Bujinkan Santa Monica

I start off my Japan Report Four video 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. 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. Later in that same class, Hatsumi Sensei said 意識をさせない Ishiki 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 lik...

Learning is an interesting thing.  In every field of human knowledge, when you understand something, more questions arise.  The closer you look at any subject the more mysteries you find. In the Bujinkan this process becomes obvious the more you explore.  Usually someone's training goes a little like this: Beginner up to Shodan: Basics.  Just learning where to put your feet and hands.  Basic ukemi, taijutsu and weapons.  This time feels very productive because everything is new and every class is filled with new facts you can get a handle on.  Sometimes there are glimpses of more mysterious aspects of the Bujinkan. Shodan to Godan: More basics.  But also serious study of the ryuha that make up the Bujinkan.  A focus on weapons.  And more advanced concepts of strategy as it connects with distancing, timing and angling.  During this time, the student may begin to encounter contradictions and things that are inexplicable in the t...

Have you been promoted?  Were you congratulated by your fellow students?  How about your friends and family?  Random strangers? It means something very different to these groups.  What about the day after your promotion?  A week later? Five months?  With time, the promotion means something very different even to you. I can tell you what your rank means.  But first, what does it mean for you?  It is important to answer that question every time you are promoted.  Also, it is important to know what your teacher thinks it means.  If your teacher is doing his job, he will find a way to communicate that to you. The Bujinkan is not as systematic, or as definitive as other martial arts when it comes to rank.  You can take two shodan level students from different schools and compare.  Is their rank the same?  Usually not.  Teachers vary widely in their  requirements.  But does it matter?  People usually ...