takamatsu gave it to me to grow into it. Please think about these Daishihan not as coming from me, but from Kamisama. To make a community of great people. </blockquote><p>The rest of my trip was filled with thoughts of what did it all mean? One thing it meant when I got back home was that I still had to teach my classes. But Hatsumi Sensei was no longer setting clear themes for us to follow.</p><p>I decided it was my responsibility to set themes for my dojo. So far, this has been easy for me. I basically decide what subject I'd like to do a deep dive on and set the theme accordingly. My current theme is Juppō Sesshō and we are using a variety of weapons to explore this.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Two: Bujinkan students are the focus</h2><p style="text-align: left;">When preparing to teach a Bujinkan class I must consider what my students need. I anticipate which students will be there that day and what I think will help them the most. Some are beginners, some are advanced and they all need different things from me.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Three: Review the Bujinkan 伝承 Denshō</h2><p style="text-align: left;">Knowing the theme enables the next step where I review the 伝承 Denshō. I do this to get as close to the original forms and traditions as they were passed down to Hatsumi Sensei. This step is tricky, because translations and copies of the kata are not always accurate.</p><p style="text-align: left;">I use several trusted sources and compare and contrast them to get as close as I can to the “proper” form. I use multiple translations because each one has a different flavor depending on the pedigree of the translator. Then, I even do my own translation to confirm. This takes a long time.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Four: Hatsumi Sensei's Books</h2><p style="text-align: left;">Next, I consult Hatsumi Sensei’s books. In a recent class about the use of jūji sabaki and the jūtte, I have 3 different books with 3 different approaches to the same kata. I compare them with the Denshō to try to get as close as possible to a “kihon” version of the kata.</p><p style="text-align: left;">In each book, the version of the kata that is shown will differ depending on the era the book was written. Or maybe Hatsumi Sensei had a specific focus for that book. I bring that all together with the next step.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Five: Hatsumi Sensei's Videos</h2><p style="text-align: left;">After I get the steps down in my class notes, I watch Hatsumi Sensei’s videos. We are lucky that Soke has made a lot of videos. Over the years, I have made notes about where a kata appears in a video so I can fast forward to the exact moment it was shared. Again, the same kata will be presented differently depending on the era and the focus on the day the video was made.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Six: My Personal Bujinkan Training Notes</h2><p style="text-align: left;">From here, I reflect on my own personal experience and training notes. In normal years, I would make 3 trips to Japan every year. This worked out to about 6 weeks of training with roughly 2-3 classes every day.</p><p style="text-align: left;">This means that there is a good chance I studied any particular kata with Soke or the Japanese Shihan in Japan. I made many detailed notebooks from these studies. Reviewing these notes will trigger a specific memory or insight that will change how I teach the class.</p><h1 style="text-align: left;">An idea of 以心伝心 Ishin Denshin</h1><p style="text-align: left;">The final step is one that I only recently realized was an essential part of how I prepare for class. This is the idea of 以心伝心 ishin denshin, a direct heart to heart communication between teacher and student. I received this from Hatsumi Sensei.</p><p style="text-align: left;">And I feel like I just woke up to my responsibility as a Daishihan when I discovered this next step.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Seven: What would Soke do?</h2><p style="text-align: left;">What is the best way for me to convey Soke’s feeling to my students? This is the final step of my preparation for Bujinkan training. When he awarded me the Daishihan certificate he said,</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><blockquote>This year is the 50th anniversary of the creation of the Bujinkan dojo. During this time, there were a lot of people out there who don’t understand what real budo is. And teaching without knowing real budo. Recently, I have been teaching mutōdori and this is 上層部 Jōsō-bu, the highest echelon or essence of budo. Some people understand it and some don’t, but it’s very important.</blockquote>Who can say they understand Hatsumi Sensei's movement? I don't make any claims. But what I can do is try to share the feeling I got from him. <p></p><p style="text-align: left;">Like the time I tried to grab him and he disappeared. Or the time when he struck me with one finger, moving a bone behind my larynx and I was hoarse for a week. He thought that was quite amusing... Or another time when he threw me on the mats in Ayase and I blacked out. I came to with his face over mine, laughing again.</p><p style="text-align: left;">He gave me a feeling too when he made me a Daishihan. He told us,</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><blockquote>It’s important to transmit these things by word of mouth and in person. The Daishihan can teach people how to live around the world. The gokui of mutōdori is really nothingness and very pure. I feel fortunate that I could teach people up to Daishihan level and they can now take over.<br /><br />This is the future of the Bujinkan right in this room. </blockquote><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">I didn't know it that day, but his words still guide me many times a week as I go through these steps to prepare for class. I made a video about all of these steps called <a href="https://www.rojodojo.com/bujinkan-kuden-how-i-prepare-for-class-with-the-jutte/" target="_blank">Bujinkan Kuden: How I Prepare for Class with the 十手 Jutte</a> if your curiosity drives you to dive deeper.<br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h2><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <br /></p><br /><p></p><br /><p></p><br /><br /><p></p>Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03865775775195298235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-19274435468032386932022-08-05T11:46:00.001-07:002022-08-05T12:06:45.641-07:00Training From Inside a Bujinkan Dojo Membership Program<h2 style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7EVMWF41D_HsJDlFhuqzP3I6GknBpRcx0P35XJkNaYLqv9IOEhg-R4SyqDdXr35dmUBR68mQmnWsKn9PAusajtRkxPSAUf4ypySgwnQ6b_Rl6om4iSmFqjoNLOao48FfIMcMJytcJ_kpLVA5btEz7pTkhcKG09uUp_y718OzpJQ8T410EYAVYZ_TH/s1152/SokeMichael2014NovemberSM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="586" data-original-width="1152" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7EVMWF41D_HsJDlFhuqzP3I6GknBpRcx0P35XJkNaYLqv9IOEhg-R4SyqDdXr35dmUBR68mQmnWsKn9PAusajtRkxPSAUf4ypySgwnQ6b_Rl6om4iSmFqjoNLOao48FfIMcMJytcJ_kpLVA5btEz7pTkhcKG09uUp_y718OzpJQ8T410EYAVYZ_TH/w640-h326/SokeMichael2014NovemberSM.png" width="640" /></a></div>What can you learn from the Rojodojo membership program?<br /></h2><h3 style="text-align: left;">or, Why start an online membership?</h3><p style="text-align: left;">I have been training all of my life. Started in 1985. Around that same time, I also got into film and video production. So when I began teaching Bujinkan and started my own dojo, It seemed like a natural thing to make training videos.<br /><br />I assumed I would put them out as DVDs. I even made some with chapters, extras (remember those?) and gave them out. But, this was the era of Netflix and streaming video. Many people were abandoning DVDs and VHS was already a dinosaur.<br /><br />Then my next thought was how can I stream these training videos? I put a few on youtube, a few on amazon, and I quickly realized it was a full time job. Between the teaching of classes, the video production, post production, streaming setup… And the equipment wasn’t free either. <br /><br />I knew I had a few friends from my mailing list and from social media who might be interested. So I set up the streaming on my new website Rojodojo.com and I began to tell everyone about it:</p><p style="text-align: left;">Here was the #1 post <a href="https://bujinkansantamonica.blogspot.com/2013/01/introducing-rojodojo-and-goho-video.html" target="_blank">Introducing Rojodojo</a></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">What were the Initial Results?</h3><p style="text-align: left;">I was very nervous about the launch. I am not a natural salesperson. I just love to train, and to share that. But I felt weird charging for it. Even though my students pay me for my classes, and I pay my own teachers for their classes. I was not good about asking for money.<br /><br />So Rojodojo started out kind of weak. I only got a few signups. Not even enough to cover the web hosting bill.<br /><br />I even received a bunch of blow back from my current followers. People unsubscribed or unfollowed me. Some even wrote me to complain that who did I think I was to charge for videos?<br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Should I quit? Or Double Down?</h3><p style="text-align: left;">I decided to focus on the trailblazers who did sign up. Instead of <a href="https://kk.org/thetechnium/1000-true-fans/" target="_blank">1,000 true fans</a>, maybe I had 10… But I was so thankful.<br /><br />I immediately wrote some amateur Japanese calligraphy to mail to them. And then I got to work. Training, writing, and making videos.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8cTlvVqHP5lTokg5dgMboX3lG6LF9_RGMADWLN8sZkxKgGOx0gMWH3mVNdTkJeFA0cuP_tHpOPgRdjkoGiNsC9sIZd050vgFHiEcYrTB_kA6AVyMV3jkNy27QWzHe617c0gTr7DxTOhukauhDq7751L4AvRM1pD0dYk5r-YZuZwONXr_CkbQ35EfV/s1599/CalligraphyTestimonial.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1359" data-original-width="1599" height="544" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8cTlvVqHP5lTokg5dgMboX3lG6LF9_RGMADWLN8sZkxKgGOx0gMWH3mVNdTkJeFA0cuP_tHpOPgRdjkoGiNsC9sIZd050vgFHiEcYrTB_kA6AVyMV3jkNy27QWzHe617c0gTr7DxTOhukauhDq7751L4AvRM1pD0dYk5r-YZuZwONXr_CkbQ35EfV/w640-h544/CalligraphyTestimonial.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>Then, every month, more people came on board. And they kept their memberships going month after month. That means if I get 2 people in one month paying $30 each, and 3 people sign up the next month, now I have $150 every month.</p><p>It's not a lot, but <i>it arrives every month</i>... like rocket fuel to share and teach everything I have learned about the Bujinkan during my 35+ years of training.</p><p>I was surprised at how we grew. New members continued to join even though I am terrible about offering memberships to people. Did I mention I was a bad salesperson? </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimS6O26HKkmamN8xIf2RaWPPp675tG-bHJ8ca49JzAFatjjAZs0NFy1u3RcZxnKFFSB7uL91mOz4Ug-uvb_v2b1UKS3B_zURHLF2Hj6mhul4Zysy6wOFW6X6GAPKLzeK3yYHjM2wovx4a3hoN2uVh0xO9gEXtW-fhkk_39OdYZLi2082VIX0bOwHFy/s1997/MembershipGrowthChart.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="1997" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimS6O26HKkmamN8xIf2RaWPPp675tG-bHJ8ca49JzAFatjjAZs0NFy1u3RcZxnKFFSB7uL91mOz4Ug-uvb_v2b1UKS3B_zURHLF2Hj6mhul4Zysy6wOFW6X6GAPKLzeK3yYHjM2wovx4a3hoN2uVh0xO9gEXtW-fhkk_39OdYZLi2082VIX0bOwHFy/w640-h184/MembershipGrowthChart.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>You can see the growth has been up and down, but steady. I removed the Y-axis numbers because of my tendency towards privacy. That way no one will criticize the amount of support.</p><p>A few years into this I wonder why I ever doubted myself. Because a few things became real:</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Memberships give me permission to do things I wouldn’t otherwise do on my own<br /></h3><p style="text-align: left;">Membership allows me to run experiments and explore. I can focus on very small details like the meaning one of our Kuji, <a href="https://www.rojodojo.com/bujinkan-kuden-myoken-and-tsukigamae/">Bujinkan Kuden: 妙剣 Myōken and 突き構え Tsukigamae</a> Which is a fringe topic that only hard-core Bujinkan students would care about.<br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">Or, I can run multi-part series like the 12 episodes of <a href="https://www.rojodojo.com/?s=Gikan" target="_blank">義鑑流 Gikan-Ryū as taught by Noguchi Sensei</a>. This project was very membership driven. It would never have happened without members supporting it.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Now people from everywhere in the world can study with me. Video classes reach many more students than I ever could in my home dojo. My own students even get recognized whenever they go to Japan or attend seminars (they are the real stars of my videos).</p><p style="text-align: left;">When the pandemic happened and our dojo had to close for a year and a half (California wasn’t playing), I was lucky that my members stayed on. They supported me even when I only made improvised videos and explored odd topics for solo training. <br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">My current pledge for members of Rojodojo</h3><p style="text-align: left;">I create for the whole Bujinkan community. My goal for Rojodojo is a continuous and rigorous production of training projects. Because I want to share the martial art I love so much.<br /><br />Some may not want my approach, or some may be too busy building their own empires to learn from me. But there are many strong students and teachers who have the curiosity and drive to learn.</p><p style="text-align: left;">I will share for them. In every way possible. For the true Ninjas.<br /><br />If you want in, then join us: <a href="https://www.rojodojo.com/">Rojodojo Invitation</a><br /><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03865775775195298235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-77596515883921223552022-07-28T15:34:00.001-07:002022-07-28T15:34:26.943-07:00How to Practice the Fake Kick of 指拍 Shihaku<p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgV1UpopfZ_IRz-KF8ahKpsBm1Y5INrtU6KvbEFliOY_GCZV1DmHUI3ksxFs59uSwCAUiz0nge5t9hlnlcdC9ef84RExIHwJXUpWKKXi69IhzUmaSr5DP0kauPCRGK3NPaH3DgS6XGATVCvY1QKh4Le_ZcGcuDzlLH_kVvxKfWIGjmwPJPItIZ5b9g/s1920/Fake%20Kick%20Shihaku.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="How to Practice the Fake Kick of 指拍 Shihaku" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgV1UpopfZ_IRz-KF8ahKpsBm1Y5INrtU6KvbEFliOY_GCZV1DmHUI3ksxFs59uSwCAUiz0nge5t9hlnlcdC9ef84RExIHwJXUpWKKXi69IhzUmaSr5DP0kauPCRGK3NPaH3DgS6XGATVCvY1QKh4Le_ZcGcuDzlLH_kVvxKfWIGjmwPJPItIZ5b9g/w640-h360/Fake%20Kick%20Shihaku.jpg" title="How to Practice the Fake Kick of 指拍 Shihaku" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Real or fake kick?<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>The other night in my dojo we were practicing fake kicks during the kata 指拍 Shihaku. It is a challenge to practice a fake kick. Here I will give you a method to make your fakes seem real.</p><p>How do you trick someone into believing something that isn’t real? You act as if it is real. Or even better, make it real.</p><p>This is how I often explain kyojitsu to my students. 虚 kyo means fake, and 実 jitsu means reality. For kyojitsu to work it has to be both real and fake at the same time.</p><p>Shihaku has a kick that is kyojitsu. But remember kyojitsu only works if it can be either 虚 kyo or 実 jitsu. Too many people only practice the kyo part of kyojitsu. </p><p>Their fake fails because no one would fall for it. So it must be real. Just not necessarily delivered.</p><p>This means that if the opponent doesn’t react to your fake, then make it real. And you kick him hard! If he’s not buying what you’re selling, then kick his ass with it.</p><p>So when does does the fake become real? Where does that change occur? Hatsumi Sensei demonstrated this on me when he called it <a href="http://bujinkansantamonica.blogspot.com/2017/12/kyojitsu-himaku-barrier-between-truth.html" target="_blank">虚実皮膜 kyojitsu himaku</a>. </p><p>The way I learned this kick from Hatsumi Sensei was quite interesting. He took it to that in between place of kyojitsu by making the kick 探り saguri geri. Here The kick becomes more of a searching, feeling out, or testing the waters.</p><p>But Soke is really probing the opponent’s state of mind. Will he fall for it? Think of a calm mind like the surface of a quiet lake. Then look for the ripples caused by your (fake) kick.</p><p>It is like dipping your toe into a pool to see if the water is cold. Is that a kick? The water surface may be broken and disturbed. Our opponent's kamae is also broken and disturbed this way by saguri geri.</p><p>I love this in practice because I can often make my opponents fall over without even hitting them. It is because I am striking their mind and spirit. If that fails for some reason, I have the backup of a real kick to the balls and a punch to the gut. I am happy with either outcome!</p><p>If you want more of these training tips from me, then please join my newsletter here: <a href="https://mailchi.mp/fb54c513aa9e/blogspot" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Rojodojo</a><br /></p>Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03865775775195298235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-45243559618990335942022-01-20T09:56:00.000-08:002022-01-20T09:56:23.046-08:003 Tips for 大外掛 Ōsoto Gake You Should Start Using Now<p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjf2I00CafjKjAf0g8Mqffi9j-YLxDZa3b0nee8Ivq-YTRLAjy9ZP6FaiWjhOGhUxK4tU1WoOb5LMWVeYXYCn_Ir-esaqK5Du1lJo4V502QoudUMs12hXoiCb7jB1iOf1HQSWGRial7y-SrKFqTn_fzmUrl5e4gM2c4hb4ZzBBLIWE9PneauuCUXpRs=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="3 Tips for 大外掛 Ōsoto Gake You Should Start Using Now" border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjf2I00CafjKjAf0g8Mqffi9j-YLxDZa3b0nee8Ivq-YTRLAjy9ZP6FaiWjhOGhUxK4tU1WoOb5LMWVeYXYCn_Ir-esaqK5Du1lJo4V502QoudUMs12hXoiCb7jB1iOf1HQSWGRial7y-SrKFqTn_fzmUrl5e4gM2c4hb4ZzBBLIWE9PneauuCUXpRs=w400-h300" title="3 Tips for 大外掛 Ōsoto Gake You Should Start Using Now" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bujinkan Honbu Masks, photo from same day by Michael Glenn<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Tonight in my class we studied 夢落 yume otoshi. The last time I did this in Japan, Hatsumi Sensei gave us some insights that I want to share with you. He began by telling us 空間で嚮導 Kūkan de kyōdō, or lead the opponent in the kukan.<br /><br />That was when I should have changed into a new gi. Because it was like a new life for an old ninja. I had a breakthrough for my understanding of taijutsu. But my day leading up to that experience gave no warning it would be special.<br /><br />I trained for about 6 weeks in Japan every year. So not every day could be amazing. This particular Friday was cold, wet, and boring. I had only errands to keep me entertained before <a href="https://www.rojodojo.com/bujinkan-japan-report-fall-2019/" target="_blank">Hatsumi Sensei’s class</a>. <br /><br />Even my lunch was uninspired. I hunkered down at the low budget family restaurant, Saizeriya in Nagareyama. I only wanted to get out of the cold rain for a bit and work on my training notes in a quiet booth. <br /><br />Christmas music was already playing, but the holiday decor was only half done. There was a lone Christmas tree surrounded by traffic cones for some arcane reason known only to the カラーコーン fairies. I watched a broken, discarded umbrella blow across the plaza and crash into the soggy tree.<br /><br />Lucky for me Soke had changed the start time of his classes to 6pm. His 米寿 beiju (88th birthday) was in a couple of weeks. And preparations were underway for his party.<br /><br />It took almost his entire class to clear my head. I was training with an XXL guy from Finland and he didn’t allow any technique to be done easy. I was beginning to feel like that broken umbrella at the train station. <br /><br />Then, Hatsumi Sensei showed how to do the 大外掛 Ōsoto gake from yume otoshi. It was only a couple of minutes until the end of training. But he made some wonderful points:<br /></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>First, he said our foot placement was too wide. We should only allow enough space for the knee to come through. </li><li>Second, Get the 姿勢 shisei, or posture right by expanding the chest and keeping the head up. </li><li>And Third,「頭の向きは投げる方向」Where you look is where you will throw. But the ura side of this is getting the opponent to look in a direction so he throws himself!<br /></li></ul><p>Then Soke told us,</p><p></p><blockquote>空間で嚮導 Kūkan de kyōdō, lead the opponent in the kukan. You must study something beyond waza, beyond technique. Transcend waza. Without avoiding you move like this. Step slowly, then hold it like this. Let’s try that… that will be the end.</blockquote>Now here I am two years later sharing these same tips with my students. I do my best to remember the feeling from Soke that night. I would like to take them in a time machine so we could all eat lunch at the Saizeriya and go to Hatsumi Sensei’s class together. But time travel is only in my head training with my memories.<p></p>Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03865775775195298235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-49110709346567604152022-01-05T09:06:00.001-08:002022-01-05T11:04:50.198-08:00Our 初稽古 Hatsugeiko: First Bujinkan Training for 2022<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDDCsLdnrpdUHZC4BZtTiUbkYRUWkZA2-CF_xoNRpR84hWeLE-VHeqp_Z41NW0eTyu9ymw7vky_bPCARIxKfUtUyWanMXV-P1OV1_lott9W68p_BVnk_-C4TpSYQkxIFer7jcYnhE8eSw/s1600/OtakiageGojotenJinja.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDDCsLdnrpdUHZC4BZtTiUbkYRUWkZA2-CF_xoNRpR84hWeLE-VHeqp_Z41NW0eTyu9ymw7vky_bPCARIxKfUtUyWanMXV-P1OV1_lott9W68p_BVnk_-C4TpSYQkxIFer7jcYnhE8eSw/w400-h300/OtakiageGojotenJinja.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">五條天神社で、お焚き上げ otakiage preparations at Gojoten jinja. photo Michael Glenn</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Happy new year! This year makes more than 35 years in the Bujinkan for me. I am humbled by the many gifts training has given me during all these years. But I still feel excited for what the future holds. </p><p>Our 初稽古 Hatsugeiko, or the first training of the new year, was a bit different this year. For one, we actually trained on January 1, 2022. This is a holiday for most people, but many of us choose the dojo for holidays anyway! I know many of you have used your vacation time to train in Japan. </p><p>And second, I have reached that point in life where many important teachers and students that I trained with are no longer training at all. Some have died, some have quit training. Either way, I made my hatsugeiko in their honor. </p><p>For our first training of the year, I put a strong focus on kihon. It was cold, so I didn’t have to convince anyone to warm up. We all trained hard and got sweaty. </p><p>We warmed up with ukemi and taihenjutsu including: 前方廻転 zenpō kaiten; 後方廻転 kōhō kaiten; 側方廻転 sokuhō kaiten; 前方蛙廻転 zenpō kaeru kaiten; 後方蛙廻転 kōhō kaeru kaiten; 横転 ōten; and 無手横転 mute ōten. Then we did 初心五型 shoshin gokei, 基本八法 Kihon Happō and even found time for bōjutsu basics. </p><p>The first training of the new year sets the tone for the rest of the year. It is important to approach it with sincerity and a focus that will bring you the results that you want from your training. As I told my students, I am not teaching you. I can show you things and act as an example of where you can go. But in the dojo and in life you are all teaching yourselves. </p><p>Next, we continued our study of 投型 nage kata from last year with 逆投 Gyaku Nage. I worked off of my notes from my studies with Oguri Sensei in Japan. We must keep his taijutsu and training spirit alive even in 2022!
I spent some time demonstrating important details for using a makikomi in this waza. Hatsumi Sensei gave us this advice,
</p><blockquote>Everyone moves with their head, but you have to move with your center here. 伸ばす nobasu, stretch him out then enter from the side.</blockquote><p>
It is interesting to move with your own center this way. Not ducking under. Not lifting the opponent’s arm. But changing your center to shape the kukan.</p><p>For me, Bujinkan training is a central part of my entire life. Maybe it is for you too. Maybe we can move with our center into the new year. This is a way to shape the future from a strong foundation.</p>Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03865775775195298235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-53817333763730143022021-08-11T15:38:00.005-07:002021-08-11T15:40:17.405-07:00空打ち Karauchi: Striking Emptiness<p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-H33nyiCCN0Cz7WGhi2Jq2V2EgvkSabnbUE3TyBSUS8N6HhhulJvHYq1pCtKQWcyrEqQsS2J9defvlVVqrOo1-ifYc0O3oLmPvJbUmcKJe2D6QZHEr6iaGANZWDf2zEZBA6gZVUFutiw/s1920/HichoShako2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-H33nyiCCN0Cz7WGhi2Jq2V2EgvkSabnbUE3TyBSUS8N6HhhulJvHYq1pCtKQWcyrEqQsS2J9defvlVVqrOo1-ifYc0O3oLmPvJbUmcKJe2D6QZHEr6iaGANZWDf2zEZBA6gZVUFutiw/w400-h225/HichoShako2.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael Glenn Strikes Emptiness<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Last night in my class one student said, “This is pretty basic.” I did a double take and said, “Really? You think so?” I told him that the kata was more advanced than it appeared.</p><p>We were studying 一文字 Ichimonji. This is a 無刀捕 mutōdori kata from 高木揚心流 Takagi Yoshin Ryū. And it does look simple. But mutōdori has so many levels.</p><p>One morning when Hatsumi Sensei taught this kata he said, </p><p></p><blockquote>You make him cut the air. This is mutōdori, like he’s practicing by himself and striking emptiness.</blockquote><p></p><p>The question I posed to my students last night was, “How?” How do you get your opponent, ostensibly a competent swordsman, to just cut the air and miss you completely?</p><p>As an answer, I gave them three insights into advanced mutōdori that I received from Soke. If you are interested, I share these kind of tips for anyone who joins my mailing list, which you can do here: <a href="https://eepurl.com/d0w_r">eepurl.com/d0w_r</a></p><p>First, give the enemy what he wants. He is seeking violence and destruction. Let him have it.</p><p>Offer him a target. If you try to evade, then you always take away the target. He will then try to reacquire a target. But it may not be one that you are prepared to defend. Give him what he wants, then let him strike emptiness.</p><p>In another class I had with Hatsumi Sensei, he did a mutōdori against Oguri Sensei. Soke asked Oguri to describe the feeling. He said he couldn’t get any clear focus on the target for his cut. He said he felt his own kamae collapse.</p><p>In response, Hatsumi Sensei said that this is not the movement of sport martial arts. It is a level above that. For Ninjutsu, Soke told us that techniques become “透明 tōmei,” or transparent.</p><p>Transparent technique means you have something that cannot be seen or countered. I suggested that my students not plan or decide on a technique before executing it. If you don’t know what technique you will do, your opponent cannot know either. It is difficult for your opponent to counter a technique that doesn’t yet exist.</p><p>He will strike blindly at emptiness... At transparency... At a Ninja who cannot be seen.</p><p>I finished our class with a third suggestion for mutōdori. It is related to 扞技扼 kangiyaku, a kiai which can be verbalized or expressed silently. This kiai calls the opponent to cut.</p><p>Hatsumi Sensei did it while holding a kodachi. His opponent tried to cut, but then he collapsed. Soke didn’t even need to hit him. He said,</p><p></p><blockquote>Give the opponent the feeling to cut. Draw him in. Then your movement will disappear. Disappear from the opponent's perception.</blockquote><p></p><p>We make him cut emptiness. </p><p>When we finished class, the student who thought the kata looked simple now had a big smile. I could see that he was inspired by these ideas that I shared from my own experience with Hatsumi Sensei. I hope he can carry this forward in his own training and share it with future generations.</p>Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03865775775195298235noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-87568319816645721912020-03-11T14:03:00.002-07:002020-03-11T14:03:27.889-07:00What Did Hatsumi Sensei Say Four Times in the First Four Minutes of Training?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCs6jnMC_KqPZv4PedbUHoKEElg7OsFopSBixPO3tFO_jNZpNm4DqB7jXKVBFc3cb1aRKgVwMcAQSai37aV_22rJnUotqZ8h-A-rr0THOFOS75R7JyS3ybQdibwR4P5-d1h-dXSLGgdAo/s1600/Banninzuka.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCs6jnMC_KqPZv4PedbUHoKEElg7OsFopSBixPO3tFO_jNZpNm4DqB7jXKVBFc3cb1aRKgVwMcAQSai37aV_22rJnUotqZ8h-A-rr0THOFOS75R7JyS3ybQdibwR4P5-d1h-dXSLGgdAo/s400/Banninzuka.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">聖観世音菩薩立像 on top of<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span lang="ja" title="Japanese language text"></span></span> 万人塚 Banninzuka. photo Michael Glenn</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In December, during a Friday night class at the Bujinkan Honbu Dojo, Hatsumi Sensei repeated a word four times in the first four minutes of class. In fact, he said it both as a statement and a question as if we just didn’t get it. ゆっくりかな。 Yukkuri, kana? <br /><br />First, he had Nagase Sensei stab at him and he said,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
We’re not studying the form, we’re studying muto dori. ゆっくり。 (Yukkuri)</blockquote>
ゆっくり Yukkuri got translated as, “Go slowly or take your time.” But those words in English don’t capture the full idea. <br /><br />A moment later Soke repeated, <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The feeling is very important. ゆっくり。(Yukkuri). You can create this lock here on the elbow. Take the knife. It has to be connected like this. This kind of feeling is important. ゆっくりと。(Yukkuri to)</blockquote>
My training partner stabbed at me and I tried to use the feeling that Soke had just shared. But I saw Soke glance at me and he interrupted the entire class again to demonstrate,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
This feeling. ゆっくりかな。</blockquote>
This was said like a question, "Yukkuri, kana?"<br /><br />Well, I did wonder. The translation was to go slowly. But in the first four minutes of class Soke had used three or four different ukes and did several henka, all while stressing the importance of yukkuri. Not very slow at all.<br /><br />Up until that moment, I had a slow day. I visited a memorial for the 明暦の大火 Meireki no taika, also known as the Furisode fire. Which was rumored to start from the burning of a teenager's cursed kimono.<br />
<br />Here I said a prayer at the 万人塚 Banninzuka. This mound of a million souls was set up by the Shogun to bury the many nameless victims of that great fire that killed more than 100,000 people. The gravesite is still a burial place for anyone who has no relatives to look after their funeral.<br /><br />On the way to the dojo, I bought a coffee at the konbini in the train station. The store clerk was a middle aged man wearing a Santa hat. He asked if I needed a bag. I replied, シールでいいです。 He made a goofy smile as he stuck a piece of tape on the can.<br /><br />Japanese is full of little phrases that have different meanings in context. Yukkuri is one that you will hear often in Hatsumi Sensei’s class. It can mean to move slowly. But a more subtle meaning is to move at your own pace, in a relaxed way.<br /><br />You don’t want your opponent to set the tempo of the fight. One time Soke told us,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
You don't have to move fast. Slowly, slowly… like a snake that is hunting its prey. You wrap him up with your own body.</blockquote>
And another time Tezuka-san stabbed and Soke faded back. He said,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Yukkuri. Keep it connected. With this feeling, you become almost like a (妖怪 youkai) spirit or a monster.</blockquote>
When you are able to move at your on pace, in this leisurely way, you draw power from all around. Hatsumi Sensei said that we Daishihan are always taking the <a href="https://bujinkansantamonica.blogspot.com/2015/03/in-bujinkan-ninpo-we-live-or-die-with-ku.html" target="_blank">Godan test</a>. We must have this connection of the air and of the wind, a connection of the kukan. It is the same idea whether giving or taking the Godan test, where a kind of Divine connection is important.<br /><br />That is where the power comes from.<br /><br />Next to the 万人塚 Banninzuka where I said my prayer earlier in the day, there is another mound. It is called 力塚 Chikarazuka, a power mound. It was built as a memorial to past Sumo wrestlers. Now the young ones pray there to draw upon the power of their elders.<br /><br />I didn’t pray there, because I draw power from Soke and my teachers at the Honbu dojo. We are lucky to have this living art that is not buried in mounds and monuments. I will continue to train Yukkuri, at ease and with my own pace.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03865775775195298235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-61214234371275926172020-01-24T09:30:00.002-08:002020-01-24T09:34:28.172-08:00Noguchi Sensei Surprised Us With Gikan Ryu<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHpV-HV14v9hCZg9oAafkVcz2mIS-tGJSmoQ9nYl91CBKThkIKVr2Kg5-15J_mKrTV1n8R7a68FEm-n0HlcUQaewz3aQZZuIdj5mgJV48bM1is8CaWkXsnkFIwehHvCWEW4OCQWi9OKkQ/s1600/NoguchiKudenStill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHpV-HV14v9hCZg9oAafkVcz2mIS-tGJSmoQ9nYl91CBKThkIKVr2Kg5-15J_mKrTV1n8R7a68FEm-n0HlcUQaewz3aQZZuIdj5mgJV48bM1is8CaWkXsnkFIwehHvCWEW4OCQWi9OKkQ/s640/NoguchiKudenStill.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Noguchi Sensei Shares 40+ year old Gikan Ryu notes. photo by Michael Glenn</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
They love to crank up the heat in the Bujinkan Honbu. I find it too
hot on most days. But today I had been doing photography out in the cold
pouring rain, so I found myself ready to embrace the warmth of the dojo.<br />
<br />
Noguchi Sensei greeted me when he arrived. He normally shares a few jokes with me, but today he seemed very focused.<br />
<br />
Less than 20 students were waiting for him to bow in. He did so
promptly as is his custom. Then he announced we were doing Gikan Ryu
kata.<br />
<br />
I was surprised. In more than 30 years I have not been shown these
from any teacher. In between kata, Noguchi Sensei showed me a tattered
notebook with the kata handwritten in a numbered sequence. He told me
these were his actual notes from more than 40 years ago when Hatsumi
Sensei taught these only to him.<br />
<br />
if you are interested, I recorded a video of my experiences for 特訓 Tokkun members of Rojodojo: <a href="https://www.rojodojo.com/bujinkan-kuden-gikan-ryu-with-noguchi-sensei/" target="_blank">Bujinkan Kuden: Gikan Ryu with Noguchi Sensei </a><br />
<br />
The class was quick and painful. This is koppojutsu
after all. But Noguchi Sensei was precise and true to his notes with
each initial demonstration of the kata. He even reread them and made
corrections if he forgot something.<br />
<br />
The heaters in the dojo were blowing strong. I was dripping sweat from the punishing attacks. But I did not care at all.<br />
<br />
A feature of Gikan Ryu is lateral strikes. They hit the opponent in
multiples. And the rhythm creates a new fist with each kyusho. Most of
my body is marked or swollen right now reminding me of the targets.<br />
<br />
There were taijutsu, daisho sabaki, and muto dori forms included in
the text. And Noguchi Sensei even contributed some tessen henka.<br />
<br />
After class, Sensei seemed very relaxed. I asked him what his plans
were for that evening. He said he was going out drinking. He laughed and
added that he did this on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays… etc.<br />
<br />
I watched him pack up the blue 40 year old notebook and I waved
goodnight. I toweled off the sweat because I had class with Soke in less
than an hour. Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03865775775195298235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-48318342416091885282020-01-08T11:06:00.000-08:002020-01-08T11:11:32.577-08:00Here's What is Happening at Bujinkan 冬修業 Fuyu Shūgyō 2020<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtdNvooW2SiWRNypabxF_YGK-khYZnfJEOrVZcPUlMLBJ7wVdBAyQlwr9fitizGnrEi_wEuOG-anG_hIGL6mbvADbUsolEMKbJU1RV_pLr6aOCrrTkkVLCJ-gEbppVUiP1bsmMXlFo4AY/s1600/P1200503.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtdNvooW2SiWRNypabxF_YGK-khYZnfJEOrVZcPUlMLBJ7wVdBAyQlwr9fitizGnrEi_wEuOG-anG_hIGL6mbvADbUsolEMKbJU1RV_pLr6aOCrrTkkVLCJ-gEbppVUiP1bsmMXlFo4AY/s640/P1200503.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leandro Erlich's "Port of Reflections" at 森美術館, photo by Michael Glenn </td></tr>
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In my dojo, we set a theme for each season of training. In the upcoming seminar on January 19th we will explore this theme with a sincere and direct effort. The winter season hints at 平常心是道 heijō-shin kore dō, a calm heart is the way.<br />
<br />
I encourage any teachers who want this extra dimension for their teaching to train with me when the season is right. If you have passed the Godan, you should be able to know the right season for these things. If you don’t yet have that skill, train with the right teacher!<br />
<br />
The topics we cover come from my own training in Japan last month. You will be surprised by some rarely taught techniques. And we will take a cue from Wumen Huikai’s (1183-1260) expression of how to have a peaceful mind or a calm heart during every season:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
春有百花秋有月,夏有凉风冬有雪,若无闲事挂心头,便是人间好时节<br />
<br />
“Hundreds of flowers in spring,<br />
And in autumn, the moon.<br />
A cool breeze in summer,<br />
And in winter, the snow.<br />
When useless things do not hang in one’s mind, <br />
It is [always] a good season for [any] man.”</blockquote>
<br />
Don’t hang useless things in your mind! If you are a martial artist you must train. Don’t just think about it uselessly. For me, I don’t think about going to the dojo, I just go!<br />
<br />
And you may have heard me say, "I never regret going to training. But I always regret the training I missed!" So we will be clear minded about this and train sincerely all year.<br />
<br />
Here are a few dates for 2020 if you’d like to train with me during this season<br />
<br />
<b>冬修業 Fuyu Shūgyō Jan 19<br />春修業 Haru Shugyo April 19<br />夏修業 Natsu Shūgyō July 26<br />秋修業 Aki Shūgyō Oct 18</b><br />
<br />
text me if you are ready to go: <a href="tel:424-272-6307">(424) 272-6307</a> <br />
<br />
Don’t let the trivialities of life get in the way. Push aside any delusions that cloud the mind. Cut through the invisible barrier with the sword of 平常心 heijō-shin!Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03865775775195298235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-7400280300092509302019-10-27T17:01:00.000-07:002019-10-27T17:04:47.837-07:00Don't Rattle Your 忍者刀 Ninjatō<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8BG5Y2AMUb9MO-YNqEFRfnm_Un2XGybgEwrXvxbJMw7u9rp_WpV1bdmqfnIdvKk1Y_F6qLT29GQKL0C1mJMsT5u596eIVTR-SekoLnsGdgfKFdupM8ZujT9PTkXXnPcR2Q7fBqYnSWgY/s1600/KashiwaMtFuji.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8BG5Y2AMUb9MO-YNqEFRfnm_Un2XGybgEwrXvxbJMw7u9rp_WpV1bdmqfnIdvKk1Y_F6qLT29GQKL0C1mJMsT5u596eIVTR-SekoLnsGdgfKFdupM8ZujT9PTkXXnPcR2Q7fBqYnSWgY/s400/KashiwaMtFuji.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mt Fuji all the way from Kashiwa, photo by Michael Glenn</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Hatsumi Sensei surprises me with his teaching. The night before I left for Japan, we studied 忍者刀 Ninjatō in my own dojo. Then, on Friday night in Soke’s class at the Bujinkan Honbu Dojo, he taught one of the secrets of this weapon.<br />
<br />
I try to prepare for these lessons, yet I am still surprised. I suppose the only way is to always be ready. This is the ukemi of being Hatsumi Sensei’s student.<br />
<br />
I landed at Narita Airport around 5pm local time. My normal plan is to run through immigration and customs as fast as Japanese bureaucracy will allow. Then catch a two hour train ride straight to Hatsumi Sensei’s class.<br />
<br />
One hour into the train ride I began to lose my motivation. Warm trains make me sleepy. That, and the 20 hours of travel that wasn’t over yet.<br />
<br />
I stood up to shake off the tired. It was already dark out, and the train cabin was reflected back to us in the window. I leaned my head against the door to watch the lights pass outside.<br />
<br />
It looked wet and miserable out. I already felt the cold when I transferred at the last station. But when my eyes adjusted to the dark I couldn’t believe what I saw between the railroad ties. Patches of snow flashed by like a flickering reel of film!<br />
<br />
It was only November. Snow in Tokyo is extremely rare this time of year. I already had two shirts on, and now I pulled a hoodie over those.<br />
<br />
The old Atago station was dark and quiet. My breath fogged. A patch of snow crunched under my boot. During my walk to the dojo I wondered if class was cancelled.<br />
<br />
I came around the corner and I could see the lights were on. I marveled at the snow on the rooftop. I slid open the door… Konbanwa!<br />
<br />
A warm crowd inside and many old friends greeted me. I changed quickly into my gi. Was I ready? I don’t know, at least I was there.<br />
<br />
Hatsumi Sensei taught at an intense pace. He started off class at the highest levels of training. It was all about letting go and 空間利用 kukan riyō, using the kukan.<br />
<br />
The train passed by and shook the building.<br />
<br />
"Hai, OK!" Soke called out. Then he started with the 忍者刀 Ninjatō and I paid close attention. Someya Sensei cut in at him... <br />
<br />
Hatsumi Sensei was in 棟水之構 Tōsui no Kamae. He lifted his blade softly as if to shield against the katana. Someya tried to cut again. Soke let his sword slip and then smacked it into Someya’s neck without cutting.<br />
<br />
He told us one of the themes this year was 一刀万方 Ittō Banpō, which is one sword, many possibilities. It may also be written 一刀万宝 Ittō Banpō which means one sword, many treasures.<br />
<br />
There are many treasures in the study of the Ninja-tō. Hatsumi Sensei wrote<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
忍者の剣は、闇夜の剣を避けがたし</blockquote>
This can be read many ways. One interpretation is that “the sword of the ninja doesn’t rattle in the dark of the night”. In other words, avoid rattling your sword. <br />
<br />
What does that mean beyond being stealthy? Lucky for us Hatsumi Sensei has also shared this gokui in relation to the Ninja-to:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
抜かず勝て、抜けば切るなよ、ただ忍べ、命をとるは大事とぞ知れ<br />
Win without drawing the sword<br />
if you draw it, don’t cut<br />
Simply persevere<br />
Know the significance<br />
Of taking a life.</blockquote>
When Hatsumi Sensei smacked the blade against Someya’s neck he was demonstrating this principle. He even told us that night that we were all too quick to use the sword. He said that when we tried to use the sword, we missed the kyojitsu.<br />
<br />
I hold onto these memories and lessons from Soke like treasures. During the first hour of my train ride (which you can watch part of here: <a href="https://youtu.be/DPGmBgu4P4s" target="_blank">Ninja True: How to get to the Bujinkan Honbu Dojo</a>) I caught a glimpse of Mt Fuji in the distance. The slope of Fuji Sama seemed to hold the burnt sunset for every last bit of warmth.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03865775775195298235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-57473861533106717142019-10-09T11:27:00.000-07:002019-10-09T11:27:48.021-07:00Bujinkan 秋修業 Aki Shūgyō 2019<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh855XL_QvCXmBxxBVRCRVKVAwqwz1_-G5g_w65vyPv-lFaSoq2oTqaCwqZp2iOmsvQasf4WfVdENuk4edfegvfvt_bPZwi5uUXRBQUfJ_WCG8bvEoxbG523xPBvv8wuyqLupEWwolZTHQ/s1600/P1200224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh855XL_QvCXmBxxBVRCRVKVAwqwz1_-G5g_w65vyPv-lFaSoq2oTqaCwqZp2iOmsvQasf4WfVdENuk4edfegvfvt_bPZwi5uUXRBQUfJ_WCG8bvEoxbG523xPBvv8wuyqLupEWwolZTHQ/s400/P1200224.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">邃渓園 Suikeien at 帝釈天題経寺 photo by Michael Glenn</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span id="goog_1116136334"></span><span id="goog_1116136335"></span>This fall we will have our 秋修業 Aki Shūgyō on Oct 20. This training event sets the Bujinkan theme for our fall training. The training theme is set to take over the season. We will move from 哀れみ Awaremi to 楽しみ Tanoshimi.<br />
<br />
Not for Everyone! Only the most dedicated teachers are willing to go on a 修業 Shugyo. Only the most dedicated students commit to the adventure. Are you in?<br />
<br />
text or call: (424) 272-6307 to RSVP<br />
<br />
Our theme comes from the clue Hatsumi Sensei gave us when he matched the seasons with 喜怒哀楽 kidoairaku, or human emotions. In fighting, we normally strive to remove emotion, or at least, not let it control us.<br />
<br />
But the ura waza, or hidden technique, is to harness the power contained in emotion. We draw it out of our enemy to use against them. Maybe on a deep level, we can even tap the power of emotion from within ourselves.<br />
<br />
Hatsumi Sensei told us we must learn 遊びの中真実 Asobi no naka shinjitsu, or the truth hidden within play.<br />
<br />
This is training Fresh From Japan. 修業 Shugyo is the pursuit of knowledge. Learn about Bujinkan themes straight from my recent Japan trip. And Get connected to the most current training.<br />
<br />
text or call: (424) 272-6307 to RSVP<br />
<br />
Can you do the work? A 修業 Shugyo is not supposed to be easy. You get hours of hard training. And inspiration for months of discovery.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03865775775195298235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-51952628274366008222019-08-22T12:17:00.000-07:002019-08-22T12:25:58.350-07:00A Secret 九字 Kuji for Defeating 100 Enemies<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpT9xD3WnFB_lBXnal4H1SYBRt-RAl4Chj4mtw49znKEIfHy8lvWcyT-i0oD6jmorZYlckxPRlhTXjKzUgjGRCiQ4egQ8kSHtr19nqrOmZkKRzU2L0lic1fQP88oLfUTWaufvQditpUVo/s1600/P1210769.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpT9xD3WnFB_lBXnal4H1SYBRt-RAl4Chj4mtw49znKEIfHy8lvWcyT-i0oD6jmorZYlckxPRlhTXjKzUgjGRCiQ4egQ8kSHtr19nqrOmZkKRzU2L0lic1fQP88oLfUTWaufvQditpUVo/s400/P1210769.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hidden Alcove at 戸定邸 Tojō-tei. photo by Michael Glenn</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Within the 九法の力 Kyū-hō no chikara, or the power of the 9 methods, there is a kuji that holds the 秘技 higi or secret technique to overcoming a hundred enemies:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
「護攻虚変争精神不動」GoKoKyoHenSeiShinFudo</blockquote>
<br />
This kuji, or gokui, repels any method of capture or defeat. You protect yourself by changing the attack itself with an immovable spirit. This is the time to do or die. You are prepared for death, but you’d rather do the enemy in. <br />
<br />
How do you do instead of die? In that single moment of life and death you remain unmoved in the middle. That middle place is the key to <a href="https://www.rojodojo.com/fresh-ninjutsu-secrets-from-hatsumi-sensei/" target="_blank">ninjutsu</a>.<br />
<br />
On a very hot day in June, I learned about this. The air was loud with the harmonic drone of 蝉 semi (cicadas). But we were training anyway. Hatsumi Sensei told us to train in accordance with the temperature.<br />
<br />
Two opponents attacked and Soke slipped behind the first attacker. He did this while trapping the second guy in his own attack. Then Hatsumi asked the uke to give his impression of what just happened. The confused student described his inability to get a fix on Hatsumi Sensei as a target.<br />
<br />
Soke replied that this is not the movement of sports or the “so called” martial arts. This is something far above that. This is true ninjutsu. Make your techniques transparent. Make them see through.<br />
<br />
Hatsumi Sensei told us not to just punch on the surface, but to strike through the body. He said when your arm goes through their spine it makes the sign of the cross. <br />
<br />
Soke gave us a warning<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
「九字を許すも十字を許すな」kuji are permitted but not juji. </blockquote>
If you go beyond kuji and allow juji then you have “crossed the line.” Maybe you cross the line of life and death. You could end up facing 十王 Jū-ō the ten judges of the dead. <br />
<br />
In Buddhism, there are nine states from Hell to Bodhisattva. The highest level, the tenth level, is becoming Buddha. But the 仏 hotoke (Boddhisatvas) are the souls of the dead, to be commemorated by their descendants.<br />
<br />
I toweled the sweat away and scribbled my notes after training. What did I learn that day?<br />
<ul>
<li>Make yourself and your technique transparent;</li>
<li>Go to the line but don’t cross it;</li>
<li>Remain unmoved by life or death in that spot. </li>
</ul>
This is the secret to 心中を突く也 Shinjū o tsuku nari, piercing the heart of the enemy.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03865775775195298235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-89763759065989138202019-08-02T11:19:00.000-07:002019-08-02T11:19:37.463-07:00What Happened During Michael Glenn's Bujinkan Seminar in Québec?This summer, I was honored to be invited to Québec to teach and share the Bujinkan training I've been doing in Japan. My hosts Bernard and Francine were gracious and wonderful. The students were very skilled, attentive, and curious. And Québec City was an amazing place to visit!<br />
<br />
I covered many Bujinkan topics during the seminar. Here is an extended preview video:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/KocfwDsas8g/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KocfwDsas8g?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<br />
The contents of the full Bujinkan training series is available below.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Part One: Kamae And Kyojitsu. In this first video I cover some basics of kamae and kyojitsu.<br />FULL VIDEO: <a href="https://www.rojodojo.com/quebec-bujinkan-kamae-and-kyojitsu/">https://www.rojodojo.com/quebec-bujinkan-kamae-and-kyojitsu/</a></li>
<li>Part Two: Kukan and Tension. In this video I demonstrate how to shape the kukan. Then in this space we create tension that allows us to throw our opponent without strength. I also share some of the training I did with Hatsumi Sensei in Japan last month. FULL VIDEO <a href="https://www.rojodojo.com/quebec-bujinkan-kukan-and-tension/">https://www.rojodojo.com/quebec-bujinkan-kukan-and-tension/</a></li>
<li>Part Three: Draw and Disarm. First I show how to shift the kukan to draw your knife or take the attacker’s knife. Next I demonstrated how to precisely target kyusho with any weapon. Then I shared details about 平一文字の構 Hira Ichimonji no Kamae. I showed how to use 六法の構 roppou no kamae which naturally includes 鷹の舞 taka no mai. I finished the training with knife disarms that I studied with Hatsumi Sensei in Japan. FULL VIDEO: <a href="https://www.rojodojo.com/quebec-bujinkan-draw-and-disarm/">https://www.rojodojo.com/quebec-bujinkan-draw-and-disarm/</a> </li>
<li>Part Four: Shinbo and Kyusho. We began in 音無し之構 otonashi no kamae with the hanbo. This led into an examination of the principle of 辛抱一貫 Shinbo Ikkan that I learned from Hatsumi Sensei in Japan. Then I continued with 半棒術 hanbōjutsu using 挟み捕り hasami dori. I also shared the Bujinkan Kuden of kirigami as it applies to kyusho. FULL VIDEO: <a href="https://www.rojodojo.com/quebec-bujinkan-shinbo-and-kyusho/">https://www.rojodojo.com/quebec-bujinkan-shinbo-and-kyusho/</a></li>
<li>Part Five: Weapon Retention With 支点 Shiten. We began with hanbo weapon retention from 無念無想の構 munen muso no kamae. The basic forms of this apply the principles of 手解 tehodoki. Then it becomes more advanced using a quality of 支点 shiten that I have learned with Soke. The initial grab provides a place of connection that can become a fulcrum. This captures all of the opponent’s power and focuses it down to one point. This creates some powerful throws while using no strength or force. We did variations from 型破の構 kata yaburi no kamae that drop one side or the other, or even twist about the center. FULL VIDEO: <a href="https://www.rojodojo.com/quebec-bujinkan-weapon-retention-with-shiten/">https://www.rojodojo.com/quebec-bujinkan-weapon-retention-with-shiten/</a></li>
<li>Part Six: Kodachi Kihon And 天眼 Tengan. We began by creating structure with our kamae, then dropping away in the kukan. Next I explained Hatsumi Sensei’s idea of あも一寸の玉 虫 amo issun no tama mushi, this is a gokui from 高木揚心流 Takagi Yoshin Ryū. We moved into some secret draws and 小太刀 kodachi kihon that I studied with Soke. These come from the 十方折衝 juppo sessho. Then we wrapped up with a high level strategy called 天眼 Tengan. This came directly from Hatsumi Sensei during my recent Japan trip. FULL VIDEO: <a href="https://www.rojodojo.com/quebec-bujinkan-kodachi-kihon-and-tengan/">https://www.rojodojo.com/quebec-bujinkan-kodachi-kihon-and-tengan/</a></li>
<li>Part Seven: Tachi Dori And Kusari Fundo. We began with the 無刀捕 Mutōdori of 太刀捕 Tachi Dori. I taught two methods that I learned from Hatsumi Sensei in Japan. These are done by feel rather than looking for the sword. I explained some small details about 不動明王の目 Fudōmyōō no me like 天地眼 tenchigan. I added the 鎖分銅 kusarifundō to trap the Tachi. The true skill of Bujinkan students is often revealed with their handling of flexible weapons. I finished by sharing some critical details on how to do 中振 nakafuri with the kusarifundō. It becomes infinite like happō. FULL VIDEO: <a href="https://www.rojodojo.com/quebec-bujinkan-tachi-dori-and-kusari-fundo/">https://www.rojodojo.com/quebec-bujinkan-tachi-dori-and-kusari-fundo/</a></li>
</ul>
<br />Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03865775775195298235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-89382722980508756332019-04-25T11:34:00.000-07:002019-04-25T12:24:29.857-07:00The Hidden Kūkan for Bujinkan 無刀捕 Mutōdori<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrdB4dFtXxoBmTdcFY4TmIhiHpTykA6mmHcxyUFsJGAkSRmZcW5JtJxRbEhXpcdyEASBPJLVePM8_OpB4EnedNTmBBoSDItEvMn4bhiv8o9nzSRMCaT1OSfn-uSjok-SRdc_obtuSckl0/s1600/NorioYamada00087907.tif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrdB4dFtXxoBmTdcFY4TmIhiHpTykA6mmHcxyUFsJGAkSRmZcW5JtJxRbEhXpcdyEASBPJLVePM8_OpB4EnedNTmBBoSDItEvMn4bhiv8o9nzSRMCaT1OSfn-uSjok-SRdc_obtuSckl0/s400/NorioYamada00087907.tif" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">山田 記央 photo by Michael Glenn</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It was the normal chaos at the Bujinkan Honbu dojo. The training had just ended, and everyone rushed to get their photos with Hatsumi Sensei. I rushed to my notebook.<br />
<br />
I did this because Soke finished the class with a huge surprise for his teaching of 無刀捕 mutōdori. He showed us 空間を作る kūkan o tsukuru, or how to create space. So I scribbled a note about the hidden location for this opening before that secret disappeared into the night.<br />
<br />
Earlier that day, I had gone into Tokyo to visit Norio Yamada-san. He makes 江戸手描提灯 Edo Tegaki Chōchin, Edo style hand painted paper lanterns. He called to say my order was ready to pick up.<br />
<br />
It never occurred to me that there could be a connection to Soke’s teaching later that night. Hatsumi Sensei said,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“You’re not evading, 空間 浮かす Kūkan ukasu, you’re floating the opponent in the space.”</blockquote>
If you’ve ever held one of these paper lanterns, they feel like you’ve caught light and air itself as it glows softly in the night. <br />
<br />
Hatsumi Sensei catches swords like that. My training partner, Tezuka-san, swung a metal blade at Soke. And this is when my surprise arrived. Soke told us,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“Don’t do this with 刀意識 Tō ishiki.”</blockquote>
This means don’t put your mind or consciousness with the sword. Remember this is 無刀 mutō and the sword is nothingness. Instead create or open up the kūkan and float your opponent in it.<br />
<br />
But where is this kūkan? It's the space in the opponent’s mind or consciousness. The physical space is only so big, but the <a href="https://bujinkansantamonica.blogspot.com/2013/04/kukan-more-bounce-to-ounce.html" target="_blank">kūkan in the mind</a> is infinite. Control that space and you have already won. Tezuka-san said it feels like Hatsumi Sensei catches him in between thoughts. <br />
<br />
Soke nodded and said,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“You have to know those spaces, those openings, those little cracks…”</blockquote>
When Hatsumi Sensei creates kūkan between your own thoughts and floats you in that empty space, you are very exposed. Anyone who has attacked Hatsumi Sensei might relate to that blanked out feeling. Whenever he asks me to describe it to the other students in the Honbu dojo, I fold up like a paper lantern.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03865775775195298235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-57613132999092589352019-04-15T12:25:00.001-07:002019-04-15T12:25:22.801-07:00Bujinkan Theme for Spring 2019<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq32P0pxj37eg43cz5HTk235ux_-DaA9X5X6XruN49_AJYBKlVnrzIdChuzyb6M4Xm7nJqO9KNSx2MJ9D8_lzYaxOCki38e4Od9zPPTQ5hjoAue4Ab9FSTi_tJV2wKbU-6Zez4TTIUurE/s1600/P1210830.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq32P0pxj37eg43cz5HTk235ux_-DaA9X5X6XruN49_AJYBKlVnrzIdChuzyb6M4Xm7nJqO9KNSx2MJ9D8_lzYaxOCki38e4Od9zPPTQ5hjoAue4Ab9FSTi_tJV2wKbU-6Zez4TTIUurE/s400/P1210830.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bujinkan 提灯 Chouchin, Hatsumi and Takamatsu Sensei's 位牌. photo by Michael Glenn</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span id="goog_152311145"></span><span id="goog_152311146"></span>The Bujinkan theme for our Spring training is set. Please study the idea 千変万化 Senpen Banka. This theme of innumerable changes is what Hatsumi Sensei gave us earlier this month.<br /><br />When I returned from Japan, we held the annual <a href="https://www.rojodojo.com/haru-shugyo-19/" target="_blank">春修業 Haru Shūgyō</a> All of the students were focused and trained hard to grow from this season’s theme. Here is a bit of what we studied.<br /><br />We warmed up with 初心五型 Shoshin Gokei. Hatsumi Sensei has had a multi-year focus on 無刀捕 mutōdori, so we next did 五行の型 Gogyō no kata as mutōdori! If you’ve never studied this, it will really surprise you.<br /><br />Hatsumi Sensei gave us perspective on this kind of 三心 sanshin. In the Hagakure, a famous quote says,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
武士道といふは死ぬことと見つけたり The way of Bushido is found in death.</blockquote>
But Hatsumi Sensei told us this idea is often misunderstood. He said that in the Bujinkan we study the way of living, and to protect life. Soke said,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“武士道は生死生よう Bushido wa seishi seiyō”</blockquote>
This is similar to 生死一如 seishi'ichinyo which means that life and death are the same. But Soke added the third idea of rebirth. He said humans are born, then die and are reborn. This is Sanshin.<br /><br />Every practice of mutōdori should be like this. Especially the Godan test! You must die under the blade to do proper mutōdori, but then you are reborn when you survive the attack.<br /><br />We explored these ideas further with the kata 奏者 Sōsha and 引脇差 Hikiwkizashi. And we even did some basic 歩き方 arukikata and 足運び ashihakobi with the katana. This led to weapon retention henka.<br /><br />All of this was to come at one idea from different angles. Because Soke told us,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="https://bujinkansantamonica.blogspot.com/2018/12/hatsumi-sensei-tells-us-to-study-kuki.html" target="_blank">“Wrap him up in the 空気 kūki. That’s everyone’s study from now on.” </a></blockquote>
We took a small break to have tea and springtime mochi (ひとくちすあま和生菓子). There was lots of silliness and dojo humor which I cannot share here! But this seemed to energize everyone for more training.<br /><br />The students went hard with the kata 虎倒 Kotō. Everyone really got the spirit of what Hatsumi Sensei called 気合わせ kiawase. This is a matching or meeting of the attacker’s energy. <br /><br />
I shared my experience of attacking Hatsumi Sensei in Japan. He used the principle of 意識出す ishiki dasu. You remove your own intention from doing any technique. This is when the students said it felt like I disappeared!<br />
<br />
Yep, that is how it feels to attack Soke.<br /><br />Please study with us or go to Japan to keep your training fresh and up to date. If you are part of our dojo, or connected to us through <a href="https://www.rojodojo.com/" target="_blank">Rojodojo</a>, I think spending time with these Bujinkan themes during your Spring and early summer training will make you a better Budoka!<br />
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RSVP: the 夏修業 Natsu Shūgyō will be July 28, 2019Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03865775775195298235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20797472323911200.post-90097441879595251932019-03-05T11:43:00.002-08:002019-03-05T11:44:49.597-08:00Bujinkan 急所丸 Kyūsho Maru<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBu8gdG6QAImZUOkSQfKcMGO8PVUUdMQoSLi87ZyWdTpqdX-wqpMZkXAqOkWmkvuBJoNaoNZjlogM4HjEdWimSF9sXQskilNWgpQyCZIxm4FjMLqSv4UQ2-WwuJ5M6qGTn08rIjv4b6Bw/s1600/BujinkanKyushoMaru.tif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBu8gdG6QAImZUOkSQfKcMGO8PVUUdMQoSLi87ZyWdTpqdX-wqpMZkXAqOkWmkvuBJoNaoNZjlogM4HjEdWimSF9sXQskilNWgpQyCZIxm4FjMLqSv4UQ2-WwuJ5M6qGTn08rIjv4b6Bw/s400/BujinkanKyushoMaru.tif" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Point in Ueno Sation. photo by Michael Glenn</td></tr>
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I have had the fortune of training with Hatsumi Sensei outdoors on a number of occasions. Each time it was unique, but on this day Soke waved his hand toward the students and told us today would be a test for the Jugodans.<br />
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It was a cool morning under the Japanese maples, so Hatsumi Sensei wore a quilted 羽織 haori which was the color of pearl. I don’t know if anyone else heard him, but he muttered the phrase “open sesame!” Because we were about to open a gate to hidden treasures.<br />
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One of those treasures arrived when Soke broke the attack of his opponent, causing his spine to arch back. Sensei hooked into his eyes with one finger. Then he dropped away to release the tension.<br />
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At this moment, he caught the fall of his uke with the position of his body. This had the effect of completely twisting the limbs and spine. And crushing like a trash compactor.<br />
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Hatsumi Sensei looked at all of us and said,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“全体駄目 zentai dame, or when everything is hopeless, there is that one point, 点眼 tengan, which is the kyūsho of taijutsu.”</blockquote>
I had never heard of tengan, but lucky for me, Soke explained by gesturing with his finger. Tengan is like when you use an eyedropper. It's like dropping a spot in the middle of an eye.<br />
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But tengan is a play on words. Change the kanji to 天眼, and it means the eyes of heaven, or divine eye. This is a Buddhist concept that suggests you can see in the darkness, or are clairvoyant. Harness perception that is almost supernatural.<br />
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The eye of heaven can see everything. The future, the past. It can see into your enemy’s mind. Now it is easy to predict his strategy or find his weakness.<br />
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Hatsumi Sensei drew a circle around that point in the air. He continued to explain,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“It’s not a point on the body. This is 急所丸 kyūsho maru. This is not something written in a scroll anywhere. This is for the jugodans. Please discover (発見 hakken) the kyūsho within the movement. You need to discover that for yourself.”</blockquote>
Since that day, I have been working to study kyūsho maru. It is an idea that ripples across all of my training like a drop in a pond. Here are a few of the ripples to consider.<br />
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The kanji for 急所丸 kyūsho maru can start us off. Kyūsho means a vital point, or an essential point. Maru means round, but like a true circle, it implies perfection. The kanji itself is 9 (九) plus one stroke. As Hatsumi Sensei is fond of saying, this equals 10 which is perfect in Japanese numerology.<br />
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So kyūsho maru is the “perfect kyūsho” for the moment. This kyūsho might be on the opponent’s body. But it can be anywhere in the kukan. When you consider that possibility, the implications for your training grow from that point.<br />
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At a basic level, I find the weak point in the kukan and attack it. But as I wrote in <a href="https://bujinkansantamonica.blogspot.com/2012/02/kukan-no-kyusho-twisting-around-moment.html" target="_blank">Kukan no Kyūshō 空間の九勝: Twisting Around a Moment in Space</a>, you might use that kyūsho to pivot. You move around it in a state of flux. There is no fixed coordinate, no set technique.<br />
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These kyūsho are in the space itself, the kukan. They are in the emptiness. When you can attack those points, the results will be bigger than your own ability or your own strength.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJFcI85koN4fXtB7o28YuVRqHHTX94DAKCq4QFj9Lv3YXBAQGPs__Uvj09Wi3-U25PCVtE6hm_rxflZ83h8nBQ0vHaoFeWIOZyxAXwTu7Jrrq4_fHR6f4LJBXipx75jwbtHA962L3hSOc/s1600/IMG_9343.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJFcI85koN4fXtB7o28YuVRqHHTX94DAKCq4QFj9Lv3YXBAQGPs__Uvj09Wi3-U25PCVtE6hm_rxflZ83h8nBQ0vHaoFeWIOZyxAXwTu7Jrrq4_fHR6f4LJBXipx75jwbtHA962L3hSOc/s400/IMG_9343.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kashiwa Plaza Hotel Selfie</td></tr>
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Some Jugodans will understand this, and some will not. I wrote before that <a href="https://bujinkansantamonica.blogspot.com/2011/04/kihon-heart-of-infinite-circle.html" target="_blank">kihon is the heart of an infinite circle</a>. Kihon is a point in the middle of a circle, or in the middle of infinity.<br />
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Later that afternoon, as the sun broke through the gray clouds, Hatsumi Sensei described capturing these points,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“Within the flow of the kukan (kukan no nagare), you want to control these very small points such as the fingers, the eyes, or the breath. You’re taking those points, but in a way that it is difficult for the opponent to perceive what’s happening in that flow. This is what we’re studying.”</blockquote>
What was the test for us Jugodans? There is no easy answer to that. I am still testing. <br />
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Hatsumi Sensei had us all face the sun and bow to wrap up the day of training. I felt the warmth on my face. But the sun is just a bright point in infinity, hanging in emptiness.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03865775775195298235noreply@blogger.com0