Arnaud Blog 2010-2012

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

19,000 people fit into the new Barclays Center to see Jay-Z perform. This blog was viewed about 74,000 times in 2012. If it were a concert at the Barclays Center, it would take about 4 sold-out performances for that many people to see it. Click here to see the complete report. Posted in Thoughts on Budo | Leave a comment

Shi Tennô Posted on December 10, 2012by kumafr

13 Votes

Recently Hatsumi Sensei honored me by awarding me with a diploma of Shi Tennô. Historically, the Shi Tennô 四天王 were the four “celestial emperors” protecting the four directions of North, South, East, West. Shi-tenno (literally, “Guardian Kings,” but most often translated as “Directional Guardians”) are deities, protectors of Buddhism, who guard each of the four directions of the compass (north, south, east, and west) from harmful and dangerous influences. Originally from India, the Directional Guardians were transmitted to China during the Tang (about 600 AD), dynasty and from thence to Tibet, Korea, and Japan. The Guardians appear in paintings, such as mandalas, and especially in temple sculptures, where they usually surround and protect a central Buddha image. (…) They are known as: Zocho Ten (South), Komoku Ten (West), Bishamon Ten (North), and Jikoku Ten (East). (source Wikipedia). In 1993 Pedro, Peter, Sven and me, were the first non Japanese students to be promoted to 10th dan. And we began to give seminars altogether all over the World. Twice a year after these seminars, we would send sensei a postcard to tell him what we were doing. One night, at Ayase, he referred to us as being the “Shi Tennô” of Europe. Since then we are known as the “Yûro Shi Tennô”. The Japanese Shihan: Oguri Sensei (+), Nagato Sensei, Noguchi Sensei, Senô Sensei are named the “Shi Tennô”.

This title is not a rank, Hatsumi Sensei is referring to the nickname given by Kano Sensei to his four best students who travelled Japan to spread the Kodôkan Jûdô in the 19th century. Like Kano’s students, we would travel Europe and the World giving seminars and spreading his teachings to the North, West, East and South. Today the only remaining so called “Shi Tennô Seminar” is the one I organize in Paris every year in July. Since the 90s’, the Bujinkan has grown a lot. Last dkms Sensei said that the Bujinkan was now 330000 practitioners, 3300 Shidôshi, 330 Jûgodan. Even if I think that these figures are more symbolic than anything, it must be close enough to reality to understand that our organization has now reached a mature state. My best student and friend Hugues received it for me while I was in Lebanon for the UN, but it was only yesterday that he gave it to me. Over the years, I have received all the diplomas possible from Sensei: Shidôshi (1989), Jûdan (1993), Gold medal of the Bujinkan (1994), 15th dan (2004), Menkyô Kaiden in Tachi Waza (2004), Shingitai (2011), but this one diploma has more value for me for many reasons. First there will always be only 4 “Shi Tennô” and I am really proud of it. Second, this title is coming from the heart more than from any technical ability. And Third like for the Shin Gi Tai Diploma it has the Golden patch on it. Domo Arigato Sensei for this very special honor.

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Dkms3: Amaterasu Ômikami And The Kôjiki Posted on December 6, 2012by kumafr

9 Votes

Before detailing what Sensei spoke of during the last day of dkms, I have to tell you that it was very dense. Writing about it I discovered that the complexity of what Sensei said during that day allows us to follow his very particular way of reasoning. This is why I have decided to deliver it chronologically in this article the way it was displayed to us last Sunday. Good luck!

On the last day of dkms Sensei spoke of many concepts and he introduced the day by displaying an old painting on a scroll depicting the moment when the gods tried to force Amaterasu no Kami, the Sun goddess, outside the cave where she was secluding herself. That was a little too much even for my twisted brain, but I will try to make it understandable. Please excuse me for the apparent lack of logic in sensei’s explanations. But if you are familiar with his “Quantum way of thinking” you will get something out of it. Also do not forget that I might have not get it correctly but that is fine too as knowledge (as you will discover later in the text) is not the only way to understand nature. For those of you not familiar with the legends and myths of old Japan, here is a short reminder. The Kojiki explains in three volumes (tenchijin) how mankind was established on earth. Check Wikipedia at “kojiki” and “Amaterasu Ômikami” to know more. What I remember is that the Sun goddess Amaterasu was living amongst the other gods. Each morning Amaterasu would bring light on earth by stepping out of her cave. Her brother made a hole into the roof and while she was weaving with other goddesses (?), her brother threw a dead goat or dead horse (?) into the hole that created panic. Amaterasu got angry and decided not to get out anymore. Earth was in permanent night. The other gods tried to negociate with her but didn’t succeed. They decided to organize a big feast right in front of the door so that the laughters, the songs and the dancing would attract her outside and restore light on earth. After some time they succeeded. The scroll presented by sensei on the last day depicts this exact moment where Amaterasu Ômikami is nearly going back to light the world. The door in the mountain (ten) is forced open one ofthe thedoor, godsa(jin), wegoddess can see (jin) the first rays of with light agoing through the door panels (ten).by Facing female is dancing yari pointing to the earth (chi), four gods on the middle to the left (jin) and two other ones are at the bottom center are watching the dance (chi). Two roosters are on the middle right (?). The sun disappearing on earth is also to be found in other traditions: the Sumerian, the Inca, the Bible. So my guess is that the earth stopped turning at some point and this fact gave birth to many legends all over the world. Symbolically the scroll shows that Mankind tries to bring down the “light of knowledge” from heaven to earth (another common myth). But what was interesting is that sensei began to speak about jôshiki, knowledge 常識 (I think he said shishiki instead of jôshiki) and he made another shishiki 肢 識 with the idea of kyojitsu (false/truth) as “shi” is “4″ which is death, and “shiki” consciousness. I think he meant that knowledge is only one side of the practice and that we should also develop our ability to trap uke in his own knowledge (security) in order to use his predicted reactions as tools to serve our movements. Trapping uke in a world of knowledge allows us to use it against him. I remember him telling me one day that we must read and study all the ancient texts on strategy to be sure to come up with a new strategy that had never been done before. By doing something new you are sure that no counter strategy has been prepared. I

think this is the same idea he was trying to convey on the last day of the dkms. He repeated again that we had to be “zero” (no force, no power, footwork, no grab, no intention) and said that we have to find the “lucky 7″ (shichiki) 七 機. Remember the seven deities of good luck in China are 七福神 shichifuku jin. Then he added the “0″ to the “7″ and we naturally began to speak about James Bond “007″! Shawn was called by sensei to tell us about the historical John Dee who was a spy of Queen Elisabeth 1st of England and who signed his letters with “007″. The “7″ was only a long line above the 00 meaning FYEO. But another reason behind the “7″ is astrological. In the 15th century many decisions were made after checking the sky, the stars and the planets. You can see here a link with the scroll at the beginning of this article. In the 15th century we knew only 7 planets, therefore “7″ became the symbol of full knowledge, and therefore was chosen by her majesty’s spy as a good luck charm. This planetary explanation allowed sensei to speak about the astrological approach in the martial arts. Sensei said that the North star Hokushin 北辰 is vastly used in the ancient budô systems. Hokushin is the inmovable center of the sky as everything rotates around it. But the main “satellite” is the big dipper 七星, shichi sei… which is also constituted of 7 stars! In the Kukishin Ryû, the Sun and the Big Dipper are the two major systems in use for day and night combat. The Kukishin men were wako (pirates) and at sea they would use the sun and the big dipper to navigate safely. But when they became the warriors we know they kept their “knowledge” of nature and applied it to a different field of practice: strategy. For example if youiswant to get into the defense of the attacker you have to use his knowledge against him. This mainly what kyojutsu is about. Symbolically the opponent is Hokushin and you are shichi sei 七星, the Japanese name for the Big Dipper. Moving around Uke like the big dipper, your movements surround him. Your target is always at the center, whatever he does. Everything is already defined. And at the right moment you control him definitively. Sensei said that inflicting pain was not what mattered in a fight, the main objective, what really mattered was to control the opponent, body and mind. This is why we have to get rid of unnecessary force. Remember what he said a week before: “Chikara o nuku”, free yourself from power” to survive. This is done by using only 75% of our abilities in order to always have a margin to react correctly. This new Pareto law is 75/25. He ended the day speaking of “Bujin wao motte tôtônasu” or “the heart of the warrior revers peace”. A true warrior kills no bad intention and always keeps a compassionate heart. Sensei said during the dkms that we have to behave like real gentlemen, only then can we get a new kôjiki 侯識, the consciousness of a Lord.

Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 5 Comments

Dkms2: yubi, kansetsu, aruki Posted on December 5, 2012by kumafr

12 Votes

The second day of the dkms was intense with Sensei insisting on very small technical points. This year the theme was kaname (essential points), and the kaname is to be found in many details. The first thing he said was that there was no duality in the encounter. There is no opposition Uke and tori when they meet are not 2 but 1. We have to get rid of duality. Duality creates thinking, analysis, errors as our interpretations cannot get the understanding of the full picture (situation). When we oppose uke we create the conditions of his success. This is wrong. We have to create a new mathematical truth where 1+1 = 1. This new “1″created leads to “0″. This is what he meant when he said: “Zenten Tenchi” 全天 天地. Zenten 全天 represents “all heaven” and 天地 is the “universe”, or “nature”, or “sphere”. This could mean that at the “0″ level, one can manifest the universal truth of nature. But to be perfectly honest, maybe did he spoke of “Zenten Tenshin” 全天 天神. After the training I asked a few translators about it and they weren’t sure which was the one he used. In this other “Zenten Tenshin”, Tenshin 天神 means ” heavenly gods”. This could mean that all our actions when reaching this “0″ state are dictated by heaven (the gods). Funnily both are correct as they are typical of sensei’s way of speaking. By not resisting uke’s actions we melt into his movement and use his own strength to serve our reactions. We experienced that with some haibu yori 背部 従 ( back, follow) techniques. Sensei showed many variations around a basic Tai Hodoki by applying different timings (reacting after the grab, during the grab, or before the grab); and also by changing the angles (back, sides, 45 degrees). Each time it was surprising to see him moving with no strength and no speed and to be able to “peel off” uke naturally from his back. To achieve such an amazing result, sensei explained that the only thing to do was to be relaxed and to use micro movements from and with the shoulders: inward, outward, one up one down, or a mix of all these moves. He also advised us to use the shoulders alternatively in a

tense manner immediately followed by a full relaxation. Alternating tension and softness creates a kûkan where uke falls into. So after this new understanding of haibu yori, maybe he meant Tenchi, 転置, the matrix (blue pill, red pill?). ; All day long sensei insisted on the importance of a new sanshin made of: yubi, kansetsu, aruki 指関節歩き . As there is no grabbing, the tip of the finger is the point of contact between uke and tori. The angle of the arm joint (elbow) added to the direction of the walking motion, creates a lot of power and takes uke’s balance. Power comes from footwork, angle and direction. Strength is not used at all. Even if the explanation is simple, i founduke it very add it There in my was taijutsu. At some point I was sensei’s and difficult I felt liketostupid. nothing, not even pain but I was unable to get my balance back. And I fell. Once uke’s balance is taken Tori is using the fingers to hook the mouth or to dig in with either shito ken or shishin ken. The power is in the finger action when done with the whole body. To do so, the trick is to lock the shoulder in place. The shoulder being locked the footwork will power the finger. remenber Yubi ippon jûbun (one finger is enough). Then we moved to bô jutsu and ken jutsu. Sensei had two weapons in his hands and was using the concept of Togakure ryû of ittô nage. To do so he would throw one of the weapon to the attacker in a metsubushi way in order to force the opponent to parry the weapon. The parrying would open uke’s defense and he would not be able to block the real attack. Ittô nage is a technique to be done only when you have at least two weapons. It would be stupid to use it with only one weapon at hand! (When holding the weapons, the forefingers are inserted between them to faster release). Kogure san from Quest told me afte rtraining that it was the first time that sensei was taching that. To summarize the day he finished by speaking once again of Yûgen no sekai, 幽玄の 世界, elegant simplicity. It reminded me of the kurage 水母 (jellyfish, medusa) of last year. When no force is used, when no intention is given then uke has the feeling that tori is not there. Tori alternating force and relaxation, presence and absence, seems to have no consistency, no bone structure. Tori is virtually not there. Uke faces something invisible but present, some kind of “kurage no hone”, 水母の骨, something that one would not expect to exist.

Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 4 Comments

Dkms1: Ikken Hassô, Tôtoku Hyôshi, Shitakara Posted on December 1, 2012by kumafr

11 Votes

Friday was the beginning of the dkms. The day began well as Sayaka Oguri joined us in Kashiwa on the train going to Shimizu Koen. On arrival the “dkms feeling” was palpable. Sensei was in great shape today as if his birthday was giving him some extra energy. This is something strange that I have always noticed since 1990 when I first visited Japan for dkms. During this period of the year Sensei looks like he is “inhabited”. I am always amazed by his ability to move so fast at his age, he is an example for all of us. The morning session was like training in the fog as Juan-Manuel and I were quite lost during the class. Sensei spoke again about the “kasumi no hô” ( 霞の方– theme of 2004) feeling and having the deeling we were fighting in the fog and I must say that Juanma and myself were totally in tune with this idea… If I had to define in three words what we did I would say: Ikken Hassô (Shinden Fudô Ryû): This is taken from the first level of Shinden Fudô Ryû and means “one fist, all directions” but Iwould preferbethe idea ofto“unity within which gives a The deeper to can it. Inbefact it difficult explain whatmultiplicity” Sensei is demonstrating. onlymeaning thing that repeated again and again is: no force, no tension, no intention, no idea. Back to the Kasumi no Hô concept, it was as if he was creating fog that would trap the uke and render them blind to whatever was happeing to them. I have been uke a few times and it is like is “not there, but there” as Pedro said once. You are totally lost. The techniques were demonstrated by various Shihan and sensei would “change” (see previous posts) the form into a formless thing. After the day of training with my partners Juan-manuel Serrano and Stéphane Ladegaillerie, I had no memory of what we actually did. Day 1 was “totally fogged”. Tôtoku Hyôshi: In the(for afternoon Sensei played the concept of Tôtoku Hyôshi thatthe weshuriken know from jutsu the newcomers this iswith the one were from suwari you dodge withbiken your blade facing flat and vertically the opponent). As you can see below; the “tôtoku” has the meaning of shielding yourself with the blade.

Sensei used this concept explaining that the warriors in the past (possibly at the beginning of 17th century after peace was established and yoroi abandoned), had metal rods along the forearm and that you could dodge a cut by putting the forearm in front of you. Everything is a question of timing (Hyôshi) and your shielding with the vertical forearm comes at the right moment. This Tôtoku Hyôshi not only protects you but gives away uke’s balance. Shitakara: This last concept was detailed after we trained the Tôtoku Hyôshi for some time. Many of us were more reacting with the arm instead of the body even though Sensei insisted a lot on using the karada (body) in every move done. Shitakara (from below) is the way you would unfold the twisted body resulting from the Tôtoku Hyôshi reception. As you know in tôtoku hyôshi you give your profile to the opponent. Here due to the distance, once you have blocked/dodged the attack, your body is twisted. Untwisting the body to finish uke has to come from the ground. The grabbing is not allowed as well as the simple upper torso movement. What Sensei explained during this first day of dkms is that in order to show no strength and no intention you should only react with aruki waza (walking). To get the upper body in action the movement must come from the legs. The theme this year was to use the fingers and/or to trap the fingers of the opponent. This action must be supported by the body movement and not be decided by your brain. Natural movement is achieved when you only react softly to uke’s movement without deciding what to do. “Chikara o nuku”: by letting go of all the force you have you create the conditions of becoming aware of the next step always in accordance with your environment, with the attacks (from one or more opponents), with the distance. Anyway the Gogyô are created from the ground (Chi) and go up to the sky (Kû). The Tenchi is replaced by the Chiten, a point. Ikken hassô then takes a lot of sense as one can deal with an infinity of situations. Every point of the universe converge to one. And unity is zero. 一 ichi one; 剣 ken sword (srcinally esp. a doubled-edged sword); sabre; saber; blade; 刀 tô sword; katana; 匿 toku shelter; shield; hide 解く toku to solve; to answer; to untie;

(musical) time; tempo; beat; rhythm; the moment; the instance; chance 表紙 hyôshi front cover; binding 拍子 hyôshi

下 shita below; down; under; bottom; beneath; underneath; karafrom (e.g. time, place, numerical quantity); since; from (srcinator); から 空 kara emptiness; vacuum; blank 地点 chiten site; point on a map; spot Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 3 Comments

Gyofu: We Are Imperial Fishermen Posted on November 29, 2012 by kumafr

12 Votes

Last week Hatsumi sensei said that we must know fight like gentlemen using no strength but only adapting our body to uke’s attacks but with some kind of high class touch. We do not want to fight but we do not want to hurt either. Later during the class he spoke of his movements as being similar to catching a fish on a line, chôgyo (1). When fishing you put a bait on the hook. The fish bite the bait and hooks himself. but the quality of the hookig depends on your ability to read the fish intentions. If you pull the fish too early, the fish is free. If you let go the line then he gets free. This is the same in the technique you have to keep the connection with uke, “En no kirinai”, don’t sever the connection with him. When you receive the attack you have to play with uke’s intention be soft and strong alternatively in order to create a kûkan (5). By using these in/yo tensions you create the conditions of his downfall. but if you begin to apply a “waza” you lose the connection and uke is free to attack or to go again. The subtlety of the connection is like an invisible magnetic field keeping uke prisoner of his own intentions. Your movements must not be technical but solely based upon the feeling of uke’s tensions. The speed of your reactions and the actions you take afterwards are dictated not by your brain but by the quality of your connection to the situation.

Like the dragon of the koteki ryûda juppô sesshô, you see the whole picture from a superior point of view and you answer silently to the question asked by your opponent’s body. Assuming this superior distance to the fight gives you the freedom to react naturally in the space created. But moving at the exact moment requires a lot of courage. If you move too early the attack will not unroll properly and uke will take advantage of the wrong timing to counter it. If you move too late you get killed or injured. To become the perfect “fisherman” (8) Sensei wants us to become; and to fish (1) uke correctly you have to get this “imperial attitude” and superior guts, chôgyo 腸御(2+3). The space created, kûkan (5) will bring uke into kûkan 空勘 (6+4) the “perception of emptiness” where he will lose himself as he will not be able to find his way out. This feeling is the one you have when Sensei takes you as uke. There is nothing, this is apparently pure emptiness, but there is nothing you can do. Once you are a true Imperial fisherman, gyofu (8), you can enjoy kugyo (7) and eat the fish (uke).

1 釣魚 chôgyo fishing; angling 2 腸 chô guts; bowels 3 御 gyo Honorific: imperial; emperor 4 勘 kan perception; intuition; the sixth sense 5 空間 kûkan space; room; airspace 1: empty air; sky; 6 空 kû 2: void (one of the five elements) 7 供御 kugyo emperor’s meal 8 漁夫 gyofu fisherman Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 1 Comment

Change (2) Posted on November 28, 2012 by kumafr

10 Votes

Changes happen every day. And they often happen when you are not ready to receive them. When I arrived at the dôjô on Saturday at 11am for Senô Sensei’s class, I was surprised to see Someya sensei waiting for me at the door. Hatsumi sensei has asked him to replace Senô Sensei who was not available for a few days. Sôke told him that I had to replace him (Someya) for his 02pm class. So I changed my plan accordingly and gave the class. I had to reorganize my day afterwards. On Sunday after Sensei’s class at the Honbu, Sôke invited a group of 15th dan to come with him to Yoshikawa city to visit a shop selling old swords, yoroi, makimono, and other things (see the photos in my latest album on Facebook). So I changed my plans accordingly and spent three hours to see those nice old pieces of Japanese history. I had to reorganize my day afterwards. To change is not always based on your decision, it is something that is often imposed to you, but to accept it when it comes gives you the ability to rearrange your perception of things in order to meet the unexpected. This is the real adaptation taught by Sôke in his classes. When you change your plans, it is often because something potentially better is offered to you. And even if sometimes the “better” is not visible at first, be positive about it, accept it, and go with it, there is always some rewards at the end of a change. Changing is in fact the best opportunity to discover new things. Changing puts you out of your daily routine, and if this change may appear negative, think of the new lessons you are learning while changing. Isn’t it after all the true meaning of “Shikin Haramitsu Daikomyô”? Tonight at Noguchi sensei’s class his taijutsu had changed totally. We were training some of The Takagi Yôshin Ryû techniques. The names of the techniques remained the same but his movements were totally different from the same techniques I did with him so many times before.

But the Kaname (4) of each technique was there, only the interpretation of this kaname was different. I learnt a lot tonight and this is exactly what changing is about: it is about learning and improving. You always have to be ready to accept changing even if it goes against your beliefs. Tonight during training I saw some students sticking to the old forms instead of accepting as a gift what Noguchi sensei was demonstrating. And it was sad as it was the proof that some high ranks are not real shihan (2). Changing the form of a technique is the real feeling that one must develop in the Bujinkan. If you accept to change then your body will not be trapped into the routine of the form and become able to adapt freely to different situations. Every time you change you enter a new 範列 hanretsu, a new paradigm where the values that have brought you here have to be redefined, modified, and sometimes discarded or forgotten. A real shihan 師範 (2) is the one who, beyond his rank, is able to create those shifts in the waza and to lead the students into a new world of understanding. He is someone to follow, this is the idea of “retsu” in hanretsu (3). And remember that the kanji for “example, model” (2) is the same in hanretsu and in shihan (“shi” is teacher).

1 範列 hanretsu paradigm 2 師範 shihan instructor; teacher; model 3 列 retsu queue; line; row; column; sequence; string; train 1: pivot; 4 要 kaname 2: vital point; cornerstone; keystone; Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 4 Comments

Katana o Nuku, Chikara o Nuku Posted on November 27, 2012 by kumafr

16 Votes

In his last classes, Hatsumi Sensei has developed a new set of concepts, namely “katana o nuku, chikara o nuku”, “iai o nuku”, kakogenzaimirai”. I would like here to dwell into these concepts as they are, in my opinion, defining where the Bujinkan is heading to in 2013. Each trip to Japan is a fantastic occasion to get a new understanding of what sensei is trying to transmit. For years, because of our lack of understanding, he was mainly trying to get us into the “omote” of movements. Then starting in 2003, we entered the world of Juppô Sesshô. Katana o Nuku, Chikara o Nuku

Sensei began to use deep philosophical ideas linking this “omote” to a type of “ura”. But this was only the “ura” of

the physical world. For me this was the Omote of Juppô Sesshô (2003-2007). In 2008, we began to consider this physical Ura (Juppô Sesshô of 2003-2007) as another Omote as he began to speak about the Ura of the Ura. This time the physical expression of movement doesn’t count anymore, we are playing with consciousness, shiki (14). This is what I call the Ura of Juppô Sesshô. As we explained many times in this blog, it seems that sensei (willingly or not) is following a 5 years pattern: •

•

•

•

1993-1997: bô, yari, naginata, biken, jô. 1998-2002: taihenjutsu, daken taijutsu, koppô jutsu, kosshi jutsu, jûtaijutsu. 2003-2007: Juppô Sesshô (omote): sanjigen no Sekai, yûgen no sekai, kasumi no hô, shizen, kuki taisho

2008-2012: Juppô Sesshô (ura): Menkyô Kaiden, Sainô Konki, Rokkon Shojô, Kihon Happô, Jinryû no Kaname o Mamoru. Next year will see the beginning of the next cycle of 5 years, and my guess is that we will focus on Goshin jutsu (as this is the theme of next March Taikai in Japan). But I am sure that he will

come up with some more concept to put around. So these new concepts detailed below should be seen as the introduction to next year’s theme.

Note: At the end of this article I put the English meanings for each one of the terms used in this article in order to ease the understanding of the text and at the same time to give you a wider understanding of the image depicted in one single Japanese word. “katana o nuku, chikara o nuku”; ”iai o nuku”: When you look at the two kanji: 刀 (1) and 力 (2) you see that those kanji are linked in some way. As you all know, because this is the upper kanji of shinobu 忍 (10), the 刀 represents the saya (11) protecting the blade, and “ 丿” (12) is the blade. In chikara 力 (2), the blade ” 丿” is going through the saya. Chikara (2) therefore can be seen as physical strength, energy; but also as surpassing our own limits. The old kanji “nuku” (4) is often replaced today by “nukeru” (5) this is why I put both here. Both nuku and nukeru have this idea of releasing or to let go. And this idea of surpassing our limits has been emphasized by Sensei later during the class when he added the idea of “iai no nuku” (6). You have to let go of everything you know, every form to be in full symbiosis with uke’s inention. When you achieve that you are always “surfing” on uke’s movements and can redirect his chikara against him. Uke when attacking is fully committed to get you, he is using a lot of strength and intention. If you are neutral you follow the movements like the branchees of the willow tree moving freely in the wind. As you have no intention you cannot be read by uke. This was the first thing we learned in 2003 when being introduced to the world of Juppô sesshô through the Sanjigen no Sekai. Uke when attacking makes a decision (intention). This locks him into his “present”, genzai (8), a moment that will become “the past”, kako (7) when he begins to move. Now his intention is focused towards a given target in his “future”, mirai (9). “kakogenzaimirai”:

This is the “kakogenzaimirai”. Uke is never in the present, genzai (8) as he is trapped by his intention in his future mirai (9) and still attached to his past kako (7). This is like a boat still attached to the pier and going at sea, it will last the time for the length of rope to be fully extended, and the tension will pull it back to the pier or stop it.

Tori having no intention is always in the present and adapts permanently to the changes (like the branch of the willow tree moving freely with the wind). In fact there is no good or bad timing, there is only present. Last week, Sensei said in class there was no timing. But maybe he meant that time doesn’t exist. the permanent present of nakaima (13), the middle of now only exists. The “now” is only a spark of time renewing itself permanently. When you think; when you prepare a counter movement to what you expect will do, you become also trapped in the dark side of the sanshin of the kakogenzaimirai world. Be soft and relaxed, stay in this permanent present and you will always be able to surf the positive aspect of kakogenzaimirai. At the end of the class, Sensei added that we now have to become gentlemen and not to use chikara at all. In fact we should develop a more feminin way of behaving, more subtle, using no strength and above all not grabbing. We simply have to redirect uke’s intention and force. There is no technique there is only opportunity. This is goshin jutsu. Get rid of the forms, don’t finish a movement, surf freely. This is the elegant simplicity, the Yûgen (15) of a true Art. “katana o nuku, chikara o nuku” 1 刀 katana (single-edged) sword; katana; force; strength; might; vigour; energy;capability; ability; proficiency; capacity; faculty; 2 chikara efficacy; effect; effort; endeavours; exertions; power; authority; influence; good offices; 力 agency; support; help; aid; assistance; stress; emphasis; means; resources; 3 温 nukuidiot; dummy; slow person to extract; to omit; to surpass; to overtake; to draw out; to unplug; to do something to the 4抜 nuku く end; to come out; to fall out; to be omitted; to be missing; to escape; to come loose; to fade; 5抜 nukeru to discolour; to wear out (to the point of forming a hole, e.g. Clothes); to leave (e.g. a ける meeting); to be clear; to be transparent (e.g. of the sky); “Iai no nuku” art of drawing one’s sword, cutting down one’s opponent and sheathing the sword 6居 iai 合 afterwards “kakogenzaimirai” and other words

the past; bygone days; the previous; a past (i.e. a personal history one would prefer 7過 kako 去 remained secret); one’s past; (Buddhist term) previous life 8 現在 genzainow; current; present; present time; as of 9 未来 mirai the future (usually distant); the world to come 10 忍 nin endurance; forbearance; patience; self-restraint

11 The upper strike looking like a reverse V symbolizes the scabbard 12 the lower strike: “ 丿” symbolizes the sword 13 中今 nakaima

the present (esp. as a privileged moment in eternity). Nakaima is explained in the

“Way of the ninja”, book by Hatsumi Sensei; 14 識 shiki (Buddhist term) acquaintanceship; vijnana (consciousness); subtle grace; hidden beauty; mysterious profundity; elegant simplicity; the subtle and 15 幽 Yûgen 玄 profound; the occult Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 6 Comments

Is Change Always Positive? Posted on November 23, 2012 by kumafr

12 Votes

Because I was in the UN, I was absent from Japan for eight months. Eight months is very long by Japanese standard and many things are changing. This trip is my 50th and since 1999 I have stayed at the Kashiwa hotel. Even though I’m always amazed by the Japanese ability to change their processes I am sometimes wondering if a change is always a good thing. The new waitress… . In the Bujinkan we use to say that “the only thing that never change is change itself”. Because change is permanent. But is this change always an improvement? I don’t know.When I arrived at the hotel changes can be seen

everywhere. The ulala cafe which has been our major meeting point for years has reduced its smoking zone. We (the evil smokers) are now parked in a kind of “aquarium”. Many of the old and nice ladies have been replaced by young ones. They don’t speak English either but it is ok. But the strangest change is that you now have to use and pay an automat (see picture) to get the drinks or food you want (the names are only in Japanese). . So is change always positive? I just witnessed two Japanese men ordering their food at the machine. The get their order it took them at least 5 minutes. When they finally sit they push the call button and 5 minutes later a waitress came. They gave the various tickets to the waitress but she had to come back twice to understand exactly what they wanted. And the second time she changed their order because they didn’t do it correctly. And they were Japanese adults in their 30s! Meaning that the written language was not a problem for them… . So is change always good? Sensei teaches us to adapt our techniques to these permanent changes surrounding us in order not to be surprised. But when change make things more complex thenit is time to get out of the system. I always appreciated the Japanese for their efficiency. Things were evolving towards more simplification, but today they are changing towards complexification and this is not a good sign.After thinking a lot about this “change thing” I went to the Honbu to attend Noguchi sensei’s class. We did the first level of Koto Ryû and I felt a little awkward as it seemed that these techniques that I have been taught during so many years here in Japan were different. Noguchi sensei’s taijutsu has become so refined that it is difficult to find the 1, 2, 3 steps composing the initial techniques. That was a big change. . He changed his taijutsu but unlike the hotel this change is heading towards a flow making every move like being simple. And as always, I couldn’t do half of what he was doing. . Changing, to have some value, must be conducted in order to benefit the result. If you make a change in a waza but didn’t master it, then this is not changing this is betraying. To change something you have to know it perfectly. Often people when training do not even try to repeat what is being taught. In fact they think they understand and make things more violent, more inefficient, and totally useless. .

Noguchi sensei’s movements are becoming so subtle that beauty and elegance are emanating from them. Elegance or art said Sensei once is “to render the invisible visible”. This ability cannot be decided it has to bloom naturally from years of mechanical practice and training. If you want to make a stone shine you will have to polish it, again and again. . The word change 異 means “strange or curious” but the verb “to change” 移 is “to drift or to pass into”. The verb “to change” gives an idea of evolution whereas the word “change” is static and only takes into account something unusual (positive or negative). . So is change positive? Yes if you want “to change” 移 but No if you want “a change” 異 . Ninpô Ikkan! (keep going!) . Ps: 15 minutes ago I went to the automatic vending machine to order another coffee and a sandwich … I’m still waiting for my order to arrive. Ps2: Next March I want “to change” too and I will drift to another hotel for my trips to Japan. Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 5 Comments

Japan Trip April 2012 – Diary Posted on April 24, 2012by kumafr

13 Votes

I came back yesterday from a fantastic trip and I hope you have been able to share with me the things I trained in Noda.

I have been asked in Japan why I was writing so much*. It is to share with the community some of the knowledge we get in Japan with Sôke and the shihan. I hope it will help you to wait for your next trip. These texts* and these pictures are my attempt to give a fair image of what is happening in Japan. This is why I have added many pictures to these texts.

I took many pictures and not all are good but please see them as a training documentary. Pictures being forbidden during training, you will mainly have pictures taken before and after the class. As today someone asked me to put a link here to access the pictures uploaded on facebook during my trip you will find them below: The first album contains the first 10 days (over 500 pict): https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3395318174028.144619.1601937800&type=3 and the second one only the last day (around 100 pict): https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3464131334314.145724.1601937800&type=3 Enjoy and comment them if you feel like it. *All the texts in this blog were uploaded in April. If you want to read them again, click on “April 2012″ in the home page and they will appear.

Posted in General thoughts, Japan Trip | Leave a comment

Ultimate Teaching Posted on April 22, 2012by kumafr

11 Votes

Today was my last class with sensei during this japan trip and it was a very nice class where we could train also with long weapons. As sensei was coming a little late I was asked to begin the class and when sensei arrived, we started by a three tsuki attack demonstrated by an American friend. From there I got lost as sensei used no strength at all and was playing with uke as if uke was unable to see that he was going to die. Shawn Gray, after being sensei’s uke, commented that each one of the uke nagashi was piling up on top of the previous one, and that he became aware of his loss of balance only when it was too late. Sensei’s movements reminded me of some form of “kotonoma”, 空と海は (verb, sound) and “kokyû”,

呼吸 (breathing) demonstrated by Ueshiba sensei in his Aikido videos. Friday night he insisted to pay attention to the breathing of the opponent and to our own breathing too. If you hit uke while he is breathing in you increase the power of your hits. This is why you must take your time and wait for uke to breath in. If you rush to do the technique you will be less efficient. Timing is essential (kaname?). When Hatsumi sensei is moving his body turns into the “chûshin”, 中心 (pivot, center) of everything. Even though he didn’t speak about “shinrabanshô”, 森羅万象 (all things in Nature) today, he was

expressing it in each one of his movements. He was the “shinrabanshô no kaname”, 森羅万象 の要, the center of the whole creation. Whatever his uke was doing he was speeding up the destruction process. Like in the theme of 2007 ”kuki taisho”, 九鬼大笑 (the laughter of the ninth demon), tori has no fear. If uke attacks, he dies; if he doesn’t, he lives. That is his call. What was really amazing was to see how easily sensei, with very little movements of the whole body can deal with the opponent. It took me quite a long time (gracias Hector) to figure it out, and even when I got close to get it, I was miles away from sensei’s movements. Sometimes I find it frustrating to attend his classes. You see the technique, you understand it, and you are incapable. This can be quite depressing. His movements are so subtle that if you don’t pay atttention to everything at the same time, you don’t see them. As Shawn said later, the motion of sensei’s hands is catching his attention and the body movements were getting his balance totally unnoticed. When facing sôke, you are drawn into a sort of “uzumaki”, 渦巻 (whirlpool) feeling, from which there is no escape. It is interesting to watch but it is scary to feel it. There is no strength at all and uke falls because he cannot be standing up anymore. From the observer’s perspective it is as if nothing is applied to him. It is magic! Each point of contact between tori and uke (today mainly the elbows) turns into a kaname as sensei keeps pivoting softly using his legs to do that. He spoke again about kaname, explaining it to be the highest expression of taijutsu. Once you can find the kaname everywhere there is nothing impossible. But what is impossible is to understand it solely at the intellectual level. He said that this cannot be understood or acquired by “researchers”, it is coming from real experience, this is not mental. Over the years how many times did we hear him saying out loud: “don’t think!”. He also said: “there are too many researchers in the bujinkan and the kaname concept is out of their grasp as long as they keep their knowledge at the intellectual level. It was like what he told us about kuden on Friday night: “kuden cannot be written, this is why it is an oral transmission”. Sensei repeated again that understanding his words or the movements were not important: “if you get out of the class with the feeling you remember nothing it is ok because I teach the jûgodan”. I hope I was not the only one totally lost.

Feeling this kaname action through the body is teaching the mind. I went to ask him to demonstrate it on me and when he did, it was like fighting a “puff of smoke”. There was no information sent to me, nothing. I felt like falling into the kûkan.

As not so many people attended the class today, we applied these techniques with sword, bô and naginata and it was nice to learn how to use the space available. With a weapon or not, when facing sensei you are not afraid, you are simply frozen. You stop moving because it is comfortable and safe. We don’t use the weapons, we use our taijutsu with the help (hojo?) of the weapons. The sakki test ended the class and I went to his house where I joined Sayaka Oguri, Lubos and some of his students. Sensei showed us many new swords he got recently including one that belonged to a Togakure general (yoshitaka?) with the togakure crest on the scabbard. Another tachi was wearing the shingon crest, and the blade was engraved with the Fudô myô sword on one side and three bija letters representing Fudô myô, Marishi ten, and Dainichi nyorai. He also showed us a very nice tantô in an orange scabbard that looked like a big caterpilar. He also showed us a beautiful kyoketsu shôge, 距跋

渉毛 with the sword and dragon of fudô myô on one side, and the double edged sword with a vajra tsuka on the other side (you can see the pictures of those weapons on facebook). We were departing when sensei asked us to the new storage room next to his house. It was like entering an antique shop! Various types of weapons and pieces of art are there, waiting for an hypothetic museum. What caught my eyes were the few long yari that he showed. Each blade was around 80 cm! No wonder why the yari was considered to be the most dangerous weapon of all. I read somewhere from an archeological study that between Muromachi (1333) and Meiji (1868), death by swords only accounted for about 20% of the casualties, and the majority happened after the beginning of the Tokugawa shogunate (1603). The yari was the weapon of choice of the samurai, and the Japanese yoroi was initially designed to fight it. Before leaving sensei, and after thanking him for the time he spent with us, he gave Lubos and me two omamori from the Kashima Katori shrine from the Miyagi prefecture that he signed with his martial name. It was indeed a very nice day today, thank you sensei. I am sure we will speak about it with Lubos tomorrow as we are sharing the same flight back to Europe. Sayonara Posted in General thoughts, Japan Trip | 2 Comments

Shinrabanshô Posted on April 21, 2012by kumafr

10 Votes

In each class with sensei I wait for “the word” that will give a new turn to my taijutsu. Last friday night at the honbu the word was “shinrabanshô”, 森羅万象 (all thing in nature, the whole creation). I had the privilege to open the class. On a fist attack, you slide to uke’s left and take his hand, rotate the body leftward while pushing up on his elbow, therefore extending his arm. The left hand controls uke’s left shoulder. This turns naturally into a kind of Ô gyaku and uke falls at your feet still in control. After a few tries by everyone, sensei did it “his way” on me and I got the feeling that he vanished in front of me. In fact when I was asked to explain what I felt, the only word that came to mind was “nuku” (see http://kumafr.wordpress.com/2012/04/17/1012/). Sensei is moving slightly before you have the time to get him. His moves are not fast they are just in tune with everything, this is when he began to speak about “shinrabanshô”. The “whole creation” is one with him and his actions are so natural that the time you see them it is already too late. I insist here on the fact that a movement being natural is not “human”, it is a manifested yûgen (幽玄) action of “elegant simplicity”. As everyone was lost, he reminded us that “I’m teaching at fifteenth dan level”. Then he went on explaining this idea of “”shinrabanshô”. I must say that most of it went passed my level of understanding and I began to feel bad. But then he said that understanding was not important (good for us, gaijin and Japanese altogether), the kaname is to “hear it”. He added that the vibration of the words (like in a sutra or a prayer) is the thing that only matters, the meaning is secondary. Prior to the class I was speaking with Maria Somera (Mexico) and Craig Olson (Canadian resident) about the translation of his book “Chihayaburu kami no oshie wa tokoshie ni tadashiki kokoro mio mamoruran”* to Spanish. At one point Craig said that the last sound of the last word “mamoruran”, the “an” was similar to the buddhist “a un”, the end and the beginning of things. And this is exactly what sensei was told us that night: “sound is life and this is why the sound is more important than the meaning”.

Sensei added that we should not try to remember the things he says or do during his classes as long as we attend the class. “if you put it in writing, it loses its power of creation”. I understand what he said but I wanted to share it with you in writing anyway. To me this was the first time I truly understood what a kuden is. As you know the meaning of kuden (口伝) is oral transmission. For years I have been wondering why a kuden would be written. It must be, so that the sôke would be able not to forget it. Yesterday I understood that the kuden is a natural expression of life and that, if you have the level, your connection to the divine will find a way to express it through your words. In the kûkan created by nuki waza, the sakki is revealed, this is the kaname of Hatsumi sensei’s teachings these days.** * The “Chihayaburu” is said by the bujinkan teacher prior to the “shikin haramitsu daikomyô” at the beginning and at the end of the class. Here is the text in Japanese: 千早振る神の教えはとこしえに正しき心身を守るらん - chihayaburu kami no oshie wa tokoshie nitadashiki kokoro mio mamoruran. There are a few websites giving some explanations on the meaning of it but I advise you to get the book by Craig which covers this prayer/Mantra in more than 100 pages as he spoke a lot with sensei when writing the first edition of the book. A short and maybe inappropriate translation would be: “With a pure heart the kami will guide you through a happy life”, but there is much more in the book. **note: we did also many techniques during this class, but I will explain that in a future post.

Posted in Japan Trip, Thoughts on Budo | 2 Comments

Hojo & Kotsu Posted on April 21, 2012by kumafr

8 Votes

Today’s class was about hojo補助 (assistance, support) of the basics in every movement. This foundation is the key to get the natural flow in your taijutsu. I am always amazed by Senô sensei’s saino, 才能 (ability), nagare, 流れ (flow) and kôseido, 高精度 (precision). I remember asking him one day how he became so good at locks, footwork and at off balancing uke effortlessly. “When I began, I trained by myself a long time testing the efficiency of each degree of twisting applied to each joint of the body”. Once again, the best “ninja book” you can buy is an anatomy book. If you learn the bio mechanics of the body then you don’t need to use any strength. Remeber that self training is an important path of excellence and bujinkan students should do their homework more often. The fact that we get promoted fast in the bujinkan has created a negative side effect as westerners often think that “rank = proficiency”. But this is wrong. Our ranks rarely reward our technical skills. In fact we are given ranks to be worth them one day. Let me tell you a personal story.

I was at sensei’s home one day and he complimented me on the evolution of my taijutsu (what can you say?) adding: “I will give you 14th dan”. I replied that I was not yet worth the 13th and that he could give it to me four month later when I be back.* “No”, he said “I will give it to you now. But you are right to think that you do not deserve it now but you are improving and soon you will be worth your 13th. This is why I give you the next one today”. uncomfortable, I insisted that he could get it at my next trip, to which he said -and this is the key of the ranking system in the bujinkan- “no, I want to give it to you now because if I die before you come back, you will have the rest of your life to be worth it!”. Ranks in the bujinkan are only a hojo 補助 (support) to help you in your training. They are an excuse to “keep going” and so that you develop the necessary skills. They are given “a priori” and not “a posteriori”. It is sad that so many people think they deserve the rank they have without actually training to develop the skills they are supposed to develop. Senô sensei and the other shihan have worked hard to get to the level they have today. Copying their movements (sensei’s and the shihan’s) is only good if you have the proper foundation in your taijutsu. But if you are lacking this foundation then you are just behaving like a monkey, mimicking without knowing. Hojo, 補助 (assistance, support) was the keyword of this class, and Senô sensei’s insisted a lot on it. Your taijutsu is “supported” by the skills you have developed when learning your basics and by reviewing them often. In France, in October, every year, I give a 5 day seminar covering the whole taijutsu of the tenchijin. Beginners and high ranks join in to review or learn the basics. It you are a piano player or a ballet dancer, you repeat your basics every day, so why should it be different in budô when bad basics mean death? Seitairikigaku, 生体力学 (biomechanics) is: the science ( 学) of giving life ( 生) and power (力) to the body (体). You need good basics so that you do not need strength. Senô sensei said that seitairikigaku is supported (hojo) by saino, 才能 (ability) to use “ashi sabaki”, 足捌き (footwork); “karada”, 体 (body), and kyori, 距離 (distance). This is why “chikara”, 力 (strength) is not needed. Hatsumi sensei keeps saying it in each class in Japan. We use strength because we are unable to read the balance of uke. I wrote about the importance of training with the various shihan here in Japan. If we compare this Senô’s sensei class with the classes of Nagato sensei, we can see the differences. Nagato sensei teaches something closer to “street fighting” and Senô sensei a bio mechanics study course. Both are important, and both will help you improve your survival skills. To the techniques we studied today, and echoeing with what Hatsumi sensei taught yesterday about small hidden weapons, we added a teppan ( 鉄板)** (or shaken) to the movements. What was really

interesting was that the edge can be used as a pivoting point or a supporting point where it is in contact with uke. This chûshin action emphasizes the movements of the body and facilitates the off balancing of uke. A corner of the teppan can be used either to inflict pain to uke or as a pivoting point or increasing leverage, the body turning softly around the attacker to take his balance. This is done with no strength simply by applying your knowledge the bone structure of the body. Playing with the words we can say that: the kotsu, 糊 (sizing) is to know the kotsu, 骨 (bones) of the joints, in order to develop the kotsuzui, 骨髄 (true spirit) of taijutsu in a kotsu, 忽 (instantly). So I kotsu you, 乞 (invite) to find the kotsu, 骨 (secret) and develop the kotsu 骨 (know-how) to become kotsu,

兀 (dangerous). *note: like many I travel to Japan three times a year to train with my teacher. **note: a teppan is like a shaken but it is square with no hole in the middle, and the size of the palm of your hand. Bigger or smaller than the palm and the teppan will be not as efficient. Like any shaken it is not sharp. Usually it is not to be thrown at the opponent (you can) and it is used to hojo (support) your controls on uke’s body. Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 1 Comment

Shihanden at Bujinden Posted on April 20, 2012by kumafr

9 Votes

In the last five days, I had the chance to train three times with Nagato sensei and I noticed a new “trend” in his way of teaching. I have been training under him for over twenty years and I see when things are changing. As it is (should be?) the case for all of us, he is still evolving and he keeps improving his taijutsu.

師範伝 武人伝 The shihan ways at Bujinden: Each one of the Japanese shihan has developed his own taijutsu over the years. I remember telling Hatsumi sensei one day that when in Japan I had the feeling that I was training the bujinkan with him and the Oguri ryû, Noguchi ryû, Nagato ryû and Senô ryû. He answered that I was correct and that it is the way things should be. As a sidenote, I want to add that when you have the chance to be in Japan you should not limit your training only to sensei’s but take the opportunity to learn different ways to train by visiting as many shihan as possible. Our body movement is the melting pot of all these experiences and the more experiences you have the more likely you will find what is suiting your body. Yesterday for example I was training with my tall friend Robin. At some point I was totally unable to apply the technique on

him as he is much taller than me and that in a ganseki like movement, I couldn’t lock his arm without holding it with mine. His arm kept popping out of my shoulder (angle). So I had to change the technique and do a regular ganseki to do it. Later on a hip lock technique Robin was unable to do it on me, I was too low. Each time he would try it, this would create openings for counter. I liked his comment at that time: “this one is not for me, I will never do that”. And this is the main point of training with different teachers. Everything they demonstrate and teach cannot be fitting us but be recognizing it we learn to avoid those movements detrimental to our survival. Another point is that apart from being students of Hatsumi sensei, each one of us is more or less the student of a given shihan. I mean that we received our taijutsu foundation from one particular shihan at the beginning. And from there we evolved by training with the others. It was obvious yesterday, Robin is a Nagato sensei student, I am a Noguchi student. And our taijutsu are quite different because of our different srcins. From 1993 and until the opening of the honbu dôjô (10th heisei, 10th moon, 10th sun, 10th hour, 10th minute)* sensei ordered me to train exclusively with him and Noguchi sensei. After this opening I was allowed to train with the sole shi tennô and only when they were teaching at the honbu. I had been training with Nagato sensei before 1993 and I liked his taijutsu that was looking more powerful and more efficient. Gaman was permanent during his classes. I remember him stopping the class one day saying: “I don’t hear the hits!”… Next time you visit sensei in Japan, I invite you to ask him with whom you should train in particular. Depending on who you are and from where you are coming sensei will direct you to one or many shihan to help you unfold your own taijutsu. Over the years, like many of us, Nagato sensei pure power was replaced by a more softer approach of the fight and mental pain replaced body pain. He didin’t lose efficiency though. We can say the same with Hatsumi sensei too. But Nagato sensei’s style has always been focusing on “real fight”, real encounters. Even when his taijutsu became softer he was still having this nice powerful flow of movement, changing his hands permanently, crossing the arms and unfolding uke to take his balance and finally stab or hit him from a blind spot. So what is this new “trend” and this evolution in his taijutsu? It is: metsubushi, gassho, ganseki nage, sha ha ashi, mienai waza. Let’s review some of the points we studied this week:

目潰し Metsubushi, blinding powder: In each technique Nagato sensei insists that we are using metsubushi to blind the opponent. This “metsubushi” action of the hand and finger can be real or not, the idea is that uke reacts to it. Whether you are throwing something at him or not doesn’t matter as log as your action opens up new holes in his guard. Remember that illusions can be powerful.

合掌 Gasshô, hands in prayer: Speaking of guard, he still insists a lot on guarding yourself from uke’s reactions but this time he is putting his hands together and extended both arms towards uke. This allows you to rapidly change thedirection of your and and body, to free your elbows ans to control uke’s balance. Remember that the attacker outside of the dôjô doesn’t attack in line…

岩石投げ /落し Ganseki nage/otoshi: This “prayer” move will open uke, extends his arms and allow you to place a devastating ganseki like movement. Many techniques we did ended up in ganseki age or ganseki otoshi. This created more space to turn around and helped to guard ourselves from any short weapon attack. This was the kaname. Remember that kûkan is everything.

斜八脚 Sha ha ashi**, moving the legs in all directions: In many throws we often create a body reaction from uke resulting in a failure. By using the footwork and the sha ha ashi moves we unlock these tensions and become able to throw or crush uke. Remember that distance is given by footwork.

見えない技 Mienai waza, invisible technique: We also did some knife applications (weapon in the left hand) where we used it as a natural extension of the hand, always hidden from uke’s sight. Instead of grabbing the attacking hand we would simply place softly (Kochô gaeshi) the knife on the forearm, hidden under our other arm crossed over uke’s chest. Nagato sensei said that: “it is easy to use a knife in plain sight but not showing it is smarter”. This is the same with our fighting skills, don’t show them and you will keep an advantage over your opponents. If you look strong and powerful you are asking for troubles.

*note: Numerology rules Japanese lives. The inauguration of the honbu dôjô took place on the auspicious day of the 10th october of 1997, at 10:10pm. The repetitive “10″ can be seen as the completion of the cycle (kû); and also as the beginning of the bujinden, the transmission of the bujin to the world. **sha ha ashi is a concept explained in “togakure ryu taijutsu”, first tenchijin book published in 1983 by Hatsumi sensei. it is also in the 1987 edition reedited by Solkan. Sha diagonal, ha all directions and ashi leg. It is using the legs on the shin bone, heels, foot to apply lever on uke’s legs and take his balance. It is sometimes referred as “Ashi rau”. Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 4 Comments

Happô Biken Posted on April 19, 2012by kumafr

7 Votes

Today I gave a class on biken jutsu at the honbu and we studied the kukishin sword. The two hours passed so fast that we didn’t have time for a break as we use to have here in mid class. It was nice to dwell gain into the waza of the school as we mainly apply the kankaku of the various schools into our classes with sensei and the shihan. This is what sensei explained to me over lunch last Sunday. Since we entered the world of Juppô sesshô in 2003, everything we do now is based upon the taijutsu with weapons using the “flavor” of each style and mixing them together. what we study now during class with Sôke is not anymore the waza but something we can call 風味の 技 (fûmi no waza), a flavored technique. Last year for example we did a lot of sword techniques with the fûmi of Shinden Fudô ryû. But beginners need to have a from to start from and nice the kukishin jutsu (andagain. the togakure biken jutsu) are there to give them that. So it was to reviewbiken the techniques The kukishin happô biken is quite complete with 9 techniques divided into 3 sets of 3: •

tsuki komi, tsuki gake, kiri age

•

kiri sage, kinshi, kochô gaeshi

•

shi hô giri, happô giri, tsuki no wa

Each one of these basic techniques is then completed by a set of 9 sayû* gyaku; and a set of 9 henka. Which makes a theoretical total of 27.

What I understood last year in April when training with sensei is that we can see the sayû gyaku (左右逆 - left right reversing forms) as how to apply the basic form to the left or to the right of the opponent. Each sayû gyaku contains in fact more than one or two forms. Then the henka (変化 - beginning of change/end of change) is how to apply the basic form while moving forward or backward. Here again you have more than two ways of doing each one of them.

So from the 9 basic forms listed above with the added sets of sayû gyaku and of henka, we get an infinity of possibilities to adjust the technique to the fighting conditions. Maybe this is the reason why Toda sensei told Takamatsu going to challenge Ishitani, sôke of the kukishin: “don’t use sword techniques against Ishitani sensei as his kukishin biken jutsu is much more powerful than our togakure happô biken”.

The reason why I separated the basic forms into three sets is that if you study these techniques carefully you will notice that they do not apply on the same timeline. The first set is used when you react after the attack begins (nijigen no sekai); the second set while the attack begins (sanjigen no sekai); and the third one before the attack begins (yûgen no sekai).

Also in each group you will see that the first technique of each group is a ten (going up); the second one a chi (going down); and the third one, a jin (going to the opponent). These groups (tenchijin and up/down/forward) actually define a matrix of actions that can be adapted through the sayû gyaku set and/or the henka set.

Maybe this is what sensei meant also by naming it “kukishin ryû happô biken”. *note: sayû is the Chinese pronunciation of hidari migi.

DVD: I recorded the basic techniques and also their tachi version on video. Those interested can find them on www.budomart.com Biken jutsu (2 dvds basic and kukishin) Tachi waza (3 dvds) •

•

Posted in General thoughts, Japan Trip | 1 Comment

Meridian, Speed & Excellence Posted on April 19, 2012by kumafr

13 Votes

Each action should be following each other in a logical manner. In the technique, we move to one point of control to another as if climbing a rope, as sensei put it we “should control the opponent as if going up or down an acupuncture meridian.”* But sensei’s was not trying to teach us any japanese medicine or acupuncture**, he was using this image in order to explain that “like on a meridian” each point of control belongs to the same line. Uke cen be controlled on any point of the same logical line. Balance is taken the same way on each point of the same logical line. Balance is lost when we control a point on one line and then move to another point located on another line. This is why it is important in your training to understand the bio mechanics of the human body. By moving from one point to another point of the same line, you keep the off balancing at all time and it doesn’t matter if the first point is at the arm and the second one at the belly or the leg. Often these days this control is done with the legs using the sha ha ashi principle. This has been done repeatedly by sensei, Senô sensei, Nagato sensei and Noguchi sensei. This gokui of

taijutsu is used a lot. By using your legs to continue the off balancing of uke you free your hands and ready them for another action. Also as uke reacts according to what he perceives and see, uke will often be unaware of what is going on at ground level. This mienai waza is a real asset in your taijutsu. This natural action of your legs also frees your body and you can then develop your intention. But to be really efficient you should know when to show your intentions and when not to show it. In the tenchijin of 1987 it is said that you should “be able to bend when there is wind, and not to bend hen there is no wind”. Adapting our behaviour to uke’s perceptions, to our environment, and to our intuition is the goal of taijutsu. Waza without Kankaku is only a dead movement if you are not able to change it according to the situation and to uke’s reactions. In Nagato sensei’s class today, he mentionned the fact the “doing a good looking but inefficient technique is stupid. It is better to do something “ugly” but efficient than dying doing a beautiful waza. The Kankuku is what allows you to adapt the kata. A few years ago, Senô sensei explained that a kata was to be considered as a channel. A kata includes some kaname that you have to pass in order to achieve the result you are looking for. At first, your kata is mechanical and inefficient. With hundreds of repetitions you acquire the nagare (the flow) and turn a dead movement into a part of your taijutsu. The Kata becomes alive with the adding of the kankaku. Be careful as the kankaku alone will not suffice. You do have to learn the form to discard it. You learn an “inanimated” kata to “channel” your body mechanical movement. You train a kata to “animate” it and put life into it. You destroy the kata to express your natural body movement. And this destruction arrives only and only when you have mastered the initial form. Nagato sensei was complaining the other day that in the bujinkan too many students (high ranks included) didn’t put enough effort in learning the forms. I see many bujinkan teachers applying “henka” without having the essence, the kaname of the srcinal technique. Without hard work there is no improvement possible. This lack of work often leads these teachers to train fast, use force and be violent (and dangerous to their students). This is not the proper way of training. Please never forget that there is no shortcut ot excellence, it takes time, effort, and requires hundreds of repetitions***. As Nagato sensei likes to put it: ”Only stupid people train fast, try to be clever, train slowly”. *note: The human body has 12 meridians: 6 on the hands and six on the feet. There are also

2 additional ones going around the body. These two meridians are called tenmo and chimo (ten and chi) and link the front of the body (tongue to scrotum) and the back of the body (upper palatal teeth to scrotum), creating a ring flowing up and down the body. On a different logic the Japanese consider the fingers as the five elements. They are counted from

chi, the little finger; to kû for the thumb. If you add tenmo chimo and the elements you get a tenchijin. **note: I remember one student asking him about the kyûsho and the acupuncture meridians and his answer: “if you want to learn them then become a therapist, we are doing budô here not medicine”. Don’t loose the objective. ***note: If you have no plug behind your head you are still in the matrix and you have to learn the hard way. Excellence and proficiency cannot be downloaded to your body. Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 1 Comment

Sanshin is Kihon Happô (2) Posted on April 18, 2012by kumafr

4 Votes

First of all I want to thank you for your comments on the this subject, and if you did not read them, I invite you to do it now on the blog. After publishing the first article on this subject, I remembered that I forgot to tell you a few things. It is mainly about chance and memory. 1. tenchijin 1987: When I received the first version of the tenchijin in English back in 1987, the “shoshin gokei gogyô no kata” (gogyô) was described as: “chi-mizu-hi-kaze-kû” this is the reason why it caught my eyes when I discovered it in the first edition of the “unarmed fighting techniques of the samurai”. At first I thought that this were the real names but then one day, I was on skype with one of my students. Because I wanted him to discover this by himself I asked him to go on the sanshin no kata page and to read them. He did. But there was no comment at all. I insisted that he read them loud and

this is when I discovered that his edition was different from mine. I couldn’t believe it so he showed his book on the screen. This is how I discovered it. Sensei often says that we have to “create chance” and until that day I didn’t understand what he meant by that. I think that I understand it better now. Chance is keeping your eyes and your mind open. Keeping your mind open develop your intuition. Intuition comes from “intuitus” in latin that means “glance”. If you watch carefully what you see around you, then the illusion of what you want to see vanishes and you see the things the way they are, and not the way you think they are. Keeping your mind open is also important. The way we see and understand the world is conditioned by our education or, sometimes our lack of education. Some time ago I gave sensei a book called “the black swan”. The whole idea was the following: “All swans must be white because all historical records of swans reported that they had white feathers”. This proved to be wrong when black swans were discovered in Australia in the 19th century. It is not because we don’t know something that this something doesn’t exist. In the book the author details a theory about “unexpected events of large magnitude and consequence”. (more on this at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_swan_theory). We learn to create chance by expecting the unexpected. In a technique if you react according to what you think is going to happen, there is big probability that you will fail. Remember the words of Takamatsu sensei: “opening his eyes and his heart, a ninja can react adequately to the subtle changes from heaven so that there should never be for him anything called surprise” (in “ninjutsu” by Takamatsu sensei). If you expect the unexpected, there is no surprise and you learn to create chance for yourself and for those around you. 2. Kihon Happô of Gyokushin ryû: At the turn of the century, whike in Japan, I asked sensei about the Gyokushin Ryû. He told me that we had lost the techniques* but that the concept remained alive in our taijutsu. Then he decided to show me some of these concepts. We were in his house and space was difficult to find. I was stuck between the table covered with piles of documents and objects, the ground was supporting piles of videos and books, and the small corridor between the wall and the piles was about 50 cm width. No space to move at all. Nevertheless he showed me the “kihon happô of the Gyokushin ryû”. In fact he showed me the feeling of the Gyokushin ryû, but instead of showing me the kihon happô as hesaid he would, he did the sanshin no kata. In the Gyokushin he explained, you have to “be” the element you are manifesting. For example, when doing ka no kata, you move as if you are walking barefoot on burning coals, in the sui no kata you move as if you were swimming in water. After throwing me on the wall, the armchair and

the table, and after I added some mess by crashing all over to the messy room, I asked him: “sensei why did you say “kihon happô and did the sanshin no kata to me?”. He looked at me and said: “the sanshin no kata is the kihon happô”. I looked stupid, behaved as if I understood, and accepted his answer. We know that both sets of techniques are srcining from the Gyokko ryû**. The kihon happô is the entry point of the school and the sanshin no kata is the juppô sesshô of the school (the exit point). They are the beginning and the end; the alpha and the omega; the hen and the ka. Permanent changes and permanent adaptation are only possible when you stop asking “why? and begin to ask “how?”

*note: sensei told me once that we have no techniques either for the kumogakure ryû, only the concepts. This is why we never studied those two schools as we did for the other ones. **note: Gyokko ryû gave birth to the Gyokushin ryû and to the Gikan ryû Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 1 Comment

Sanshin Is Kihon Happô Posted on April 18, 2012by kumafr

9 Votes

The Japanese people are very found about numerology and sensei being Japanese I was not surprised yesterday night when he said “the sanshin no kata is the kihon happô”. In this blog I already wrote a few articles referring to this and referring mainly to the kihon happô. But the same can be done with the sanshin no kata. You can find it here: http://kumafr.wordpress.com/2010/10/15/does-3-5/ but there other articles speaking about this in the blog. But how can the gogyô of the sanshin 五行 be equal to the kihon happô 基本八方*. Everyone knows that 3 doesn’t equal 8, at least for a Western mindset, but maybe it is time to begin to think like a Japanese. Before trying to understand this puzzle, let’s review what we start with:

the “sanshin no kata” is a set of 5 movements based on the five elements, the “gogyô” (which true name is “shoshin gokei gogyô no kata”**, in the tenchijin of 1987) is made of the Japanese five elements (the “dai gogyô” refers to the Chinese ones), The “kihon happô” is a set of 3+5 which contains all the prinicples of movements and opens up in all directions, The “kosshi kihon sanpô no kata” is used against attacks (aka “sanpô no kata”), The “hoshu kihon kata gohô” is used against grabs (aka “gohô no kata”). Even though “sanshin” means 3, there are 5 elements. And if you add 3 (san-shin) + 5 (go-gyô) the result is 8 (hachi). This hachi plus “hô” becomes “happô”. Etymologically “happô” (hachi + hô) can have the meaning of “8 principles” 八法 **or ”8 directions” 八方; but in Japanese it is mainly understood as 八方 “all directions” or can also be understood as a “large hanging lantern”, maybe a big lantern showing us the correct path of budô? Therefore, the kihon happô is a fundamental set of movements to move our body in all directions. This “happô”, lights the path to our progression in the martial world. But as you know, “sanshin” refers to many things. You can see “sanshin” as: 1) a sum up of the tenchijin philosophy; 2) a set of three actions (kamae, uke nagashi, kaeshi); 3) a time line (before, during, after); 4) a space locator (forward, center, backward); or 5) having the mind and attitude of a three year old child.

(This is a another group of 3+5 making another 8!) All these interpretations are correct and were taught by Sôke over the years. They are all true and please remember that there is no hierarchy between them. Any one is as good as the other ones. Now why does 3 = 8? We have to dig a little deeper here. In the nineties while in transit from Japan, I had the chance to meet a russian specialist of both Chinese and Japanese. As we had a few hours to wait before getting into the plane he tried to explain the different visions of the two cultures. What he told me is that by tradition and culture, the Chinese are Ura, they conceive a non-manifested world; conversely the Japanese are Omote, they have a materialistic vision of the manifested world.

The Japanese see the world from the earth (chi) were the Chinese see it from heaven (ten). This explains partly the differences between the Chinese and Japanese gogyô. The Chinese dai gogyô are wood, fire, earth, metal, water. The Japanese and the Tibetans have the series we know in the bujinkan. But to make it a little more complex, the Japanese gogyô can be seen with either a Chinese approach (more spiritual) or a Japanese one (more grounded). My Russian specialist used the gogyô as an example. Chi and Kû are the same in both philosophies and they are similar to the “alpha and omega” of the Greeks, a circular flow; or the henka cycle (beginning-end) of the Japanese were change is permanent. But things get even more intricate with the other three elements (sanshin?) because they are different both in name and nature.

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Sui (Chinese) is Mizu (Japanese). The Chinese humidity of the air is opposed to the Japanese water in the river.

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Hi (Chinese) is Ka (Japanese). The Chinese sun is opposed to the Japanese bonfire.

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Fû (Chinese) is Kaze (Japanese). The Chinese atmosphere is opposed to the Japanese wind.

The bujinkan martial arts do not stop at the door of the dôjô. You have to train your brain and learn to think outside of the box***. I wish that after reading all of the above you begin to consider that actually 3 can be equal to 8. But there is more… Because of its success, Hatsumi sensei’s book “unarmed fighting techniques of the samurai” has been republished twice. Now, depending if you have the first edition or the second one (I have both) you would have two different “sanshin no kata” mix of the Sino-Japanese logics! I guess that not so many bujinkan practitioners noticed it***. In the first edition, the sanshin is described as chi-mizu-hi-kaze-kû (or 11011) and in the second edition it is the regular chi-sui-ka-fû-kû (or 10101). The techniques are the same but the feelings you develop when doing the first set or the second one are totally different. Try them.

Funnily I noticed that when you put the two sets, one on top of the other you get a sort of DNA helix. If you train with the omote and the ura feelings, you will discover new things in your taijutsu. In July 2011, I told him about my DNA discovery during lunch and about those differences I found between the two editions. His answer was: “yes this is the same”.

But can you really trust a ninja master?…. or was his answer much deeper than I thought?…

* note: the bujinkan “kihon happô” is 基本八法, ”8 principles” ** note: “shoshin gokei gogyô no kata” is 初心互恵 五行の型 “srcinal five elements mutual benefit form” (?) ***sidenote: Everything keeps changing even a book, so please remember that sensei often invites us to “read between the lines”, maybe it is time for you to begin? Posted in General thoughts, Japan Trip | 4 Comments

Nuku Dummy! Posted on April 17, 2012by kumafr

7 Votes

Last Sunday, Nagato Sensei insisted on the idea of nuku 抜, in this case drawing out the body in the middle of the technique. When uke reacts in tension expecting contact you use this tension against him

by removing, withdrawing, your body from the expected contact. The kûkan created confuses uke’s balance (body and mind) and he falls by himself. This is someting that sensei is using a lot tricking both our body and our brain. When you are uke with sensei there is nothing and you are reacting to an illusion of physical presence. This type of movement is also called kûki nage, 空気投げ (throwing by emptiness) and from the outside, it looks like uke is thrown by an invisible opponent. Falling apparently for no reason, uke looks like a fool which is normal as nuku 温 means also “idiot” or “dummy”.* This concept of nuku is familiar to all of us when training biken jutsu. In the bujinkan getting the blade off the scabbard is called nuki gatana, 抜き. The nuku action is done not by pulling the sword off the scabbard but by “peeling off” the scabbard from the blade. This nuki action proves to be faster and more accurate in a real fight. I understand that it was the correct way to draw the sword during the Muromachi period. My guess is that this was done to have the time to free the whole blade of the tachi. Also sword fights were mainly about stunning the opponent, taking his balance and stabbing the unprotected part of the body through the holes in the yoroi. When the Tokugawa period began and peace established they abandoned the yoroi so the swords became smaller and the unsheathing of the sword was replaced by the iai action as cutting was now possible. There is a good way not to forget this difference with other sword system: I have been told that in Japan they use “nuki” when peeling the skin of a banana. Obviously when you eat a banana you do not pull the fruit off the skin but peel the skin to eat the fruit. The nuku action explained by Nagato sensei is possible only if uke is attacking correctly. By attacking correctly, he meant that the body of the attacker should be behind his attacks. He didn’t mean that we have to use violence but simply to be true in our intentions even if training with no speed. He added that many times he watches bujinkan members not attacking properly and that it is wrong. Because without a real intention these high level techniques cannot be revealed. To add to that I encourage you to train more and to master the tsuki (and the uke nagashi). These are fundamental techniques of basic taijutsu and they are not trained enough in many dôjô. Train your kihon happô at each class and when you have the chance to be uke, train on your attacks. After a while you will notice a real improvement in your taijutsu as a whole. I remember once someone asking sensei about tsuki and kicks and telling him that they were not really taught in the bujinkan. Sensei answered dryly: “and why do you think we train the kihon happô for?”.

A good and long study of the kihon happô will benefit to your whole taijutsu and this is why sensei asked us to train them at each training session. This is something he told us long time ago but I believe it is still true today. If you do not train the kihon happô and/or the sanshin no kata in your dôjô at every class then please print this and give it to your teacher. Call it is a direct transmission of the Sôke from last century. With good basics in your taijutsu you are capable of attacking in a true manner and those beautiful nuku moments can be yours.

* “nuku” has also the meaning of “doing something to an end” if you want to be a good bujinkan practitioner this is what you should do, train to master the basics then move to the weapons and the schools. On a side note, there is another meaning to “nuku” but it would be incorrect to explain it here. Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 4 Comments

the calligraphy of the year 2012

3 Votes

jinryû no kaname wo mamoru

But it is also read “jinryû yôgô”: 神龍要護

Thanks to Billy Ristuccia Image | Posted on April 17, 2012 by kumafr| 1 Comment

Chûshin & Chôwa Posted on April 17, 2012by kumafr

6 Votes

Even though the theme for the year is “ken”, sensei speaks a lot about kaname, 要 (essential point, pivot) in his classes. Since the beginning of wo themamoru” year you can seecan on the right side of the shinden a calligraphy reading “jinryû no kaname which be approximately translated as “the main point of the heavenly dragon is protection”.

But maybe it makes more sense when you know how Fudô myô is represented symbolically: a chinese double edge sword with a vajra as a handle with a dragon wrapped around it. In the martial arts Fudô myô is a major deity protecting those walking on the path and bringing back on track those who are lost. Fudô is a protector, this is his kaname. The bujinkan teaches us to protect ourselves and the others. Last Sunday, sensei half joking said that the technique he was doing was coming directly from heaven and that there was nothing to do, only to let it flow through the body. This illustrates this concept of jinryû (神竜). During his last class, Senô sensei’s spoke a lot about the chûshin principle, 中心 (pivot) which is another translation for kaname. In a technique, he said, you have to include those pivots in your actions. By not grabbing the opponent but simply – and softly- guiding him you create pivoting points from which uke’s balance can be broken. Chûshin also has the meaning of “balance” or “focus”. Therefore by directing your “chûshin” (focus) on these “chûshin” (pivots), you break uke’s “chûshin” (balance). To use these pivots efficiently find them and rotate from the contact points without using any strength. It is as like dancing with your partner. When you dance you are in “chôwa”, 調 和 (harmony), with uke. This harmonious way of moving is what seems to be the main aspect of today’s classes with sensei and the shihan in Japan. Being in harmony with uke you can resolve any situation. Going deeper in the harmony concept, Senô sensei said there are no techniques but only a permanent adaptation to the various tensions of uke, and this is the reason why not grabbing is important. When you grab uke with force, your grip prevents you from feeling uke’s tensions. For example when uke throws a punch, receive his attacking hand in a sort of berth (thumb inside, extended fingers outside) and pivot your hand with your body to open new angles. By pivoting with the whole body you create leverage (teko). Your thumb is the center (fulcrum) and the extended fingers the lever. If you try that you will find out that uke’s body not being stressed by strength (you are only receiving his hand in your hand) will follow the movement and open up. As you all know, “teko shiten” is one of the key principle of the Takagi Yôshin Ryû. Once uke’s balance is taken by this chûshin, you can bring him to the ground “harmoniously” with a simple sha ha ashi action of your leg. This off balancing by the leg is done with no strength at all and with the whole body. During this ovement, Senô sensei said “chikara janai” many times: “don’t use any force”.

On the technical side, an efficient sha ha ashi, 斜八足, is done by pivoting on the toes of the foot, not the ball or the heel.* This toe pivot gives your body the proper distance needed. Because each uke moves differently you must adapt the distance and the technique. To be succesfull your actions have to be chiseled to the opponent’s body reactions. There is no shortcut to get that, and only through experience and years of training will you learn when to increase the distance or when to decrease it. Chôwa (harmony) between you and the attacker is important. Work on it. Often people ask how is it possible to do these techniques if no strength is used. Understand that strength can be used but only when the soft approach has failed. See this as a gear box in a car, as long as driving on fifth gear is fine it saves energy but if the traffic changes it might be necessary to retrograde your gears to have more power and control over your vehicle. Remember that the more energy you save, the longer you are able to survive. This goes for everything in life. If you keep your balance and take uke’s by using these soft pivots; if you can move in harmony with your opponent at all time, then strength is not needed. The concept of chûshin goes very well with the idea of kûkan. When Senô sensei was speaking about it I remembered the “kûkan no kyûsho” of the last daikomyô sai when sensei wanted us to find, or at least to be aware of, the weak point or the entry point of the empty space. Maybe can we see here the chûshin as being the kaname of kûkan. *reminder: the foot is divided into three sections Ten/toes, Chi/heel, Jin/ball Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 1 Comment

Shinken, shinyû, shinri Posted on April 16, 2012by kumafr

2 Votes

Yesterday I had the chance to get a quick lunch with sensei after the “memorial day”. In the past these opportunities were not rare but today I consider it a luxury to be able to speak with him directly with only the two of us.

During a recent class we trained some mutô dori technique and sensei explained that in this situation you have to move forward the cut with your guts. Courage is one thing we learn in the bujinkan. When you a re facing a naked blade, a 真剣 (shinken) one needs 大勇 real courage (taiyû) or 雄武 bravery (yûbu) to move forward. But as he said if you trust yourself then nothing will happen. It is the same thing we experience in taijutsu. If you are ready to get hit, somehow you will never be hit. The same happened against the sword, but you have to have good basics in order to survive. Sensei explained that when dashing forward bravely against the sword (yûshin 勇進), you should never watch or consider the blade itself but the position of the attacker’s hands. As I often tell my students concerning weapon traiing. A weapon has no intention so if you want the weapon to be harmless you have to deal with its brain i.e. the opponent. When you visualize the trajectory of the hands in the air you can determine where to go, the timing of your action, and the position of the body. But this is more a yûgen thinkg than a proper thinking process. You have to get the intuition and move with a yûshin attitude. Then nothing bad will happen. Recently I read in some forum comments speaking about the sword techniques of the bujinkan ryûha. This surprised me as I thought that only the kukishin ryû and the togakure ryû had sword techniques in their densho, so I asked sensei over lunch. In life I believe that if you want to improve your knowledge and know the truth 真理 (shinri) you should always go to the source. The source concerning the bujinkan is Hatsumi sensei so the truth of the sword in the bujinkan comes from the sôke (my Japanese abilities being very “light” to say the least, the whole conversation was done in Japanese but mainly in English and was translated to me by Shiraishi sensei). So here is the shinri, the truth you have to know:

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Shinri is, that there are no other densho about the sword in the bujinkan densho apart from those of the kukishin ryû and the togakure ryû.

•

Shinri is, that we train juppô sesshô since 2003 and that we must use any weapon with the

•

feeling (kankaku) of any of t he nine bujinkan schools. Shinri is, that whatever we do today it is always a mix of the nine schools. They add to one another in our body and mind and this is true also for the sword too.

Last year in 2011, the secondary theme for the year was the shinden fudô ryû sword. During my three stays in Japan, sensei taught many sword concepts related to the shinden fudô ryû. There were no techniques but the interpretation on how to use the sword with a shinden fudô feeling. The internet is full of these wrong interpretations and instead of spreading them it is always better to ask directly to sensei. For many years this is what I have done and I invite you in the future to ask him before spreading any wrong or unverified information. As I wrote in another previous article, the bujinkan is shindô a true path. This shindô exists in every move we make in and out of the dôjô. In mutôdori training the shinken is dealt with shinyû in order to find the shinri. Bujinkan is shindô, shinken, shinyû, shinri. Remember that the internet is not shinri. The internet is shinshaku 新釈, a new interpretation often wrong by people not connected to the source. I invite you to spread this around you so that fake comments on the bujinkan sword are not believed anymore. Shinri exists only in training.

Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 3 Comments

Shindô, The True Path

Posted on April 16, 2012by kumafr

6 Votes

The recent days have brought their amount of new experiences. Yesterday going to the Takamatsu memorial with sensei was a nice moment that I always cherish, and it is was a true moment of budô shared with sensei, Oguri senei’s family and a group of shihan from all over the world. I am always thankful to sensei for these rare opportunties unveiling another true aspect of his budô.

This is the proof, if needed to, that the bujinkan is a Shindô – 真道, a true path of Life. We stayed in Tsukuba for a few hours and burnt incense sticks in memory of Takamatsu sensei and Oguri sensei. After we finished sensei asked us to rebuild a statue that fell and broke into pieces after a recent earthquake. Nagato sensei, Moti, Darren and a few others repaired it and put it back standing up on its piedestal. It is a statue of a woman pouring water like the zodiac symbol of the Aquarius. For me, it was a symbolic lesson concerning life and hope. This “aquarius” woman lying on the ground and destroyed was suddenly raising again and standing up for a better future. In budô, we often fall (ego, illusions, self pity) but each time we rebuild ourselves and stand up again. This is what perseverance is about. The fact that we are at the end of the era of the Aquarius adds even more meaning to the scene as if telling us that untill the end there is always a need to be living in the present. Too many people are heading towards a potential future and do not take the time to enjoy the present moment. In the techniques this is obvious as uke is already moving in his future and is not able to react correctly in the present. I began to see the links with sensei’s past teachings coming together in a single space and time.The concepts of nakaima (the center of now), henka (the begining and the end of change), and juppô sesshô were dancing together and melting in my brain. This was indeed a very special day. I understood suddenly that all the teachings I had received in the past 28 years were summing up into one single idea: being one with oneself to live happily in a permanent present. Then, back to Noda I met with sensei at his home. Shiraishi sensei was struggling with the many orders received recently, and the floor was covered with enveloppes, papers, diplomas, patches and membership cards. The bujinkan has become a big organization today but as sensei wants to keep it human, it is not run like a business. I want to take this opportunity to thank Shiraishi sensei for his hard (and unrecognized work) in dealing with hundreds of orders during his free time. I also want the bujinkan community to understand the huge amount of work it requires from both Hatsumi sensei and Shiraishi sensei. The bujinkan office receives about 15000 orders per year (my guess). These orders concerns: membership cards, patches, shidôshi hô menkyô, shidôshi menkyô, kyû ranks, dan ranks up to 4th dan, and shidôshi ranks from 5th dan to 15th dan. Shiraishi sensei has to control every order in the bujinkan logs and prepare the various orders until fourth dan. All menkyô diplomas and shidôshi ranks are done by sensei. Sensei told us last week that there were now over 3200 shidôshi in the bujinkan! If you consider that an average order takes 5 minutes you get an impressive total of 1250 hours of work. Shiraishi sensei is helping sensei around 20 hours per week to do this, so I hope that you now understand why it takes so long between the day you send your order and the day you receive it. An average of 8 to10 months is therefore logical. Even though those “papers” might have some importance, remember that what you are learning is not on this piece of paper with your rank on it, it is

on what you do with yourself and that will take more then 8 to 10 months to achieve your mission in budô. Time is an illusion and the path is long, and this shindô will transform you more than you think. But you will understand this only after training 30 or 40 years of real training.

Ganbatte!

Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 1 Comment

Confused? Not Anymore! Posted on April 15, 2012by kumafr

5 Votes

I am not confused anymore as today, I finally got my answer. I am happy to share it with you as I guess you were all totally confused after my previous post. Friday night, Hatsumi sensei was speaking of the necessary adaptation to take into account when using fighting techniques of the past.

His point was that applying techniques that belong to a period of time from the past, might result dangerous in another time. I remember reading one day a book of strategy for samurai (Heiho Okugi Sho) were it was said that the best side to attack a sleeping samurai was to arrive by the top of the body (head) because he wouldn’t

be able to draw his sword in this configuration; and a few pages later , they said to always protect the left side (this is why the Japanese still drive on the left side of the road) in order to protect the sword. These two examples show how wrong a good tactic can become a few centuries later. Today any soldier can shoot reverse above his head, so the first tactic is wrong. Guns being on the right side of the body today is the total ooposite, therefore this is the right side that must be protected (this is why the americans drive on the right side of the road)*. Wrong again. Sensei used the image of the change from Chinese based beliefs to Buddhism around the Heian period. He spoke about jukyô ( 儒教– confucianism) and of bukkyô (仏教 – buddhism) that replaced it.

Acccepting changes is often difficult bur is alays necessary if you want to survive in your present. This permanent change is what we learn in the Bujinkan, it is always better not to resist. Change is not good or bad, it is simply necesssary to survive. This is the srcinal image of the in/yo concept. In/Yo (陰陽) symbolizes the alternative between sun and rain. Like the nami (the wave) of yesterday, being able to interchange the in/yo every time needed is the best way to ensure victory. * For Europe it is a change of sides decided by Napoleon in all the countries he invaded in order to protect the supplies for his troops. They were using big chariots with six horses and needed a young man on the first horse to help moving to the left or to the right the first horses so that the others horses would follow the proper direction. Now riding horses was always on the left side of the horse** and driving on the left side of the road created a big

blind spot that prevented full visibility. This caused many accidents with walls, trees, other chariots. By changing the side of driving this problem was solved. ** the Europeans including the British*** were all driving on the left side because before the crusades the swords of the knigts were straight***** and being worn on the left hip prevented them from riding the horse on the right side. *** The British were never invaded by Napoleon and so they are still driving on the “good side”, the left one even in New Zealand**** **** In the movie “the last Samurai”, they ride their horses on the left side. One of my friend being a stuntman on this movie, I asked him why they were riding their horses on the wrong side. His answer was: “we tried to ride them the Japanese way but the horses refused to let us ride them on the right side as Samurai would.” Why? “because the movie was recorded in New

Zealand!”. ***** Japanese Samurai began to use curved swrod hanging lose on the hip, bbut as they

were holding a long weapon in the right hand (yumi, yari, naginata) they would grab the pommel of the saddle with the right hand, and ride from the right side. te sword moving freely would follow the movement.

Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 2 Comments

Confusion Posted on April 14, 2012by kumafr

3 Votes

Being wrong is good

The first class with sensei is always a fantastic moment that I enjoy pretty much. And this one was not different. It was rich and full of new feelings that will brew in my brain and body to create a new flavored taijutsu.

As often when I arrive in Japan for my first class, Hatsumi sensei asked to open the class and as I have recorded recently the Takagi Yôshin Ryû with my Indian Buyu, this is a Takagi like movement that came out. When you are asked to show it is always better to have nothing “ready” so that what you are doing reflects your own personal evolution since your last trip and not a fake movement repeated over and over to “look good” in front of the Sôke. Over the years I noticed that often the simplest movements are the best to trigger his creativity and in that way everyone in the class whatever rank he or she is wearing is able to get something out of it. Uke is attacking with his right fist and you ura jodan uke his attack with the left elbow then grab his left hand softly, extend his left arm and bring him to the ground in a kind of musô dori. At least this is what I remembered showing but when, five minutes later, sensei asked to repeat it again he watched and said: “no Arnaud do the first one you did”. I am sure I looked confused and lost because I honestly thought that this was the one I did. I will not take any responsability here, I will blame the jet lag. We found out later that the first technique ended with a jûji dori on uke’s arms using the right one under the left to add some leverage and ease the throw. This “leverage thing” is one of the basic concepts used in theTakagi Yôshin and the Kukishin and is called teko (梃 – lever) shiten( 支点– fulcrum) it uses also the second main principle of these two fighting systems thejûjiron( 十字路 –

crossroad), the principle of always using a perpendicular control

whatever you do. Confusion (1) The interesting thing (apart form the techniques) is the state of confusion I experienced when

sensei stopped me in the demonstration. Funnily this was one of the very interesting development he taught during the class. Confusing your opponent is the best way to create openings in his attacks; it changes distances and overall it modifies his perceptions of reality in front. Actually uke is sure to make the good choices where in fact he is living in an illusion. Remember that ninjutsu is genjutsu ( 幻術– magic). This holistic attitude (body and mind) creates a fake reality for him and triggers his actions. The distance he sees is wrong, the timing he perceives is wrong, his whole world of certitudes is off balanced. Off balancing uke’s brain, is always the key and your movements should always allow you to react instantaneously to the changes he is creating. As always Sensei did many applications with weapons, manly daisho sabaki ones and insisted a lot on not grabbing. If you grab, he said, you are locking yourself and become unable to adapt to uke’s changes. Since he redefined for us at dkms the meaning of henka (beginning and end of change) I see it everywhere. But here it was making a lot of sense. Every minor change in uke’s intentions and actions is addressed immediately because we are

not grabbing. Uke is the one grabbing himself. To me it looks like if we grab uke we shut down our ability to read the next step: grabbing reders you totally blind. Controlling uke with the body on the contrary gives you the eyes of the hawk. As hawk is taka鷹 ( ) and gi (or waza –

技) is technique; the Takagi becomes a technique of a hawk. Sword and daisho sabaki

The Daisho sabaki (大小捌き) forms add an infinite set of new possibilities. Sensei explained that the goal here is not to draw uke’s blade but to use it to trap his mind and apply basic controls with the body as if you would be using a simple stick. The blade still sheathed there is no risk for you, but in uke’s mind you are going to cut him soon and he freezes. This freezing created by his inability to read your intentions creates new opportunnities that you use to finish him. And this works also when more than one opponent is facing you. At one point, sensei applied the technique against three opponents. When weapons are flying in the air everyone tries not to be hit or cut and this creates another illusion for each uke. First they don’t want to injure one of their friends, and second they do not want to get injured themselves. At one point sensei was controlling effortlessly three opponents with swords on the ground. Each one trying not to die and having no understanding on where he was and what he was going to do. In this situation, the group disappears and each one thinks individually to escape from the situation. Everyone was confused… except for sensei. Jin is Hanpirei

Another interesting point sensei developed was that we must learn how to do the technique as tori and how to avoid the technique when being uke. Only when you are able to do this are you really in control of the technique. To illustrate this sensei played with the kanji for man, 人 jin, and he said that in this kanji there is one line splitting in two lines like the ura/omote or the yin/yang. This is to symbolize the ability to reverse any action and to transform defeat into victory. Everything comes in a flow and you keep reversing the situation by surfing on uke’s

掴み取り). intention.This is why grabbing is out of the question (tsukamidori to grab – Sensei’s movements were “hanpirei”, inversely proportional to mine. Grabbing the opponent would be stopping the flow of things and locking the brain; and leading to defeat. It felt like a wave

During the class I went to sensei to feel the technique as I didn’t get it. It was amazing. While receiving the technique I got the feeling I was caught by a wave. I told him and he confirmed it to me. This nami ( 波– wave) sensation was soft but there was nothing I could do to avoid being drawn. It seems that letting go was the best thing to do. It was amazing because sensei was not using any strength at all, he was only playing subtly with my body reactions. I was the stupid witness of my downfall, and it seemed logical. In fact his relaxed movements were creating tension in my brain and body and my automatic reactions were opening a kûkan.

Once a new kûkan would open, sensei would reverse it proportionally to his own benefit. To understand it better, it was like supporting yourself on a collapsing wall. Suddenly, there is nothing and there was no warning nd no violence. Shuko and Kaname

In every technique we did, sensei insisted how much easier it would be if we would have worn a pair of Shuko or a pair of ashiko. The Bujinkan is a martial art where everything is used and we have to keep an open mind on what is possible…even if it is not in the book. The kaname (要) of this year, the “essential point” is exactly this. Actually we can define two types of kaname, one addressing the body/technique; the other one the brain. After some point you will figure out that those two are one but for today seeing these two aspects can help you improve your taijutsu. Confusion (2)

So during the class sensei apparently spoke about confusion. At least this is what I thought until I checked in the dictionary… During the class sensei used a specific term but then I am not sure of what I heard exactly. Once again our senses are the one creating our off balancing. I thought he spoke about “confusion” when he used the word “jûkyo”, and speaking after the class with some resident on the platform at the train station, he confirmed it to me. Now back in my hotel room I went through my dictionary and found that jûkyo meant house, residence. So I thought that my Romaji transcription or my hearing were not good so I tried every close possibility: •

chûkyô: Communist Chinajûkyo: house, or residence jukyô: Confucianism

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jikyo: retiring leaving

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jikyou: confession

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shukyô: primary mirror of a telescope (the telescope again!) or main mirror

•

shûkyô: state boundary, or religion

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shûkyo: removal, or religion

•

Now was there any “confusion” in the translation between the sound “confusion” and “Confucian” pronounced by a Japanese? I don’t know but I will ask him tomorrow; but one thing I do know is that the class was confusing and let me with even more questions.

At the end of the class sensei said that he was teaching exclusively for the fifteenth dan. I wish I was only fourteenth to have an excuse to be so lost. Ganbate!

Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 3 Comments

Hanpirei: inverse proportion Posted on April 13, 2012by kumafr

3 Votes

I had my first class of the trip tonight and I must say that I was a little lost. It will take me some time (and sleep) to be able to tell you exactly what we did. So to feed you with something I will explain a new concept taught by sensei before I arrived. On arrival in the lobby yesterday, I met friends commenting a recent class with Sôke who spoke about “hanpirei”and I thought I could share it with you. This concept reminded me of the famous drawing (see picture) by M.C. ESCHER a Dutch graphist of the end of the 19th century. Last week sensei spoke about “hanpirei” 反比例 or “inverse proportion”. Why? and for what? I do not know yet. I guess that I will learn it in my next classes with him. But thinking about it, it reminded me about an image he used recently and about which I wrote recently (the article can be found here: http://kumafr.wordpress.com/2011/11/29/use-a-telescope-to-seethrough-space-and-time/). Last November after one training with sensei I wrote the following: “To summarize the whole training that day sensei used a nice image. He said: “don’t be strong, don’t be weak, be zero and through this zero you can see the solution”. Saying that he put his hands in a circle and looked through them as if using a telescope. Once again everything is linked. Telescopes are

used to see through sideral space and the stronger they are, the further back in time they can see. You should become a powerful telescope and see through time and space in order to be aware of what is coming next even before Uke knows about it. It goes quite well together with this “hanpirei” concept. “Hanpirei” 反比例, this « inverse proportion » can be understood as watching through the other end of the telescope. Therefore instead of going in the past through time and space you become able to foresee the future and solve the problem before it is created. Still going through time and space, but this time in the other direction you will be where uke will be and counter his moves even before he is moving. Strangely, if you look into it from any end you will be able to « react » before the « action ». If you are seing through the past, then you are aware of the srcin of his movements. But if you are watching into the future, you will see where he will be and what he will do. And this is also the meaning of the « koteki ryûda juppô sesshô » of 2003. As you are the tiger and the dragon at the same time, you let uke in his past and projected in his future; and you move in a present that he is not able to see because he is never there. Everything is linked. Through the kaname 要 of your present, you are seeing through the past and into the future of uke. Present is nurtured by both the past and the future. It is a self-creation like the hands by Escher. This is the « henka » principle. Being aware of hen (the beginning of the change) and ka (the end of the change) you are in the « kû » state of mind (the completion). Zero. You are « zero » because you are everywhere at any time and in any space.

Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 2 Comments

Shakaiteki no Budô? Posted on April 13, 2012by kumafr

6 Votes

In the plane to Tokyo I thought a lot about our motivation as budo practitioners. I have been travelling to Japan many times and I did some math and figured out that I spent over 1000 hours to fly there! These 1000 hours represent 44 days of my life, a month and a half in a tin can. And this is only the travelling to Japan. Every week since 1984 I train/teach for an average of 10 hours a week. This is nearly 15000 hours of training (or about 600 days, 20 months) and this doesn’t include my 17 years doing Jûdô… So why are we doing that? We know that the knowledge acquired during those numerous

hours of training will never be used in a real life and death situation; but still we keep spending money and time for it. Why? Honestly I do not have the correct answer or conversely I have many. So even if I see it as some kind of addiction, I trust that this is the best way to develop ourselves and become better humans. Addictions are bad except if they reveal something extraordinary and this is the case for the Bujinkan arts. This is why I am worried to see that modern practitioners do not seem to have

the same commitment I have put in my training. There is nothing wrong about it but then why do they train if they don’t commit fully? With the spread of those virtual tools such as facebook, tweeter, etc we get more virtual and less real. Maybe is it a trend of our society but if people are more into virtual action why do they come to the dôjô. I have been wondering a lot recently about it. In some dôjô, training is not the main thing, the real thing is the social gathering. Social gathering is always fun and I enjoy it once in a while but never during classes as in the dôjô, training should be the only motivation together with learning an old philosophy of life. The Bujinkan is not a ”shakaiteki no budô” 社会的の武道 i.e. a “social budô”, it is a “seimei no budô” 生命の武道 i.e. a “budô of Life”. In Japanese “shakaiteki” means “social”. It is a mix of “shaka” (public) and “iteki” (barbarians). For the Japanese a “barbarian” is an uncivilized person (cf. gaijin). Therefore and playing with the japanese sounds, I invite you to transform this “shakaiteki” 社会的 into “sha ka iteki” 汝貝夷狄 where sha is “you”; kai is “shell, protection”; and iteki is “barbarian”. Discard the social budô and train a Sha Kai Teki no Budô, a “budô protecting you from losing your civilized education”. A “seimei no budô” like the Bujinkan is something that gives more values and more meaning, not less. And this require a true commitment and a lot of efforts (sei is “the nature of a person”; Mei is “clarity”). Recently in a class, speaking about the theme for 2012, Hatsumi sensei said we were learning “jinryû no kaname wo mamoru” which can be understood as “protection is the essential point of human spirit”. So protect yourself and others (kai) and become the man you really are. Through the practice of Bujinkan martial arts unveil your “sei mei” 性明 your “true clear nature” and become able to walk proudly as a human being controlling his destiny (sei, 制 - control; mei, 命 – destiny). Don’t miss this chance, and train when you are on the mats because if not, everything you have done so far would have been in vain.

PS: Concerning the hours in the “flying tin can”, never forget that time is an illusion and that only the path matters! And it gives me a lot of time to think… Posted in Thoughts on Budo | Tagged travelling to japan | 1 Comment

Great Kihon Posted on April 8, 2012by kumafr

10 Votes

When one begins to walk the path of Bujinkan Budô he is often puzzled by the apparent complexity of the system taught by Hatsumi sensei. This apparent complexity only fools the one believing in the world of manifested illusions. As we know ninjutsu is genjutsu, i.e. an illusion itself or better said an ability to see through the illusions surrounding us. In fact, from the outside, the Bujinkan is similar to a giant tree with roots hidden in a deep past far away from our daily concerns and understandings. This huge tree digging its roots deep and far has a common trunk which is the Tenchijin but the main branch is the Gyokko Ryû. The other main branches are important, too, but the Gyokko Ryû gives us the Kihon happô and the Sanshin no Kata which are the true fundamental technique of everything we study in the Bujinkan. The Bujinkan has only one door allowing the practitioners to learn the other branches of the art and this door is the Gyokko Ryû. Back in 2009, sensei asked us to teach the basics to the beginners and this was including an extensive time of training the Ukemi, the Kamae, the Uke Nagashi, the Sanshin no Kata and the Kihon Happô. In Japanese, the word Kihon consists of Ki – fundamental or 基 and Hon – true, book, main or 本. In fact, in Japanese there is a saying “this is the A B C” (korewa kihon desu) これは基本 です。 The Kihon of the Gyokko Ryû are the true fundamental techniques of the Bujinkan. Many practitioners never had the chance to study these fundamentals from the Gyokko Ryû extensively and at a certain point in their practice this lack of basics shows and prevents them from reaching the next level. This door, if avoided, will not allow you to reach all the branches of the tree.

Today the Bujinkan represents a big group of practitioners but this vast number is only an illusion of knowledge if the basics are not mastered. Training correctly is your responsibility and understanding the whole tree is your sole objective on the path. Many are lost on the path to excellence and no one except themselves can be blamed for that. Remember what Aristotle said: “A great city is not to be confounded with a populous one.” please help us to make the Bujinkan a great martial art, not a populous one. Arigato

Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 7 Comments

Keiko & keiko Posted on December 14, 2011by kumafr

14 Votes

Even though a few days have passed since the last day of the daikomyô sai the memory of this last day is still vivid in my mind.

Sensei displaying the densho at dkms 3

Densho: The morning session was replaced by the exposition of many densho from the old time, sensei displaying in front of us invaluable makimono, techniques, and heihô concepts of many ancient fighting systems from the feudal times of Japanese warfare. Some of these scrolls had been rebuilt and consolidated and were 3 to 4 centuries old.

While displaying these treasures sensei insisted a lot on the value of these old documents and he explained that our budô was not a simple martial art (like a sport martial art) but that we should see it as a transmission (densho) of old warfare. As he said, even if you don’t understand or cannot read them, the simple fact of breathing the same air is already impacting our abilities to the better. The techniques described in these scrolls have survived actual combat and have been transmitted by the ones who used them in fight. Unlike writers such as Nitobe who emphasized the values of the warrior, these densho are the living proof of their inner truth. They are not the romantic vision of an hypothetical fight but the result of their true efficiency. If these techniques had not proved their value in actual combat nobody would have survived war and therefore would not have been able to write them down on paper. Sensei also added even though they had been the result of true fighting experience, they have been written down during peace times so they were written from memory by old men that didn’t fight for a long time. This is why we have to respect these forms but adapt them to the modern world and to today’s conditions of fight in order to ensure our survival. As I often point remind the students: “remember that the best fighting manual will never fight for you except if you hold firmly with your hands and hit the opponent with it!”. Personal training (keiko – 稽古 ) is more efficient when backed up by the knowledge of history (keiko – 経緯 懲 i.e. learn chronology by experience ). The solutions of today are to be found through our knowledge of the past. We should not do those techniques of yore exactly as they are described in the densho but use them as optional parameters or insight to take into account when in a real combat. Therefore keiko (稽古) is deriving from keiko (経緯 懲) After the brain training of the morning, we moved to body training in the afternoon. Through the various techniques and movements demonstrated by the jûgodan, sensei explained that genjutsu, the magic of art ( 幻術) was god given where ningenjutsu (人間術), human technology (human technique) is only man made. Art comes from the heart but technique comes from the brain and therefore is limited and not of such a high value. This is something sensei has been repeating during the last week in his classes. Knowledge is easy to get in this media age but art is coming from within our Self. From this I understood

that we should develop the kanjin kaname (eyes and mind of god) more than any type of intelectual knowledge. Back to the densho he repeated that even though we had to respect these historical truths, it was today and with our own abilities that would have to survive. Jû taijutsu deals with being flexible physically but also to give us the ability to survive any dangerous situation through our adaptability (jun nô ryoku). A few days ago sensei was speaking of tenmon, chimon and gakumon, where gakumon was knowledge. And we explained that we had access to two types of knowledge. This is here the second knowledge (read the post) that we have to nurture and not the first one that is only biomechanical. Too many practitioners collect techniques instead of living them and develop only their biomechanical skills. Truth has many aspects and you will have to find yours in order to approriate these techniques for yourself as you are the one fighting. “your ignorance alone creates the universe.

In reality One alone exists. There is no person or god other than you” Ashtavakra Gita (15.16) You train for yourself and your interpretations are as good as any other, but this can become a trap if you are sure to be right. Remember that “for who is holding a hammer, everything looks like a nail”. On the technical side we continued to develop the gan shi nankotsu trilogy and sensei developed a new aspect to it. He used his thumb (shito ken) as he would a katana. He said that cutting through the opponent flesh was important. This shito gatana (指頭 刀) or yubi gatana (指刀) (he used both terms) is adding to the feeling of danger felt by uke. At the dkms party sensei announced the theme for 2012 being “katana” and I think that this yubi gatana was already a hint on how we will use the sword next year. The sword techniques (densho) of kukishin ryû, togakure ryû, shinden fudô ryû being known (keiko), it is now time for us to free ourselves from these forms and to put our adaptive taijutsu into motion through the use of the sword and the mutô dori. Mutô dori is the highest level of weapon fighting and the proof of true mastership. So please study (keiko – 稽古) and review your sword kata from the past and train them thoroughly (keiko – 経緯 懲) in order to be fully prepared when Hatsumi sensei will be unveiling the shinken gata in a few weeks.

ps: On Sunday morning he confirmed the theme for 2012 as being “Ken” (all of them). He also precised that in 2013 we will be studying Yari and naginata. Be happy and enjoy the christmas and new year time!

Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 2 Comments

Be Aware! Posted on December 1, 2011by kumafr

14 Votes

For the second day of dkms, it was raining so we had to retreat to a nearby building. Space was limited and sensei began his teaching by telling us to be aware of our environment. In a crowded area accidents might occur and like in a battlefield he asked us to add this element to the techniques we were doing today. Warrior awareness was the theme and the introduction of today’s classes by sensei and he displayed many small weapons (kusari, nekote, and other shuriken) and asked us to be aware of these kinds of weapons, and to learn how to use them in order to know how to defend ourselves against them. Hidden weapons are very common in today’s street fights so we should develop our awareness in that respect. To summarize this day of hard training (the floor was concrete), I would quote one sentence he repeated a few times during the training: “this is not about power, this is about control”. Too often in martial arts, emphasis is put on physical power instead of the control (space, mind and body). Controlling the opponent means controlling his body and his brain (jin) and his environment: chi (floor), ten (weather or light conditions). Without controlling the outside, the above, or the behind of the attacker a winning action can bring defeat. This is why the bujinkan arts are more interested in controlling Uke than showing strength or force that are often mistaken for power.

On a ryôte dori type of technique sensei once again used the wave like movements of his shoulders and his body to control his attacker. This type of movement is done nearly without moving. By solely moving the shoulders up and down and turning around Uke at a very close distance uke is defeated. This shoulder movement would be effective in a very confined environment like a hole or on the battlefield. Like he did yesterday he played again with the concept of kûkan no kyûsho. But Kû which is not only emptiness is encompassing all things within, and kû is the leading path to “zero”. Sensei often speaks about becoming “zero”. This state can only be achieved once kû is understood and integrated in our body. He asked us to find the kûkan no naka no nagare (空 間の中の流れ) because within this kûkan exists a flow that is kû and which is allowing us to transcend the form and to move naturally. This is achieved by finding the kûkan no teko (空間の梃), the leverage or the various leverages (teko) to use to open Uke and to defeat him. By using these teko (familiar concept studied in the kukishin ryû), or their opposite known as “teko gyaku” (梃逆) we unveil all possibilities naturally and submit the opponent without using any strength. Our body if relaxed allows the natural movement to appear and to be used without any thinking process or any preconceived motion. I admit that I find it hard to put that into practice in my taijutsu but this is the goal to achieve. He illustrated that by biting into the flesh of his opponent (hand, forearm, tit) and Tim’s reactions were quite self expressing. From there we moved to some shime waza (締め技). A short reminder here, shimeru (shime) applies not only to the chokes but to any kind of constrictive action on the body. The basic hon jime and gyaku jime were demonstrated with the whole body (karada) and were sometimes completed by hits to the face or crushing actions to the throat and the body. Sensei insisted also that we should use the whole body when applying those chokes, “karada no shime” he explained, while choking his opponent by moving around him. Footwork is the key element in the success of these movements. By moving the elgs you off balance Uke and cerate opeinings for the chokes or the hits. What I understood today was that chokes are: a) dynamic;

b) done with the whole body (and not only the arms); c) can be completed by fists attacks. Pain by sôke is a good teacher! He was also changing his grip from one choking waza to another using pushing (oshi - 押し) movements of the choking hand. Depending on the opening he was pushing or pressuring Uke’s upper body (not only the throat) with his pinky used as a blade to cut the flesh; with the heel of the palm to crush Uke’s Jûjiro or with the tip of the fingers to dig into the face or the neck. This ability to change the way to hold the opponent became obvious when he added a hidden knife and pulled it of his sleeve so that it was appearing like by magic in his hand. This metsubushi action (目潰し) was done while already applying the choke. He warned us to learn these “bad guys” techniques in order to survive a real fight. The bujinkan, he said, is not teaching “bad guys” techniques but is teaching these things to be able to react correctly in a life threatening situation. To avoid defeat, learn the ways of your enemy. The way he was revealing the tantô hidden in his sleeve was very interesting. He was not pulling it out of the sleeve instead he was levelling his shoulder so that the weapon would pop out by itself. The karada was pulling the weapon not the hand. This is also how we should learn to draw the sword as in the nuki gata (drawing the sword) the blade is expelled from the scabbard by the body action not with the hand. This is quite different from regular and traditional sword practice. Leaving the weapons we went back to unarmed combat and from the srcinal ryôte dori technique we learnt how to use the pressure of the thumb and the pinky to dig into Uke’s skull, face, eyes, ears, etc. We did also a few nasty pinching techniques combined with striking hits to the chest. In a limited space the “gan shi nankotsu” system finds here a logical application. Space being limited, the movements do not have the same momentum and pain is not coming from a distance but at very short range. Once again he insisted on finding the “kûkan no kyûsho” of the situation.

We did many techniques today around these principles and sensei said that this was a very important training for the jûgodan. No strength is used in these techniques, there is no power at all as Sôke is controlling Uke only with micro movements and mega pains. Pain without injury is the best way to calm down a dangerous situation. On a side note, Sôke insisted that we should pay attention to avoid injuries and of the importance of being aware of our environment (reminder). This apparently effortless full control he has at all time of his opponent(s) is always amazing to watch and to think that tomorrow he will be turning eighty is even more surprising. Sensei is not using any strength but he keeps full control of anyone attacking him. This is why the bujinkan martial art is “not about power, (but) about control”. Be aware and live happy!

Posted in Japan Trip | 3 Comments

Senpen Banka Posted on November 30, 2011by kumafr

11 Votes

Today was a fantastic Autumn day. The sun was shining, the 300 attendees full of joy to be together again for this very special bujinkan moment, and sensei was joyful and playful like a kid.

dkms 2011 - during the first break

The whole was dedicated to the depth of the Kihon Happô and he asked many 15th dan to demonstrate their understanding of it. As an introduction he said that this day (and maybe the following ones) would be a “Jûgodan test”…

After speaking about some writings by Takeda Shingen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takeda_Shingen) who said that men until 20 were working to be strong and then to understand weakness, he moved on to some very interesting concepts. From this whole day of training I did my best to remember three things that he said and showed the depth of his budô. “Gyokko Ryû is up and down, inside and outside”

Pedro trying to explain what he felt after being used as Uke by sensei, said that he had the feeling that sensei was up and down him, inside and outside his distance, to finally realized that he (Pedro) was alone as sensei was not even there (zero state). Sensei reminded us that this particular feeling of attacking the Ten and the Chi and the ura and the Omote was the main concepts of fighting of the Gyokko Ryû. Distance being short the only way to use the body efficiently is to play with all these directions and deceive Uke on your real intentions. He added (as for everything this day) that no chikara (strength) was to be used and, as he said in our previous classes, that holding Uke without actually holding him was the key of true taijutsu. As a joke he added that being 80 years old, he had no more physical strength and that his minimalist movements done with the whole karada (body) were creating the same effect as the use of the force. Age advancing physical strength is replaced by mental strength. Once again to way to control Uke it is not about using force but on the contrary to give him the feeling that you have disappeared. “find the Kûkan no Kyûsho”

At some point he spoke extensively about finding the kûkan no kyûsho (空間の急所) or the weak point of the empty space in which the fight is happening. In a movement, you should be able to understand where the Kyûsho is located, to avoid it and to throw Uke into it. He said that this was the real mastery of budô and that not so many martial artists couls even understand that. In whatever situation you encounter in life lies a kyûsho somewhere. Being able to discover this kyûsho and to use it to our own benefit is the key to happiness and safety. “senpen banka”

But the most amazing thing that sensei told us today concerned the concept of “senpen banka”.

Senpen banka is another “Hatsumism” composed of three different concepts reshuffled together to create something new. “sen” is 千 thousand

“man” (here “ban”) is 万 10000 “ben + ka” is in fact 変化 henka cut in two halves (hen and ka are separated).. Senpen then is “1000 changes” and “banka” is 10000 changes. note that both hen and ka mean “change”. The concept of senpen banka is quite similar to the concept of “banpen fûgyô” (10000 changes no surprise) from the Gyokko Ryû but stronger. Sensei said that we should move in a relax manner with no preconceived ideas on what to expect or what to do, in order to be able to find the kûkan no kyûsho hidden in the situation. Also if we think a little further it can also mean that whether there are 1000 changes or 10000 changes our attitude should not be modified. Losing or winning is not the point (he reminded it to us in a recent class saying that this win/lose vision of the world was childish). By keeping the proper attitude in life one could overcome any difficulties (here the changes) that he might find on his way and lead a happy life. Once again it was for me the proof, if need to be, that the bujinkan is much more than a simple bio mechanical martial art but a real school of wisdom from which one can grow the true warrior spirit and become a true bujin. Thank you sensei for this fantastic Autumn day on the inner secrets of the kihon happô.

Posted in Thoughts on Budo, Japan Trip | 7 Comments

Use a Telescope to see through Space and Time Posted on November 29, 2011by kumafr

9 Votes

On Sunday I did a technique at the opening of the class that sensei used to teach us the shizen karada – the natural body movement. Karada – body ( 自然 体) is a often used by sensei during his classes as everything we do is based on a body or “non body” movement. On a ryôte dori ( 両手取 り) slide your arms inside Uke’s arms and take his balance. When sensei did it to me I felt nothing he just vanished (melted?) in my grab in such a natural way that I had the feeling that my grip was returned against me. There was so much softness in his counter action that there was no way for me to counter it or to think on how to react to it. This feeling is quite strange and happens every time you have the chance to be his Uke. There is power within softness. To achieve that Hatsumi sensei was simply joining his shoulders between my arms as if he had no bone structure, no rib cage in the middle! By moving the shoulders in a wave action back and forth he slide himself in between my grip and took my balance. The naturalness of his body movement was amazing as nothing could be done to avoid it. Using the karada (体) without chikara – force, strength (力), he then used the gan shi nankotsu (眼指軟骨) to inflict excruciating pain to my eyes and mouth, forcing me to bend backward and therefore to lose my balance. I can understand it what he did to me but I wasn’t able to reproduce it. As always it is one thing to understand and another one to be able to do it. When sensei was in between my arms I felt I was facing a wall advancing towards me and I couldn’t avoid it as I was stupidly still grabbing his lapels. Funnily I know I could have let it go but I didn’t. He was controlling my body and my brain together. The only thing I could do was watching my demise. Using the whole body is not moving the body it is being one with your body and Uke’s body at the same time so no free space is available for you to escape. If I try to describe the feeling a little more it is like there is no strength at all opposing yours and then nothing to fight against. The simple shoulder wave movement together with a body that has been polished for tens of years is what is doing it. Once again, your rank doesn’t prevent you from training and you have to train for a very long time in order to get this ease in action that comes from pure consciousness.

Later during the class sensei used the image of the circle and of pi. Actually when continuing the movement your footwork should be in accordance together with uke’s movement of attack so that you pivot in a circle inside Uke’s attack at a 180° angle to go with him where his body is leading him. By doing so, Uke is not aware of where you are and loses his balance because nothing is opposing him. This pi application has been developed in many other martial arts like Aikidô for example but here in our case there is no grabbing of Uke. Sensei merely used the space created by this dynamic and natural body positioning to stick to Uke so close that he is invisible to Uke’s awareness. Sensei’s body moves like in cloud. It is at the same time a mienai waza, a kûkan and a nagare with nothing to stop Uke’s body but diabling him to perceive you. As they say in the Takagi Yôshin Ryû and the Kukishin Ryû: “ahead lies paradise”. As nothing prevents Uke’s movements Uke falls by only fighting his own strength. To summarize the whole training that day sensei used a nice image. He said: “don’t be strong, don’t be weak, be zero and through this zero you can see the solution”. Saying that he put his hands in a circle and looked through them as if using a telescope. Once again everything is linked. telescopes are used to see through sideral space and the stronger they are, the further back in time they can see. You should become a powerful telescope and see through time and space in order to be aware of what is coming next even before Uke knows about it. Then gan shi nankotsu of this year (眼指軟骨) turns into gan shi nankotsu (眼其軟骨 ) where shi (其) is oneself; nan (軟) is soft; kotsu (骨) is knack, skill, secret. The “eye, finger, cartilage” is now through our telescope a means to see through yourself, the secret of softness that will defeat the opponent.

Posted in General thoughts, Japan Trip | 4 Comments

A Needle will not Blow a Balloon Posted on November 29, 2011by kumafr

9 Votes

In any Japan trip the first classes with sensei give some insight on what is going to be taught next. My first classes last days were fantastic, full of insights … and full of pain! About 80 students are attending the classes (and more are arriving every day) and I have the feeling that the dkms 2011 will be a hispanic one as many friends from Spain and South America are there: Alex, Christian, Nestor, Rafael, Marcello, Jose and many others. I must say that sensei is in a very good mood and shape and that his minimalist taijutsu is getting more and more impressive. I had the honor to open the classes and once again he went into the “gan shi nankotsu” concept that he has been unveiling since last summer. I already wrote about this “add-on” t to the kihon happô theme and concept on my Facebook notes, check it if you didn’t read it it is called “ken tai ichi jo”. As I said the class was full of insights, I will try to explain three things that Hatsumi sensei explained during the class: A needle will not blow a balloon i.e. Kosshi and Koppô are complementary: This was really mind blowing! Westerners have a tendency to split everything in closed boxes were in fact reality is based on a more higher understanding of these concepts. Even though Kosshi and Koppô are different they mix nicely together to create a flow that is like a third reality. From now we should see these two concepts as the “plus” and “minus” of some magnetic field. Hatsumi sensei explained that our fingers controlling Uke softly were actually the Kosshi jutsu and that our bone structure, our squeleton moving freely around this point of control would allow us to deal “softly” with the opponent’s intentions. He said,that,when this Kosshi/Koppô mix is mastered, you are able to deal with any opponent whatever his body shape. This is when he used this image: “when you master this you can push a needle so softly into a balloon that eventually itwill not blow up”. This controlling action of the whole body is so soft that no force at all is used in the process. Intellectually easy to get, but I still don’t know howto do it. Time is now i.e. create time when you are in a hurry:

In each class sensei insists a lot on being able to create time within time. If you have been training long enough you already have experienced this feeling. Uke attacks full speed and you have the impression that he is moving in slow motion. What sensei explained was about the same except that the use of the little pains generated by the “gan shi nankotsu” movements prevent Uke of carrying out his attacks at the normal speed. This hindering of his intentions delays his actions and therefore creates time that you can use to control, hit, or destroy him. Since Einstein we know that time is relative and when our actions are forcing uke to think and to adjust his intentions in order to survive then we force him to “slow down” his efficiency. In a way this is E=MC² where E = extermination; M = mind, C = control. Then we can write that the Extermination of Uke equals Mind Control to the square! Tenmon (天 門), Chimon (地 門 ),Gakumon (学 門): But the main point made by sensei was when he spoke about the trilogy of Tenmon, Chimon and Gakumon. As far as I understood, We can see the martial art as a mix of biomechanical techniques – Chimon (waza) and of higher understanding – Tenmon (kûden – nearly spiritual). These two aspects are completed by another one Gakumon or knowledge. Hatsumi sensei said that many martial arts are stuck at the Chimon level and that others are focusing more on the spiritual level. The Bujinkan is including the Gakumon from the real beginning and the three become one. How is it possible? It is simple if you think that two levels of Gakumon are there. The first Gakumon is basic knowledge allowing you to link the first two aspects of Chimon and Tenmon. The second one, taught in the bujinkan by sensei is beyond forms and words and can nly be reached when your taijutsu has been polished for more many many years. When the three are mastered a new dimension you reach is that of pure consciousness – shiki ( 識). Thereforeand if my interpretation is correct we understand sensei’s last comment at the end of the class: “I teach you the three together because they are one, and this is the bujinkan and the higher form of martial art”. Be Happy!

Posted in Thoughts on Budo, Japan Trip | 2 Comments

Freedom & Happiness Posted on November 24, 2011by kumafr

16 Votes

This is Daikomyo sai time again and I cherish this moment of the year more than any moment. I arrived yesterday afternoon for another Daikomyo sai in Japan. After a fex hours I alrready met with Hugues, Cédric, Philippe, Indrek, Peter and Sheila. It is always a very nice moment and brings me a lot of happiness. Being happy is what Hatsumi Sensei has been teaching us since the beginning but many bujinkan followers don’t get it and it is sad. Freedom and happiness is the core teaching of the bujinkan. As Epictetus said “those who are looking for power and money will fail, the only objective of human beings is to find freedom and to be happy”. Everything in Life is changing, as it is said in the I ching, change is the only permanent thing on earth. But why is it that we are always looking for permanence when change is everywhere? Bujinkan followers often get lost on their search for power and money. Instead of focusing on the things we can influence, we often force things that are not in our power to serve our own selfish interests. By doing so we lose our freedom and become unhappy. Epitectus said: “What bothers humans is not reality but the judgments we make on reality”. Then stop judging others try simply to be happy with them. We have to train only for ourself with no expectations and then freedom will be achieved and we will find happiness. Each time we replace personal actions by selfish desires we get lost. Our desires, our attachment (power, money) are enslaving us. Be what you are and stop trying to be someone you are not. Everything is created in our brain. This is not reality this is an illusion. An Indian sage called Ashtavakra wrote:

It is true what they say:“You are what you think.” If you think you are bound you are bound. If you think you are free you are free. Choose to be free and Happy. Being happy is a personal choice and nothing can give it to you if you don’t make this choice. I really think that Hatsumi Sensei is a philosopher more than a martial art teacher. His martial art classes are only an excuse and a tool to help us get the proper attitude in Life that will make us happy. This year of kihon happô was dedicated to the start of a new cycle. Decide now to be what you are, choose to be happy, walk the path of freedom. So enjoy these magic days of Daikomyo sai and start anew in this new cycle by taking the good decisions and being open minded. “You are pure Consciousness— the substance of the universe.

The universe exists within you. Don’t be small-minded” Ashtavakra Be Happy!

Posted in Thoughts on Budo, Japan Trip | 9 Comments

Tenchijin University 2011 Posted on September 30, 2011by kumafr

4 Votes

Reminder: Tenchijin University in PAris from October 15th to 19th (late). We will cover all the techniques and fundamentals of the Tenchijin Ryaku no Maki established by Hatsumi Sensei as the prerequisite for the study of the bujinkan martial arts back in 1983. We will work on the revised structure by sensei from 1987. Classes will bein French and English and 9 manuals will be given to follow the classes and to take notes. Trainings will be partly indoor and partly outdoor

Lunches (sandwich) are provided as well as free lodging at night in the dôjô. If you are interested please visit the website: http://tenchijinuniversity.wordpress.com/ Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 1 Comment

YSTT Update Jun 2011 Posted on June 8, 2011by kumafr

9 Votes

In

exactly 30 days the Yûro Shi Tenno Taikai of Paris begins! This year has passed so fast that I am amazed that this is already the time for this major seminar. The Paris Taikai has evolved a lot since its creation back in 2007. This is a very special seminar that was designed to give a chance to get the « Taikai feeling » of the old days to the newcomers to the bujinkan and a sense of « the good ol’days » to the old bujinkan members. This seminar is special for many reasons: First, this is the only remaining seminar where the « Shi tenno » are teaching together. Since 1993 Sven, Peter, Pedro & Arnaud have been teaching together in Spain, France, England, Ireland etc…

Second, the four friends are used to teach together which gives a kind of « family feeling » to this event; Third, this is a 3 days seminar like the taikai of the past when Hatsumi sensei was travelling the world to spread his teaching; Fourth, the group of participants is divided into four groups by technical level. This means that a beginner will receive a class that he or she can understand; but also that a high rank student (judan and above) will also get something to improve his or her understanding; Fifth, each day is divided into small training sessions of about 1 hour where each group has the chance to train with each one of the shihan in a private class; Sixth, the 3 training halls (mats or wooden floor) allow each one to spend a full day of training in different environment; Seventh, the free t-shirt, the hot meals, the free lodging (during, before or after the event), makes it a big opportunity to exchange with the many practitioners from all Europe but also to take the chance to visit Paris; Eighth, the final party at the end of the third day is always a good moment before going back home and parting from 150 new friends coming from 15 to 18 countries. The YSTT is a very good opportunity to meet your buyu from Europe, to exchange, train, and learn a lot of things in a very friendly environment. This year, this is the 27th year of my bujinkan training. SO I decided that each participant that is booked online will receive a FREE 2 months unlimited access to our online streaming website displaying more than 600 bujinkan techniques. Thank you for your support! A. Cousergue Bujinkan Shihan REGISTER HERE

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YSTT 2011 Posted on April 28, 2011by kumafr

7 Votes

Calligraphies by Hatsumi Sensei for the "Yûro shi tennô"

Please check the new page on the Paris Taikai on this site HERE Posted in seminar | 1 Comment

Japan Update: Denki & Tenki Posted on April 23, 2011by kumafr

11 Votes

Today was a nice day, the weather was nice, not too hot and not too cold, and I learnt many new things. The reason why we come to train in Japan is to better our knowledge about proper movements and today was full of insights at all levels. I spoke with two Swedish friends, Petter Swedin who is living and studying in Sapporo (Hokkaido) and his friend Erick who is studying electricity engineering here in Japan, and they explained the reasons why the Japanese have had some issues with their power grid after the tsunami. When in the 19th century electricity Erick "Mr Denki" was first introduced to Japan it was through the Europeans. The Europeans are using a 220v/50 herz technology. When the Tokyo power grid has been rebuilt after the war by the Americans, they used a 110v/60 herz technology. So until this day Japan has been using two different power grids that are not easily compatible together. After the Tsunami transferring power from one part of Japan to another proved to be difficult and with so many electricity production unit down it took them some time to be able to supply electricity to the whole country. This is a lesson from History. Petter getting everyday more Japanese

Petter and Erick please feel free to add your comments if you need to add or precise anything.

I found it really interesting and my guess that in a near future when the Japanese will have recovered from this major disaster, they will find ways to unify their power grids so that it never happens again. Our actions are dictated by our evolution and past actions create the conditions of the present, and of our future survival. This is a true budô lesson. Playing with the Japanese sounds, denki (電気), “electricity” can also be written as denki (伝 記 ), “life story” but could also be denki (伝気), “transmission of energy” or tenki (天気), “energy of heaven” (weather). Therefore through the story of our training life we evolve from electrical power into the transmission of the energy of heaven. In other words we grow from chi no sekai (地 の世界), in the material world, to the ten no sekai (天の世界) in the spiritual world, through the connection of the jin no sekai (神 の世界) in the divine world! The link

between heaven, earth and man is the step stone of the bujinkan tenchijin and forgetting it can prove to be painful and a big mistake. During our fist class of the day with Noguchi sensei we covered a big part of the jin ryaku no maki from the tenchijin. We studied many things but this class was for me like a real sanshin. First and in relation with what I just wrote, I finally understood gokuraku otoshi (極楽落し, falling from heaven). In this particular technique, no comment... the movement is applied onto the arm (ten) and finished by sliding uke’s leg to make him fall to the ground with jigoku otoshi. Actually you trap the jin by playing the ten (arm) and the chi (leg). That was an eye opener for me. I have been training bujinkan for over 27 years and I trained this technique many times but only now I became aware of its signification. As Hatsumi sensei wrote in “Unarmed fighting techniques of the samurai” on the introduction of the first level of the Gyokko ryû: “it is important to know the meaning of the names of the techniques”. My second discovery was something Noguchi said during another technique. He said: “here you can do three things: oshi, otoshi, nage”. We are all aware of the differences between otoshi (落す otosu to make someone swoon) and nage ( 投げる nageru) but it was the first time I heard of oshi (押す osu to push). As this is often the case with what we learn here in Japan, it sounds so logical that “pushing” uke could be part of the technique that you always feel stupid not to have known about it in the first place. And again, this is why you have to come and train in Japan with Sôke and the shihan because each class will bring new insights on what you are supposed to know. The last part of my sanshin for today happened when doing yume makura ( 夢枕) and for the first time in my many years of training I understood the difference between yume makura and te makura (even though I thought I knew it). Makura is the modern Japanese name for pillow (also to lead in), but as it is often the case with the evolution of languages the srcinal meaning meant “support” so the “hand pillow” used to be a “supporting hand” pushing up onto the elbow joint. In yume (dream) makura, you are now supporting your dreams like the buddha lying down onto the ground and supporting his head. In fact the whole secret is to use yori modoshi (寄り, to give up, and 戻し, returning or giving back) to transform the seoi nage into a te makura to bring uke down to the ground. The body action looks like a “8” loop moving forward with the seoi nage, pushing uke backwards in the direction of his tension, extending his arm and going down with him to the ground. The idea is to push/pull uke and togo up/down to bring him with you to the ground.

Noguchi sensei was brilliant as usual and I learned many details that will improve my whole taijutsu. Unfortunately, the class ended well before we covered the whole jin ryaku no maki. But those being in Atago next Friday afternoon will have the chance to study the remaining movements with Noguchi sensei. The class with Sôke was also an eye opener (physically and mentally). Many students were there and many newcomers too. My friend Gillian freshly arriving from Australia was there too and I am always happy to see her. Whenever she is in Europe to visit her relatives, she hops by to my dôjô in Paris and train with us, and it is always a pleasure. Thomas Franzen from Sweden was asked to demonstrate a few techniques in his dynamic and efficient taijutsu and Sôke used them as a start for his painful techniques. He insisted again on the permanent use of the fingers to inflict pain on uke’s fingers or his face and that it was in the theme of this year. At one point he showed how to use the fingers on the face and how to inflict Thomas Franzen excruciating pain on a few kyûsho at hiryuran and jinchû at the same time. My partner for the class asked sensei to demonstrate the technique to him and he came back bleeding I am sure he will remember it for sure. The best way to learn is to ask Sôke to do it on you then pain becomes your teacher. Speaking of pain, Nakadai sensei, Shiraishi sensei and Yabunaka sensei were used many times and you could “hear” the pain. I now know that not only gaijin can scream, pain is universal! He also said something about kyûsho (急所) that Steve did a nice job translating sôke’s words for the whole but here he had a hard time getting it. Steve even said to his partner: “sensei knows I cannot translate that, so I guess this is part of my training”. The idea was that you don’t go for the kyûsho straight but only for the area around it, uke’s reactions will create the conditions of pain. Sensei often teaches at multiple levels and getting you off balance by forcing you to do things you are unable to do is part of his way of teaching. Another thing that sensei said during the class is that you can outmaneuver your opponent by making him think that you do not know what you are doing. If uke thinks that you are a bad fighter, he will get a false sense of superiority speed up his downfall. After all deception is ninjutsu and inyo is everywhere! Sensei was in a very good state of mind and we also did many sannin dori techniques, he said that movements do not need to look good, on the contrary and that sannin dori is the best way to

Erick and Michael after training

develop actual fighting skills. And that you cannot find that kind of training in gendai budô, only in bujinkan. After a very short break (there was no calligraphy session) sensei asked me to demonstrate a technique. It was some kind of tenchi inyo movement with seoi nage/harai goshi type of throw at the end. Sensei asked to demonstrate it a few times slower and slower and we played with this until the end of the class. Sensei added many painful finger grabs and multiple soft hits to disorient uke. When you receive multiple speedy slaps on the face and the body, your brain becomes unable to deal with all these information. There is no real pain only a flow of little pains as if you were fighting a bee hive or a poisonous jellyfish. We also did some daisho sabaki movements with nearly each technique, learning how to use our sword or uke’s sword still in the belt and crushing uke’s fingers at the same time. Sensei said that this was real fighting skills and that it was quite far from the modern ways of sword fighting taught in the “traditional schools” in Japan. Finally we ended with a simple mutô dori technique where you go forward on the jodan kiri. Moving forward he said is the best way to avoid the cut as uke will avoid you. In real fight you create opportunities by not playing the game according to uke’s perceptions. If you try to dodge the cut you get cut but if you walk calmly towards uke then you can control his space and get a hold on his forward hand (and crush his fingers on the tsuka). A nice class full of pain and discoveries. The sakki test session was strange as none of the four applicants could get it. They had only one chance. After the last one failed sensei decided to stop the sakki test, they will all have two more chances on Sunday. This was also a lesson as Sensei could feel that the conditions were not good last night so he adapted to the flow and canceled the second chance. The “givers” and the “takers” are not to be criticized, the moment was not correct and Sensei took the right decision. Knowing when it is time and when it is not time to do something is also part of our training. Ninjutsu is about awareness and developing the ability to seize a situation should be an important part of our training. At the beginning of the class, Anthony Netztler from New Zealand received the gold medal of the Bujinkan for his long training and achievement. We had a nice talk in the train going back to Kashiwa.

Sesnei leaving the dôjô with Someya sensei

Anthony has been living many years here in Japan and is one of the pillars of the bujinkan and he deserved this reward. In the past Sensei would give the gold medal mainly to the visitors and not to

the residents I guess this is why Anthony didn’t get it a long time ago. Thank you Anthony for your presence. While writing this article I met a Japanese woman Kazue san who spoke very good English and whose kids are training bujinkan with Duncan Stewart. How to get there?

We had a very nice discussion about Japan, the tsunami, Fukushima and the way things are understood from the other end

of the world. Her father has a yakitori restaurant called tsukasa (つかさ) in the same street as the Kashiwa Plaza Annex Hotel with a “ninja menu” in English (see map). I invite you all to eat there during your next stay in Kashiwa. (modified end – a few hours later) After this post was sent, I got Tsukasa Yakitori two messages from Duncan and Kazue san telling me that I got it restaurant address wrong. So somebody else from America wrote the English menu not Duncan. My mistake. But you can still complain to him if you are unsatisfied … if you dare to do it. Be happy!

ps: thank you Ilona for your note Posted in Thoughts on Budo, Japan Trip | 8 Comments

Japan Update: Karada & Asobi Posted on April 21, 2011by kumafr

9 Votes

The protector of the dôjô

Since the big earthquake in March there is a new mask under the Shinden at the hombu dôjô. Sensei painted it in a bright orange color as this is the color for protection in Shintoism. The Torii (鳥居) at the entrance of the Shintô temples is often painted with this bright orange to indicate that the area is protected. Sensei explained Sunday during his class that he put it there to protect the dôjô. I like this mix of tradition and modernity always present

in Japan. On the budô side, today was a tough day for all of us as we had three classes. I gave a class at 11am, Nagato sensei at 2:30pm and Noguchi sensei at 7pm. For those coming soon to train in Japan, please note that Hatsumi sensei and Noguchi sensei are teaching now their night classes at 7pm instead of 8pm. Please also note that the Budôkan being reserved for the refugees of the tsunami, all classes by sensei are held at the hombu dôjô until further notice. I had the feeling today that a little less people than the other days were training so we had more space to train correctly. The jûgodan are allowed to teach at the hombu and I have been doing it for many years now but somehow I always feel honored to be allowed to teach at the hombu dôjô and it is always a very nice experience. I taught today’s class in Spanish as only three participants were not coming from south or central America. All the other students were from Christian Petrocello’s group and coming from Argentina, Mexico, Ecuador and Chili. If you had a chance to visit their dôjô in their country don’t miss this opportunity they are really good people to train with, with a good heart, and committed to the bujinkan. I guess that the charisma and technical level of Christian created this feeling amongst his students. Thank you Christian.

The first part of my class was dedicated to taijutsu and we reviewed the differences between kosshi (骨子), koppô (骨法) and ninpô (忍法) as well as the kamae of each level of the gyokko ryû: ten ryaku uchu gassho no kamae, fûten goshin gassho no kamae, hanno bonitsu no kamae, ending all in tenchi inyo no kamae. As these kamae are linked individually to each one of the three levels of the school, they give a better understanding of the school syllabus and progression. After a short break we reviewed the sword techniques demonstrated by Hatsumi sensei in his previous classes last week. They were mainly based on the variations of tsuki komi from the kukishin ryû and use the whole body (karada – 身体).

Nagato sensei after the class

Then at Nagato sensei’s class we did many variations on oni kudaki with a hanpa approach in which uke is trapped by his own reactions. The control on uke’s body is given by the distance created by the footwork and the use of the body (karada – 身体). Once again Nagato sensei insisted in not putting any strength and letting uke do the job for us. Piling up uke on his lower back and using his body natural reactions to trap him is always difficult but the many angles and distances demonstrated by him were so clear that many

could actually do them at the of the class. Lesson: keep your body balanced and uke in a weak posture. Use no strength so that uke is not able to build up his reactions on it. Let him fall by his own body tensions. It reminded me of a sentence of Hatsumi sensei in a recent trip: “don’t use strength, uke is already using it!”. Nice class as alaways. After a two hour break and some food, we began training with Noguchi sensei. When you come and train in Japan, you feel very tired after a few days but when you attend Noguchi sensei’s class his energy is so communicative that you feel more relaxed after it. Having said that, you still don’t get the “hows” and the “whys” but you feel richer after the class. Today Noguchi sensei did some koto ryû koppô jutsu variations around the first techniques of the school in his inimitable manner. His body flow is always amazing and even you think that you have it, it is nearly impossible to reproduce correctly. His energy

A serious attitude

fills the dôjô so totally his 90 minute class is over before you know it. We used the koto ryû particular footwork known as jûji aruki with every henka (変化), this was the main lesson of tonight’s class. Hatsumi sensei said in December that yoko aruki (gyokko ryû) is crossing the feet, toes heading in the same directions; where jûji aruki (koto ryû) is with your feet at a perpendicular direction. Again Noguchi sensei showed us that the use of strength was not necessary as the balance of uke is taken by our sole footwork and by the precise use of the body. As usual he did many henka using the spine and the neck and a few ones where he didn’t even use the hands. A rejuvenating class indeed. After this long training day, and while I was writing this blog entry a new earthquake (richter level 4) hit the Chiba and Tokyo regions, and the hotel danced for a minute before calming down. If you are coming soon to Japan, please read carefully the note by Mark on his facebook page. Mark has been living here for more than twenty years and he knows what he is speaking about. https://www.facebook.com/notes/mark-lithgow/earthquakes-precautions-donttrivialize-them/10150163604659044 Tomorrow Friday we have two more classes: one with Noguchi sensei at 2pm where we will be reviewing the jin ryaku no maki (from the tenchijin) and another one with Hatsumi sensei at 7pm. During Nagato sensei’s class he reminded us of the importance of asobi ( 遊び),

Maria from Mexico, Noguchi sensei and me

the have the playfulness of a kid while training. In August Hatsumi sensei precised that playfulness should not lower our level of awareness, though. Being « seriously playful » is what is expected from us during training.

This also applies to what is happening here in Japan outside of the dôjô. Be happy!

Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 2 Comments

Japan Update: History & Training Posted on April 20, 2011by kumafr

14 Votes

Sensei at home Apr19th

Tuesday has been another fantastic day in Tokyo as sensei asked me on Sunday to meet him with Pedro and Kogure san (Quest videos) at his place at 5pm before training. The light rain and the cold weather that accompanied me from Kashiwa to Noda didn’t lower my pleasure of meeting sensei and my buyu brother Pedro. When Pedro and I met in a Spanish Taikai more than 20 years ago we never suspected the particular tie that would bind us together during all these years. Even though I met Sôke at the London Taikai in 1987 (the first European Taikai in Europe organized by my other brother Peter King) and again in 1988 (Sweden Taikai organized by my other brother Sven), I want to thank Pedro again here to have introduced me to Sôke on my first trip to Japan. I think that without this special connection he has with our Sôke I wouldn’t have gone so far in the Bujinkan. Muchissimas gracias hermano!

And thank you also to the true friendship of my older Yûro Shi Tennô brothers Sven and Peter. Anyway, at 5 pm Pedro, Miguel, Kogure san and myself met in Sôke’s house where he showed us some very rare documents including the srcinal letter of surrender written and signed by Hiro Hito tennô and the 12 members of his government, the day before they officially surrendered. This document is so important that no financial value can be Sensei, Pedro and Arnaud given to it. We also were honored to flip the pages of an history of the rulers of Japan realized for the tennô only with srcinal ukiyoe print on a very special type of paper that resists all natural disasters so common to Japan: tsunami and earthquakes. A paper so special that a single blank page is worth 800 Euros… and they were more than 50 pages all printed with srcinal ukiyoe… As a joke sensei said that this paper might be able to resist an atomic disaster… but was it a joke? He then showed us a 600 year old tachi (with a tsuka of 3 fists and a half). Our budô is definitely not a sport and these few items he displayed especially for us is the proof that without this kind of knowledge your martial arts abilities are only a “puff of smoke” as they say in the Shinden fudô ryû. Sensei added that no Japanese were able to grasp that anymore, that this knowledge has disappeared today here in Japan and this is the reason why he is always referring to him as a “ufo” (since his first visit to the USA in the 80s). Japan has lost his history the forgotten the lessons it carried. To illustrate his point he told us that the technique to make the special paper that I spoke earlier of has been lost and that no one today in Japan knows how to do it anymore. This introduction of our meeting was an excuse for him to tell us that if someone with the proper knowledge, connections, and structured organization was existing, he would give away everything he had to save this knowledge from disappearing. As you know sensei’s house is like a real museum and those documents he showed are far from being the most important things he has. Sensei said he also had in writings the fours parts of the Amatsu Tatara being like the four parts of the hearts or the stomach and that even that was not the best piece of his collection of historical data. But the most amazing to me was that he insisted that he would never sell it but was ready to give it for free if someone worth it was presented to him. Even

Kogure san was surprised by all this. This was indeed a very special moment and thanks to Kogure san translations into English and Miguel’s ability to speak and understand Japanese, the connection between all of us was very good.

Happy!

Then it was time for the class and we went to the Hombu where nearly 70 people were waiting for the class to begin. Senseis introduced the class by showing a special yari that he bought earlier on Tuesday on which a tube with hooks facing the tip is sliding on the pole allowing it to move faster when stabbing the opponent. It was another piece of historical teaching as sensei explained that when facing a weapon you have to understand the various (and sometimes illogical) ways of using it. In this particular case, he said that fisherman hooks known as hari (針) in Japanese could be attached to the sliding device in order to trap the skin or the yoroi of the attacker. The main point in his class was the following: “be aware of what you cannot see, what you can see is easy to deal with, what you don’t see is what is really dangerous”. He uses the term “mienai” (見えない)which something that one cannot possibly see (in opposition to the

“kakushi” term – 隠し). His point was to make us aware of the risk of invisible radiations these days. We did many taijutsu and weapon techniques started by Pedro and Thomas and sensei insisted a lot on the importance for this year’s theme of the use of the fingers (Takagi Yôshin Ryû) to inflict pain in many different places. At one point we did a kind of ryô happa ken to the head changing rapidly the pain location by switching the intention from one finger to the other (below the jaw, above the ear, under the nose, inside the eyes etc). Another point is not to use strength so that uke is not able to use this strength of the hold to free himself from it. On a choke attempt he showed how to move our shoulders in different ways (up/up, up/down) in order to change the size of the neck a technique we did 20 years ago during a daikomyô sai in Japan and where we all looked like little neck less dwarfs rocking sideways. This neck hiding technique is very useful when applying a kikaku ken (headbutt strike) as the shoulders protect the vertebra. We also did a technique against a fist and kick (same side) attack in a kokû manner. The interesting point here was to apply the shutô to the attacking arm from inside at a 45° angle, then to receive the kick softly in the inside of the right elbow and sliding the body to the right to operate a kind of natural reversal of uke’s body by his trapped leg. Uke’s leg is captured inside your arm with your back to you and your hand can naturally grab uke’s belt. Sôke insisted on the importance of locking uke by the belt grab. Then sensei explained that we had to grab uke in the manner of an ice pick. The ice pick is hooking the ice but doesn’t go through it. From there uke is put down straight to the ground and locked there in pain by crushing his fingers with your fingers. This was the feeling we had to understand yesterday night. On the sword henka of the techniques initiated by Pedro and Thomas, he showed us again how to draw the blade (nuku, 剣を抜く) from the scabbard without pulling it the hand but by using the tsuba to hook the attacking hand (grabbing or not) of uke. Sensei said that this was a very old way of drawing that has been lost like many other things in Japan warfare knowledge. At one point speaking of the yoroi, he said that a samurai would have at least 3 sets of yoroi depending on the seasons and that the winter yoroi would be covered with bear fur in the inside of it. And that also is not known by many gendai budô experts. Actually he was so critical on the sword abilities of modern practitioners in Japan that the camera had to be turned off!

We also did a very nice footwork technique where under a jodan kiri attack you do some kind of jûji aruki (not yoko aruki) turning your body nearly back to uke right side and rotating the blade (wrists are crossed) hitting uke directly in his attack. A very nice flow body flow quite hard to get in a crowded environment but saving a lot of space. After going back to Kashiwa I had a meeting with Kogure san and while we were having dinner a very long (more than a minute) and soft earthquake shook the whole building. It was like having the metro passing under the floor… but we were on the 6th floor. Strange feeling. As I said, another fantastic day in Japan indeed!

Posted in History, Japan Trip | Leave a comment

Budô is Mudô (2) Posted on April 19, 2011by kumafr

13 Votes

On Monday I had the chance to train with Nagato sensei and Oguri sensei and once again the complex simplicity (or the simple complexity) of their movements was amazing. I come to Japan three times a year and I still see the distance in levels between the Japanese Shi Tennô understanding and mine. The margin for progression seems huge (and I do not speak about Hatsumi sensei’s level)… Oguri sensei with Tomiyama san

Last Friday Hatsumi sensei made one of his usual puns speaking of “budô” and “mudô”

and even if it was the title for my last post on this blog I forgot to explain its meaning. The kanji for “bu” (武) used for “budô” can also be pronounced “mu”. But “mu” (無) means “without, nothing, empty, emptiness”; like in Zen “mushin”, the no spirit no thinking attitude.

So when sensei said “budô is mudô” he said that “the path of budô was the path of no path”. This new pun playing with the sound emphasized once again the importance of listening to what he is actually saying in his teaching and understanding our budô from a much deeper perspective. Budô being the path of no-path the bujinkan budô is the path itself and it cannot be expressed in words. The bujinkan arts beyond the mechanical aspect of the waza is simply a kankaku (感 覚), a feeling. Training here at the hombu with Sôke is the only way to become able to “read between the lines” as he is pushing us to do regularly. The shidôshi not travelling to Japan to get their knowledge directly at the source, miss an extraordinary opportunity to develop themselves completely. Budô is more than a series of techniques, it is really a way of realization, a true art. At lunch time on Sunday, sensei repeated his intention to build a jinja (神社), a shrine for the bujinkan and he was not speaking of religion here but of creating a place where the practitioners would find a training place building their taijutsu as well as their “shinjutsu” written 心術 (and not 針術 – acupuncture). If we see budô as the science of growing flowers, we can see the difference existing between learning to plant a seed, caring it, feeding the germ and making the flower blooming; and the art of Ikebana ( 生花) where the art is to express life through a special flower arrangement based on the tenchijin. Moving from the physical world to the spiritual world is not the only possible through religions but also through budô. “Budô is mudô” then makes sense.

Our budô is nature and nature is without intention. Being is the solution and attending the classes with sensei transforms us into true human beings. Nature is simplicity but a complex simplicity. This is exactly the same when you train here with sensei and the Japanese shihan. You watch their movements, you find them easy to reproduce and then you find yourself unable to reproduce them. This is the state of mind in which I was yesterday when training with Nagato sensei and Oguri sensei. One word to summarize that: “WYSINWG” (What You See Is Never What You Get. Their movements yesterday were based on very simple basic techniques such as: omote gyaku, ura gyaku, katamune dori, ô gyaku but the way the expressed them were beyond the mechanical realm. They were “holistic”!

As I previously wrote it in my other entries on this blog, my words cannot express them correctly so this time I will not try to do so. Only if you were attending the classes can you have a slight chance of getting it. The classes in Japan are like the wind, you don’t see it but you see the movements of the leaves on the trees. Maybe this is why we say: “bufû ikkan”. This trip I am becoming aware, more than usual, of the unicity of their movement. A way to express that could be: “bujinkan budô is unity in multiplicity”. Natural movement deals with everything at the same time: uke, tori, the terrain, the feelings, the angles, the bones, the intentions. In fact you must get the general image in order to move simply and efficiently.

Nagato sensei during the tea break

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Let me state a few rules to make you understand what natural movement is (or should be):

the technique is always adapted to the body type of uke, the body moves in one as the tenchijin is united, the angles of the bones of both uke and tori are in harmony,

tori is never “doing it” uke is creating the conditions of his fall, strength is useless as softness triggers uke to react more, there is no technique only opportunities, a book will never fight. So let’s study ikebana and plant the seeds of our taijutsu to get into the world of shinjutsu. An remember that the meaning of this year’s kihon happô speaks about a new germination, sprouting (happô – 八方). •

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Be happy!

Posted in Thoughts on Budo, Japan Trip | 2 Comments

JUST7: Budô is Mudô Posted on April 18, 2011by kumafr

12 Votes

Bufû Ikkan Menkyô

Those last 2 days have been very busy budo wise. On the “nature and nuclear” side nothing to report, life here is as safe and normal as usual except maybe that the air conditioning is not “on” in the trains in order to save energy. And yesterday with over 23° some aircon would have been very nice on the back from Kashiwa. Saturday we has two classes with Senô sensei and Oguri sensei, and Sunday two classes with Nagato and Sensei.

Saturday Senô sensei taught in his inimitable manner some apaprently simple moves that I had a hard time to reproduce (as usual). Event though words cannot express it properly I will try my best to set up the technical aspect of it. As you know only personal experience can describe it. uke is grabbing your right wrist and punches. Dodging the attacking fist with your left shoulder you step in to the right and apply shutô while doing a te hodoki on the grabbed wrist. Controlling the right arm of the opponent you continue to walk in and to the rear left of uke transforming the te hodoki in a grab, and lifting and extending the left arm of ule in order to control his balance. Uke is arched backwards and pressure is applied on his lower back by the pressure on his extended left arm. Very technical and soft at the same time. Footwork is capital here (I know this is knew) and the correct angling on uke’s arm to the shoulder allows the control with no strength at all. The whole class was based on this feeling. Lesson: move in a natural manner and get into uke’s space using a kind of koku feeling. Oguri sensei’s class was good for two reasons. first it was the first class I had with him since his heavy surgery and I was pleased to see him again in such a good shape. As usual his fantastic knowledge about the human body; his power on the controls given with a “one body movement” were amazing. I played the uke a few times and even though he is much lighter than me, I was crushed by his body at all time. Once again it is hard to express with words. Technically we did katamune dori and ryômune dori but having said that there is no way to explain his “zero point” control of the body. The hands are controlling your body at all time but you feel it only when you try to move out of the control. Soft power is what comes to mind when experiencing it. It looked simple when watching it but was impossible to do when you tried. Classes like that give you the feeling that the path to perfection is far from reach. Lesson: go down on your hips by stepping backwards and moving your fingers around the grab(s) and rotate your whole body around uke to reach the zero point of balance. Oguri sensei explained to Tanaka san, Akira san and me that at jûgodan level, you do not have to step too much to the rear. It reminded me of the chûtô hanpa. You half apply the technique and uke’s reactions is finishing it for you. Sunday at Nagato sensei’s class we did again some kind of katamune dori with a fist attack. And Nagato sensei used his elbows in an amazing way, going inside or outside depending on uke’s reactions. We did many henka ending with Omote gyaku, hon gyaku, musô dori, O gyaku; pushing on the elbows or in the upper thigh to take uke’s balance. The way Nagato sensei is able to grab the attacking punch from behind his head at the neck level is impressive. This class passed like in a dream. Lesson: develop the flexibility of your wrists and do not finish the movements Uke’s reactions are the solution. The elbows are used freely and they should rotate in all directions together with the footwork to trap uke.

Sensei’s class was interesting as we did a lot of playing around a technique by Pedro using the hands, the sword in uke’s obi, tori’s obi, or two swords techniques. Pedro’s technique was some kind of musô dori from a fist attack and applying a kind of take ori/O soto gake. Sensei used that in line going backwards and ending each one of his variations with excruciating pain at the fingers; He said again that his was the way of theTakagi Yôshin ryû. At one point his uke screaming in pain he reminded us of a saying by Takamatsu sensei when he was his uke: “if you still feel the pain it means that you are still alive”. When we began to do sword techniques, sensei also commented on the difference between the sport budo and the shinken budô where surviving is at stake in each encounter. What we do is not what they do and shouldn’t be compared in any way. But for me the main event on Sunday was that I was rewarded a new diploma by sensei that gave me a strange feeling and let me dizzy for the rest of the class.

After the bowing, sensei called me in and I kneeled in front of him, and Nagato read the diploma to everyone. So far, I do not know the exact content of the text but it is a reward for my many years in the Bujinkan named “bufû Ikkan shin gi tai”. Basically it says that this honorary menkyo is given to me in the name of Hatsumi Sensei and the whole Bujinkan community to thank me for the consistency (bufû ikkan) of my training all over these years in learning the form and the spirit (shin gi tai) of the Bujinkan budô. the diploma is topped with a real golden bujin patch. And this is what is surprising me the most as this is the patch that only sôke is wearing on his gi. I know that we keep repeating “banpen fûgyô” (10000 changes no surprises) but I must admit that yesterday I was really surprised by the really formal way this diploma has been given to me by Sôke but also by the patch attached to it. The Japanese Shi Tenno: Oguri sensei, Senô sensei, Nagato sensei and Noguchi sensei received it at the beginning of the year and last February, other old bujinkan members got the same certificate: Pedro, Paco, Natascha, Sheila (and maybe others too). For me this a major honor to receive this new diploma as it represents more than a nice text but also a new responsability. As you know each time we get a new rank we get a heavier weigh on our shoulders, this one is very very heavy. After training, as it is often the case on Sundays, Sensei invited a group of high ranks for lunch and it was a very delightful moment, even more special for me yesterday after this reward. Lots of laughter and happiness were filling the atmosphere and the shoshu was not the only reason for it. Sunday lunch

Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 7 Comments

JUST2: Arnaud in Japan Posted on April 15, 2011by kumafr

14 Votes

Be happy!

Tonight was the first class of this trip. Selfishly I was hoping for a very small group and we were already around 30, it seems that fear is going away.

Sensei and his two monkeys

It was nice to meet my buyu and the Japanese Shihan again, but most important it was nice to see sensei and to train with him. He was in a great mood and I often question if he is really 81 years old as he moves like a young

man. What did we do tonight? After I demonstrated a kind of musha + omote, sensei used it to apply many different omote, ura, musha and musô to his poor uke ending always by pressuring one or more fingers at the nail level. “this is the way yo control in the Takagi Yôshin ryû”. The general idea is not to do a technique but mainly to react freely to the flow of the opponent until he gives you one or more fingers that you use to pin him down with a lot of pain. Then Pedro did a very interesting mix of half-cooked movements trapping uke in his mind in such a way that exploding to the floor seemed to be the only logical solution. Uke attacks with a right Tsuki, you deflect it softly with your right hand by walking to the right (inside – ura); uke reacts to that and you begin an omote gyaku that transforms itself into an ura gyaku when goes to the ground in pain (quite similar to the omote-ura gayku of the gyokko ryû). Very nice piece of Taijutsu by Pedro that many in the dôjô had a hard time too understand and to do. From there sensei used the start of this half-cooked technique to develop once again on the “chutô hanpa”. He did like a dozen variations on this on one tsuki double tsuki, with two uke, etc. Finally he did it with the sword in Uke’s belt (daisho sabaki technique) explaining a few times that the Tsuka, or the saya is going itself into the hand. “Don’t try yo grab it, it comes naturally into your hand”. Sensei stressed the importance in all the techniques to use the “karada” body instead of using the hand and the head. We can summarize that with the sentence: “don’t think or grab, don’t use power, walk”.

At the end of the class we did a biken technique similar to the kukishinden ryû Tsuki komi np sayu gyaku. Uke attacks daijodan and tori move lightly and slowly to position the kissaki on the left wrist of uke. If uke tries to cut dô kiri, then tori’s sword rotates around the point of contact and deflect the blade naturally, tori lift his sword and hit (not cut) the right wrist with the power of the legs bending. Sensei insisted a lot on not cutting Calligraphy session: you can see the number of uke: “it is simple to cut, it is much more attendees tonight difficult to control uke without cutting him”. The secret is to move slowly with the body; Sensei added that what is common sense to sport budô (gendai budô and MMA styles) is uncommon sense to us. Fighting is not about power and speed it is about softness and slowliness. We did many variations around this theme absorbing backwards while moving forward, giving uke a wrong sense of distance as explained by Nakadai sensei. The class went fast like in a dream and it was already time for the sakki test. The bujinkan is richer by 2 shidôshi: Pedro did the sakki test on an Australian guy and I did it on a Swedish one. Speaking of which, Christian Appelt who tested heavy pain tonight under sensei was promoted to Jugodan, congratulations! After the class sensei spoke to a group of jugodan and insisted once again upon the importance of jugodan working together and keeping the connection between us all. It reminded me of the “en no kirinai” studied last year. He also spoke about the new book he is working on, called “ninja daizen” (I’m not sure about the title) that will expose many new things about ninjutsu (sensei spoke of ninja in Kyushu during the Edo period). He added that ninjutsu was not limited to the sole Iga and Koga clans… I guess we will have to wait for the book to be published to know more about that. Conclusion: •

•

•

•

If you should have been here tonight and didn’t come: too bad for you! The bujinkan is still alive and the many people coming from all over the world were there to prove it. Sensei and all the shihan are in good health and life is back to normal (too bad you didn’t come). Today: no earthquake, no tsunami, no radioactive cloud, but a very good class (too bad you were not there).

•

Tomorrow two classes: Senô sensei and Oguri sensei (yes he is back on Saturdays). I keep you updated.

PS: Many airlines have empty seats on their flights to Japan these days. The Kashiwa Plaza is quite empty too… it is still time to join us and train..

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Bô jutsu: Weapon of Consciousness Posted on April 15, 2011by kumafr

10 Votes

When in 1993 Hatsumi sensei began to teach the now famous “themes of the year” he decided to begin with the study of bô jutsu. It opened a five year cycle dedicated to the weaons of the bujinkan.Amongst all the weapons of the bujinkan the bô jutsu is the most complete of all with an extensive set of techniques and levels that influences greatly our taijutsu both at the technical and spiritual level.Sensei speaks of “roku shaku bô jutsu” (六尺棒術) and this is the title of his first bô dvd. But many see only the size of the weapon. It is right to say that in the past the roku shaku was the size of the weapon. As you know even if the Japanese government began to follow the metric system at the beginning of the 19th century he kept alive the kanejaku (矩尺), the old measurement system. Even today people refer to the size of a room in number of tatami ( 疊).One tatami represents the surface of a measurement unit called the “ken” (間) and which has a length of 6 shaku. Until the 19th century all temples, castles, and houses were built with this unit. For more on this please look for “kanejaku” on the net. But when it comes to the training we have to keep in mind that Japanese people before the 20th century were not tall (often around 150 cm). So, for us westerners, in order to keep the same ratio size/length in the buki waza (武器), our long staff should have a length of at least 2m. Note that buki (技) means also technique or art…

Now, when sensei speaks of the roku shaku ( 六尺) he is speaking of shiki (識), consciousness (vijnana in buddhism). Sensei implies that bô jutsu is the key to reach shiki (識) the 6th element of the gogyô, consciousness. By training the many waza of bô jutsu you are in fact developing your consciousness and become able to use it in every aspect of your life. By introducing this concept of shiki back in 2005, sensei forced us to do a major leap in our understanding of the bujinkan arts. And remember that training the weapon -omote (表)- develop our consciousness of life – ura (裏). This is why bô jutsu is so important in the bujinkan. Bô jutsu is the first step to free our taijutsu from the form. But to free yourself from something you must first be “trapped” by it. But how is it possible to achieve formlessness from something you don’t know? We have to learn and study a lot to get the forms correctly until we can strip the forms off. The bujinkan is a paradoxical system in which we are looking for something “natural” by studying things that are “not natural”. In fact the bô is the entry gate for the weapons and the necessary step to take in order to improve our whole taijutsu. Until now no tools were available to review all those techniques this is why we have decided to record them all. We have also added for each technique, the kaeshi waza (返し技) to show you how to win against the bô. It took us four days of recording to do so and many bruises too. With www.koimartialart.com (online streaming) or withwww.budomart.com (dvds) you can now discover or rediscover the richness of the bô jutsu from the kukishin ryû. We recorded all the techniques (11 dvds) to help you unleash the power of your taijutsu with this fantastic weapon. The bô (棒) is the link to the ten (天) and the chi (地) to become a real jin ( 人), a shiki no jin, a conscious human being (識の人間). By the way did you notice that the kanji for “ken” ( 間) is identical to the second kanji of human being (間) …

Posted in Thoughts on Budo, www.budomart.com | 3 Comments

Tokyo VIP travel Posted on April 15, 2011by kumafr

6 Votes

On Wednesday night at the airport it seems that the world has changed. When I entered the boarding gate the room was empty or nearly. This is what one month of media howling have done! The news have been exaggerating so much the radioactive situation here in Tokyo that the whole world has the feeling that Japan is forbidden to go to. Once again I do not try to minimize the gravity of what happened but as Takamatsu sensei said: ”By opening his eyes and his mind, the ninja can responsively follow the subtle seasons and reasons of heaven, changing just as change is necessary, adapting always, so that in the end there is no such thing JL408 to Tokyo

as surprise for the ninja”. So following Takamatsu sensei’s words please adapt to the misinformation and learn to read where the real dangers are. Fukushima Daiichi is a real problem but the radioactivity in Tokyo is far under the limits. Actually it is well under many other areas in Europe. But let’s be honest, as a standard Frenchman I love it when I have the feeling that I belong to some privilege group of people. And yesterday it seemed to me that I was belonging to the privileged group of “those allowed to fly to Japan!” The plane, a Boeing 377-300 – no doubt the best flying machine in the sky these days – also was empty. I could have guessed it, though! and it reminded me of my early business years where I flew back from the Middle East one night with only 13 others persons. I love empty planes.

A B-777/300 can host 272 passengers and needs 13 crew members and 3 pilots to operate. We were 108 passengers traveling which, apart from the Buddhist symbol of 108, represents more than 1 stewardess per person! The flight with JAL was awesome because: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

I had three seats for myself, I slept like a baby the most part of the flight, The food was good and served rapidly, I had an aisle AND a window, I got a lot of attention from the charming JAL stewardesses, the flight was quiet: no baby crying, old men coughing, or young playing, and JAL doesn’t stop in Seoul for obeying some pilot union (add 2h to your flight) and arrived on time 11 hours and a few minutes later! It was like being a VIP or living in some kind of a dream. Why was that?

A very quiet flight to

Only because of the “nuclear terror auction” spread by the media since the catastrophe. For weeks they were not speaking about the 260000 people that lost everything but about something that sells

more: “the terrible nuclear accident”. They got so much our attention that in the plane there were only Japanese people and nearly no one from Europe going to Japan and I guess that it will not change soon. Tokyo

So if you want to train with a small group of buyu; if you want to enjoy calmness; and if you want to save money on your flight then do not hesitate, come now to Noda as this is the opportunity of a lifetime. Training bujinkan is about learning to make good choices in life. Did you make a good choice recently?

Posted in Japan Trip | 1 Comment

Japan: Stop Howling, Act! Posted on March 16, 2011by kumafr

30 Votes

What happened in Japan a few days ago is a terrible thing but I am sad to see the way things are covered in the media and at the political level. Japan has suffered one of the biggest earthquakes in the last 140 years and after the destruction caused by the tsunami they expect at least 10000 casualties. But our media in Europe are only speaking about the possible nuclear catastrophe and rarely speak about the people in Japan who lost everything: a parent, a friend, their house, car etc. Some countries are even checking already the level of radioactivity of the Japanese products imported (sent before the earthquake because the Japanese industry is down), others are checking the air pollution even if they are located 3000 km away from Japan and not in the direction of the winds! This treatment of information is revolting as it only emphasizes the human appetite for cataastrophe. I am not trying to minimize the nuclear accident but I think that we have to focus primarily on what is important: the people in difficulty trying to survive after the tsunami. Can we individually do anything about the nuclear problem? Can we seriously howl with the politicians and the media and use this accident as an excuse to stop our own nuclear plants? We are behaving like a drunk driver blaming a tree for destroying his car after a crash. The nuclear problem is not the cause of the problem but a negative consequence of the tsunami so we must first do whatever we can to help the Japanese people. Be logical: 1. The moment it is dang erous to go to Tokyo bec ause of the radiations, the airlines will stop their flights.

2. The moment it will be risky for your health to go to Japan, the Japanese government and our own governments will prevent us to go there. 3. The Japanese are the most experienced people to deal with nuclear problems. So we must redefine our priorities: 1. While the nuclear specialists (from Japan, the USA, the IAEA) do their best to contain the nuclear risks, our job is to support the victims of the tsunami. In the last days I have seen many Bujinkan groups organizing seminars to collect money for Japan and one dôjô is going to give the benefits to the Japanese red cross. This is the Bujinkan I like. 2. Whether nuclear power is “good” or “bad” is not of our concern. We must only do our best to live a happy life where we are. We often have the feeling that our governments are not always telling us the truth, but there is nothing we can do about it. But as Bujinkan members we should listen to Sensei when he stresses the importance of being happy. So let’s recenter our lives to be happy and stop howling with the crowd. 3. The nuclear catastrophe is only a scapegoat. We are the ones to blame because we were unable to develop (in the 20 th century) a society fuelled by nuclear power (80% of the electricity in France). As long as we do not find a real alternative to nuclear power we have to live with it. We are responsible. Accept that and move on as the Japanese did, do and will always do. Sensei was still teaching on Sunday (not on Tuesday as the Budôkan was closed) and I guess he will teach on Friday, so keep going! As far as I am concerned, I will continue to support the Japanese as much as I can and I am still planning to train with Sôke next April. If you want to actively help Japan, the best support you can give is to continue to travel to Japan as long as: 1. Sensei is teaching his regular classes, 2. the airlines are allowed to land at Narita airport, 3. our governments let us travel to Tokyo. The Bujinkan is teaching us to be ourselves and not to behave as a flock of sheeps. It is time to show the world that you didn’t train for nothing during all these years.

And remember that “tsunami” 津浪 is a Japanese word! See you soon on the mats in Noda.

Posted in General thoughts | 4 Comments

Nuclear Info Posted on March 14, 2011by kumafr

20 Votes

Fukushima nuclear plant

media is just not correct.

As for many of you I have been watching extensively the frenzy around the nuclear problem in Japan. Journalists are speaking without knowing and they are “honestly” transforming the news (I think it is hopeless) to get more viewers. At the same time our politicians see here a good way to cash easy votes. Do not believe everything on the news, make you own inquiry. I do not want to minimize the nuclear accident that happened but the attitude of the

For those interested and concerning the nuclear problem, I received this link today and I thought that it would help many to understand what is a nucelar plant and what has happened in Japan after the earthquake and the Tsunami: http://theenergycollective.com/barrybrook/53461/fukushima-nuclear-accidentsimple-and-accurate-explanation As far as I know, the main problems that our Japanese friends are facing are the repeated earthquakes and the consequences of the Tsunami. Relatively (so far) the nuclear problem seems to me as not being so important. Thousands of people have died because of the tsunami and the country will have difficulties with food, gas, and elctricity. I hope that all our friends there will get over these bad times and that Japan will recover fast from this nightmare.

Also I invite you to read Duncan’s last post with the possible interpretations of the theme of the year: kihon happô at http://tazziedevil.wordpress.com/ it is excellent! I am still going to Noda mid April (unless our politicians forbide it and/or the situation evolves in an unexpected dramatic manner).

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Earthquake in Japan Posted on March 11, 2011by kumafr

15 Votes

Dear friends, I hope that Hatsumi sensei, the Japanese Shihan, and all our friends training and/or living in Japan are in good health after this major earthquake (8.9 on the richter scale).

March 11, 2011, major earthquake & tsunami in Japan

Stay tune with facebook as many of our friends in Japan communicate through this network. Arnaud

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Balance Posted on February 25, 2011by kumafr

22 Votes

Everyday during training we are trying to learn more about balance. Actually in sensei’s first dvds you could read: “bujinkan: martial arts of distance”. Proper distancing is given by footwork and proper footwork is created by balance. Take a cat for instance. Cats have this ability to always land onto their feet when they fall. This is what we are training to do in the dôjô. But this training requires years of hard work and can only be achieved through trial and error. Cats learn that from early age and when they grow up it is a natural ability they have developed. balance is everywhere

Learning balance is learning from being unbalanced. It is the permanent teaching in the dôjô that will help you improve your own personal skills. As Malcolm Forbes put it: “Failure is success if we learn from it.” – so learn from your actions. “Shikin haramitsu daikomyô”, “in every action in our life there is something to learn from.” Often I am amazed by how much we can learn from our daily mistakes. Accepting to make mistakes is accepting to learn. In the dôjô nothing matters and being wrong often ends with only a few bruises. There is no risk to be wrong in training as long as we learn to learn from this practical teaching. An error is not like a black spot on a white linen, it is a reason for improving ourselves. One of the Japanese shihan said one day in class that when we learn a new waza we make many mistakes and that by repeating and learning from these mistakes we make gradually less and less mistakes. This waza will never be perfect but at least will be heading towards perfection. Balance in your taijutsu will bring balance in your life and this is the most important in the Bujinkan martial arts. Errors are making it possible for us to become better practitioners and better human beings. This is why accepting changes is of utmost importance. If you think you know and never change what you take for granted you cannot evolve. The things you know will work for you well in some occasions but will also bring more troubles in the long run. Remember the tao (道), and its “don’t do anything and nothing will be left undone”. Inaction

will never bring action, actually by not accepting those permanent changes you are preventing yourself from success; it is like betting your life on a toss of a coin! This is wrong. Whatever you do always consider that things are not stuck, everything evolves and everything flows. This is the nagare (流れ) that we are looking for. Footwork, distance and balance are linked and we accept to change. As Aristotle said “change in all things is sweet”, so we need to look for these changes in our lives and become true human beings.

Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 1 Comment

Yoroi Kumi Uchi Posted on December 1, 2010by kumafr

32 Votes

Today we had an amazing demonstration of yoroi kumi uchi by the Sensei , the Japanese shihan and Duncan and Holger. Yoroi kumi uchi is not about doing a technique it is about seizing the opportunities arising in the middle of the fight. At one point today, Duncan lost his helmet and immediately used it as a weapon against his opponent. Sensei congratulated him and explained that in a fight everything should be used to stay alive. Often martial art practitioners are more interested in looking good in their techniques rather than being in a position of staying alive. This is during the Muromachi period that Japan has developed what has become the martial arts of today. But in that time it was not about being precise, it was about not dying on the balltefield. Too often people think of the Edo period (beginning in 1603) as the best period of Japanese Budô. This is wrong! Everything has been discovered much earlier during the Muromachi period. Muromachi began in 1333 so the Japanese had nearly 3 centuries to develop the arts of war. Sensei

insisted once again today on the goshin (ken, tachi, juo, katana, nukes) being the real “gorin no sho”. If I understood well he will speak about that extensively in his new book due in a few months. Tachi waza is the weapon of the Muromachi together with the use of the yoroi. Japanese budô and the culture of the katana came shorlty after the peace time of the Edo period. Japan being unified, there were not so many battles anymore and the Japanese warriors stopped wearing the yoroi rendered unnecessary. This is when they developed the blade to be cutting like razor blades as it was possible (without the protection of the yoroi) to cut the opponent instead of stabbing him. Tachi waza doesn’t include cutting only stabbing. In the yoroi kumi uchi it is obvious. The body can take any blow at short distance (less momentum) the objective being to open uke in order to find a hole in the protection and to stab him in one of the openings created in the action. Therefore our movements do not have to be perfect they have to be created “on the spot” and adapted to what is possible. Sensei insisted a lot today on this aspect of fighting, we do not try to apply a waza we “read” the openings, take the balance and do what we can to stay alive. Once again we are learning survival not kata. Furthermore, yoroi kumi uchi makes it obvious that speed is not the priority as our movements are limited by the weight and encumbrance of the yoroi. We move to keep our balance and to take uke’s balance. Whether we a re doing mutô dori, tachi waza or yari waza is just an add-on to our body movements. The dvd on the dkms will be an eye opener for many bujinkan members as it was one for those who were lucky enough to watch it today. Train with a yoroi in mind and a tachi in your hand and adapt your good looking movements so that they can be of any use in a real fight.

Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 6 Comments

Jin no Budô Posted on November 30, 2010 by kumafr

25 Votes

From today’s training at the dkms I really enjoyed one sentence from sôke: “we are not training Japanese budô but jin no budô, the budô of mankind”. As humans we are all equal and there is no one better than any other one. The kumite of the bujinkan is not only Japanese and it is obvious when you see so many people (around 400 today!) coming from all over the world and joining to train together here in Tokyo. Sensei’s budô is beyond borders and by spreading it in our Sensei with Peter King countries we are actually working to better humanity. Jin budô is the same in every country and the techniques developed in Japan are no different from the ones that developed in the other cultures. This is why the bujinkan is a world budô. When sensei demonstrated the yoroi kumi uchi today he was taking anything that would be possible: helmet, sode, ropes hanging, belt, weapons. And with this in hand he would take the balance of his uke. At the end of the session, Duncan’s yoroi was a wreck. Efficiency is not in the techniquess but in the attitude one has when facing an opponent. As Nagato sensei said once: “it does not have to look good it has to be efficient”. Our budô is beyond the forms. We have to learn the basics and the schools and the weapons in order to create this space where everything is possible. By not finishing the techniques (hanpa) and by using the josei no goshin jutsu, we can adapt our movements without putting any thought within them. Uke attacks and we simply react, taking his balance and crushing him. In sannin dori this ability is necessary and hanpa gives us the possiblity to overcome the intentions of the attacker. In traditional budô everything follow a predefined pattern and creativity disappears behind the veil of the form. In real fight, this cannot be as we have to be aware of the dangers of the situation. By not finishing a particular technique, we are free to move and deal with a second attacker. In sport there is only one opponent in real fight there are often more than one. Dwelling only on a “Japanese form” is not possible for those who want to survive. The only way to survive is to open up and become creative, by sensing the changes occurring in our environment and by reacting to these influences. Jin no budô is the ultimate level of fighting because it implies our whole being and not a set of technical forms. Jin no budô is freedom and when we can manifest that in the dôjô it changes our perception of reality and allows us to apply it in our daily lives. Bujinkan practitioners for their majority still consider the bujinkan to be another martial art and they only focus on the “martial” and not enough on the “art” part. Sensei wants us to become creative like an artist not to become a budôka. And this is the objective of such a seminar.

Tomorrow will be another interesting day!

Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 2 Comments

Kihon Happô of 2011 Posted on November 29, 2010 by kumafr

23 Votes

Daikomyo Sai apart from being sensei’s birthday is always a very particular moment in the life of the bujinkan. People from all over the world gather here in Noda and Tokyo for this occasion and this year more than ever. I spoke with some residents who told me that they were expecting between 300 and 400 participants this year! Friday night we were almost 200 in the Honbu and 230 on Sunday! This moment is also special as sensei concludes the theme of the year and introduces the new theme for the next year. On Friday he told us that “kihon happô” will be the theme for 2011 and added: “same sounds but not same writing…”. As sensei invited a few of us for lunch on Sunday, I took this opportunity to ask him about the meaning of this new “kihon happô”. Hatsumi sensei said that “ki” was “season” and “hon” was “reverse”. He didn’t explain about “happô” but I will give you my interpretation. Before that I would like to share with you a few concepts he detailed last week during the previous classes.. Tuesday he demonstrated a few techniques where instead of hitting uke he would hit the space on the side of uke creating a moment of total fear in his opponent and opening endless possibilities of action. He said that we should “hit the kukan” to influence uke’s reactions. On Friday he defined our movements as being “chûto hanpa” or “half way half

finished”. To illustrate this he spoke again of the goshin (ken, tachi, juo, katana, modern weapons). Modern weapons were compared by him to “robots”. Your actions cannot influence a computer or a machine following a program. And if you train budô in a “robotic” way your actions can be interpreted and deciphered by your opponents. On the opposite if your budô is artistic and does not follow a “beginning-end”; if your techniques are not finished then the opponent is not able to counter your actions. In the fight, he added, you have to feel the “fun iki” i.e. “the atmosphere, the ambiance” of the situation and to move accordingly. All the information you need is available to you if you have no intention of doing anything in particular. Your movements are natural ( i.e. not created) and participate of the feeling you get from the situation at hand. Our footwork is the key to adapt our movements to the situation. Hatsumi sensei said that until recently he didn’t understand why Takamatsu sensei had taught him the “josei no goshin jutsu” (woman self defense). With the small footwork of a woman trapped by the limited amplitude of her kimono (traditional kimono are very narrow at the legs) you can, with tiny movements of your feet, take the balance of the opponent in close-combat (remember that we were around 200 in the dôjô that night and that moving was difficult). In a situation like that using “josei no goshin jutsu” is the only solution. Instead of doing a technique we move in an artistic manner invisible to uke’s analysis. In the name “martial art” this is where the “art” is to be found. Art is not about applying a technique. This is not the answer. Sensei added that the new mission of the jûgodan was to transform their mechanical robotic budô movements into artistic ones. Through Art one can feel the atmosphere and respond with natural and unfinished movements. This vision of taijutsu was repeated on Sunday when he insisted on the flow of our movements coming from the feet: “Nagare comes from the legs” he said. In fact uke thinks and then acts (ten-chi process) and tori should do the exact opposite (chi-ten process). It reminds me of Dr. Paul Watlawicz explaining that action should always precede reflection in human relations, and fighting is part of human relations. Too bad for Descartes and his “cogito ergo sum!”. How come all of the above can be linked with the kihon happô of 2011?

When sensei spoke of kihon on Sunday during our lunch and said that “kihon” is “season reverse” he didn’t explain the new meaning of happô. When you look in a dictionary happô (hachi hô) has many meanings. My interpretation (possibly wrong) is that hachi is the recipient (bowl, basin), a little similar to the “ki, utsuwa” of 2009 (sainô konki) and “hô” is information. Happô becomes the recipient of all the possible information of a situation. As we understood it in the sainô konki year, the bigger the utsuwa, the bigger the kûkan. Therefore if “kihon” is the beginning of a new cycle (season reverse) and “happô” as the sum of information in the kûkan, then the “kihon happô” of 2011 could be interpreted as follow: By feeling the atmosphere (fun iki) of the situation i.e. reading the information of our environment (happô) we can change the cycle of action (kihon) and turn it to our own advantage by reacting without any preconceived ideas to the definite actions of uke. Moving softly with the “josei no goshin jutsu” attitude, uke has no possibility to read our actions because we do not know ourselves what we are going to do next. Each one of our movements having no end we only do things half-way, “chûto”, and never finish them, “hanpa”. Hitting the kûkan will send false information to uke and gives the ability to overcome his intentions. Everything above is my own interpretation and can be totally wrong.

Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 10 Comments

Disciple or Technician? Posted on October 31, 2010by kumafr

42 Votes

(version française) I just read a nice article by my brother Pedro Fleitas and I would like to dig deeper in its direction. When we began training in the Bujinkan martial arts we couldn’t fathom how much it would bring to us as a human being; how much it would transform us. We were more interested in learning a “martial art”. Through the last 26 years we learnt the martial art but we also learnt to become true human beings. Too many practitioners today are training for the wrong reason as muscle power is limited in time so it shouldn’t be our main objective while training. What is definitely more important is to develop our own potential, our own abilities. All through these years people have been focusing too much on the omote where in fact only the ura matters. Knowing thetechniques can be interesting for a while but knowing yourself is more vital to live a happy life. How many teachers in the bujinkan are only teaching “forms” and do not get the essence of the bujinkan? A lot! I remember once speaking with sôke who told me that the important thing he has been teaching in the last years were not the schools but the concepts they conveyed. These concepts of san jigen no sekai, yûgen no sekai, kasumi no hô, shizen, etc have taught us more on how to live our lives than fighting techniques. Even though this apprenticeship has been the key to learn to defend ourselves efficiently. By understanding the ura side of things, the omote becomes obvious. In 2010 we have entered a new era in the bujinkan with the arrival of many high ranks. Things are changing as always and now is the time to ask yourself the good questions. Long time ago I have decided to put aside the “ninja” stuff and to follow the teachings of a man, Hatsumi Sensei; I decided to become a disciple and not only a good technical martial artist. Is it what you are doing? And if it is not, do you think it is worth spending your free time collecting forms instead of developing the fantastic human being hidden within you? Hatsumi sensei might be the last true budô master of Japan and his teachings go far beyond simple body mechanics. Maybe it is time to think about it.

Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 3 Comments

Bufû Ikkan Posted on October 30, 2010by kumafr

19 Votes

(version Française)

Sensei said that “the secret of budô is 武風一貫 bufû ikkan (translated in “unarmed fighting techniques of the samurai” p.51, by the way of war is survival*). This is the yang secret. In a fight the opponent is often aggressive (i.e. yin) therefore by opposing softness to hardness you can defeat the enemy. When facing a strong and violent opponent you have two options: be more aggressive and violent than him or be so soft that his own intentions and actions will defeat him. This is the secret of fighting. It reminds me of the encounter between the yamabushi monk Benkei and the youngMinamoto no Yoshitsune during the Hôgen disturbance (保元の乱, Hōgen-noran1156).Benkei was a fierce warrior monk who defeated 99 samurai crossing a bridge he was standing on. Benkei had made the wish to take a 100 swords from samurai and to give them to the Buddha. When the young Yoshitsune arrived at the bridge, Benkei had already won 99 swords. Yoshitsune, defending himself with a simple flute overcame the big giant who then became his disciple. This is the typical example of how yin can defeat yang. In the bujinkan this technique is called goja dori and sensei details it in his book: “Togakure ryu ninpô taijutsu” (p.237). Sensei insists also on developing 五心術 goshin jutsu instead of 護身術 goshin jutsu. We should develop the heart/spirit if we want to ensure a true self-protection for ourselves. Brutal force is nothing compared to mental strength. In order to survive learn to use the yin within you.

* 武風一貫 means “the martial winds blow every day” but when written 武風一管 it means “martial wind (tone) of one flute” thus the connection with Yoshitsune. Posted in History, Thoughts on Budo | Leave a comment

Control Posted on October 21, 2010by kumafr

21 Votes

(version française) Last Sunday at the Hombu, Hatsumi sensei said that “if you cannot control yourself, you cannot control others”. This is the secret of every learning process as we must understand our own behavior before trying to understand the one of others. The quickest path to achieve that is to master our basics. control is attitude

When you learn the basics, you force your self (body & mind) into unusual forms and reactions. This is the first step. Here the opponent is not somebody else, it is only yourself. This is the kihon level. Many martial artists stopped their understanding of fighting at this level. The second step is to learn how your movements can interact with formal ways of attacks. Here uke appears and follow a given set of movements and you apply the kihon that you learned, and you adjust them to a different reality. This is the kata or waza level and this is the main objective when you train in a dôjô with fellow practitioner. There is no surprise here as everything is predetermined, and there is no violence either. Few martial artists get to this level. The third level is the one of shizen, here the attack is unknown and your personal ability (sainô, 才能) flows naturally and will save your life or get you killed if you did not achieve the

personal control at the first two levels. This is the level of training that is given bysensei to the bujinkan practitioners. To master and control these three levels of: kihon, waza, and shizen take a long time and only a very small number of practitioners will succeed. This is why it is said that budô is a life-time commitment. Even well polished, a mirror can always be polished a little more. Perfection is an attitude in life, not a manifested reality. 基本 kihon: you learn to control yourself 伎 waza: you learn to apply this control of yourself to known attacks 自然 shizen: you are in control of yourself and any attack is controlled naturally through your ability to flow into your environment. There is no surprise. This is a 三心 sanshin. Therefore the dôjô 道場 is not only the place where you learn the way, it becomes the place where you learn to ride with others 同乗 (dôjô). Learn to control yourself through this sanshin and you will be able to control the others. Banpen fûgyô, 10000 attacks, no surprise. •

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Posted in Thoughts on Budo | Leave a comment

Bujinkan Gold Medal for Hugues Posted on October 20, 2010by kumafr

20 Votes

Tuesday hugues

Our friend and colleague jûgodan Hughes was awarded the gold medal of the Bujinkan last Tuesday at the Ayase Budôkan. The Bujinkan gold medal is an award given by Hatsumi sensei to students of quality. In the past it was often awarded for organizing a taikai; today it is a way for sensei to thank his most committed students for their hard work and improvement and is often given to the jûgodan. With mine received last century ( ), this is the third medal awarded by Sensei to a Frenchman. Four other received the gold medal on the same day, including my friend Darren (the Australian Bruno). Congratulations and thank you Hugues to deserve it! Omedetô!

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Inyo: the Power of Change Posted on October 20, 2010by kumafr

11 Votes

(version française) In a recent post we established that “ki” was not magic but only natural. Q: But what manifests this natural state of things where no preconceived idea can exist? A: The natural flow and interaction of inyo (yinyang).

inyo

The I Ching, the book of changes (ekigyô 易経 in Japanese) says that: “the only thing that will never change is that everything is changing permanently”. In this sentence lies the truth about the ki, inyo, life, death (i.e. a fight); everything can be reduced to this equilibrium between in and yo. The inyo concept is based on the eastern understanding of eki 易 i.e. change. In modern Japanese the word “eki” is used for “divination” (or “easy” when pronouncedyasashii). When we study the kanji, eki we discover that it is made of two kanji: the sun 日 on top; and the old writing for rain 勿 under (today this kanji is used for “be not, must not”). The srcinal meaning was then “weather change” from rain to sun to rain and the only thing to do was to watch those changes and to adapt to them. This is the same in the dôjô. The opponent’s actions are to be watched carefully and “naturally” answered by going with the flow of the inyo interactions. And this is why we should never separate in and yoas it would create a duality; as it is from this duality that things get confused. Unity with uke is the path to the natural flow. To define this permanent change in the flow of life, the chinese took two old kanji and showing this alternate state in all things. Those two kanji are one in two (in cannot be separated from yo), historically this ishow the Chinese called the two sides of the mountain. The north-facing side, dark and humid (in) and the south-facing side, bright and sunny (yo). You cannot separate them, this is the same with inyo. Yo 陽 is composed of eki (sun and rain) but separated by a horizontal line (check by yourself). This extra line emphasizes the idea of differentiation compared to a natural change as in eki. It defines a moment in the flow where change will occur, where rain will let the sun shining. This is the end of the rain, an instant of change, a kokû 虚空. A space between two moments. The right part (after the “B” shape kanji) of in 陰 is composed of gathering, accumulation 亼 and cloud 云 it gives the idea of an accumulation of tension like before the rain comes. Here also we have a kokû, another space between two moments. Change is everywhere and in the encounter only the one who is able to adapt to the permanent switch happening in the instant is able to manifest the ki and use it within the flow of things. Inyo are (is?) the manifested components of this flow of permanent change that we call the ki. Eki is the essence of the ki and our movements should use this energy to move naturally. In a way we can say that with the use of change eki 易 offered by inyo, we gather 会 the ki 気 so that our actions become easy 易(yasashii). 易会気易 (eki e ki eki): natural change gather the ki to make things easy.

nb: some of the explanations are taken from C. Javary “le discours de la tortue”, ed. Albin Michel Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 4 Comments

Num3ro1ogy Posted on October 19, 2010by kumafr

10 Votes

(version Française) The last post on “3=5” generated a lot of comments towards the possible misinterpretation of numerology. Two friends added their comments, Jan from Belgium on this blog and Jean, one of my students committed a nice text on his dôjô blog (in French). Their general idea is that: “you can say anything with numbers and find esoteric significations golden ratio

for everything”. The same idea is very well demonstrated by Umberto Eco in his book: “Foucault’s pendulum” where three friends play with numbers to prove that some Machiavellian plan to rule the world is going on. But to illustrate that, read the following: I am getting close to being 51 years old. To this day I lived exactly a total of 18,608 days, My size is 175,5 cm, I trained martial arts more than 40 years (exactly 40.309 years), I discovered the bujinkan after turning 25,exactly at the age of 25.220. When I add 40.309 + 25.220 I find: 65.529, I multiply this by my size in cm 65.529 x 175.5 the result is 11500.3395. •

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Now when I divide the number of days I have been living by this result i.e. 18608 / 11500.3395 the new result I find is the golden ratio of 1.61803 famous in geometry and esoterism! After all maybe am I the reincarnation of the emperor Jimmu (神武天皇)?

(more on the golden ratio HERE).

My point when I wrote the “3=5″ was simply to help the bujinkan practitioner to solve an apparent contradiction in the names of the techniques used daily in our classes. But remember that sensei is often playing with numerology. As always with him this is not WYSIWYG but WYSIRWYG (what you see is rarely what you get).

Kyojitsu tenkan hô 虚実転換法 Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Does 3 = 5? Posted on October 15, 2010by kumafr

22 Votes

(version française)

During one of my recent classes dedicated to beginners, one of them after listening very carefully came to me and asked me why sanshin = 3 spirits/hearts when we have the gogyô = 5 elements? Or to make it simple why does 3 = 5? What I like with beginners is that they are so eager to understand that they come and ask things that a higher rank or older student would not dare to ask. And what I like is that it is often much deeper as a question than what it appears at first glance. no comment!

So why does 3 = 5? The forms of the five elements was srcinally called shoshin gôkei gogyô no kata and was later called by sensei the sanshin no kata. Today in the bujinkan we call them either“sanshin no kata” or “gogyô no kata”.

Sanshin written 三身 are the three jewels of Buddhism but in the bujinkan it is written 三心 it means the 3 spirits/hearts. We will see later what it covers. Gogyô are the five (japanese) elements 五行. Here gyô 行 has the meaning of practice, training, or exercise (as in shugyô 執行, ascetic practice). The gogyô are also often called“godai” 五大 or gotai 五体 to show the importance of the five elements chi 地, sui 水, ka 火, fû 風, kû 空 they are the basic bricks constituting the fabric of time and space leading to the 6th element shiki 識, consciousness, wisdom (sanskrit “vijJaana”, ). Now if we look at the name gôkei the only thing I found is 合計 and means “total sum”. Knowing that shoshin here 初審, means “initial, srcinal”; the name can be understood as the “five training forms to develop the initial unity (body and mind)”. To put it simply these five exercises are the root to understand the whole, the multiplicity of possibilities leading to unicity; or how to move naturally. Then, why 3 = 5? Because both terminologies define different aspects of the same things. Sanshin refers to past, present and future. You learn through the five forms to move before the attack, during the attack, after the attack. With this you develop your understanding of timing and rhythm. Sanshin refers to the three levels of ten chi and jin. You apply the 5 forms and focus either on the arms (ten level), on the legs (chi level) or on the whole body (jin level). Sanshin also refers to the 3 moments in each one of theses forms: kamae, ukemi, kaeshi. Attitude, reception, counter. Sanshin refers also to beginners, intermediate, and advanced as anyone can find something new depending on his or her level of proficiency. This last explanation also tells you why there can be different “truths” in how to do these movements. Sanshin is behaving with the mind of a three year old kid. If you can keep this at any time you will find the natural movement. Gogyô refers to the five elements that we perceive. Please note that we refer here to the Japanese (or Tibetan) elements and not to the Chinese. The godai or gogyô are always centered on chi, earth. Sensei explained once that unlike the Chinese, the Japanese understanding of the elements always went through chi. We have chi, chisui, chika, chifû, chikû. When you make it in a drawing it draws some kind of cross with chi in the center. Gogyô refers to the five senses leading to the 6th sense. We saw that shiki, consciousness is achieved through the mastership of the five elements. Gogyô also refers to the five directions (forward, backward, left, right, middle). The naname 斜め (diagonal, obliqueness) are variations of the previous ones.

Those five exercises are excuses to master the five manifestations through footwork and movements in order to find the natural flow to achieve consciousness with the help of these three hearts. So 3 = 5 and this also why in certain schools like gyokushin ryû, senseicalls

the sanshin no kata, the kihon happô! “In the Bujinkan dôjô the rank of 15th dan, (…) expresses the idea of 3 hearts x 5 elements = 15 austerities” (“unarmed fighting techniques of the samurai” Hatsumi sensei, p. 34). The sanshin no kata or gogyô no kata is the essence of the bujinkan arts and this is why we have to train these series at each class. As sensei wrote in the TRNT (page 69): “I look for a warrior who has, shall we say, the cardinal point of consistently embodying the warrior way with the spirit of a three year old even as he reaches one hundred, the soul ofsanshin, a talent of imperfection”. Shut up and train! •

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nb1: did you notice that there are 5 explanations for sanshin and 3 for gogyô? nb2: did you notice that the explanation for sanshin in the TRNT book is given p. 69? nb3: do not trust your senses, develop the 6th one!

Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 7 Comments

Ki is Natural not Magic! Posted on October 11, 2010by kumafr

12 Votes

contemplation •

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(version française) In the Abidharma sutra the Buddha (5th century BCE) says that “nothing is created, all is energy”.

At about the same period Anaxagoras, a Greek philosopher said that: “Nothing is born nor perishes, but things already existing combine and then separate again”. Much later in 1789 Antoine Lavoisier, the “ father” of modern chemistry, said that “nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed”. He was beheaded (transformed?) during the Révolution Française in 1794. This will lead in the 20th century to Einstein and his Theory of relativity. But to us, martial art practitioners this is the best definition of what energy really is. It is the “thusness” of Buddhism. Buddhists, pre socratic philosophers and scientists all agree about the endlessly recombination of everything . There is no magic here nor mysticism, only facts brought by pure observation. This “ever existent thing” is what the universe is made of. This is the “matter-energy” or “vital energy” of the universe of science and of Taoism. •

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気 is what we call “ki” or “Ch’i”; and it is “simply” the primordial emptiness or primordial existence of all things that flows infinitely and pulsates in everything. Ki is not esoteric at all and through long training we develop the eyes to see how it transforms itself and flows in order to adapt to it. I am sure that this is what senseimeans when he spokes that we have to understand (or to get?) the “shinshin shingan”, the “mind and the eyes of the gods”. When the opponent attacks, our reaction must be attuned with the flow of the moment and this is why no preconceived idea must exist. The natural movement is there when the practitioner has the intuition of what to do next. Intuition or intuitus in latin means “to watch thoroughly, contemplation” it is the subtle observation of the situation that brings your body to move correctly.

There is no thinking because there is not time to think. There is no time to think because time is relative. During your next class try to react without thinking, you might discover a new world of possiblities. Be happy!

Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 7 Comments

Tenchijin University Pdfs Posted on October 7, 2010by kumafr

4 Votes

Poster TCJ FR_UK TCJ University posters:PDF

in French and PDF in English Please put them on your websites. Deadline to register in only 16 days! Thank you for your help. AJC

Posted in seminar, www.bujinkanfrance.com | Leave a comment

Gyokko Ryû No Kamae Posted on October 6, 2010by kumafr

7 Votes

After my previous article I have been asked to show the various kamae for the three levels of the Gyokko ryû kosshi jutsu. All kamae start from hira no kamae (the wider shizen no kamae of the Gyokko ryû) which is using a “mudra like” hand posture. No magic here only waza. Sorry. From these 3 hira no kamae, you move into tenchi inyo no kamae and take one of the 3 end kamae: ichimonji, hichô, jûmonji. . . The first level uses ten ryaku uchu gassho no kamae. This is the ten ryaku no maki or jo ryaku no maki.

Goykko Ryû 1st Level

. .. . . The second level uses fûten goshin gassho no kamae. This is the chi ryaku no maki or chû ryaku no maki. . . . .. Gyoko ryû 2nd level

. The third level uses hanno banitsu no kamae. This is the jin ryaku no maki or ge ryaku no maki. . . . . Gyokko Ryû 3rd level

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Tenchi inyo no kamae can be seen as an evolution of the previous ones and give easy access to the 3 “normal” kamae. Remember that the Gyokko ryû kosshi jutsu is the source of Japanesebudô and that these kamae are visible with minor modifications into the other ryûha. Be happy! Receiving posture Posted in History, Tips & tricks | 2 Comments

Gyokko Ryû: The Origin of Budô Posted on October 5, 2010by kumafr

12 Votes

Hanno banitsu no kamae

I recently finished the recording of theGyokko ryû Kosshi jutsu and to prepare myself correctly I went through all the notes I took over the past years, the dvds by sensei, my own seminars and the articles I committed for the internet. TheKosshijutsu of Gyokko ryû (and otherryûha) have been studied in the Bujinkansince my first visit to Noda in 1990. Over the past twenty years we have been studying the Gyokko ryû densho quite a lot but

never did we have the chance to go through a full system in one time. In 2001 during the « school cycle » (1998-2002) we discovered the richness of this fighting system considered by Takamatsu sensei as the root of budô. Hatsumi Sensei in his « unarmed fighting techniques of the samurai » states that: « it is taught thatGyokko ryû Kosshi jutsu is the foundation of Japanese budô » (kodansha, chapter 3, page 46). Having studied the taijutsu we applied our knowledge ofKosshi jutsu on the bô in 2005 when we entered the year of kasumi no hô (the fog principle) and studied thekasumi no bô (the bô moves like the fog). Even though thosebô techniques were coming from Gyokko ryû Kosshi jutsu. the Kukishin ryû, we applied the feeling and principles of the

As always, all previous learning is added to the already known and the understanding of 2010 is far from what we learnt back in 2001. But the key is to see howsensei changed our general understanding of those techniques back in 2001. And I have decided to publish again the following article written in 2001 right after I came back from a trip to Japan in April. I have added comments to the srcinal text, they are preceded by « 2010 ». The srcinal text always begins with « 2001 ».

Here it is: 2001: With the new century Hatsumi Sensei entered in a new era in theBujinkan System. The theme for this year is Kosshi jutsu, mainly studied through the techniques of theGyokko Ryû. From the notes I received from friends inNoda and from my personal experience last April, I will try to expose here what is, for me, the new approach taught by Sensei. As usual this text will give my point of view but not any official explanation by Sensei. If you do not agree, maybe it is because I am wrong. First, we have to understand that the techniques in theGyokko ryû are only excuses to demonstrate the spirit and reality of theKosshi jutsu. In this respect, it is not different from our

study of Koppô jutsu of 2000, where the techniques of theKoto ryû where only an excuse to express the knack of Koppô jutsu. 2010: Even though we have studied the techniques of theGyokko ryû, the principles explained are also available for the otherryûha. In 2003 sensei explained that the study of the « school cycle » was not to learn the techniques of the schools but only to understand the five pilars of Budô taijutsu: taihen jutsu, daken taijutsu, koppô jutsu, kosshi jutsu, & jû taijutsu. 2001: Second, we have to understand fully the reasons that motivatedsensei to develop this new approach. Obviously all teachers had already the techniques written on paper as we have been studying the techniques of theGyokko ryû extensively over the years (sic.). But what are the main differences?Kamae are different, physical attitudes are different, inner feelings are different, kamae are different in both their physical and mental expressions. Sensei referred to some of these newkamae in his writings (cf. « wisdom of life » by Joe Maurantonio) but he did not give any explanation to them. The four kamae are the following: •

Ten Ryaku Uchu Gassho no kamae,

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Chi Ryaku Fûten Goshin Gassho no kamae,

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Jin Ryaku Chi Sui Ka Henka* no kamae ,

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and the most important oneTenchi Inyo no kamae .

2010: In fact, one must no forget that akamae is a still picture of a moment. Those “3 +1″ kamae listed above are in facthira no kamae (ten ryaku uchu gassho, fûten goshin gassho, hanno banitsu) moving through tenchi inyo in one of the 3 basic kamae (ichimonji, hichô, jûmonji). 2001: In my understanding (of Japanese) en t ryaku uchu gassho can be translated as “prayer

for divine transmission coming from space”. Chi ryaku fûten goshin gassho means “defense prayer from the either the vault of Heaven or

the whole world”. Jin ryaku chi sui ka henka ryaku no kamae* means “attitude transmitted to mankind from the

endless variations of Earth, Water and Fire”; Tenchi inyo no kamae means “attitude of the link between Heaven and Earth

and Yin and Yang“. 2010: To make it simple (kiss) we can now say that: •

Ten ryaku uchu gassho is the ten going down on the opponent

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Fûten goshin gassho is the chi lifting the opponent

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Hanno banitsu is the jin moving forward to stop the opponent. Please note that until 2001, all our movements were always going backwards. We started to

move forward with the Gyokko ryû!

2001: Physical movements are different in respect to these amae k . The Gyokko ryû is now divided into Ten, Chi, Jin (instead of Jo Ryaku, Chû Ryaku and Ge Ryaku no Maki previously). Ten Ryaku is expressed throughUchu Gassho; Chi Ryaku is expressed

through Fûten Goshin Gassho no kamae and Jin Ryaku is expressed through Chi, Sui Ka Henka Ryaku no kamae*. Each one of these kamae with their physical expressions lead to a

new inner feeling. Thesekamae are “waiting stances” i.e. when you wait for the opponent to attack. 2010: Today we know that each one of the 3hira (ten uchu gassho, fûten goshin gassho and hanno banitsu) are to be executed in relation to the 3 levels often, chi, jin. In his book

« unarmed fighting techniques of the samurai »,sensei uses both terminologies and call the 3 levels jo, chû, ge or ten, chi, jin. It seems that both are correct. 2001: The last kamae, tenchi Inyo no kamae is manifested when moving from the waiting stances, you assume tenchi inyo no kamae when moving in the attack, there you link the first stances (uchu gassho, fûten goshin, chi sui ka henka ryaku*) to the movement. Even if you do not show it (kokoro gamae instead of tai gamae). Inner feelings also change, each attitude develop a feeling perceived byUke that will lead him into his own destruction, uchu gassho gives unity (body and mind) toTori. Fûten goshin gives power in the movements.Chi sui ka henka ryaku* frightens Uke. Let us now go beyond our regular senses. If you were able to see the energies from the body, you would notice that each of these kamae acts as a physical “mudra”. Uchu gasshobuilds a beam of white energy coming from Heaven and surrounding your whole body (like the teletransportation stuff in Star Trek). With fûten goshin gassho, Tori disappears from Uke‘s perceptions, Ukecan only senses a very thin beam of light coming from the ground, Earth (it is like water coming from a tap).Tori when assuming this kamae moves like the wind. Chi sui ka henka ryaku no kamae* sends a feeling of fear to Uke. Uke‘s mind (and actions) is trapped by the stance. It is like a funnel of energy coming fromTori‘s body. You can think that I am exaggerating but this is the truth. Now these movements would be meaningless if there was nothing more. And there is a fûgyo“. lot more. Everything you do from now on should imply a new understanding:Banpen “

Literally it means “10000 changes, no surprise”. This is the key to the understanding gyô of Kosshi jutsu. Keeping this principle in mind will allow you to finally get to theShizen “ un ryû sui” or “ever adapted movement” (this is what we often call the “natural movement”).

The Japanese are more concerned about the physical Nature where the Chinese are more concerned about divine Nature. For example, “Sui” is the water coming from the sky (Heaven, Ten) where “Mizu” is the water you find on the ground (Earth, Chi). “Hi” is the fire from the sun (Heaven, Ten) where “Ka” is the bonfire on the ground (Earth, Chi); “Fû” is the wind from the sky (Heaven, Ten) where “Kaze” is the wind on the ground level (Earth, Chi).

This “physical” understanding of life gives the Japanese a definitely different system of concepts. 2010: In the « unarmed fighting techniques of the samurai » the logic ofchi, sui ka, fû, kû is different on the first edition (chi mizu, hi, kaze, kû) compared to the second edition. This is the way it was written in the srcinal ten chi jin of 1987 (in the new edition of the book I changed it and put the names in use today). Strangely if you superpose the «ten approach of the Chinese » and the « chi approach of the Japanese » you get an interesting diagram…

Gyokko is Life?

2001: If we go even deeper in the understanding of the newGyokko ryû, we gradually make ours these concepts of gravity u ( chu gassho) and wind (fûten goshin gassho). These feelings do not replace each other; they are added one to the other. To make myself clear, I would say that the three “transmissions”Ten, Chi, Jin are like the three skins of an onion.Ten is Ten, Chi is Ten plus Chi, Jin is Ten plus Chi plus Jin. This is a new sanshin no kata. At the Jin level

you can expect the movements to be even more natural. As we do not know yet the inner feeling of the jin ryaku this is only a guess.[note: the third level was taught after April 2001] 2010: In my July 2001 trip sensei explained more about the gravity concept. In fact the Gyokko ryû deals with three concepts that are three different understanding of the same object. •

Inryoku: magnetism 引力

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Jûryoku: gravity 重力

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Jiryoku: attraction/repulsion 磁力

Those 3 concepts explain three different aspects of reality.When teaching the Gyokko ryû senseistressed the importance offûsui (風水, feng shui); i.e. wind and water. All movements

must express the flow of the wind(ten) and the water (chi) in order to counter jin. *this kamae was then called Hanno banitsu no kamae (cf. « Unarmed fighting techniques of the samurai » page 46. I have a written note from 2001 by sensei where he wrote it differently « hanno bon itsu ». Posted in Thoughts on Budo, www.budomart.com, History | 2 Comments

New Dvds Are Coming Soon Posted on October 4, 2010by kumafr

6 Votes

We finished the Yari Jutsu of theKukishin Ryû and the taijutsu of theGyokko ryû. The videos are being edited right now and will soon be availalbe onkoimartialart and budomart. In the last year we have been quite productive: •

Tentô Uchi

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Ten Ryaku no Maki: short and extended version (4 dvds), Chi Ryaku no Maki: short and

extended version (3 dvds), Jin Ryaku no Maki: short version (an extended version is being prepared), Buki Waza basics for small weapons: tantô, Kunai, Shotô, (2 dvds) Buki Waza basics for medium weapons: hanbô, jo, biken, (3 dvds) Buki Waza basics for long weapons: bô, yari, naginata, (3 dvds) Nawa Jutsu basics: nawame (knots) and rin (loops) Gyokko Ryû Kosshi Jutsu: the first level is being duplicated now and should be available in a few days on budomart, (2 dvds) Bô jutsu of the Kukishin Ryû: the complete set (ready for Christmas), (btw 6 and 10 dvds!) Yari Jutsu of the Kukishin Ryû: the complete set (ready beginning og 2011), (btw 4 and 6 dvds)

Gyokko Ryu Kosshi Jutsu: the second and third levels are recording and will be available as soon as possible, (4 dvds) Manriki Gusari Basics: A general overview on the chain and the basics of the Masaki Ryû that Sensei learnt with Nawa sensei.

And I am not speaking of the “Foundation” series covering all the techniques Kyû perKyû from 9th Kyû to 1st Kyû. (18 dvds) We are planning to record soon a ne version of the Sanshin no Kata and of the Kihon Happô (Gyokko Ryû style) and a set of dvds on hanbô Jutsu. After that we will move to the other schools. The next schools are either Koto Ryû and then Shinden Fudô Ryû. Which one do you prefer to have next? Be happy! Arnaud Cousergue

Posted in www.budomart.com, www.koimartialart.com | 1 Comment

Tenchijin University Reminder Posted on October 4, 2010by kumafr

4 Votes

Please visit the tenchijin University website, only a few days to register (for security reasons as we train in a military facility). Tenchijin University website HERE Information and prebooking HERE Posted in seminar | Leave a comment

Ten Chi Jin University October 2010 Posted on October 1, 2010by kumafr

5 Votes

Paris October 23rd – 27th

5 days of training to unfold the foundations of the Bujinkan. 266 techniques and principles covered! 3 training manuals. Give yourself a chance to excel! •

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Online registration is now available HERE Please note that this seminar being held in a military facility in Vincennes, quick registration is required to issue the security pass giving access to the dôjô. Posted in seminar | Leave a comment

India Seminars Posted on September 17, 2010by kumafr

8 Votes

Namaste,

Last August

I arrived yesterday in Bangalore to give two seminars. The monsoon is finished and the weather is cloudy but nice. This is a big change compared to my last trip here in June.

Our Indian Buyu are improving and developing fast. They have received Darren recently and Robin will be visiting them next November. The first one begins tomorrow and will be covering the Gyokko Ryû Kosshi Jutsu. Te Gyokko ryû is a fantastic fighting system that apparently is thesrcin of all Budô in Japan (cf. “Unarmed fighting techniques of the Samurai” by Hatsumi Sensei). Distancing and the structure of the school are brilliant!

The second seminar will cover the Yari Jutsu from the Kukishinden Ryû with the Kaeshi Waza. I really love the Yari because of its powerful thrusts and versatility. After the Bô Jutsu “marathon” of June, the participants are ready to move up to the next level. These two seminars will be recorded and will be available soon on budomart and on koi. DVDS: The first level of Gyokko Ryû and another one on Nawa Jutsu will be soon available. Unfortunately, the bô jutsu of the Kukishin Ryû will not be ready in time before I leave. For your information, the Bô jutsu after cleaning is 20 hours long of raw material; it should cover around 10 dvds! It should be ready for Christmas so now you know what to ask Santa. Be Happy!

Posted in seminar, www.budomart.com | Leave a comment

New KOI Offer Posted on September 3, 2010by kumafr

6 Votes

Dear Friends, Thank you for your enthusiasm concerning koimartialart. Since December we improved a lot our website thanks to your feedbacks. Please continue to send them to us! Our success is your success and proves without any doubt that we were right to do launch this new adventure. Thank you for your unlimited support.

In August we have completely redesigned the user’s interface making it more user firendly. We also changed our provider and the general outlook of KOI. The search mode is faster as well as the streaming. Check it by watching the new trailers now. Many new titles are now online including all the basics on buki waza: tantô, kunai, shotô, hanbô, jo, biken, bô, yari, naginata. Did you ever dream of winning against the bô, theyari or the jo? Many of them are also demonstrated with the kaeshi waza (counter techniques). We have also modified our different offers and you can now adapt your video hunger to the “basic”, the “silver koi” or the “gold koi“. Please visit the new www.koimartialart.com website and tell us what you think. Visit it today and get ONE WEEK FREE of unlimited videos! Posted in www.koimartialart.com | Leave a comment

Foundation (2) Posted on August 18, 2010by kumafr

6 Votes

After the last article on foundation of taijutsu I redesigned thebudomart website accordingly. Please visit it and discover the new foundation series. 4 sets covering 612 techniques, 26 dvds, more than 22 hours of videos.

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The Foundation Of Taijutsu Posted on August 18, 2010by kumafr

16 Votes

The quality of our taijutsu depends on strong foundations. But what doestaijutsu and foundation really mean? Taijutsu is often understood as the sole body movement but when you are used to Hatsumi sensei’s vision of life it is always interesting to dig a little deeper and see what the word(s) really encompass it is necessary to review the various writings and meanings of the words. Gyaku Nage and Kyushô First 術 jutsu is either art, means, or technique as we know but this is with the various meanings of tai that we have subtle changes in the understanding of the word taijutsu. But when you look at the three meaning of “tai” you discover that they can be applied to your training. 体, tai has 3 main meanings: 1: body; physique; posture. 2: shape; form; style. 3:substance; identity; reality. Taijutsu is a jutsu done with the body that goes from the pureomote (body) to enter the world of ura (reality). This is integrating the taigamae (体構え) and the kokorogamae (心構え). This is a self centered taijutsu. 対, this other tai expands our understanding of taijutsu by precising that it is also: 1:opposite; opposition. 2: versus; vs. 3: equal footing; equal terms. 4: against …; anti-. This new taijutsu is expanding and adds the idea of fighting the enemy and to balance the forces of the opponent. Now we are into the man to man fight. 隊, this last one means: party; company; body (of troops); or corps. Now taijutsu expands again and includes the idea of army fighting and to interact with our friends and our enemies. The interesting thing here is that by digging through the various understanding of “tai” we moved from the apprentice training where we are alone; to the encounter with a single opponent; to the battlefield feeling. So taijutsu a general system to prepare our bodies and mind to go from the beginner to the advanced level. Our foundations are based on the quality of the basics that we learn alone and then with a partner through years of training. Taijutsu help us to grow from the omote to finally reach the essence of the ura. In Japanese 大本 is the kanji for foundation. It reads either “ taihon” (taihen?) or “ômote” (omote?). Maybe this is how we must understand sensei when he speaks of 実践 jissen (practice; practise; put into practice) and 実戦 jissen(combat; actual fighting). On a practical aspect we have to keep in mind what sensei has repeated many times concerning the densho. “densho are for kids (beginners)” as techniques have to be taught step by step. Historically the young samurai would begin his warrior training at around 10 years

of age and at 15 years of age would become an adult and be allowed to go to the battlefield. In fact, the 15 ranks in the bujinkan were created by sensei also to symbolize this. When you begin you are a beginner and then after many years you reach adulthood and become responsible of your own actions, you are jûgodan. But without good basics your taijutsu will lack credibility. Therefore our training in the three tai defined earlier will guide us in our mastering of taijutsu. We will move gradually from taijutsu (体術) totaijutsu (隊術) which included the use of yoroi and weapons. The first tai (body) is the modern translation for the word but in the past tai encompassed also the mind, the weapons and the yoroi. If you think about it, it is quite logical. As we said earlier, youngsamurai (mostly kids) were not able to understand the subtleties of high level techniques including weapons. So in order to keep it K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple & Stupid) the trainers striped the techniques off the weapons and began to teach unarmed combat only. This is why we begin our training with unarmed combat. On the battlefield warriors would always carry weapons and unarmed combat would be rarely used. The foundation of our taijutsu is a set of basics acquired in unarmed combat and regrouped by sensei in the tenchijin ryaku no maki in 1983. Once mastered, unarmedtaijutsu is completed with all the usual weapons of the samurai and the yoroi to create a natural flow of movement. This is why taijutsu (体術) is the true foundation of taijutsu (隊術). Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 2 Comments

Jupi Summer Camp Posted on August 15, 2010by kumafr

5 Votes

The weather is getting smoother so we will not sweat as much as last year! There are still a few places left for the summer camp which begins on the 21st of August If you are interested read all about it at the JSC2010 website.

Be happy!

Posted in Jupi summer camp, www.budomart.com | Leave a comment

Obon: No Class Posted on August 13, 2010by kumafr

9 Votes

Obon paper lanterns carrying the spirits

Next week-end sensei will not teach because of the Obon, a Buddhist ceremony of filial piety in honor of the ancestors of one’s family. This ceremony is held around mid August (it depends on the region of Japan and/or of the calendar in use solar or lunar) and is based on the Ullambana Sutra, one of the Sutra of theMahayana Buddhism.

What I find interesting here comes from a discussion I had the other day with Senô senseibefore the class took place. The Obon (or Bon) is a very important time for the Japanese people as this is a time where the spirits are there. It ends with the famous paper lanterns floating downstream and symbolizing the souls of the deads going back to their own world. Even though the Obon is not a holiday, it is a custom to let the people honor their ancestors and not work on these days. Honoring your ancestors, and filial piety are linked to thebujinkan in many aspects. When I was speaking with Senô sensei he used many times the word yûgen when speaking of the souls of the deceased; and also of the sanjigen (the third dimension). Obon matsuri And these two concepts were the ones we studied respectively in 2004 and 2003 whe nwe entered the world ( sekai) of juppô sesshô. When those concepts were taught by Hatsumi sensei we had no clue about their meaning and they looked like some esoteric concepts far from our concern.

After all we come to Japan to train fighting techniques, no? In fact all through these last years Hatsumi sensei has been teaching us more than techniques, he has shown us the Japanese culture and shared with us his vision of the world as a Japanese. Without his very special way of teaching we would still be excluded from this world of understanding and our improvement in the bujinkan arts would be limited. This way of teaching made us go from childhood to adulthood without knowing it. Another interesting link to the bujinkan is the term sôke because its chinese srcin (Mandarin Zongjia) conveys “strong familial and religious connotations. Etymologically it represents a family performing ancestor rites”. As always there are various meanings but one interests us more as the “sôke is the one responsible for maintaining the ancestral temple on behalf of the entire clan organization. In Japanese texts, sôke always implied a familial relationship replete with filial duty (but) the Japanese use of this word is not limited to consanguineous contexts” (from William Bodiford, UCLA). “Bujin” in Chinese is “Wusen” which is, as you know one of the nicknames given by the Chinese to Takamatsu sensei. Therefore the bujinkan is the “house of Takamatsu sensei. And this explains why Hatsumi sensei is using this specific term od sôke which is rarely used in the

Sensei in front of the memorial

martial arts world. In fact, in my understanding Hatsumi sensei sees himself as the “son/heir” of Takamatsu sensei and he has developed the bujinkan in order to revere his memory. The other day when we went to sensei’ssecond house in Tsukuba we performed a ceremony in memory of Takamatsu senseiand we were asked by sensei to put incense sticks on his memorial. The love and respect of Hatsumi sensei towards Takamatsu senseiis obvious when you watch the dvd “Takamatsu Toshitsugu, the

last ninja”. So if you are now in Japan do not be too sad if you have no training on Friday and Sunday because the spirit of Takamatsu sensei will be there with you for the whole week-end.

Share with the Japanese the joy of these two days where obori(obon dancing), fireworks and matsuri are held, and on Sunday night go to river outside of Noda and watch those beautiful paper lanterns going down the river to reach the sea. Be happy!

Obon fireworks

Posted in History, Thoughts on Budo | 1 Comment

Seiza or Seiza? Posted on August 11, 2010by kumafr

9 Votes

Whenever we are waiting or listening we naturally put ourselves in seiza no kamae. Over the years, this kamae has been assimilated and we do it without thinking. This is the objective we should have for every movement we learn in the dôjô; i.e. being able to do everything without thinking. By forgetting the self we forget the form and the flow is born. seiza no kamae

One day I went with a buyu to attend a sadô seminar of the ura senke school in a Zen

Rinzai monastery. Even though we had explained to the superior priest and the sadô sensei that we were martial artists, our natural way of walking, kneeling, and standing was so natural that they suspected us from being sent by the Zen headquarters in Japan to check on them! Luckily we were not trying to infiltrate them like ninja.

seiza no sanshin (Arnaud, Beth, Eugenio)

The seiza 正座 or 正坐 (kneeling with the tops of the feet flat over the floor, and sitting on the soles) or the seiza 静座 or 静坐 (sitting calmly and quietly in order to meditate) are the same but differ in their meaning; the tai gamae (体構え) is the same not the kokoro gamae (心構え). The first set of seiza is the one used in court when the samurai deserted the battlefields and the yoroi and began to live in the palaces. This is why one of the meaning of 正 is “righteous”. The second half being either 座 or 坐 and meaning respectively “cushion, seat, and “to sit”. From this we understand that seiza has the meaning of using the correct form of sitting 1) in general; 2) with a superior. It deals with the omote (表) The second set of seiza is the one used in the temples for meditative purpose. The meaning of 静 is quiet, calm. Therefore “sitting quietly” can be done with or without a zafû (座蒲 or 坐 蒲) and can be done even in fudôza (不動座). It deals with the ura (裏).

left over right foot

Technical tip: the left foot is on top of the tight foot to be able to draw rapidly the sword or to move from seiza to fudôza. Train these kamae.

Posted in Thoughts on Budo, Tips & tricks | 1 Comment

Matrix Reminder Posted on August 11, 2010by kumafr

8 Votes

The moment of the choice in the Matrix movie HERE Posted in Thoughts on Budo | Leave a comment

Blue Pill or Red Pill? Posted on August 11, 2010by kumafr

12 Votes

Each time I return from Japan I keep thinking on the many things and ideas that sensei has given us during his classes. This is some kind of ritual that has developed into a necessary step for me to go further. During one of his recent class Hatsumi sensei was saying: “I do not teach you death, I teach you Life”. But what is Life? Thinkers and philosophers have been dwelling on the subject for centuries and even though their conclusions are all interesting, what good is it for us poor budôka lost on this bujinkan path? To understand where we stand and discover how to handle this question we have to define “Life” according to ourbudô practice. Life is not death. Death is the easy way as once you are dead the physical life is no more the problem. Actually from a limited perspective death is the simplest solution but to develop our potential and become abujin, a true human being we have to stay and build a life that is worth it. The theme of this year, rokkon shôjô, gives us a hint. To be alive is to be happy but how to reach this happiness? Happiness is a positive state of mind that overwhelms us whatever hardship we endure. A climber on a new mountain path is often facing new challenges that

push his abilities to their limits. Even if the climbing is tough and difficult, the happiness he encounters when reaching the summit is total. Actually the harder the path, the more happiness it generates. When things are easy we are pleased, when they are hard to get success makes us happy. When you learn a new movement in a class it takes time to reach this ETL (cf. previous articles on this blog). At first we are so wrong that it looks that we will never make it correctly. But after hard work and many mistakes we find the solution. We are finally happy like the climber on the summit (and if we can duplicate the movement we get even happier). Commitment to success is the key to happiness and as Saint Exupery wrote it, the most important part on the path is not the final destination but the many obstacles we had to overcome to get to the end. Success is not given (and sometimes not achievable) but it triggers all our strength to reach it. Humans can do everything they want as long as they really try hard enough. Limiting our dreams to a dream state is wrong and the bujinkan leads us to understand that. You are what you want to be and not what the others want you to be. I see this like the blue pill and the red pill in the movie “the Matrix”. The bujinkan is the pill that breaks our illusions and gives us another choice for our lives. So Life is about being yourself, leaving the omote and unfolding the ura. The tools we have to develop this ura are called: responsibility, courage, commitment, honesty. Responsibility: You are responsible for your actions, always. You’d better accept it now because Life is about being “face value” and responsible. Responsibility is not taught at school or to put it better is not exactly what we are taught at school. Our educational system is mainly based on not doing things (don’t touch, don’t do this, don’t smoke, don’t drink). The power of the “don’ts” have shaped our behaviors year after year until we feel “happy” living within the norms of Society. This is not being responsible on the contrary it is blending with the common accepted life defined by others that keeps us in a “child state” during our whole life. This “sheep life” is a “cheap life”. The day you pushed the door of the dôjô is the day you have decided to be in charge of yourself and live your own life. Being responsible is the first step towards adulthood. But this requires a lot of courage. Courage: We have to develop courage in all our actions. Courage is not something you can learn in a book it is something you build with time within yourself. It implies that you stop limiting yourself. One interesting thing about our self limitations (I cannot, I do not know, it is impossible, it’s too hard) is that you will always reach them. We are afraid of what we do not know so we create limitations to stay in the realm of the things we know. Courage is the opposite, it is going where we never went before and discovering new sensations (kankaku) and learning from new experiences. Fears are made by Society and the bujinkan helps us in many ways to push our limits and face our deepest fears and become better humans. Fear is a security attitude towards the unknown where courage is to adapt to the things that are

unknown to us and for which we do not have ready-made answers. Courage is important but it requires a lot of commitment. Commitment: Without commitment nothing can be achieved. Attending the classes in your dôjô twice a week is not commitment it is a routine! Commitment is the willingness to be the best amongst your peers. One of my favorite motto is primus inter pares or “first amongst your peers”. Being the first is ego if it is a personal decision but when the group recognizes you as the best and choses you as their leader, no one is unhappy. In the old days the chief of the tribe was the one chosen within the group to lead them to a better life. Leaders were chosen not imposed. The quality of your commitment to yourself and to your training is the foundation of your success. Whatever you want to achieve in your life requires true commitment, after all it is only between you and you and no one is going to walk the path for you. Your sensei is not going back from where he stands far away on the path to carry you on his back, you will have to walk on your own; he is a guide not a driver. Life is based on being committed and from the quality of your commitment depends your success. Being the first amongst your peers requires a strong commitment and strong values. From those many values, honesty is the one that matters the most. Honesty: Cheating your way through life is a short vision, short term process. Be true to yourself and to others in life as in the dôjô you cannot cheat the others very long on your real value. Many high rank teachers in the bujinkan cheat their students on their technical abilities and often turns to some “spiritual esoteric path” to avoid facing the truth of their emptiness. If you have to be honest with others the main point is to be honest to yourself because you will be living with you for the rest of your life. Cheating others is not nice but cheating yourself is wrong and stupid. Honesty is to be aware of who you are and where you stand; this is the starting point of your life as a true human being. Knowing what you are and who you are you can define the path to excellence in order to live a happy life. Life is being able to read between the lines as sensei often says and about understanding that whatever you want you have the power within you to obtain it. Honesty gives you the starting point; commitment allows you to go further; courage pushes your limits; and the sense of responsibility makes you shine and recognized by your peers as the primus inter pares. You can be who you want to be; do what you want to do; achieve all your dreams; and become a bujin, a true human being! One day you have decided willingly to choose this difficult path, so now it is up to you to bloom or not. Hatsumi sensei doesn’t teach death, he teaches Life. So, ura (red pill) or omote (blue pill)? Be happy!

Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 9 Comments

ETL (2) Posted on August 10, 2010by kumafr

4 Votes

In order to make myself clear I did a chart representing the exponential curve for the Error Tolerance Level (ETL). It helps to understand better what I tried to explain with my words. In the diagram: the abscissa (X) represents the number of repetitions (from 1 to 1000) and the ordinate Y) represents the EL in percent (from 0% to 100%).

Zero percent is never reached

The more we repeat the movement and the smaller the EL. We strive for the perfect movement but we know that we will never reach it as perfection is of divine essence. Our goal is to reach an acceptable level of error that does not change the outcome of the fight, this is the ETL oe error tolerance level.

It is like the time paradox of the arrow shot at the target and never reaching it in Zeno’s problem (cf. Plato, Aristotle, Zeno). To the mathematician mind we will never reach the perfect movement; but to the warrior mind it is good enough. Often in the dôjô and in life we want things to be so perfect that we don’t do them. Thebujinkan is teaching us to act instead of thinking. Remember Watzlawick in “Munchausen pigtail” writing that action must precede reflection (thinking). This is a path of action we have taken by entering a bujinkan dôjô not an intellectual one. Don’t forget it (but don’t think too much about it).

Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 3 Comments

Mistakes: The Path To Success Posted on August 10, 2010by kumafr

11 Votes

What everyone love about Jackie Chan’s movies are those last minutes at the end during the end credits of the film where we can watch the mistakes happening during the stunts sequences as if we were witnessing the shooting action. Good stunts require many takes and sometimes end up in accidents. Once edited in Senô sensei during the break

the final version, the many “wrong” sequences are put into the action and everything looks smooth and perfect.

But we know this is a lie. Perfection is hard to get and will never be available on a one try movement a lot of time time, effort, and repetitive tries are necessary. Quality is an acquired result not a given one. During Senô sensei’s class on Saturday he spoke of making mistakes during training. In the West through what Society teaches us we have been trained since kinder garden to do our best to avoid mistakes. In fact, making mistakes is so bad that we often prefer to do nothing than to take the risk of an error. It is often related to our self esteem and ego and to the fact that we always want to look good in front of others. This is not the best way to learn budô. Thanks toHatsumi sensei I learnt this error acceptance as it is part of sensei’s teaching. Many times in the past I would

come to sensei telling him that I didn’t understand the movement he just did and many times he would stop the class and send me in the middle of the dôjôasking me to demonstrate it! How can you explain something you do not understand? You cannot! So you adapt your misunderstanding to the situation and do your best. The results at first were not good at all but through the many years with him they eventually improved and I grew up in confidence and expertise. It is good to accept to make mistakes because it makes you stronger. The judgement of others does not matter. You live and act for your own life. pre class discussion

Senô sensei’s approach to this “error” understanding is nice and can be easily applied in our daily lives (as long as we are ready to accept the consequences of our actions). Basically Senô sensei explained that when we are discovering a new set of movements we are often wrong and make many “big” mistakes. But through repetition though, the “size” of the mistake melts down until the point where the error level can be tolerated not for winning but for us not to lose. (Side note: this is why the Japanese shihan often ask us to train more slowly). To make myself clear let’s say we do a movement for the first time with a 60% error level (EL). After a hundred repetition the EL percentage drops down to 30%. Add another 100 repetitions later we reach an EL of 10%, and a hundred repetitions later we get an acceptable rate of 5% EL. After a thousand tries the movement will still have to be improved but the error level will be so low that only you will be able to see it and that it will make no difference on the outcome of the confrontation. Our movements will never be perfect but through a consistent” trial and error” procedure we reach an error tolerance level (ETL) allowing us to make the movement correctly enough to survive in a real

with Senô sensei

encounter. The beauty of this ETL training in the dôjô is that there is no risk at all (for us) even if the process takes many hours of training. The dôjô is the place to study the movements so that they become permanent engrams available when necessary. Now consider the dôjô to be a laboratory for experiences and real life the field where to apply these acquired engrams (if not physically at least psychologically). In the office, at the university or school, with your family and friends, your behavior will be naturally modified by the knowledge you acquired through hard work in the dôjô. The ETL concept developed by Senô sensei is applicable to any activity in life. The acceptance of mistakes in our behavior frees us from stagnation and drives us faster towards the path of success. The more we accept to make mistakes, the less we make mistakes. This is the best way to “create” and find the chance that sensei often speak about. Be happy to be wrong as you are going to be right!

Rokkon shôjô! Posted in Thoughts on Budo, www.budomart.com, www.koimartialart.com | 5 Comments

Flexibility Of Body & Mind Posted on August 9, 2010by kumafr

11 Votes

Sumotori are flexible why aren't you?

Flexibility of the mind is what gives us access to the power of our imagination and creativity. As we all know the direct links existing between body & mind, some of us might find it easier to become first flexible in their body and then move up to the mind.

Flexibility is a natural state of mind and an ability acquired by the body. Training the body towards flexibility will help you get the same benefits with your brain. Remember that nagare doesn’t think… Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 4 Comments

Standing Upright Posted on August 7, 2010by kumafr

13 Votes

Friday night class with sensei was good as usual. Not so many people were there (less than 50) and we had enough space to apply the tachi kumiuchifeeling with the bô. Once again if you want to studybô jutsu or any of the long weapons, it is better to come to Japan when not so many people are there and summer seems to be the best option. Sensei asked me to do a technique as he usually did. Opening the class is always a privilege but it is every time more difficult. In the past when he would ask me for a technique I was nearly in panic and the result was not very good even though he would always find something to do with it. Then over the years my confidence built in Calligraphy for the Japanese consul and I went through various stages: showing something in Bangalore worth it; doing it good; looking good; etc. At one point I was not scared any more of making mistakes. That was the first major evolution. Then as I am coming every four months my goal as to show him that I benefited from his lessons and evolved in my taijutsu. Recently as I said it became more difficult as my objective now is to be in adequacy with the theme of the year and to give him a movement where his kaitatsu imagination would unleash to help us go deeper in the theme of the year. As I attend around five classes each time I come

to Japan the first class is easy but the following ones are so close from one another that I have to focus more on what he has been doing and what has been said in order to learn more from him. A class with sensei is a mix of many things and often the things is saying bear more importance than the movements he is doing. Too many people come to Japan to do what they already know. This should be avoided at all costs! We do not come to do what we know but to discover new ways of doing the things we do badly. But for that we need to accept to make mistakes and to look bad. Too many egos won’t accept that. By accepting to make mistakes during training we free ourselves from the result and discover a more natural way of behovioring in the dôjô and in life. From this Friday class I learnt two things. First senseiwas playing with the word tachi told us us that we had to stand upright in the technique and in life, once again the double meaning of jissen was obvious. Sensei used the image of the bowman pulling the string of his bow. In the technique use your shoulders to modify lightly the space between you and the opponent. Also, if you apply this you will Sensei painting keep your balance better and be in control of the tamashii. The second thing that I clicked on was something I had the chance to speak with him when we had lunch in Tsukuba. I asked him if the tachi kumiuchi could be considered as the juppô sesshô of weapons and he spent the class reminding us that by saying it and by using many weapons: tantô, jutte, tachi, bô, yari and shikomi zue. The tachi has opened the last gate to natural movement as it put into motion the nagare in all our movements. This class was also quite particular as sensei used Shiva as his uke many times. From my experience I see that as a symbol of recognition. We became direct students of senseiwhen we got our sakki test but when sensei is inviting you to attack this is something different. Not only are you recognized by him but also you become recognized by the whole bujinkan community. Congratulation Shiva for this new achievement in the ways ofbudô! To reinforce it sensei drew a very nice makimono with a daruma to thank the Japanese consul in Bangalore. The bujinkan through Hatsumi sensei’s guidance has really become international and we should never forget it and behave accordingly. Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 3 Comments

Happy B-Day! Posted on August 6, 2010by kumafr

9 Votes

The bujinkan is much more than a fighting system, it is about behaving like a true human being. Since we came here both Hatsumi sensei and Nagato senseihave been speaking about asobi, playfulness. I remember sensei saying once that « missing a class was ok but that missing a joyful moment was wrong ». Happiness has to be found and lived when the occasion shows up. And that was the case on Thursday night. happy bday sensei!

serious business!

Noguchi sensei was born on the 6th of August so for his last class I organized a small birthday party for him after training. We celebrated his 68 th birthday with all the students who attended the class. That was a true bujinkan evening.

Asobi and happiness altogether: good training in the takagi yôshin ryû and a nice b-day party. Birthdays are occasions to gather and to know people from a different perspective.

kisses?

We had brought cakes and sake and offered them to Noguchi sensei who seemed very touched by it. We all shared a little shoshu with him with a strong sense of friendship within this small buyucommunity. Noguchi sensei has been the shihan who has helped me the most in my bujinkantraining and I like to think that mytaijutsu is the result of his many tips that he gave to me since 1990. To organize this was the least I could do as for once I was here in Japan on the good date. When I got promoted by Hatsumi senseito Jûdan back in 1993, the hombu dôjôdidn’t exist and sensei was giving classes when people would showed up. Many times with Pedro, sensei would ask us if we would like to have some training the following day!

This is in 1993 that Hatsumi sensei asked me to train exclusively with him andNoguchi sensei. I must admit that I was more attracted shoshu time toNagato sensei’s style in that time and that Noguchi sensei style was so far from what I considered to be my “natural movement” that I was surprised. As always, it proved to me that senseiknew what to do with me and forcing me to train only with Noguchi sensei has been the best thing that could happen to me. In 1997 at the DKMS, with the opening of the brand new hombu dôjô, sensei told me that from now on I could train with the shi

Happy B-day!

tennô teaching there. But the four years I spent following only one teacher created the taijutsu I have today. Noguchi sensei is an excellent budôkaand a true human being and I am proud to call myself one of his students. お目出度うご座います Omedetô Gozaimasu! Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 3 Comments

Summer camp France Posted on August 6, 2010by kumafr

2 Votes

Based on the new discoveries here in Japan I have decided to modify lightly the initial progam of the JSC2010 and to include a few things seen here in Japan.

with Shiva (8th Dan) and Eugenio (10th Dan)

Even though the seminar will mainly deal with tenchijin basics and tachi in the understanding of the nagare, we will also review the many interesting things (techniques and concepts) that I am learning here. There are still a few places left for the summer camp (JSC2010) I will give after I am coming

back from Japan. To participate please visit the JSC2010 website and register online at budomart See you there!

Posted in seminar, www.budomart.com | Tagged jsc210, jupi | Leave a comment

39° 55% Posted on August 5, 2010by kumafr

6 Votes

I just came back from the hombu where I gave a class on tachi and nagare. Even with AC and fans the heat inside was 39° centigrade and humidity at 55%! I am drained. I will post later today afterNoguchi sensei’s class. Tomorrow is Noguchi sensei’s birthday, he turns 68 and still moves like a young warrior. Omedeto! Posted in Thoughts on Budo | Leave a comment

Jissen, Sakki, Asobi Posted on August 4, 2010by kumafr no comment

16 Votes

Our last class with sensei was full of the 遊び «asobi » feeling / playfulness thatNagato sensei talked about on Monday. But sensei precised that playfulness should not lower our level of awareness, though. Being « seriously playful » is what is expected from us during training. I opened the class with a kind of uke nagashi reaching out with the right arm to the Zam, Sensei, Shiva, and Arjun

left shoulder and back of uke in the moment of his attack. Sensei used this concept and added many weapons to it ( tachi, bô). The best discovery was when sensei used a soft touch on the neck to take uke’sbalance and then moved with the same hand to hook lightly the acromion hole of the left shoulder. The various information received by uke made him fall on his own each time. I was uke and it was brilliant! Powerful but soft. In a real fight, 実戦 jissen, sensei said that you can never be prepared. Therefore you must float on top of uke’s actions to control the space and counter-attack when the opening is revealed. This idea of « you can never be prepared » is something we should always have in mind, inside and outside the dôjô (ura-omote). Playfulness brings a state of relaxation that makes time go slower. When you are stressed you are tensed and when you are tensed you force things in a way unsuitable to the situation you are caught in. It also means that training is not the real thing and waza only a means to achieve body & mind coordination allowing you to see through things ( kanroku 勘六). In this mindset your imagination (kaitatsu) is at its best and your movements, even if complex, flow naturally. Awareness is generated through self confidence that comes when you master your basics. Your body moves on its own adapting naturally to the changes in your environment. Then, during the calligraphy session senseiwrote gekokujô 下克上 for me. Gekokujô is a period of Japanese history, during the warring state period and the Ônin war. It is the end of the Muromachi period. At that time small daimyô tried to take over the power of the main daimyô. Translated it means: « the lower rules the higher » or « the low overcomes the high ». To use a comparison, a small tiny hole can drown a huge boat and bring her to the bottom of the sea. Many interpretations of this concept can be found in our training and our life. In training it means Gekokujô that rank does not protect you from defeat. To find success you have to develop luck. When you are lucky you can reach asobi. You can also experience gekokujô when the newly promoted high ranks try to impose their newly acquired power to those around them. From one week to another they become arrogant and disrespectful. And in life we see it when youngsters try to impose their lack of understanding and experience to their elders. In the « Republica » Plato speaks about a similar thing (book 7?). I don’t recall the exact words but it is something like: « when the children do not respect their parents, when the students do not respect their

teachers, when the people do not respect the authority, this is the beginning of tyranny ». The best illustration is the so called cultural revolution in China under Mao Zedong. At the end of the class I am happy to inform you that India got its first « homemade »shidôshi. Arjun passed brilliantly the test with Doug. Both, emitter and receiver did a very nice sakki. After class it was touching to see how Shiva was proud of Arjun being “his” first Indian shidôshi. I guess that Arjun will honor Hatsumi sensei and Shiva in his new dôjô of Mumbai (Bombay). This is also the proof that hard training and good transmission of sensei’s philosophy are the key to our own evolution as human beings. The beauty of sensei’s teaching is to be found everyday more in the words and concepts he uses to develop our human abilities. His taijutsu speaks to our bodies when his words speak to our souls. Thank you sensei! Be happy!

Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 2 Comments

Training, Flowing, Being Posted on August 3, 2010by kumafr

14 Votes

The heat and humidity are tiring us Continental Europeans not used to such a tough weather. Eugenio Penna from Sicilia and the Indian group lead by Shiva are fine with it. They are only missing hot spicy food! (not Eugenio though).

Teas break during Nagato's class

The August climate is not my favorite, everybody knows that polar bears ( Shiro Kuma) prefer the cool weather, but I always enjoy travelling to Japan for my second trip in summer. The dôjô is nearly empty and the

rhythm of things is moving to a slow pace unlike the frenzy of DKMS where the dôjô is packed with over a hundred practitioners or the spring trip in April where I try to understand better the new theme developed by sensei. This trip also I appreciate the size of the “kuma group”: 6, roku. It goes well with the theme of the year rokkon shôjô as we are 6 souls (i.e. roku + kon = rokkon) living happily (shôjô). I must say that Shiva, Arjun, and Zam have become real buyu and have succeeded in blending within the bujinkan community. The other day sensei was telling us over lunch that he was not the “king” of the bujinkan and that NO ONE was in charge of a country. The bujinkan is a gathering of individuals and does not need any national organization to run it supposedly under his name. He added that we have to consider him more like some kind of spiritual guide giving the direction and the interpretation of things, a little like the pope. Through him we are all connected. That was last year concept of en no kirinai, or do not sever the connection. Yesterday I gave a class right before the one by Nagato sensei and this connection was obvious to all of us attending the two classes. The technical points Nagato sensei and I developed were so linked that some students asked me after his class if we had planned it beforehand as it looked like part 1 and part 2 of the same corpus! During my class on nagare and tachi I insisted on “rounding up” our moves to free ourselves from any preconceived techniques and one hour later he taught us to flow in a hanpa way (half finished movements) and play with the distance by adapting our moves to what uke was coming up with. Shiva opened the class using Darren as uke and therefore was used by Nagato sensei as uke during the whole class. He was quite tired after the session. Spain, Italy, France, India, Hungary At one point Nagato sensei said that we “should not copy” his movements but rather try to get the feeling in order to adapt our actions to the changes of uke. His footwork was the key to put that into practice. Uke was attacking 2, 3 or 4 times like in a kukishin technique, and we adapted the distance to get into uke’s centre and pin him down. To see the simplicity of his body flow is always amazing to me. He is connected to his uke and seems to be able to read his intentions even before uke begins to move in the attack. This ability to connect to the opponent and to the environment can only be achieved through efficient distancing and footwork and is the expression of our humanity. This is a one to one encounter and no organization can recreate this feeling. We are individuals in charge only one life, ours.

I have been in the bujinkan for more than 25 years and I have been witnessing the raise and fall of many organizations where the head teacher would behave like a king. I always tried to keep away of this natural human tendency in my country but unsuccessfully as other teachers are always critical about what is created to develop the bujinkan in the good direction. The bujinkan is not rich of the strength of those superficial organizations but of each shidôshi and of the strength of their commitment and implication. A country is strong because his bujinkan members are good humans with good technical skills. During the Sunday class, Noguchi senseicalled me in and promoted Shiva directly to 8th is dan for the man he and the of hard training he going through, notisbecause some Indian National organization. In the bujinkan this is the human value of the individual that is graded and not his or her technical skills. And because of that we often see high ranks teachers not able to show very high technical skills, but they are good human beings in the eyes of sensei. During lunch the other day he said: “I am not giving ranks for the technical abilities of the people but for the human value of the individual”. Shiva promoted by Noguchi to 8th dan The bujinkan is not a sport martial art and observers (even insiders) should make an effort to accept that. The bujinkan is a way of life srcinating in the dawn of humanity and t hat has been revived by Takamatsu sensei in the 20th century and is continuously developed by Hatsumi sensei in the 21st century. The bujinkan is a school for the development of the self using old fighting systems to unlock our human abilities. The best illustration being the sakki test (殺気). During the sakki test, the receiver puts to light a natural human ability -sensing danger- that he had since he was born. The polishing of the training is revealing it gradually and the test is the proof that this change has occurred. The develoment of the sakki (殺気), of the intention, of the attitude (構え kamae), of the feeling (感覚 kankaku); the ability to see through the illusions (勘 六 kanroku), to float freely on the flow of life (流れ nagare), and finding happiness (清福 seifûku) are some of the main benefits one can get from his many years of years of training. By interacting with other beings, and other cultures you develop your self in a way unattainable by ordinary people. In my last class people attending where coming from India, Spain, Hungary, Germany, Belgium. This is the true sense of community the bujinkan is creating and this is why no organization should dictate our behavior. Nagato sensei yesterday insisted that we developed asobi (遊び) in our training. We have to be playful and happy like kids playing “seriously” the role of some kind of hero. This ability to “play” is at the core of bujinkan training and we should never forget it. Playfulness and happiness are found in regular training and this is what sôke wants us to study.

Rokkon shôjô! Posted in Thoughts on Budo, www.koimartialart.com | Tagged bujinkan, kirinai, flow, nagare | 4

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Basics, Strength, & Tenchijin Posted on August 1, 2010by kumafr

16 Votes

Noguchi sensei gave a koto class this morning and insisted again on the importance of training the basics. We reviewed his magic gogyô and the kihon happô. Over the past twenty years in Japan I have seen these “basic movements” many times with

Noguchi sensei & arnaud

various shihan buta it is always a pleasure to study them from different perspective. There is so much to learn in these two series that they should suffice to fight efficiently. Everything we do is using parts of these fundamental technique.

The gogyô no kata and the kihon happô are never studied enough and Noguchi senseiinsisted once again on the importance of the tenchijin ryaku no maki ( 天地人), the set of fundamental techniques of the bujinkan. Personally I learn a lot each time I have the chance to study them. They are always the same but always different. I will start the study of these “new” series with those attending to the summer camp. After this nice beginning we did many techniques of the koto ryû getting the knack, and adding jumps and a lot of jûji aruki (yoko aruki). I love Noguchi sensei’s classes for their richness and because each time I do these techniques (hida, kompi, kappi etc) I understand new things within them.

Hatsumi sensei being late this morning andNoguchi sensei having other obligations, he asked me to begin the class. It is always strange to switch from the role of the student to the role of the teacher at the hombu dôjô. It is also even stranger to see the shihan having the same difficulties repeating my techniques that I have when I attend their classes! Sensei arrived and the class began after the rei with another technique both in taijutsu, tachi, and bô. I was asked by sensei to demonstrate two other techniques putting the nagare (流れ) into action in multiple directions at the same time and we did A colorful pair! many henka (変化) with and without weapons around these. As always sensei’s understanding was amazing. From today’s class I can point out two important details from sôke’s teaching. The first point is that when you control your opponent softly i.e. with no muscular force, he is not be able to react properly. Strength generates natural body reactions or reflexes from uke that are often unpredictable or hard to block or absorb. Therefore we must train in such a soft way that uke is not able to react or understand what we are doing; and he gets tense and chaotic in his reactions and loses his balance by his own uncontrolled reactions. An image we can use so that you get it is when you were a kid holding an apparently very heavy box (empty in reality) and passing to a friend with a lot of apparent efforts. Your friend takes the box with unnecessary force and the box flies into the air. This is the kind of fake reaction you must get uke to do in the fight. Strength calls for stength in return but softness will off balance uke. Show always a kokoro gamae (心構え) different from your tai gamae (体構え). The other interesting point was the manner how sensei is taking your balance (still softly) in three axis at the same time making ukemi nearly impossible for you. you litterally explode where you are and fall heavily. Like the ikebana (生花) structure based upon the ten chi jin (天 地人) those three axis are one and no action precedes the other.

A flower arrangement always symbolizes the ten - the mountain, the chi - the paddy field, and the jinthe stream running down the slope. The up vertical – ten is linked to the down vertical - chi through the horizontal – jin. In today’s technique sensei was accompanying uke’sfist attack on the same line, pulling it lightly steping backward (chi), pushing the elbow horizontally with the other hand in a sort of musô dori (jin), and stepping lightly forward with the other leg to control the front leg of uke (ten). In this posture ukeis pulled forward, backward andto the side. Noukemi is possible. No strength, no strong grab, only footwork. Calligraphy in the heat

We applied also the same kind of movements with tachi kumiuchi and bô jutsu. The good thing about visiting sensei in August is that we are not so many people in the dôjô and this is always a good opportunity for sensei to teach and for us to train the long weapons. The beauty of long weapons resides in the understanding of the angles and the management of longer distances. But today distance was not the point was not the work on distance as we mainly used the gyokko ryû no bô (held at the mid section and not at the tip). It was a good relaxed class. Be happy! Training at the hombu

Happiness In Japan Posted on July 31, 2010by kumafr

14 Votes

Posted in Thoughts on Budo, www.koimartialart.com | 3 Comments

the group posing with sensei in front of takamatsu memorial

Today a group of buyu from all over the world where lucky to visit once

againSensei’s second house. Today around 11:30, we met with Akira, Noguchi, Darren, Collado, Miller, Eguia and a few others at the hombuwhere Senô sensei was teaching a group of students sweating in the terrible heat of the day. The heat and humidity were at their peak today and I felt bad to be in the car with Noguchi sensei (and the AC). When the group was complete with Darren and his car we drove to the Tsukuba mountain where sensei has located his second house. This is there that he spends a lot of time painting, writing, and taking care of his many animals. you can see here how bad I When we arrived we were welcomed by sensei dressed like a real gentleman farmer in his country outfit. Many practitioners see him as “non

felt in the AC

human” and not only because he always repeats that he is a UFO.

A real gentleman farmer!

The bujinkan is a system to live a happy life and he was shining happiness and expressing it like he does with his budô. I love to see him so happy in his daily

life. In the garden each one of us lit some incense sticks to the 9 statues of the nine schools and we all prayed to the memory of Takamatsu sensei in front of the memorial of 6 tons built in

the group preparing for the incense

the garden. Do you know that in his office in Noda sensei prays everyday for the memory of his parents, of Takamatsu sensei but also for the sake of the shidôshi of thebujinkan?

Sensei is very religious person and only a few of the bujinkan students know that. Over the years when I was helping him for some work, I saw him a few times praying while we were working. In the garden there is a green house that we use in winter, a small arena where sensei “walks” the poneys, a small stable for the poneys and many staues and carved stones carved with the name of the nine schools. The garden is filled with statues of divinities, symbolic rocks and carved texts. sensei and one of the poneys

After padding Kuki and Tobi, the two poneys of sensei and taking care of the dogs (asuka, mae and a third one), the water turtles in their basin, it was time to ”pay our respect” to the statue of Marylin Monroe (sensei likes her very much). I have been visiting this house many times since sensei has decided to split his time between Noda and Tsukuba. And the “Marylin game” has become some sort of ritual over the years. I think I have pictures of all the high ranks of the bujinkan(including me) having fun with the american star. as he puts it, life is too short to take it too seriously. Put laughter in your life – rokkon shôjô Then it was time to eat and the whole group climbed into the cars and we all went to have lunch with sensei in a restaurant nearby. classic) The house is surrounded by rice fields on the plains down the Tsukuba mountain. It is strange to be there after the being in the citadin life ofkashiwa city or Atago. With the heat hammering everything, it ten chi jin? felt like being in another country. No noise, no wind only the sound of the cicadas in the trees. Noguchi sensei and Marylin (a

A special thank you to Darren for keeping cool bottles of water in the car after the heat of the garden.

It was a real enjoyment.

In the restaurant

The poor restaurant keeper had a hard time coping with a sudden arrival of so many gaijin. I have seen that many times over the years and I believe that sensei loves to do that. As always this is a very special moment and I am sure that many bujinkan practitioners would have liked to be there with us. We felt privileged and honored to spend these special moments with him. During this two hour lunch, sensei spoke a lot about the importance of the flow in our lives, of past events and above all of the priority to be happy. Happiness is more important than the techniques he said.

The goal of the bujinkan is to make people happy and to live a happy life. We were also lucky to have a charming the group with the translator Italian resident translating for us and through her could speak with sensei easily. Thank you Cinzia on behalf of the whole group! Since my last visit many new stones and stones have been added. The one on the left is to remember all our bujinkan buyu who dies since the beginning. Death is what makes Life worth it explained sensei to the group in the restaurant. Because we train techniques to bring death to our opponent we develop by contrast a strong feeling of life. Many times during lunch sensei spoke of our future Hombu dôjôthat will be built soon to become some kind of cultural centre for the world. Sensei asked us also to share these moments of true kumite with the buyu from all over the world this is why this long article is written for. It was time to go back to our lives in the city and after a last teas in one of the room of the house with the walls covered by the many presents, sensei has received during all these years, we departed.

the last drink before closing this fantastic day

We left sensei benefiting from the rest of this day and from the happiness it has given us all. Funnily during lunch he thanked us twice to have been able to come!

Be happy and do not take your life too seriously – simply enjoy beautiful moments like this one.

Shikin Haramitsu Daikomyô

Hatsumi & Noguchi sensei enjoying the instant

Posted in Thoughts on Budo | Tagged happy, memorial, sensei, Takamatsu | 9 Comments

Henso Jutsu Is Not What You Think It Is Posted on July 30, 2010by kumafr

8 Votes

Yesterday Hatsumi sensei referred tohensô jutsu indirectly when he spoke about the seven ways (of disguise) orshichi hô de. Those seven disguises allowed the spies to blend in the daily livesorofpass ordinary people and to gather information undetected. Here is one of the list of these 7 disguises: 1. 出家 shukke – buddhist monk Invisibility is hensô jutsu

2. 虚無僧 komuso – itinerant priest

3. 浪士 ronin (or tsunegata) - wandering samurai 4. 商人 akindo – merchant, tradesman 5. 楽士 gakushi – musician 6. 山伏 yamabushi – mountain warrior 7. 旅芸人 sarugaku (or tabigeinin) – performer, entertainer Those disguises might have been very helpful in feudal Japan, but I honestly doubt they would be of any use today in modern Japan. What is interesting is that sensei referred to that in a “gyaku way” during the class. We are used to see those lists of “ninja fields of expertise”. But to me this is the omote of our art.

The ura side is more interesting. What sensei wanted us to understand yesterday was not to disguise ourselves for some james bond kind of mission but to be aware of the type of clothes the attacker is wearing and to adapt our techniques accordingly. Today this list would be more like: businessman, delivery guy, mailman, police officer, young gothic or rasta, electricity company employee, thug, etc. And this list is not limited to seven. Each one of these persons is wearing different clothes and accessories making the fighting more difficult (or easier) depending on those “uniforms”. One of my student who is now jûgodan once fought a rasta guy with dreadlocks, the rasta guy was nearly bald at he end of the fight. The same would happen if you had to fight someone wearing a heavy leather jacket, a backpack, or a bathing suit. How do you find a kyûsho 急所 on a leather jacket? how would you deal with close distance against someone with a backpack or even a bike? how would you grab naked skin? Obviously the written technique of yore would not be sufficient. Sensei’s budô is about adaptation and a tie, a pen, a phone, a backpack or a coffee mug can become tools to deflect or launch an attack. When we train in the dôjô the possibilities are limited as we are all dressed in the same way. This is why the introduction of theyoroi kumiuchi in 2003 was such an important evolution in the bujinkan system because once you understand the multiple possibilities of fighting the yoroi (with or against it) you develop new skills not relying on a specific technique but based upon your level of consciousness. Techniques are useless if you are not able to adapt your movements to the opponent’s actions. And this is why sensei keeps reminding us to use hanpa (半端) or unfinished techniques to be in tune with the flow of things. You begin a movement and let uke’s reactions and intention dictate the emergence of your next move.

Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 2 Comments

Ayase Tonight Posted on July 30, 2010by kumafr

10 Votes

Ayase Budokan

I am just coming back from the Ayase class (exceptionally on Friday). The first class withsensei after four months of diet is always a good experience. Before the class I gave him his “official” Yûro Shi Tennô t-shirt made specially for him and he wore it right away. This is our little “post Paris Taikai ritual” that has been going on for a few years now. As usual he asked me to open the class and we did a nice “flowing” movement receiving an attack in a very soft uke nagashi, moving uke off balance with the footwork, changing hand an ending in a sort of omote gyaku. No grab, no violence, only a nice nagare keeping uke in motion preventing him from attacking twice and taking his balance. On top of that sensei did it better with less movements and a better efficiency. I guess this is why he is the teacher and me the student. Every time I have the chance to demonstrate a technique I am always amazed at his ability to simplify my movements and to make it so good that I cannot reproduce it, even though it was my movement in the first place. I did three other techniques during the class and each time sensei was developing more flow by moving less. when you watch him moving you easily forget that he is over 80 years old. He looks like a young man! His natural movement is really like “magic” as he is able to grab a form and to add life into it. When you are his uke you feel no danger at all and when he controls you on the ground he is hardly touching you, but you still cannot move. In fact this is not that you cannot move, you could but you do not want to move as if his presence manifested by a very slight physical contact was draining any intention of retaliation from your brain. All those who have had the chance to be his uke can tell you that. Power is expressed in such a subtle way that your decision process is blocked. In a way you feel so safe that you are not willing to move anymore. Today during the class sensei covered many aspects of budô. He insisted on the importance of understanding the juppô sesshô to be able to fight without fighting and to be in control of the utsuwa (器 - ki) with our tamashii (魂 - kon). He didn’t use these terms from last year but this is the easiest way to express it. In one technique that I did that was ending with yoko nagare, he insisted that we move in a direction opposed to the other possible opponents. That is what I prefer in the bujinkan training. It is not only two fighters but always more than two fighting and our actions should unfold in a natural manner in order to stay protected in any directions potentially dangerous. limitedhis and by using uke wereal are able to protect ourselves using ourThe firstmovement opponentisagainst partner(s). Thisas is atoshield me the difference between sport martial arts and true budô. In the bujinkan strength is not the point

and violence is useless, the whole thing is to develop the correct attitude to help us flowing without thinking in the action. The true movement is not a technique it is a response to a situation where no preconceived answer can be applied. Sensei insisted once again in not grabbing the opponent. When you grab uke you are actually showing your intention, grabbing yourself, and freezing your flow. This is why he insisted again in the juppô sesshô concept in the sense of “negotiating” (折衝 - sesshô) in all directions (juppô = 10 directions). On controlling uke he said that we have to control uke not with our strength but with our legs activating the kûkan (空間). The known concept of yubi ippon jubun (one finger is enough) to control uke was used extensively to create the sanken (a series of three hits) followed rapidly in different part of the body and to prevent uke from thinking properly or understanding what is happening. We did also techniques against kicks and used thekake taoshi hitting uke to sai with sokki ken. Once again sensei insisted that we hit with the body not the knee. He used the same explanation when controlling uke on the ground “choke him with kûkan” by using your legs. Finally he referred to henso jutsu explaining that historically there were 7 ways to disguise yourself (cf. sarugaku, kumuso, yamabushi, hokashi, sukke, tsunegata, akindo ). But this was for us to understand that we must adapt the techniques to the type of clothes worn by the opponent. Part of our study of budô should be dedicated to learn how to adapt a given technique to the type of cloth the opponent is wearing. In conclusion quite a nice class full of tips and tricks to work on in the future weeks. Tomorrow at lunch I am invited with a few other jûgodan in his second house. I will take a few pictures of Takamatsu sensei’s memorial and of the lunch and share them with you on this blog (hopefully tomorrow). Stay tuned! Be happy!

Posted in Thoughts on Budo, Tips & tricks, www.budomart.com | Tagged juppo, kukan, nagare, sessho |8

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Japan 42: The Arrival Posted on July 29, 2010by kumafr

6 Votes

I arrived this morning in Narita and now after a well deserved shower and a little nap I feel ready for this new trip. It was strange to arrive in Narita before the shops and restaurants were opened. In 20 years it was the first time I saw those shops closed. Naively

crossing the

I thought that in Japan people were working 24h a day. I spoke today with Volker Paternoga who is going back home tomorrow. He got promoted to 15th dan and told me how strange it was to give

the Sakki test. The sakki test is nothing “magic” it is a natural human survival reaction put to light by years of training. Actually I see the sakki test as double: the day you take it; and the day you give it. This is to me the exact same experience and feeling. When you lower the sword it is not from your own decision, you lower the blade because it is time to do it. Everytime the thinking process is involved in our actions we lose the nagare of life and we “force” our nature in an unnatural manner. To the same extent on the mats, the best natural movements appear when there is no preconceived idea on what we are going to do. Hatsumi sensei’s budô is the school to be moving into the flow of things and take the best out of it whatever is happening. I am really happy to have the opportunity to meet him again and to learn more. Eugenio from Italy is there and I have to meet him in the lobby. I will keep you informed as "flow" of a river in India

much as I can on this blog during my trip. Be happy!

Posted in Jupi summer camp, Thoughts on Budo | Tagged flow, nagare, sakki | 1 Comment

Japan: A Must Go! (trip 42) Posted on July 27, 2010by kumafr

10 Votes

Hi all,

Shiva, Arnaud & the dôjô Koi

I am on my way to Japan again this year. It will be hot and humid (today 33° Celsius and 70% humidity) but apart from the “ten” conditions it will be good to walk on the Japanese “chi” again and to meet my “ jin” buyu. As I did last time when I created this blog I will do my best as to explain the various concepts exposed by Sôke in his classes. Even though I do not speak Japanese, my 20 years of travelling there help me to understand, if not the words, at least the concepts of sensei’s budô. I will be back right before the Jupi Summer Camp where I will give the “latest news” and feelings from Japan to those of you attending. If you are still wondering if you should go or not to Japan I would say that if you really want to grasp the gokui (essence) of budô*you have to go there once a year (minimum). I am lucky to have organized my life to be able to go there three times a year because I decided long ago that it was my priority to learn directly from Sôke and the other shihan. Japan is a different culture, the level of budô displayed in the classes is amazing, and sensei’s philosophy of life is worth listening to and sticking to. My new entry in this blog will be from Tokyo.

Sayonara, *this is the title of the next book by Hatsumi sensei (published by Kodansha for dkms hopefully). Posted in Thoughts on Budo, www.koimartialart.com | Tagged gokui, jupi | 1 Comment

Ten Chi Jin: Teachers Are Responsible Posted on July 26, 2010by kumafr

11 Votes

Hatsumi Sensei told me last April that the bujinkan was now 200000 practitioners worldwide. Many dôjô claim to be “bujinkan” even though they ignore the true foundations of the bujinkan. During my last seminar I had the opportunity to speak with a group of beginners students about the importance of the ten

chi jin ryaku no maki and they really had no clue about it. One even told me that ” this is the first time he heard about it”. And he was already 6th kyû! As teachers, this is our responsability to give the beginners the necessary basics so that their bujinkan path is successful. Many teachers never received the basics either but they were given high ranks. And when they began teaching their own students they duplicated the teachings they had received from their original instructor. Everyone is sincere but the results for the beginners are not good. During the DKMS 2008 Hatsumi sensei insisted to the people attending the seminar that they focus on teaching the basics of the ten chi jin for the year 2009 as “many bujinkanstudents have never been exposed to the basics”. We are now in July 2010 and the students I meet in my seminars still do not know the fundamental techniques of the bujinkan. Teachers: please teach the basics to your students, not the ones you think are the basics but the ones that were exposed by Hatsumi sensei back in 1983 in his first technical book: “togakure ryû ninpô taijutsu“. This book in Japanese was then translated into English (and greatly modified) in 1987. This should be the core of your teaching to the kyû belts. The bujinkan is a fantastic system not because of its name but because it is the answer to actual fighting. It is not about strength or violence it is about footwork and simple body mechanics. Learn them and improve your skills dramatically! In my next summer camp I will have written exams again every day so that the participants will know the names and content of the various sets of techniques included into the ten chin jin ryaku no maki. If there is no study there is no knowledge. If you are a students remember that your teacher is the one guiding you on the bujinkanpath but at the end of the day YOU are the one walking the path. Remember that you train for yourself for your own good and that no one is higher than you as we are all human beings. Get the knowledge you need where you an find it. respect your teacher for what he is giving you but please be pro-active and do not wait to receive the knowledge, as sensei used to say: “steal the knowledge where it is!” Summer is a good moment to think back about our yearly achievements and to make new plans for the new season of training beginning in September. Please add “basics” in your plans. Have a happy summer in the spirit of rokkon shôjô. Posted in Thoughts on Budo, www.budomart.com, www.koimartialart.com | Tagged basics, chi, jin,ryaku, ten, tenchijin | 3 Comments

Jupi Summer Camp 2010 (2) Posted on July 24, 2010by kumafr

3 Votes

Booking online at www.budomart.com is on. Posted in seminar, www.budomart.com | Tagged camp, jupi, nagare, summer, tachi | Leave a comment

Jupi Summer Camp 2010 is Online! Posted on July 23, 2010by kumafr

7 Votes

De ar friends, You can now register to the Jupi Summer Camp 2010and be one of the 25 participants accepted. The theme this year is nagare, the flow. And we will use the fundamentals of the tenchijin ryaku no maki and the feeling of rokkon shôjô to express it. The Jupi Seminar has now become a legend in the bujinkan. Until last year this seminar was open to black belts only and mainly shidôshi. This year in order to celebrate the 20th edition of this seminar, I have decided to open it to anyone with at least 1 year of training in the bujinkan. Now, if you are more experienced the better.

The seminar begins in 1 month so if you are interested check the website now and register to be one of the “happy fews”.

Posted in seminar, www.budomart.com | Leave a comment

Koi Martial Art New Look Posted on July 18, 2010by kumafr

7 Votes

Dear friends, Koimartialart has been evolving and offers now a totally new interface with a few trailers introducing buki waza, ten ryaku no maki and chi ryaku no maki. Also the search module has been fully redeveloped and the various sections are more complete. Koimartialart is dedicated to every bujinkan pratitioner and is intended to help the young student or the advanced one to review one expression of the techniques of the bujinkan. These videos can be streamed online on your pc, your mac, your iTouch, your iPhone or your iPad. We are currently developing other interfaces for other phones: android, blackberry, nokia… These videos DO NOT replace a qualified instructor and training should be done in a realdôjô but the techniques can help you understand better what the bujinkan really is. Thebujinkan is the most complete system of fighting and it is based on the understanding of a limited set of fundamental techniques known as the ten chi jin ryaku no maki . The ten chi jin ryaku no maki mixing the 9 schools of the bujinkan together with the buki wazabasics are the prerequisite to become a black belt. Please check these trailers if you are not a member yet or check the new titles if you are and tell us what you think. Many new movies are being uploaded regularly.

Posted in www.koimartialart.com | Tagged buki, chi, koi, ten, trailer, waza | Leave a comment

YSTT2010 Posted on July 12, 2010by kumafr

7 Votes

THANK YOU ALL!

This new edition of the YSTT has been fantastic in terms of quality at all levels: quality of teachers, quality of students, quality of organization, quality of food, quality of kumite.

Calligraphies by Hatsumi Sensei for the "Yûro shi tennô"

Quality of teachers: Each year I am amazed to discover how my friends have been evolving in good. Sven is deeper as ever and the depth of his teachings reminds me often of Hatsumi Sensei. Peter is more and more precise in his forms and understanding of the human anatomy with his Amatsu Holistic approach. is always wabi coming with new multiple complex controlsTatara that look so simple that hePedro is manifesting itself. Quality of students: This year we had more than 30% newcomers to the taikai and rapidly I got the feeling it was the same group as the years before. It is so nice to see the same students coming year after year and to see them improve more and more. Even the beginners were so nice to teach to. This taikai is a real pleasure to teach because we can adapt the level of our teaching to the level of the groups we have. This year I really enjoyed a lot going back to the basics with the kyû and the feeling of real fight with the high ranks. There is always something to learn for us. Quality of organization: This year for the first time Bruno took the responsability of the YSTT as I was teaching abroad a lot. He did a damn good job and I don’t think that any taikai was better organized and managed than this last edition. Thank you Bruno! Being a 15th dan didn’t weaken you it made you more powerful. I also want to thank the taikaiTeam who made our stay in the dôjô so likeable. They were so committed and efficient that I had a hard time recognizing them. Thank you all for your hard work. All the attendants will remember you.

Quality of food: When Bruno said that one of our students was 1 star michelin “chef” and that he could cook for us at the taikai, I honestly didn’t believe it would be possible for such a big number of people. I was wrong and this has been the best taikai food I ever had the chance to eat. Goodbye sandwich, welcome meatballs, meatpie, butter chicken and starters and cheese and desserts. Jean-marie I love you! Thank you for your hard work and sacrificing your training time in the morning to cook for us.

The group on Saturday

Quality of kumite: Above all a taikai is a kumite, a reunion of many bujinkanpractitioners dedicated to learn more about our art and to share friendship. In this respect this YSTT has been a real success. Fri 91 participants, Sat. 123 participants, Sun. 131 participants. No injuries, no violence, a lot of work. This taikai was created to replace the missing taikai by hatsumi sensei. Training is first but in the old days these taikaiwere the occasion to reunite the bujinkan family. This YSTT was a real kumite regrouping participants coming from 19 countries (the last being bielorussia and poland). Thank you all and we hope to see you next year again in Paris! Please note:

1. The YSTT2012 will be held in London for the 25th anniversary of the first taikai directed by hatsumi sensei in Europe and organized by Peter King in 1987. 2. the video of the taikai will be available for download for the members athttp://www.koimartialart.com in a few weeks. Posted in seminar, www.koimartialart.com | Tagged arnaud, pedro, peter, sven, taikai, YSTT | 1

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YSTT day 1 Posted on July 9, 2010by kumafr

9 Votes

Today was the first day of the YSTT and we had a lot of fun even if the heat was terrible over 33°. As always it was a real pleasure to give class with my three friends: Peter, Pedro & Sven. We had the chance to meet hatsumi sensei and the bujinkan at the beginning and to create this friendship. But without sensei, his budô, and his vision of life this friendship would not have existed. This taikai in Paris is my way to thank them all for this great opportunity. Thank you sensei, thank you my friends. Posted in seminar, www.budomart.com | Leave a comment

YSTT LAST UPDATE Posted on July 8, 2010by kumafr

6 Votes

Dear friends, I am on my way to get Peter, Pedro and Sven coming to Paris for the Taikai YSTT 2010.

Tomorrow hell will be unleashed! Prebooking is now closed but there are still a few places left for the the braves. So far we are 130 coming from 17 countries, I guess this will be a major event again this year.

Posted in seminar, www.koimartialart.com | Leave a comment

Budomart.com Success Posted on July 5, 2010by kumafr

7 Votes

Note to the Budomart customers: After the post on our new dvd products yesterday we have received so many orders that I am not sure to be able to supply the dvds immediately. Some delay might occur. Some precisions concerning these new sets: The Bujinkan Kyû Program (BKP) represents 19 dvds in 9 boxes, one per kyû. Each Kyûfollows the grading requirements based upon the three volumes of the memento. The whole set of the BKP covers the whole ten chi jin ryaku no maki and the basics of Tantô, Kunai, Shotô, Hanbô, Jo, Biken, Bô, Yari, Naginata. The Buki Waza Basics for Tantô, Kunai, Shotô, Hanbô, Jo, Biken, Bô, Yari, Naginatarepresent 8 dvds in 3 boxes. Please note that the weapon footage is the same in the BKP and in the Buki set. The only difference is that the Buki includes the kaeshi waza(counter-techniques) and not the kyû from the BKP. All products are available but I didn’t expect such a reaction. Therefore I must inform you that the first sets are reserved in priority for the sales at the Paris Taikai this week-end. Bur as I am in Paris tomorrow I will re-order all the dvds so that you will get them with only a few days of delay. Thank you for your understanding. Sincerely, アルノ

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Nagare: Sanshin to Mushin Posted on July 5, 2010by kumafr

7 Votes

As individuals our actions have very little chance to change the way the Universe is running because Nature does not take our human desires into account. The meteorite that crashed in the Yucatan 65 millions years ago might have been obeying the laws of the Universe, the dinosaurs didn’t agree with it crushing them all! As we cannot influence what is outside our Body&Mind (B&M) complex/entity, we must recenter our actions for the exclusive benefit of ourselves by flowing and drifting aimlessly within (or on top of) the outside world. The B&M has to learn to achieve “total coordination” in order to develop this natural ability to flow. The 流れ(flow, nagare) is more than a movement it is above all an attitude in Life, and this is exactly what I have been learning during the last 26 years with Hatsumi sensei. We train to suppress the thinking and analytical process in our actions. This is the secret of Hatsumi sensei’s budô. In a real fight if you are (body + mind + intention + analysis) you are dead . Fighting is about reacting without intention 無想 (musô), and not about having a perfect body shape, a fantastic mind, and a lot of intentions! Our first objective is to find this unity and instead of being three (body, mind, and consciousness) to become ONE. This unity is possibly achieved by training thoroughly the fundamentals and the basics of the bujinkan. Unity is 結束 (kessoku) but the first kanji is yû 結 (like in yûgen) from which we understand that from the ONE we can find the invisible nagare and become ZERO. When the practitioner reaches this level of “oneness” he gain access to the “zero state” of 無心 (mushin) he can flow without intentions on the stream of Life. And the proof is that 無心, mushin has also the meaning of “innocence”, like the innocence of a 3 year old kid (cf. sanshin no kata). leads to mushin. “3″ becomes “1″ and “1″ becomes “0″ Posted in Thoughts on Budo, www.budomart.com, www.koimartialart.com | Tagged nagare, yugen | 1

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Budomart update Posted on July 4, 2010by kumafr

5 Votes

Dear friends, I want to inform you that we have just released the new sets of dvds from 5th kyû to 1st kyû. Each set covers all the techniques (taijutsu and weapons required for the BKP. The weapon techniques are also available in separate sets that include the counter techniques for the techniques of : jo, biken, bô, yari, and naginata. They are regrouped in 3 sets: short weapons, medium size weapons and long weapons. Please visit the www.budomart.com for more details. Posted in www.budomart.com, www.koimartialart.com | Tagged BKP, buki, kyû, weapon | Leave a

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Bear vs Lion: 1-0 Posted on June 23, 2010by kumafr

29 Votes

Yelling & retreating

This week-end in Budapest after a nice seminar organized by Lazslo, we went to a zoo where I had the honour of meeting the “king of the animals”, a baby lion (5 months old). I have been living with cats all my life (I have 3 cats) and this chance offered by Lazslo to meet an actual lion was something I was eager to experience. Before I entered the cage, another man was playing with him and it was nice to watch. I was hoping to have the same kind of playing time with the young lion. But as you can see on the picture, when I entered the cage, the little guy got so frightened of me that he stepped back and didn’t want to getting close to me. At what point he eventually yelled and “roared” at me while getting protected behind the leg of his trainer. It took him 30 minutes to come to me but he never stayed. When he was away, his eyes and ears were always turned towards me. The trainer said that this was the first time she was seeing this reaction with a human as this is the typical attitude of the young lion when facing his lion father. This little guy was afraid of me even though my attitude was very open. Some will say that this is also why young students are afraid of me. Nevertheless I found that interesting and sad. Interesting because it proves that the sakkimight be really something that is changing our attitude, and sad because I would have loved to play with this oversized kitty as I do with my own cats. When we undergo the sakki test, something is revealed and grows and unfolds more over the years, this is why training is so important. Truth does not lie in the technique but in the attitude. Keep going!

Posted in Thoughts on Budo, www.budomart.com | Tagged bear, lion, sakki | 3 Comments

Only Nagare Matters Posted on June 21, 2010by kumafr

11 Votes

When we begin the study of the bujinkanarts we are surprised to hear the teacher speaking of nagare (流れ, flow). Our intention when entering a dôjô was to learn a set of fighting techniques but we finally ended up learning how to flow with things! The first encounter with this “flowing reality” is when we learn the uke nagashi. Uke nagashi is wrongly translated as blocking and is very far from reality and many should try to understand it in order to better their taijutsu. the flow is permanent adaptation Uke (受け) is the receiver of the technique in martial arts but ukemi (受身, the fall) also has the meaning of “passive attitude”, from that we understand that uke nagashi, receiving in a flow, can also mean “flowing passively in a natural manner”. As you see the idea of “blocking” is not the only thing here! In fact uke nagashi has multiple forms such as: Absorbing, Blocking, Countering, Deflecting, and Evading (remember the first letters of each word read: ABCDE). The flow with which we act is not impeding the movement on the contrary. Flowing in the technique is to follow a natural succession of actions created by the encounter. As senseisaid last week, there is no possibility to change what is happening, the only thing to do is to adapt to it. This is the true definition of nagare. Whatever event happening on the planet we are nothing and cannot modify the outcome of it, but as an individual we have the power to adapt our actions to it and to flow mindlessly with it. This flow is similar to the crossing of a river, thinking and fighting against the stream is useless. Trying to understand it will not change its power, we just have to follow its flow and to drift through it until we reach safely the other bank. In the dôjô, all our movements should be done according to this natural flow. We should wait “passively” and react when the opportunity emerges. Taijutsu is nagare and nagareis achieved when thinking, analysing and pre-conceiving are abandoned. Adaptation is the essence of nagare! Posted in Thoughts on Budo | Tagged adaptation, flow, nagare, nagashi, uke | 4 Comments

The King is Back Posted on June 19, 2010by kumafr

10 Votes

In a few weeks now, Peter King will join the Shi Tennô Taikai in Paris like every year. Peter is one of the oldest students of Hatsumi sensei and I am proud to count him amongst my best friends not only in theBujinkan but also in Life. The shi tennô: Peter, Sven, Pedro and Arnaud were friends Controlling or healing? inkokoro long before being friends in budô. As far as I remember, our friendship revealed itself when the four of us became the first Europeans promoted to 10th dan in the 90s’. Today everyone can easily consider becoming a jûdan or more but back then it was quite a huge responsibility to take. Peter has always been there to support me even though he had a lot more experience in the bujinkan than me. To help me, Peter would often come to Paris to teach my students when I was in Japan, and my students use to train with him and to learn his “efficient” real fight oriented taijutsu. Of all the teachers I know, Peter is one of the few with real street fight experience as he spent a few decades in the wild parts of London as a police officer. Remember that until recently the bobbies were not allowed to carry any weapon… but the bad guys had weapons. So each encounter with a thug was like a truesakki test where failure meant death or injury. Today after a long career in the police, Peter is a therapist and is the best Amatsu Tatara(he is menkyo kaiden) teacher you can find in the West. Knowing how to destroy he is now a healer. A nice example of inyo! Peter who has been in Japan recently and will teach us at the YSTT, and I know for sure that we will, once again, learn a lot from him. It is still possible to attend this 3 day July seminar with the shi tennô in Paris, Fri 9th, Sat 10th, Sun 11th. The only thing to do is to register here. Posted in seminar, www.budomart.com | Tagged king, peter, shi tenno | Leave a comment

PARIS TAIKAI YSTT 2010 Posted on June 17, 2010by kumafr

5 Votes

There are about 20 places left to attend the Paris Taikai 2010

The other shi tennô

Join Pedro, Sven, Peter, Arnaud for 3 days in the now called Yûro Shi Tennô Taikai. Come and meet your friends from over 12 countries and train with

them. online registration Posted in seminar, www.budomart.com | Leave a comment

Simplicity is the Key to Elegance Posted on June 15, 2010by kumafr

12 Votes

One night during the 1997 Taikai in New Jersey Pedro and I were having some green tea with sensei in his room after a hard day training. At one point sensei told us that he had taught us everything we needed and that from that day we had to get rid of all the small movements parasiting our taijutsu. That was 13 years ago and yet I consider that it has been one of the best lessons I received from him. Each one of us does the movements with useless extra moves damaging or hindering the flow of our actions. My understanding today is that the objective of taijutsu is to go towards simplicity and that by reaching simplicity we enter the world of yûgen, elegance. Actually the

translation of yûgen 幽玄 is “elegant simplicity”. This is what sensei has been explaining recently concerning the wabi (佗) and sabi (寂) of the samurai. Instead of warriors we have to become true artists. Wabi is defined as the “beauty to be found in poverty and simplicity” whereas sabi also translates as “elegant simplicity”! Therefore our movements should always be simple in beautiful to be efficient. Strength and violence are not necessary as they add useless intentions to our actions when fighting. Often when training I am amazed to see how the simplest action can lead to actual winning. Moving elegantly with simplicity opens up a new dimension of action out of regular time. When yûgen is achieved the timespace paradigm illusion disappears and uke‘s movements are perceived as if before he or she intended to do anything. Nature doesn’t believe in time, only humans. By transforming our perceptions beyond the human realm and becoming a tatsujin 達人 (a master, an expert) our “elegant simplicity” shines out and solve the problem at hand. Our budô is much more than learning how to fight it is path teaching us to be simple and elegant. As we already stated here, yûgen also means what is not visible. Beauty is this subtle grace, invisible to the common people that transcends the form to touch the soul,tamashii (魂). Simplicity is the key to elegance. “art is making the invisible visible” (Hatsumi sensei, honbu dôjô, April 2010). Posted in Thoughts on Budo | Tagged elegance, sabi, simplicity, wabi, yugen | 2 Comments

Sven at the YSTT2010 Posted on June 10, 2010by kumafr

17 Votes

My very good friend Sveneric Bogsater

Sveneric is one of my best friends. He is a very close student ofsensei and has started the bujinkan even before I began training! I consider Sven like my elder brother as his teachings are always full of wisdom and help me to improve my understanding of the art. I am privileged to teach with him quite often and this is always a great moment of learning, sharing and friendship.

Sven will share his knowledge with Peter, Pedro and myself at the YSTT once again this year in July. If you want to attend to the YSTT (see details on this blog’s pages) orregister now there are a few places available. Attend three days of training in Paris and learn from Sven and the “yûro shi tennô” as sensei called us. 29 days left to attend to the YSTT www

Posted in seminar, www.budomart.com | Tagged shi tenno, sven, YSTT | Leave a comment

Ten Chi Jin Ten Posted on June 10, 2010by kumafr

12 Votes

Your taijutsu is created by the steady study of the t en chi jin ryaku no

maki program which contains all the basics of the nine schools of the bujinkan. All fundamentals have been regrouped into one single syllabus in order to give the beginners a chance to understand quickly what it is they have to learn and master. But what is happening after you learnt the ten chi jin? You learn the tenchijintenchijinten. schools, you learn the weapons, you learn the juppô sesshô. In fact if . you look at it carefully you should see the first stage of your progression through the ten chi jin as the first circle of a metallic spring (see picture). Through the taihen kûden shinden succession we finish the first circle of learning and begin another one. This second cycle of learning begins with another ten but of a higher level. Each circle is following the previous one and is linked to it. Life is similar, each action we take determines and/or influences our futures choices and actions. To answer the srcinal question as to know what is coming after the ten chi jin? the answer is always another ten and then another chi and jin, and so endlessly.

Posted in Thoughts on Budo, www.budomart.com, www.koimartialart.com | Tagged chi, jin, kuden,shinden, spring, taihen, ten | 1 Comment

744 H 2 GO! Posted on June 7, 2010by kumafr

9 Votes

JULY 9th 10th 11th 2010 YST Taikai with Pedro, Sven, Peter and Arnaud Begins in 744 hours! Register www.budomart.com Posted in seminar, www.budomart.com | Leave a comment

Walking Good Posted on June 4, 2010by kumafr

11 Votes

One of my friends who has been living in Japan for many years told me once that senseiwas not teaching taijutsu but mejutsu (eye technique). By training we learn to watch things differently, to think outside of the box.

My feet with the tenchijin and the chijin

For the last ten years I have traveled the world quite a lot from snow countries such as Canada, Finland or Sweden to hot countries such as Brasil, Mexico or India; and because what we are taught is to see through the appearances of things, I noticed that people do not walk the same. In fact we can say that depending on the ten, the way the jin use thechi is different. Aruki waza is part of our basic training but not so many students try to understand the importance of it. The way you walk can save your life and the waza should adapt to the reality on the tenchi in which you are. To make myself clear I took a picture of my feet to illustrate this article. Footwork is the basis of the bujinkan taijutsu. We should see the foot as being divided into three parts related to the tenchijin: The heel is chi, the ball of the foot is jin, and the toes are ten. When you move your feet on the ground this knowledge allow you to pivot from any combination of this 3X2 matrix. You can move tenten (toes/toes), tenchi (toes/heel),tenjin (toes/ball) etc. In fact you have 3² possibilities of walking. Now the interesting thing on top of that is the type of ground you are walking on. One day in Canada I noticed that the Canadians were attacking the ground “flat” with no unrolling of the sole (tenchijin as one). I confirmed this observation recently in Finland. A few weeks ago in the the Indian jungle we went to some kind of procession in a deep valley of the Nilgiri(the blue mountains of Blavatsky) and the tribal people we met were barefoot and were attacking the ground only in a chijin sequence, letting the toes coming long after ground contact. What I got from these two observations can be related to the Japanese and the funny ways they designed the waraji where the toes are out of the sole protection. To synthesize, in snow countries we attack the ground as one, perpendicularly to avoid falling; and in hot countries we attack the ground from heel to ball to balance the footwork and ground our body. The picture shows the diagonal heel/ball to learn how to walk correctly. But understand also that your way of walking is giving informations to your opponent. Last month I welcomed a new student in the dôjô and watching his footwork, even though I knew nothing about him, I told him that he had spent his youth in the mountains. You should have seen his face fullof astonishment when he said: “how do you know that?” After this discovery I decided to change/modify my footwork and I trained walking in the streets, it changed totally the way I am balancing my body. The bujinkan is not about techniques it is about learning to see.

Kan (勘 – perception) will lead you to become kanpeki (完璧 – perfect).

Oh, by the way, the 3² matrix is 9…

Posted in Thoughts on Budo, Tips & tricks, www.budomart.com | 1 Comment

Tachi Tips & Tricks (8) Posted on May 31, 2010by kumafr

17 Votes

When you get attuned to the tachi, you discover that it is using the specificities of all the other weapons. The tachi is a hanbô, a jo, a bô, a yari, a naginata … and sometimes a sword… You lock the opponent like you would do with the hanbô, You control the distances like you would do with the jo or the bô, You stab like you would do with the yari, the naginata or the sword. Like an hourglass, the tachi is the beginning and the end (inyo) of our weapon training. All weapons lead to the tachi and the tachi leads to the understanding of a new training dimension for the weapons. The whole training of the past 18 years begin to make sense. We learned the ways of the weapons (1993-1997), then the ways of the taijutsu: taihen, dakentai, koppô, kosshi, jûtai (1998-2002), then the ways of the shin/kokoro with thejuppô sesshô (2003-2007). Then it was menkyô kaiden, saino konki, and this year rokkon shôjô with the discovery of tachi waza mixed with happiness! But the tachi (大刀) is also the tachi (質 – quality, nature of a person) and tachi (館 – a castle or a nobleman) so the choice of this weapon might actually be more profound than it seems and it might imply that the bujinkan has now reached the point where we can all become kishi (騎士 - knights) the archetype of the nobleman; or the kishi(旗幟 -flag, banner, emblem) of a new era in the development of mankind. Like the sand passing through the

middle of the hourglass the triangle of man can link the opposite triangle of the divine: kanjin kaname. Thank you sensei for bringing us so far. Posted in Thoughts on Budo, Tips & tricks, www.budomart.com | Tagged hourglass, kishi, knight, tachi |

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Errors are Correct Posted on May 30, 2010by kumafr

15 Votes

The more important things we learn through training in the bujinkan is that it is ok to make mistakes. By accepting that we are not perfect we can improve our skills. The errors we make in the dôjô are our best teachers as long as we do our best to learn from them and correct our attitude (kamae). And then hopefully we will not make them outside when fighting time is coming. “Shu Ha Ri” can therefore be understood as: do, make mistakes, get rid of the mistakes. Whatever we do in life is about learning and our errors create our success. Isn’t it why we keep repeating: “shikin haramitsu dai komyô“?

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Tachi Video Posted on May 28, 2010by kumafr

15 Votes

O bject 1

Drawing the tachi with the legs by using footwork. Filmed during the tachi III workshop right after the April trip to Japan. If you are a member of KOI Martial Art you can download a small tachi movie filmed during one of the classes I gave at the Honbu dôjô in Atago. Enjoy!

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Paris Taikai July Posted on May 28, 2010by kumafr

11 Votes

Yûro Shi Tennô Taikai – Paris 2010 July 9th to 11th

O bject 2

Join us Posted in seminar, www.budomart.com | Leave a comment

Enter the Dragon (2) Posted on May 28, 2010by kumafr

13 Votes

On Facebook one friend wrote: “without understanding what juppô sesshô is and

Technique without "goat" feeling is nothing

its relation to the dragon and the tiger, you will stay forever in the mechanic world and never understand what is biomechanics” and another friend commented: “ any movement you do is always biomechanical. Impossible to do a non-biomechanical movement by definition of the word.” I thank you both for your comments as they allow me to be more precise. First of all, both are right and wrong. To the first one I would say that the dragon movement is by definition using the body and therefore belongs to the mechanical world. But to the second one I would object that a movement might not always be mechanical. When I am “moved” by the beauty of the landscape, a piece of music, or any artisitic masterpiece; I am moved but I do not physically move (except if I faint). As always our language is limited and carries different conceptual schemes (cf. Quine: “word and object”) allowing various realities to cohabit. From the omote perspective, comment #2 is true; but from the ura perspective comment #1 is also true. We should focus more on what we do than trying to give the exact definition of what we can do. Entering the dragon is more a feeling, a kankaku than a real movement but without the knowledge developed in the waza it is useless. A Japanese shihan said to us once: “in the bujinkan you need to train both kankaku andwaza as they are the two legs allowing to go forard on the path. If you focus on one leg only and exclude the other one you will not move forward very long”. The bujinkan path you have chosen to follow is long and I can assure you that you will definitely need your two legs to go further. Becoming a dragon does not mean that you will stop walking and fly instead!… but who knows?…

Posted in Thoughts on Budo, www.budomart.com | 1 Comment

Enter the Dragon Posted on May 27, 2010by kumafr

13 Votes

Asian martial arts often refer to the opposition/unity of the tiger and the dragon. In 2003, the first year of the juppô sesshô cycle, we learnt that the dragon is in the sky or ten and the tiger on the ground or chi. We also learnt that the dragon was capturing while the tiger was hitting. These two symbolic animals are showing the duality of possibilities offered to us at any given moment. This is what sensei explained and you can find his explanation in one of my books: koteki ryûda juppô sesshô hibun no kami. At the beginning of the year, tiger and dragon... sensei gave a copy of the densho to some of us and I was lucky to spend a lot of time with him and that he answered my questions. This link between tiger and dragon is paradoxically not an opposition but has to be understood as an union. And once you are aware of these dual aspects in your Self (brain & body can also be seen as the tiger and the dragon), you have to fuse them together in order to create Oneness. It is like the in-yo taichi. The highest level of budô can only be achieved when you become able to “enter the dragon”. Like the “shu ha ri” supposing to mean: “learn, master, discard”; it can be seen as “shu hari” : to see the “truth by piercing through the appearances” (sensei April 2010). When the duality of the ten-chi disappears you have one reality left, you became a dragon. Maybe this is why sensei gave to some of us dragon names in 1993. When you train in this year of the tiger please do not to forget the “crouching” dragon inside of you. And remember that if dragons can fly they can land too, but that tigers will never fly.

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Ryûha: Homework Required Posted on May 26, 2010by kumafr

12 Votes

bô vs sword

The last section of the Kukishin Bô is called “keiko sabaki gata” and consists in a series of 25 techniques. As always if you do not look at the kanji but only at the sounds, many meanings can be found in a good English dictionary. keiko: training, practice, study sabaki: deal with, handle; but also judgment, decision, verdict gata (kata): mold, model; but also a person. Therefore, we can understand the “keiko sabaki gata” as the study of how to deal with the other. But to be able to deal with the other we must learn first to deal with ourselves and this is where the personal training takes place. When we were kids or young students we were used to study “at home” the lessons received during the day. It must be the same in the dôjô. The dôjô like the university or the school is the place where the knowledge is transmitted. Our home is where we learn this knowledge to be able

to use it afterwards. This personal training is very important when it comes with the study of weapons as without a long time of repetition, it is nearly impossible to know how to handle the weapons. Over the last twenty years I have often spend time alone in the woods training with my jo, my bô, my yari or my naginata. There is no secret if you want to break the wall of the form you have to repeat them endlessly. To help you in your personal training understand that the waza is only half of the technique, in a sense I consider the waza to be the omote. It gives you only half of the circle. It is your job to reverse the whole waza and to do it from the other side in order to get the ura. This is the way I have been learning on my own all these forms that I received in Japan over the years. How to proceed?: you take one waza like gohô from the kukishin bô. You do it 50 times facing a tree. Then you reverse it completely by using the other side (here left) and you do it another 50 times. You do the same for each waza in a school. If you do that, I can assure you that your proficiency will increase a lot. At least it worked very well for me. One last thing. The next day you will have forgotten those 5 to 10 waza that you worked. It is ok as what you are learning here is not to memorize with your brain but with your body. If you do your homework properly you will learn much faster. But not only are you going to learn the movements faster, you are also going to learn a lot about yourself, your limits, your flaws. So by learning a given set of techniques you will develop the strength of your spirit and get better. Personally I see it as the real benefit of the keiko sabaki gata.

Now that you know yourself you can go back to the study of the ryû and “train the mold to make the decision”, i.e. keiko sabaki gata.

Gambatte! Posted in Thoughts on Budo, www.koimartialart.com | Tagged bô, gata, jutsu, keiko, kukishin, sabaki | 4

Comments

Flexibility? Posted on May 25, 2010by kumafr

14 Votes

no comment!

Too many bujinkan practitioners are not flexible enough and they should spend some time outside the dôjô to improve their body. The dôjô is where you learn the waza, everything else is your responsability and should be done on your free time. Bujinkaninstructors are not body fitness teachers. At 50, I still smoke*, I eat meat and drink alcohol reasonably* and if I am a little overweight* I still keep my body flexible because in life everything is about balance and flexibility. So, if you are young, if you don’t smoke, if you are a vegetarian and do not drink, and if you have the perfect BFR**, you have no excuse. You train because you have chosen to do so and no one has been forcing you. So please train your flexibility as it will definitely change your taijutsu. Be Happy! * Don’t smoke and eat light meals

**BFR: Body Fat Rate Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged body, fat, flexibility | 1 Comment

Taikai Paris July 2010 Posted on May 25, 2010by kumafr

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Watch the YSTT2010 trailer and register to attend the 8th edition to train with Peter, Sven, Peter and Arnaud in Paris. Posted in seminar | 1 Comment

Kaeshi Waza: the Ura of the Omote? Posted on May 23, 2010by kumafr

10 Votes

When we train the techniques of the different weapons or ryûha we often skip this important part of the training which is the kaeshi waza. Kaeshi waza is for me the essence of our budô as it is vital to know how to overcome any technique. Countering is always implied in a technique. In a real fight you will have to apply those “aite to kumu kokoro gamae” in order to keep the advantage over the attacker. In the buki waza dvds (jo, biken, bô, yari, and naginata) I have included those kaeshi waza into the basic forms to give

Bô against biken

the students a better understanding of them. We did the same for each technique of the shoden, chûden, okuden, and keiko sabaki gata of the kukishin bô. Once the forms have been acquired, you have learn the omote, with the ura you enter the hidden side of reality. Those two aspects of waza are intimately intertwined and missing the kaeshi waza is like walking with one leg! In each technique there is a kankaku (feeling) that you must find. Once this feeling understood, you can use it against the waza and understand the real depth of budô. The developing of the ura side of the waza is the gokui (essence) of the bujinkan as it triggers our creativity and foster our imagination in a new powerful way. Kaeshi waza is the ura of the omote, the kaitatsu of the waza, the jissen of the jissen. Posted in Thoughts on Budo, www.koimartialart.com | Tagged kaeshi, waza | 1 Comment

Friendship & Rokkon Shôjô Posted on May 22, 2010by kumafr

11 Votes

During my last trip to India, Eugenio Penna (10th dan Italy) was with us to share the five days seminar we had on kukishin bôjutsu, gyokko ryû kosshi jutsuand nawa jutsu. After coming with Beth Faulds (6th dan) last February, Eugenio came back to India to experience with us these very special (and very painful moments). Sensei often speaks about friendship but it seems that his words are not really understood 3 buyu before a trek in the Nilgiri by many practitioners. The concept of buyu goes further than simply sharing a few meals together, it is a strong feeling that builds up through hard training and sharing. Shiva (Shidôshi) who was hosting the seminar here in Bangalore and Eugenio are true buyu beyond

the limits of their own personal culture, language and experience of life. The buyu friendship is about sharing together a common experience on the mats by learning and learning to understand the other. Whoever we are, we view the world in our own personal way and are often surprised by the differences emerging in our discussions, but on the mats we are on the same unknown terrain and we have to share with the others in order to survive. It is because of our differences that we can grow faster. For many years I have been travelling the world and in Japan and I appreciate the connections between cultures that the bujinkan offers. I believe that the buyu connection doesn’t know borders and that it is really what senseiwants us to do and this picture illustrates my point perfectly, happiness is inevitable. This is rokkon shôjô. The picture was taken right before a two hour trekk in the nilgiri (blue mountains) to reach an ancient tribal ceremony, in a deeply hidden valley. The buyu are rich of their differences like the Indian slogan “unity in diversity” which resonates in harmony with the bujinkan . Thank you sensei! Posted in Thoughts on Budo, www.budomart.com | Tagged buyu, harmony, india, unity | 3 Comments

Danger is a lack of Awareness Posted on May 22, 2010by kumafr

7 Votes

Be aware of danger! In the process of training techniques in the dôjô, you should always be aware of the environment i.e. the room or your friends training, as waving the bôin the air around you can be dangerous. Outside of the dôjô this awareness can save your life. The technique is nothing if you cannot stay alive. Do not trust the densho or the waza because they never answer the particular situation in which you are

Team work: Be aware of danger

caught. The waza have to be trained extensively in the dôjô so that their benefits are acquired by the body. Once acquired by the body, the brain will not think these waza again and adapt your moves according to the situation. Permanent adaptation is what makes you stay out of danger. Ninpô is about protecting life, yours and the ones around you (friends or foes). Do not count on yourself only but trust your partners to help you stay alive. Danger is not predictable by nature but nature is not dangerous as long as you are aware of the “general picture” in which you evolve. This is why teamwork is so important. The basics are done for yourself only but the interconnexion with the movements of your partners reveals a more powerful set of possibilities. Alone you are nothing, in a team you exist. The team increases your awareness of danger. In order to stay alive, Bujinkan practitioners should develop teamwork abilities, and to do so train the basics more intensely. Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 1 Comment

Yûro Shi Tennô Taikai Paris 2010 Posted on May 20, 2010by kumafr

5 Votes

Another five days to register to the Yûro Shi Tennô Taikai at a special price. Check the pages of this blog for more info. Register HERE to be sure to participate. We are preparing a new website dedicated to the Taikai, it will be online very soon. The address is http://www.taikaiparis.com Posted in seminar, www.budomart.com | Leave a comment

Focus & Reach your Goals Posted on May 20, 2010by kumafr

7 Votes

Ooty Golf course India

When you train you often forget the goal you are trying to reach and you lose your focus. Whether you are on the tatami or outside the dôjô, this is the quality of your focus and what you live that gives you the solution. Do not believe the waza, they are only there to channel an idea in order to decipher the feeling that is not written. Focusing on each moment of your life guarantees success. Do not try to achieve a result as you would project your intention into a non defined future. On

the contrary focus on the instant like in nakaima(middle of now) and you will be adaptable to any change happening in the instant. If you are doing a technique, you are actually seeing your victory that has not happened yet. Your tamashii (spirit, soul) is the tool allowing you to use your saino (ability) level to its best, in the utsuwa in which you are caught. This permanent focusing of the total being (body and mind) by the use of saino konkirenders possible the reaching of your goals whatever they are. The goal is not importantper se but it will, like a waza, bring to your understanding, things that are not obvious at first sight. Remember our art is to “render the invisible visible”. This is how we must see Life. And when you are able to do that, in and outside the dôjô, you are living into the rokkon shôjô. Happiness is the only things that matter.

Posted in Thoughts on Budo, www.koimartialart.com | Tagged golf, nakaima, rokkon, shôjô | 1

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Bô Seminar (part1) Update Posted on May 16, 2010by kumafr

8 Votes

We finished the three levels of kukishin bô today. And we will do the keiko sabaki gatanext week-end. Each time I go through the bô jutsu levels I am amazed by the insight we can get from them. I understand why bô jutsu was a ryû in itself. We also did all thekaeshi waza for each one of the 27 techniques! I can’t wait to see the rushes for these new dvds. Posted in seminar, Thoughts on Budo | 1 Comment

Bô: Kûkan & Distance Posted on May 16, 2010by kumafr

7 Votes

Bô jutsu is one of the key to enter the kûkan as it gives access to distance. Too often in training we are trapped by the form (waza) and do not dwell enough into the feeling (kankaku). When senseiintroduced us to the “cycle of weapons” in 1993, many bujinkan members were surprised as bô jutsu did not seem to be “ ninja” enough to them. But bô jutsu was only an excuse to excel. Bujinkan is footwork. When we train the bô, the technique traps our brain and our movements follow a “1, 2, 3″ sequence. After repeating those forms long enough, something

Distance is power

fresh comes out of them. Through mechanical repetition the brain frees itself and a natural movement is created only because footwork adds itself to a new understanding of distance. In one of the bujinkan schools, it says: “ahead lies paradise” meaning that in a fight you get protected by entering the distance to the opponent. By accepting the encounter, you actually enable yourself to be safe and free in your actions. This knowledge of how to distance yourself correctly is the first thing you learn with the use of long weapons. This freedom has created a kûkan of which you were not aware of before. Through the study ofbô jutsu you are now able to enter this kûkan and bring your taijutsu up to a new dimension. Weapons are our best teachers. We move our bodies and we now learn to do it with an artifical extension offering new possibilities.

Bô jutsu is not “ninja“? maybe not, but our skills improve a lot through this type of study. We understand now distance and angles in a wider sense and can play freely with a new created space. Maybe this is why divinities are often represented with a long staff.

Posted in Thoughts on Budo, www.budomart.com | Tagged angle, bô, distance, kukan | 3 Comments

Kukishin Bô Jutsu Shoden Posted on May 15, 2010by kumafr

7 Votes

Did you ever notice that the three levels ofbô jutsu from the kukishin represented the three levels of the ten chi jin? Did you ever notice that in the shoden no kata you had 3 groups of 3 techniques? Each name of technique begins with the name of akamae followed by the principle hidden within each one of the groups. old bô jutsu drawing by hokusai

Those principles can be written in different ways, I offer here three possible meanings. The first group deals with kangi which can have the same meaning of ” intuition, sixth sense” (gi means waza = technique). kan (勘) The second group is gogi and can have the meaning of go(shin), “defense”. Go (護). The third group is kôki and can have the meaning of “achievement, success”. Kô (功). If we add those three meanings we get the idea the the first level of the kukishin bô is to develop our intuition to defend ourselves in order to find success”. Funnily, the last technique (the ninth) of the level look like a mix of all the waza studied in the level. If not in the form at least in the feeling.

The last technique is called tenchijin… Posted in Thoughts on Budo, www.budomart.com, www.koimartialart.com | Tagged bô, jutsu, kukishin |

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Sticks Up Today! Posted on May 15, 2010by kumafr

5 Votes

In a few minutes we will begin our seminar in Bangalore on kukishinden ryû bô jutsu. The kukishin bô is amazing and always a pleasure to rediscover: the kotsu, the kamae, the bô no uchi, the gogyô no bô, the three levels of shoden, chûden, okuden and thedevastating keiko sabaki gata. Bô jutsu is the essence of the long weapons in the bujinkansystem. This is the entry gate of the sanshin of bô, yari and naginata. Rokushaku bô can be seen as reaching consciousness (roku = 6th = consciousness) through

Takamatsu sensei

the bôlinking heaven and earth. Maybe that is why we began weapon training in 1993 with the bô… The weather is nice even though humid, the camera crew ready, the sticks polished, the 9 demons can enter now into the arena. A good time is beginning!

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Elegance is an Attitude Posted on May 14, 2010by kumafr

8 Votes

In the airline’s magazine I was flipping the pages when I stopped at an add presenting a beautiful Indian woman with a caption reading: “elegance is an attitude”. Immediately it made me feel happy! Wherever you go you have to be aware of the connections between jissen (true life) and jissen (true fight). The world is our training ground and coincidences are there to teach us something. We explained that yûgen is the invisible world rendered visible and that it is the Japanese word for elegance. We also discussed the word kamae as being more an attitude than a simple body posture. This caption in a bujinkan understanding could be the following: “yûgen is kamae“. When your basics are assimilated and your body flow created, your attitude towards life becomes elegant. Elegance What can you add?

is not something you can ad by yourself; elegance is not omote, it is ura. It is something that is born from your being and that spreads around you like a perfume. There is no technique to learn it, elegance comes naturally when your attitude is correct. The beauty of the bujinkan system is that through a long and strenuous training period you reach this level of elegance. You don’t do things because you want to but because you are true to yourself.

Posted in Thoughts on Budo | Tagged attitude, elegance, jissen | 3 Comments

Indian Touchdown Posted on May 14, 2010by kumafr

4 Votes

With Shiva and Nandita in Japan

I arrived yesterday in Bangalore for a long Bô jutsu seminar after a long flight. The monsoon is announced and humidity is rising. Hot trainings in perspective. On the dvd front, Shiva told me that the new buki waza dvds are ready. I’m bringing them back with me so check budomart regularly. Here we will train a lot and record the whole bô jutsu, gyokko ryû shoden, and mutô dori. I keep you informed in the following days. :)

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Visit the new Bujinkan India website Posted on May 12, 2010by kumafr

6 Votes

Bujinkan India has just released their new website, Please visit it at www.buj.in Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bujinkan, india | 1 Comment

Imagination Posted on May 12, 2010by kumafr

5 Votes

The greatest power we learn in training in thebujinkan is to develop the power of our imagination. This is the kaitatsu explained in a previous article. Napoléon said that: “Imagination rules the world” and if it was true for him it is definitely true for us too. The bujinkan seen as an educative system is helping us to get rid of our preconceived ideas and to find new ones. Often when I meet a bujinkanstudent in a seminar I am amazed that first he (or she) never heard

Napoleon Bonaparte

about the Ten chi Jin Ryaku no Maki created by Hatsumi sensei and second that his (or her) vision of the art has nothing to do with the reality of training in Japan. This is never the fault of the student nor of his teacher but of the teacher of his teacher who often joined the bujinkan after many years of gendai budô. These first teachers never ever reconsidered their previous knowledge to adapt it to the new set of rules. This lack of foundation explains the poor level of imagination in the bujinkan. The bujinkan will transform you if you train the basics properly. Through these foundations, you will develop the power of your imagination and become an artist able to rule the world. Be happy (imagine)

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YSTT: Register Fast! Posted on May 11, 2010by kumafr

5 Votes

YSTT Update 2:

Another 12 persons registered this week-end. So please if you wish to attend the YSTT 2010 and train with Pedro, Sven, Arnaud, and Peter do not wait too long as places are limited. At this rate (3.4 persons per day) the prebooking for the YSTT 2010 (limited to 120 participants) will be closed by June 9th…

… too bad book yourself rapidly

YSTT Team 2010

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I need your help Posted on May 11, 2010by kumafr

5 Votes

Dear buyu, Solkan Europe, the company offeringhttp://www.budomart.com, has been using the same logo since the last Paris Taikai I organized for sensei in France in May 1997. After 13 years it is about time to renew the look of my company so I am redesigning the www.budomart.com website. I am looking for a new logo for Solkan Europe and I would like to ask for your feedback on this.

new logo?

Do you like it or not? Thank you, Arnaud Cousergue

Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 11 Comments

On the left is one logo that I was given today, please help me so that I can make up my mind.

Tips & tricks (7) Tachi Basics Posted on May 10, 2010by kumafr

5 Votes

FREE MOVIE DOWNLOAD at www.koimartialart.com

Those of you who have registered to www.koimartialart.com can now download a small MP4 or MOV movie (338Mo) about the tachi principles that we studied in Japan since January. This movie lasts 30 minutes. Disclaimer: the techniques demonstrated are based on my interpretation and understanding of the tachi kumiuchi. It was recorded with a small camera it is not DVD quality but gives you tips & tricks on how to move your tachi. Have fun!

Posted in

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Tips & tricks www.budomart.com 1 Comment

Stars & Galaxies

Posted on May 10, 2010by kumafr

2 Votes

The concept developed recently by senseiof a photon colliding a speck of stardust to illustrate that we should render the invisible visaible made me think of galaxies and budô.

collision between two galaxies

In space stars are often seen as regrouped by men as a given shape (big dipper, cassiopea, betelgeuse etc). But this apparent “regrouping” is only visible from our point of view in the universe; the location of Earth in space. If we were able to go a few thousands parsecs away from our actual location, these groups would not exist at all! It is only our vision of things that make us see them as a given recognizable pattern in the natural chaos of space. Our perception is wrong, it is omote not ura. If we consider the galaxies which are real natural entities and not a human mental construction, we can make a parallel together with the encounter between the attacker(s) and the defender. In Budô our techniques can be seen as equivalent as these artificial regrouping of stars made by humans. They are not connected naturally. Back to space this fake connection is real when it comes to galaxies. And even more when they are colliding. On the mats uke and tori are like two different galaxies. In both cases (galaxies, opponents), the connection/collision is not wanted and the outside observer cannot fathom what particular consequences will stem from the encounter. By keeping the connection with the environment, by applying En no kirinai(do not sever the connection) everything move in the best possible way. Galaxies cross the universe without intention (as far as I know) and our taijutsu must follow (flow?) the same path. Having no preconceived ideas, you move naturally and bring the techniques to life to the better outcome. Don’t think, react in adapting your flow to the moment. Be happy

Posted in Thoughts on Budo | Tagged adapt, budô, flow, galaxies, kirinai, photon, stardust | Leave a

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Eyes no Eyes Posted on May 9, 2010by kumafr

4 Votes

Some people say: “don’t lose eye contact”, “don’t look at the opponent”, “watch him carefully”, “ignore him”. All is true and all is wrong.

Eye or no eye?

My feeling is that within the yoroi kumiuchi sphere the only “living thing” is the eyes of the opponent. If you want to receive the flow of his intentions you have to connect to him through the eyes. This is another way of understanding “kanjin kaname” which then could translate as:

“through the eye I can see through his spirit”.

Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 1 Comment

Yûro Shi Tennô Update Posted on May 8, 2010by kumafr

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The YSTT begins in 2 months and places are limited. Register at www.budomart.com to be sure to participate. YSTT Team 2010

Posted in seminar | Tagged taikai, Yûro Shi Tennô, YSTT | Leave a comment

Basics & Fundamentals (4) Posted on May 7, 2010by kumafr

2 Votes

“Kamae is attitude” was written a few years ago,

this is an updated version of it. Budo Taijutsu begins with the study of “ kamae” or body posture. This first introduction to budô gives us a strong physical foundation, which allow us to grasp the true essence of natural body movement. Unfortunately with time passing, we seem to forget the value of training the basics in general and particularly the body postures. In each Bujinkan Ryûha there is a set of given kamae that is called kurai-dori. If we translate “kurai” and then “dori” the meaning is “about grabbing” and it looks that it is dealing only with the physical aspect of fight. But a good dictionary tells you that “kuraidori” in one word means “positional notation”, like the digits after the comma. This induces precision and it translates by “precise notes for postures”. It is a lot different from kurai + dori ! Even though the Ten Chi Jin ryaku no maki has a basic set of 9 kamae, each particularryû has differences which depend upon the time where the kamae were created, and the evolution of warfare they had to adapt to. How do you “Ukemi” (receive, dodge, absorb) a bullet? So kamae is not only physical, the mind gives also value to the posture. ”kamae” means posture or attitude, so apart from the “physical attitude” we now have to consider the “mental attitude”. This is why when teaching the basics we speak of “tai gamae” and “kokoro gamae“. The tai gamae is the body posture where the kokoro gamae is the mental attitude. If we broaden this understanding it can be also understood as our “attitude in life”. Having Seigan no Kamae by Chris Bernsdorf (Ger)

good kamae in the dôjô is nice nut it is even better to have a good kamae in life. This is our human attitude that makes us different. Having a good technical ability is not enough and from my perspective too many do not have a good attitude in life as human beings. If you thoroughly study your kamae on the mats they will change your attitude in life.

When sensei says that our goal “in the Bujinkan is to create better human beings” he means that the study of the tai gamae will change your kokoro gamae, not only in thedôjô but also in life. Even though there is no spiritual teaching in the Bujinkan, no link to any religion or mystical system, Hatsumi sensei has created and transmitted a powerful tool to help us become true human beings (bujin). As always there is always more in the ura of things than the omote let you think there were. Posted in Thoughts on Budo | Tagged bujin, dôjô, gamae, kokoro, omote, ura | 1 Comment

8th Yûro Shi Tennô Taikai is 8YSTT Posted on May 7, 2010by kumafr

1 Votes

Thank you for all those who registered already! It seems this 8th YSTT is going to be succesfull and the first registration forms have arrived from: •

•

Sven & Arnaud in Paris

•

•

France, Belgium, Denmark, Germany,

United Kingdom. Are we going to have more than 16 countries attending this year? •

Important note: If you register for more than one person, please fill in ONE form per

person it will facilitate our work. Thank you. the YSTT team

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Yûro Shi Tennô Taikai July (reminder) Posted on May 6, 2010by kumafr

1 Votes

Reminder:

Organizing a Taikai such as this one is always a lot of work for the Taikai Team. Last year many of you didn’t register early enough and we had to cope with some problems concerning the food and the t-shirt. If you know you are attending then please register as fast as possible and do not forget to tick the boxes for: 1. food type

Yûro Shi Tennô Arnaud

1. t-shirt size 1. rank family 1. length of stay 1. day of arrival This will help us a lot and save you a lot of money. The sooner you register the cheaper you pay!

So please register online so that we can order the food and t-shirt accordingly. Thank you for your help. YSST team 2010

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Yûro Shi Tennô by sensei Posted on May 6, 2010by kumafr

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Here is the picture of the 4 calligraphies by sôke when he decided to change the name into Yûro Shi Tennô Taikai. Each one bears the new name and the name of the beholder. Here from left to right: Arnaud, Pedro, Sven, Peter. Painted by Hatsumi sensei in August 2009. I was surprised when he called me and did the four calligraphies in front of me. Good memory!

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Yoroi is Balance Posted on May 6, 2010by kumafr

5 Votes

Black belts should wear the yoroi to understand the value of balance. When you are dressed with the yoroi, the weight is spread all around the body and not only on the back as we experienced it with a backpack. Naturally the extra weight transforms the body repartition and we move with about 50% of our weight on each leg. This is why the kukishin ryû and the takagi yôshin ryû kamae do not have the same appearance compared to the togakure or other low kamae systems. Peter on the picture is showing here the kosei no kamaeas if he was receiving some kind of attack from his opponent. As though “kosei” means “attack” he is absorbing the blow with his protected forearm (aite to kumu kokoro gamae ) and uses his legs to cushion it. Next he will spring forward and take uke‘s balance to counterattack. Once the blow has been received, there is no power left in the weapon, the momentum is gone. As sensei said back in 2003, concerning the yoroi kumiuchi: “when there are two attacks (body or weapon) they are not of the same quality”. The first attack is fuelled by the footwork and his strong and fast, the second starts where the first one was stopped and uses a different distance. Note that the back hand stays at the hip level as if Peter was holding a tachi. Every waza in Japan srcinated from yoroi kumiuchi. Posted in Thoughts on Budo | Tagged kamae, kosei, kukishin, kumiuchi, ryû, takagi yôshin, togakure,yoroi | Leave a comment

Basics & Fundamentals (part 3) Posted on May 6, 2010by kumafr

5 Votes

Why is the Ten Chi Jin Ryaku no Maki so important?

. Until 1990, we had very little knowledge about the schools and the weapons. Remember that we really began the weapons in 1993 with the bô and the study of the schools only in 1998! From the beginning of the Bujinkan (and more precisely when the Togakure Ryû Ninpô Taijutsuwas published in 1983) the basics were transmittedthrough the Ten Chi Jin Ryaku no Maki . Each student at that time was studying the Ten Chi Jin Ryaku no

Maki to improve his fundamentals. The Ten Chi Jin Ryaku no Makiwas the basic program to reach the black belt. The spreading of the Bujinkan over the last twenty years has abandoned the Ten Chi Jin Ryaku no Maki and it has been often discarded by the new generation of teachers.

. What is a Bujinkan black belt?

. A Bujinkan black belt is someone who knows the Ten Chi Jin Ryaku no Maki so well that every technique demonstrated looks like a patchwork of elemental bricks taken from the Ten Chi Jin Ryaku no

Maki. Too often students receive a black belt without the knowledge of the Ten Chi Jin Ryaku no Maki and this lack in their practice leads to big flaws in their movements. In 2009 I gave a 5-day seminar on the full Ten Chi Jin Ryaku no Maki in India. When the Indian group went to Daikomyô

Sai last December they told their teachers that they could see every component of the techniques taught by sensei and the shihan and recognize the strength of the Ten Chi Jin Ryaku no Maki .

. Are you a Bujinkan black belt?

.

Then you must know “by heart” the ten and the chi and be familiar enough with the jin. Without this basic knowledge you will not be able to go far within the Bujinkan system. The heart of “kokoro no

budô” is the Ten Chi Jin Ryaku no Maki . Learn it, study it and you will see your technical level excel

and reach a new understanding. Without studying the Ten Chi Jin Ryaku no Maki attending seminars is a loss of time. It is like watching a movie of which you are not part of. Learn the Ten Chi Jin Ryaku no

Maki and become the actor your own life instead of being a passive observer! Ryaku in Japanese means “principle” but also “truth”. Learn the truth of things and you will become a true human being able to link the sky and the earth; able to be one with nature. Posted in Thoughts on Budo, www.budomart.com | Tagged bô, black belt, daikomyô, togakure | 2

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Basics & Fundamentals (part 2) Posted on May 5, 2010by kumafr

5 Votes

What does the Ten Chi Jin imply? The Ten Chi Jin Ryaku no Maki is based on the three levels of life: heaven, earth and man. Man is the link between earth and heaven or between outer space and the planet. The old Chinese pictogram is a drawing representing two opposite half circles linked by a cross. The pictogram displays symbolically a human body with his legs on the earth supporting the sky with his arms, and mixing these two influences within his body.

. What are the different parts of the Ten Chi Jin? The Ten Ryaku deals with footwork, distances and angles; this is the vertical line in the pictogram. The Chi Ryaku deals with the bio-mechanical aspects of the different waza that can be applied once uke has reached tori (gyaku, nage, torite). This is the horizontal line. The Jin Ryaku is a series of about 50 waza taken from the nine schools to show the interaction of the waza and the footwork. This is the point where the vertical and horizontal line cross each other.

The Jin Ryaku has nothing to do with the schools. The waza taken from the schools are often quite different from the waza included in a certain level of a school. They are used as examples to manifest the interaction of body movement and creativity. This is why they can be trained on both the left and right side and why they do not imply the use of weapons. .

To be continued… Posted in Thoughts on Budo, www.budomart.com | Tagged chi, creativity, gyaku, jin, nage, ryaku, ten,torite, waza | Leave a comment

Why “Yûro Shi Tennô Taikai”? Posted on May 5, 2010by kumafr

3 Votes

Last August when I brought Hatsumi sensei some pictures of the Taikai in Paris decided to change and atopun callbetween it the “Yûro Shi Tennô Taikai “. When I asked him the“Yûro”. reason for that he its saidname this was “Europa” [yuropa] and the Japanese word Yûro means something like the “path to bravery”. So we invite you to join us in this eighth “path of bravery spreading everywhere all over Europe!” More than 15 countries are expected to come! Come to Paris and build up your memory.

Shi Tennô is the nickname that sensei gave us back in the nineties as the four of us were spreading the Bujinkan system all over Europe. If the srcinal meaning is the “four emperors”, it is in fact the name given to the four Chinese spirits of the four directions: North, South, East and West. Nothing glorious there. But because Kano sensei, the founder of jûdô, nicknamed his four students spreading thekodôkan jûdô over the world by the name of “shi tennô“, Hatsumi sensei decided to do the same. Unfortunately this name has nothing to do with our martial skills. Taikai means big seminar and this one is definitely a big one. This is one of the last 3 day seminar that we have after the end of the Taikai directed by sensei. If my friends and I have

decided to organize it in the past it was because we were missing those taikai withsensei in Europe and in the USA. Those Taikai with sensei that we have organized between 1987 and 2002 were always a fantastic moment of friendship and budô. ThisYûro Shi Tennô Taikai is following the same tracks and this is why, each year, we have more and more success. Over the last five years, the success of this event has been increasing so much that we had to limit the number of participants. For those of you training in the Bujinkan and who didn’t get the chance to train in Japan this year, this Taikai is your chance as each one of the instructor in this seminar has been staying in Japan one, twice or three times since last November. As sensei was saying at the honbu recently: “only those who train regularly in Japan with me have a chance to get what I am showing”. This is your chance to get your update. See you there with a smile on your face. Online prebooking Posted in seminar, www.budomart.com | Tagged bujinkan, emperor, jûdô, july, kano, paris, rokkon,sensei, shôjô, shi, skill, taikai, tenno, yûro | Leave a comment

Yûro Shi Tennô Taikai Paris July 9th-11th Posted on May 5, 2010by kumafr

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Visit the page HERE Posted in seminar | Leave a comment

Basics & Fundamentals (part 1) Posted on May 5, 2010by kumafr

3 Votes

During my last seminar in Chemnitz, I was asked to explain to the group the Bujinkan system. It was a discovery for many students so I decided to share here in this blog the importance of the Ten Chi Jin Ryaku no Maki .

The first thing you have to get clearly is that the Ten Chi Jin Ryaku no Maki is the best system ever created to give a martial artist a chance to develop his The Ten Chi creativity. This is the kaitatsu explained by sensei recently. Jin from 1987 Too often the Ten Chi Jin Ryaku no Maki is underestimated by the teacher more inclined to dwell on the rich legacy of the nine schools. This is a major mistake as without the Ten Chi Jin Ryaku no Maki no student can really grasp the essence of sensei’s teachings. . . What is the Ten Chi Jin Ryaku no Maki ? It is a program put out by sensei in the eighties as a common basic program for the beginners. The first “official” edition was published in Japanese back in 1983 under the title “ Togakure Ryû Ninpô

Taijutsu”. Divided into three parts which are Ten, Chi, andJin, it presented in a certain order the elemental bricks necessary to study the nine schools and their specificities. After a few years of practice, it had been reviewed and modified to be even more practical. In 1987, we received from Japan, the first English version of this new system. The majority of the techniques were the same, but the repartition had been changed to facilitate the learning. The first published versions of this new Ten Chi Jin Ryaku no Maki (TCJ2) were done in 1991 by Pedro Fleitas in Spanish and by Mariette Van der Vliet in English. The French Protek was published by me in 1998. An adapted version in German by Steffen Frohlich was also released during the same period. Many other incomplete and transformed versions were published subsequently.

To be continued… Posted in Thoughts on Budo, www.budomart.com | Tagged chi, hatsumi, jin, maki, protek, ryaku, ten |

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Update on death & Toda Posted on May 4, 2010by kumafr

3 Votes

r

In one of my previous posts I quotedHatsumi sensei saying that a true master should be able to “laugh while facing the ennemy”. This is quite similar to what Toda Shinryûken Masamitsu, Takamatsu sensei grandfather (or uncle*) once told him: “Never talk about knowledge as you could lose it, Confront a defeat with a smile even if you are closely facing it,

Takamatsu sensei doing Take Ori

And even when you are faced with certain death, die laughing!” This year’s theme is Rokkon Shôjô so keep smiling whatever hardship you are confronted with. * All Bujinkan books keep repeating that Toda sensei was Takamatsu sensei‘s grandfather but recently one Japanese shihan during class said that actually Toda senseiwas Takamatsu‘s uncle not grandfather… To a Westerner the sounds for ojiisan (grandfather) are very much similar to ojisan(uncle). Sorrymasen. Posted in History | Tagged death, rokkon, sensei, shôjô, shihan, Takamatsu, Toda | Leave a comment

Chemnitz seminar 1st & 2nd May Posted on April 28, 2010by kumafr

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Seminar Arnaud 01 & 02.05.2010

Seminar Reminder:

Rokkon Shôjô & Tachi Kumiuchi seminar in Chemnitz (Germany) with Arnaud Cousergue, May 1st & 2nd, 2010. I will summarize in Chemnitz the last input that we got recently from Japan during the seminar. Tachi is not katana. I hope to see you there. Be happy !

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Photon & Stardust: the Spirit of Movement Posted on April 27, 2010by kumafr

2 Votes

Once again I would like to review a metaphore used by sensei not long ago. He spoke about “photon & stardust” to me, it is the best way to explain how things should happen in the dôjô. From our perspective, a photon is invisible. Stardust in space is also invisiable to us. A photon is moving at the speed of light in space and stardust is moving the also at a permanent speed. Now until they meet there is o way for you to see essence of them. When they collide a spark of light is created. This spark is the movement movement/technique. Both the photon and the stardust become visible when the spark of light appears. Before the collision they “are non existent” (to our senses), after they are not existent any more. When you fight your opponent what happens is identical. In ”l‘esprit du geste“* this is what I tried to explain. There is no thinking process, no intention, only a spark of light. In a fight, there is no technique there is only an opportunity of possibility. It is only a probability of occurrence. Adapt!

Chi does not think Sui does not think Ka does not think Fû does not think Kû does not think So why do you think? the sixth element shiki (consciousness) appears, it is not the product of the analytical brain. It is given as everything in Nature, natural movement is only that. *the book is now translated into English and soon available. Posted in Thoughts on Budo | Tagged chi, dôjô, fû, ka, kû, light, nature, photon, shiki, spark, stardust, sui| 1 Comment

Tachi Tips & tricks (6) Posted on April 26, 2010by kumafr

2 Votes

Yesterday oneby student was waving hisduring sword my heldseminar, to his wrist the rope at the tsuka kashira and the ring at the end broke releasing the sword. Training weapons are NOT real ones and might break easily. Do not get over excited while training and keep high security levels. There was no harm but an accident could have happened. No harm

We are now training with metallic blades instead of padded ones. Therefore our ways of training should adapt accordingly. Permanent adaptation is not to be applied only during the techniques but should include all the elements of the class in the dôjô. Adaptation is what tachi kumiuchi is teaching us. Stop thinking always in the same ways. Last monthsensei said: “don’t hold to what you know or you won’t improve your skills”. The key point is to adapt.

A weapon designed for training purpose is still a weapon. Please be careful. You can influence the actions of a sentient being during the fight but there is no possibility to affect an inanimated object. Be aware of this.

Posted in Tips & tricks | Tagged dôjô, kashira, kumiuchi, sensei, sword, tachi, tsuka | Leave a comment

Tachi Tips & Trick (5) Posted on April 25, 2010by kumafr

2 Votes

When you get older your students get older too and you can learn from them! Yesterday on tachi kumiuchi seminar at the Bujinkan France in Vincennes I learnt two things. One of my old students followed a few seminars to become a blacksmith. I was teaching the particular way of waving the blade horizontally and was telling the students that the point of pivot is done around the first third of the blade. He told us that the sôri (curve) of the blade is not the same in a tachi and on a katana. The katana is balanced more or less at the middle of the blade but the tachi is often balanced at a point closer to the tsuba. The apex of the curve being closer to the hands it is logical (ans easier) to turn the blade various types of blades from this point adding more momentum and speed to the blow. some being both... Remember that you do not cut with the blade but only try to get uke‘s balance. Also the burden of the yoroi makes it also easier to move the blade that way. Rotate your blade on itself and do not pivot from the kissaki (tip of the blade). A tachi is not a katana therefore your movements have to be different.

Also, you can find the same blade displayed with the katana mouting and the tachimounting which confirms what I was writing in a previous post. Posted in Tips & tricks | Leave a comment

Did sensei meet Shakespeare? Posted on April 24, 2010by kumafr

1 Votes

William Shakespeare

Here is a speech taken from Shakespeare’s play “Henry V”. It carries some values that rings a bell to what Hatsumi sensei explained a few weeks ago (cf. post on chivalry below). Reading this text I wonder ifsensei didn’t meet Shakespeare when we did the ’96 Taikai in UK in Stratford Upon Aven, Shakespeare hometown… This is a text I really like and I thought you might be happy to read it. Enjoy!

If we are mark’d to die, we are enow To do our country loss; and if to live, The fewer men, the greater share of honour. God’s will! I pray thee, wish not one man more. By Jove, I am not covetous for gold, Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost; It yearns me not if men my garments wear; Such outward things dwell not in my desires. But if it be a sin to covet honour, I am the most offending soul alive. No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from England. God’s peace! I would not lose so great an honour As one man more methinks would share from me

For the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more! Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host, That he which hath no stomach to this fight, Let him depart; his passport shall be made, And crowns for convoy put into his purse; We would not die in that man’s company That fears his fellowship to die with us. This day is call’d the feast of Crispian. He that outlives this day, and comes safe home, Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam’d, And rouse him at the name of Crispian. He that shall live this day, and see old age, Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours, And say ‘To-morrow is Saint Crispian.’ Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars, And say ‘These wounds I had on Crispian’s day.’ Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot, But he’ll remember, with advantages, What feats he did that day. Then shall our names, Familiar in his mouth as household wordsHarry the King, Bedford and Exeter, Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and GloucesterBe in their flowing cups freshly rememb’red. This story shall the good man teach his son; And Crispin Crispian shall ne’er go by, From this day to the ending of the world, But we in it shall be rememberedWe few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he to-day that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile, This day shall gentle his condition; And gentlemen in England now-a-bed Shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here, And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.

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Tachi tips & tricks (4) Posted on April 23, 2010by kumafr

1 Votes

tachi of different sizes but with the mounting

We have been training quite a lot with the tachi in the past weeks. When in Japan I was quite surprised to see that the blades used bysensei and the shihan were not that long after all. I have a few tachi (long and normal) and I found that the qualificative of tachi only applies to the mounting (edge up / edge down) as it gives or close new angles in the drawing process. For example the hontai nuki gata is given when using a tachi as the edge is aready down. Then the size of the blade doesn’t matter that much. In fact with a long blade the movement is as difficult as when using a regular size

blade. In tate nuki gata, the blade is used not vertically but a shield ( tate) this can be done with both ways of wearing the sword but proves to be easier when having a koshiate (holster) hanging down from the belt as it gives more space to turn around the blade even if it stays totally or partly into the saya. In my opinion the terminology defining the tachi as a long blade was added after the war period not when they were using the tachi but after during the peace time period. One day I asked sensei about the size for a tachi: “Arnaud, size doesn’t matter as long as you can use your sword freely”. Posted in Tips & tricks | Leave a comment

Ki ken tai ichi Posted on April 21, 2010by kumafr

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Japanese commander

This Japanese proverb means ”mind, sword, and body are one”. This “ki ken tai ichi” is very close to the “ken tai ichi jo” of the ten chi jin ryaku no maki. On the battlefield, the three elements must be united in order to survive the fight. Ki refers to mental energy, the soul. Ken refers to the weapon (often the sword). Tai refers to the broad definition of body. It includes not only the physical body but also the yoroi (and the horse). When you mind is fudôshin (inmovable) and determined, When your weapons move as if they were natural extensions of your physical body,

When your body is reliable because of hard and stenuous trainings, Then you are ichi, one, united; and when unity is achieved you can become zero, mushin Posted in Thoughts on Budo | Leave a comment

Japanese historical periods etc… Posted on April 20, 2010by kumafr

2 Votes

In this blog I have been speaking a lot about muromachi, azuchimomoyama, edo, meiji periods. A short listing of the previous periods of Japanese history seem to be a good idea now. Japanese history is very rich and goes back to the beginning of mankind. As you know, every ryû tries to be linked in time as far as possible in order to give credential to their fighting system. They often try to be srcinating from the first emperors. Even though one can doubt about the veracity of those facts, it is good to have an overview of Japanese history. As you will see, religions, China, and wars are closely interconnected. Learning the Bujinkan is also trying to understand how this culture is coming from. Disclaimer: 1) the big periods can be divided into smaller ones named after the emperors, 2) depending on the point of reference there can Izanami and Izanagi be discrepancies in the exact duration of any period*. History is not from the Kojiki always accurate. But we can see 12 large periods from the beginning to today. I have added links to wikipedia for those interested in having more information on the periods preceding muromachi. Yayoi period (300 BC – 370 AD): the prehistorical period, tumulus culture. More onYayoi http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yayoi_period Yamato period (370 – 538): unification of the country by the Yamato court. ends with the introduction of Buddhism. More on Yamatohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamato_period

Asuka period (538-710): flourishing of Buddhist art (temple). New organisation of society: Taiki reformation, establishment of Taihô codes. More on Asukahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asuka_period Nara Period (710-794): Capital Heijô (Nara prefecture). Shintô based on the Kojiki (712) is the religion of the Kami. The Kojiki depicts the mythology of Japan. More on Narahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nara_period Heian period (794-1192): Heian capital (Kyoto). Creation of h iragana. Writing of theGenji Monogatari. Many embassies are sent to China to learn the crafts and Buddhism. Shingon Shu and Tendai Shu are imported to Japan by Kobo Daishi (810) and Dengyo Daishi (805) respectively. This is also at this time that the Gyokko ryû and Kotô ryû are supposedly introduced to Japan from China. During the Genpei war (1182) Minamoto no Yoshinaka captures Kyoto. He is defeated by Minamoto no Yoshitsune. After the defeat,Daisuke Nishina retreats to Togakure mountain (today Togakushi) and changes his name into Daisuke Togakure. He supposedly founded the Togakure ryû. Myôan Eisai comes back from China and establishes the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism (Linji in Chinese). More on Heian http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heian_period

Kamakura period (1192-1336): Samurai culture is spreading. The Daibutsu is erected in Kamakura city (Kanagawa prefecture). Minamoto no Yoritomo establishes theKamakura government (1192). Go Daigo Emperor (1318-1332) saved by Kurando the founder of the Kukishinden ryû. It ends with the overthrowing of the Kamakuragovernment 1333). Foundation of Sôtô Zen by Dôgen coming back from China where he studied Ch’an Buddism. More on Kamakurahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamakura_period Muromachi period (1336-1573): Muromachi government in Kyoto established byAshikaga Takauji. Nô at its peak, Ikebana starts. Ônin wars (1467) opens the sengoku jidai period. Introduction of firearms (1543) by the Portuguese. Azuchi-momoyama period (1573-1603): Nobunaga overthrows the muromachigovernment (based in Azuchi castle). Unification of the country finalized by Hideyoshi (momoyama castle). Sen no rikyû perfects sadô (tea ceremony) and becomes the sadô master of Hideyoshi. Many castles are built. Sekigahara wars. Edo period (1603-1868): Tokugawa Ieyasu creates the Edo government and moves it to Edo (Tokyo). In 1853-1854, Commodore Perry (USA) forces the opening of the country. Meiji period (1868-1912): Meiji restoration. The samurai lose their power. Japan adopts modern standards. Clans are abolished and swords are banned (1871). The Empire is given a constitution (1889). Taishô period (1912-1926): The Taishô Emperor is enthroned. Japan gets into WWI in 1914. Showa period (1926-1989): Enthronement of the Showa emperor Hiro Hito. Japan attacks Pearl harbor (Dec. 1941) and forces the USA to get into WWII. After Japan’s defeat, a democratic constitution is established (1946). Heisei period (1989- today): Enthronement of Aki Hito. Modern times. Those 12 periods are the main ones creating the backbone of Japanese culture. It will not change your taijutsu but will help you understanding the “invisible” aspects of our art. *Alternative list of periods http://www.meijigakuin.ac.jp/~watson/ref/nengo.html Posted in History | 5 Comments

Yoroi without yoroi Posted on April 19, 2010by kumafr

2 Votes

Not long ago a student told me that he finally understood the importance of thinking we are wearing a yoroi when training the tachi kumiuchitechniques in the dôjô. Since 2003, each black belt in my dôjô have been wearing the yoroi on a regular basis and they have experienced physically how to train with it. When you wear the yoroi, your movements are modified and you cannot move as freely as when you only wear your gi. Many practitioners have a tendency to move only their arms and/or to keep them too close to the body this is wrong. With theyoroi the extension as well as the bending of your limbs are limited. Imagine that your torso and your arms draw a pentagon (a geometrical shape with five sides). the five sides are: chest,left arm, left forearm, right arm, right forearm. Each angle between two sides is a body joint (shoulder, elbow). Because of the encumbrance of the yoroi your arms are always extended (not fully) and limited in their movements. It is as if your uppe body could not move indepedently. This is why the key in yoroi fighting is footwork. Your shoulder line is always parallel to your hip line making your walking look strange. Because of the yoroi the Japanese developed the famous nanba aruki or way of walking where arms and legs move one side after the other and not in opposite way as we do in the west (left arm with left leg and right arm with right leg). You can still see this way of aruki in use with the sumotori. Actually the “modern way” of walking (military) was brought to Japan at the end of theTokugawa shogunate when the Japanese began to learn modern military warfare. Historically (sorry Mr Cruise), the first westerners to teach the Japanese samurai were the French military advisors, rapidly replaced by the Prussians after the loss of the 1870 war with Napoleon III. I often say that if we are centered in the tanden we can easily pivot like the hinges of a door. This is what I learnt by wearing the yoroi often. Footwork is the most important thing. ♦

More on the French military mission of Capitaine brunet: http://www.economicexpert.com/a/Jules:Brunet.htm More on nanba aruki: http://kikuko.web.infoseek.co.jp/english/namba-aruki.html

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Tachi tips & tricks (3) Posted on April 19, 2010by kumafr

1 Votes

Tachi waza is mainly done katate (one hand) the other hand holding the reins of your horse or another weapon like the yari. The two-handed grip was developed later with the use of the katana. Sometimes you can use the second hand to reinforce the momentum of your blade but it is not its general use. When riding a horse the left hand holds either the reins or the second weapon (yumi, yari, naginata) and the blows are given with the right hand only. In general, sensei said that you do not cut, or hit, nor crush with the tachi but that you should move around the opponent in order to stab through the openings of the yoroi. Tachi kumiuchi fighting is to understand how to stab the opponent who is fully protected by his yoroi by aiming at the holes in the up and down, inyo, omote protection opened by your actions. ura If the yoroi is the utsuwa (container) and the opening iskûkan (open space), don’t fight for the omote, but for the ura. In life, the invisible is more important than the visible. Become an artist and make the invisible visible!

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balance your tachi, balance your life Posted on April 18, 2010by kumafr

1 Votes

Tachi kumiuchi is fighting with sword and yoroi but tachi alone also means standing up. In fact tachi kumiuchi is about acquiring the ability to keep our balance. The tachi(sword) too is balanced but on a horizontal plane, sensei insists on this in each class. When the tachi is in the belt with the cutting edge down, it protrudes more than thekatana. The way it is balanced in the belt is linked to the size and weight of the weapon. By having your body standing up vertically (ten ryaku) and your sword balanced at the hip (chi ryaku) you link the ten and the chi through the jin(adapting the movements to the situation). You are free to move in all directions balanced by the tenkan (axis, pivot). Juppô sesshô is created because your movements can go in any direction during the encounter with the opponent ( kumiuchi). Adding the perception of the dragon to the movements of the tiger, you are fed by the kaitatsuand flow (nagare) naturally with things.

Datô no kamae

Training in tachi kumiuchi develops the knowledge on how to use the weapon but enlighten us also on how to handle our life better. What sensei is teaching is to bring things to life, ikasu and get a happy life.

Rokkon shôjô! Posted in Thoughts on Budo, Tips & tricks | 1 Comment

Tachi tips & tricks (2) Posted on April 17, 2010by kumafr

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The tachi is not a katana and therefore should not be used in the same way. Sensei explained that we have to understand the evolution of warfare in feudal Japan in order to be able to adapt our techniques to the moderne world. He was mainly referring to the goshin. At first there was 1) the chinese ken, then 2) the tachi, then 3) the the ju (rifle), then 4) the katana, then 5) the cannon. These are the five spirits of warfare. When you look at this list of periods, you are surprised that you can actually put dates on them. The chinese ken preceded the muromachi period. The muromachi was mainlytachi. Then with sengoku jidai the rules changed by the extensive use ( Nobunaga and his followers) of the rifle (teppo – musket type) that led to the Tokugawa/Edo period. It is only when peace time was established and heavily controlled that the katana began to widely used by the samurai. The muromachi and azuchi-momoyama periods were times of nearly permanent wartime. Samurai would wear the yoroi everyday and a heavier weapon like the tachiwas of good use. The sengoku jidai introduced the rifle and the yoroi was no more the safest outfit. One day in his home, sensei showed the helmet of a shogun‘s personal guard. Even though this antique helmet was in a very bad shape, sensei pointed out to me a big inward bump the size of a musket ball (approx. the size of a kid’s marble). The helmet was not pierced through but we can imagine that his former owner did have huge headaches afterwards. So the introduction of teppo into the wargame created a major change in battlefield experience. It must have been painful to the samurai to discover that their techniques were not good anymore after the introduction of rifles. Eventually this is how theNobunaga, Hideyoshi and Tokugawa managed to get the unification done. When the Tokugawa period began, there were no big battle anymore and the yoroi was abandoned. No battlefield, means no need for yoroi anymore. The regular gi (reminderkimono is only for women) was no more protected. This was the beginning of the katanaperiod when cutting abilities were developed (battôdô). This led to Meiji (1868) and the use of heavy cannons, the fifth big change. From all that it is easy to understand that the tachi and the katana being used in two different periods, their practical use should also be very different. A few tips and tricks to remember when using the tachi:

1. the tachi is a shield and the yoroi is the weapon, use the tachi more like a stick than a sword. This is also why you can flip the blade from one hand to the other the same way you use a hanbô. 2. the tachi being held cutting edge down, hontai nuki gata is the only logical way to draw it. 3. the tate nuki gata, doesn’t mean vertical as in modern japanese but shielding as in the ancient understanding of the term. 4. the koshiate *(holster hanging down from the belt onto the thigh) made it possible for the samurai to have more freedom in his movements. 5. as the tachi is used katate, the other hand would carry the yari. In this case, the yaribecomes the shield and the tachi is the weapon. So please during your tachi trainings do not use the tachi as if it were only a big katana. With the year of tachi kumiuchi you are learning a totally new way of fighting. As sensei was saying recently: the real sword masters are the tachi masters. The samuraiwho were using the katana did it because the didn’t understand the tachi.” _______________________________________________ *to see drawings of various koshiate, please refer to “Samurai Sword Fighting” byHatsumi sensei. Page 19 in the English edition. picture taken from http://www.teppojutsu.com/ Posted in Thoughts on Budo, Tips & tricks | Leave a comment

Tachi tips & tricks

Posted on April 16, 2010by kumafr

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The tachi is mainly used katate (one hand), often when riding a horse. The tachi was used to hit the opponent so that he would lose his balance. Sometimes the violence of the hit would create a reflex that would open the fingers and make him drop the weapon.

Look at the tsuka and therope hanging from it

This is why there is a rope on the tsuka kashira (top of the hilt) to keep it tied to the wrist. This device also existed on the saber used by the 18th century riders in Europe. The picture displays a “chasseur” from the 5th Dragon (model 1790). As always, the same problem comes with the same solution.

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Japan seminar April in Paris Posted on April 15, 2010by kumafr

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Tachi Kumiuchi and Rokkon shôjô seminar in Paris April 23rd – 25th

As always after all my trips to Japan, I give a seminar in Paris with the students who came with me to Noda to share the latest insights collected in Japan.

Flexibility is in the body and in the mind

Fri 20h-22h30 Sat 10h-17h30 Sun 10h-17h30

If you are interested come to Paris Fri 23-Sat 24-Sun 25 of April 2010.

Lunches are included, free sleeping at the dôjô. Information and online pre-booking available at www.budomart.com Arnaud Cousergue

Bujinkan Shihan Jûgodan, Menkyo Kaiden Tachi Waza Posted in seminar | Leave a comment

Do not fix your mind Posted on April 15, 2010by kumafr

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With the study of tachi kumiuchi we entered this year into a new dimension of sword fighting. This is why this year is really important for your martial evolution. Zen masters have explained martial arts things better that some practitioner.Takuan is one of them and his explanations are so simple that I am quoting here a paragraph of one of his books. get him to fix the ind and attack somewhere else In the “unfettered mind” Takuan writes: “Although you see the sword that moves to strike you, if your mind is not detained by it and you meet the rhythm of the advancing sword; if you do not think of striking your opponent and no thoughts or judgments remain; if the instant you see the swinging sword your mind is not the least bit detained and you move straight in and wrench the sword away from him; the sword that was going to cut you down will become your own, and, contrarily, will be the sword that cuts down your opponent”. In budô if your mind is stopped on the weapon attacking you, on your hand holding the sword or if you give power to your fear, you will not be able to react freely. This is the whole point of sensei‘s teachings. If you want to handle the fight correctly (sabaki) you have to be free in

your mind (see the post on isaku kaitatsu) and the solution adapted to the situation will manifest itself freely in your actions. Being free means not trying to do anything, if you try to do a technique you will die andHatsumi sensei‘s budô is about staying alive. Train with no preconceived idea and you will be free. This is the gokui (essence) of budô. Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 1 Comment

Inyo kyojitsu Posted on April 13, 2010by kumafr

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These days sensei speaks a lot about inyo kyojitsu. “inyo” is the Japanese name for yinyang and “kyojitsu” refers to falsehood/truth, similar to when we played with “menkyo kaiden” a few years ago. Beyond these terms there is another reality that I would like to explore further. “inyo”:

Many things have been said about this Chinese principle on which Taoism is based. The first thing you should know is that those two concepts should never be separate. Where there is in, there is yo. In ancient China (as the kanji shows) these words defined the two sides of the sacred hill. They were created to define the two sides of a mountain: the sunny side ( yo) and the darker one (in). It is impossible to cut the first one from the other. If you could split a mountain into two parts you would still have a dark side and a sunny side! This inyo principle is like the two sides of a sheet of paper, or a coin, one side implies the other. When you say “in AND yo” you create duality and do not see the whole picture. The two kanji gives us more information: The kanji for yo is 陽 and it is composed of three groups of strokes. The one on the left side looking like a “B” symbolizes the sacred hill where rituals were performed. The second group of two characters one on top of the other, is made out of hi, the sun (日) on top, and of ame the rain (雨) below. They are separated by a horizontal bar meaning that things are

changing and that after rain (dark time) the sun is coming (light time). This is not a judgment on things but merely an observation of the natural evolution of things in Life. The kanji for in is 陰 and begins with the same “B” showing that the two are linked together. The group on the right is also made of two characters. On top is ima (今, now), and below is a simplified kumo (雲, cloud). It means that clouds are building up now and that change is being expected. This in is quite similar to the “I” of the I Ching used to indicate “a change, a transformation”. The clear meaning of inyo therefore is that Life is changing permanently and switching from one state to the other. There is nothing negative or positive in this inyo (conversely to the understanding commonly used in the West), it is only a crystal clear observation of nature’s cycles (seasons, days, weather). Remember that the Chinese never invented the gods as we did in the rest of the world. For them Nature was permanent and evolution, and change was its main rule. They invented the I Ching in the first place to help make decisions on agricultural matters and render the invisible world (implicate) visible (explicate). This is what sôke means when saying: “art is the ability (saino) to render the invisible, visible”. Kyojitsu is another nice concept. Kyo is 虚 “false, untruth” and jitsu 実 is “truth”. Linking them both gives the idea of playing with falsehood and truth to deceive the opponent, or better, to confuse him so that he is always taking the wrong decisions. Sometimes in Japan, during classes sensei speaks of “kyojutsu” instead of “kyojitsu”. Truth (実, jitsu) is then replaced by martial technique ( 術, jutsu). But as it goes with theinyo concept false implies the existence of truth too. Defining something also defines its opposite. As they say “badness is an absence of goodness”, cold creates hot, dark creates bright, female defines male etc. Interestingly, it is always the negative understanding of things that defines the positive understanding as if we were programmed to be optimistic. I use here the terms “negative” and “positive” not in opposition but in the same merging approach as in inyo, this is like the bipolarity of the magnet. So when they speak of kyojutsu you should understand it as “ kyojitsu no jutsu”, jitsubeing created by completing kyo. Read between the lines. This is the definition of balance.Inyo kyojitsu allows us during training to understand the permanent flow of changes in Life and on the mats the nagare between uke and tori. Actually all our actions have to be balanced (kyojitsu) to be able to switch naturally into the inyo. Balancing everything we get rid of the thinking process and develop the ability ( saino) to react to the non manifest aspects of things. Thinking would stop this process and prevent us from reaching whatsensei tries to make us understand this year with rokkon shôjô, the logical consequence stemming from the saino kon ki of last year.

Having developed the ability (saino), and our spirit/soul ( kon/tamashii), we encompass the container (utsuwa/ki). Please note that the bigger the container, the bigger thekûkan. Being alive in the kûkan we understand the balance of all things and react accordingly. Having no intention we develop happiness and protect Life.

Rokkon shôjô Posted in Thoughts on Budo | Leave a comment

Tachi or tachi? Posted on April 13, 2010by kumafr

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Tachi has various meanings depending on the writing: 太刀 たち tachi (n) 立ち たち tachi (n) 舘 たち tachi (loc)

- long sword - stand - Tachi

裁ち たち tachi (n) 質 達 館 館

- cut - cutting - nature (of person) たち tachi (n) - quality たち tachi (n-suf) - plural suffix たち tachi (loc) - Tachi たち tachi (1) (n) - mansion - small castle

Think about it when listening to sensei… (www.kanjidict.stc.cx) Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Kanji game Posted on April 12, 2010by kumafr

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Taijutsu is the “martial technique of the body”. The kanji for body (tai 体) is composed of two others Jin (human) is 人 and moku 本 (tree) i.e. nature but meaning also “true, real”. Therefore, Taijutsu can be seen as “the way to protect nature”; or “the way to become a true man”. Posted in Thoughts on Budo | Leave a comment

Bring death to life to preserve life Posted on April 11, 2010by kumafr

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Last class Hatsumi sensei played with the meaning of two words “ikasu” and “kaitatsu“.Ikasu means “being stylish or smart” but written differently is “to keep alive, or to capitalize on experience”. But in sensei’s idea it was more like bringing something to life. As far as I understand, the technique does not matter and our kamae should appear by themselves without thinking. This is quite similar to the idea expressed in the Tao(chapter 38): The Master does nothing, yet he leaves nothing undone. The ordinary man is always doing things, yet many more are left to be done. Our actions should be the ones of a master not of an ordinary man. By doing nothing we do not interfere with nature, and are able to seize the subtle information lying there for us in space. This is why sensei linked it to kaitatsu. Sensei defined kaitatsu as some kind of “mysterious transmission of power”. But later he told me “imagination”. So kaitatsu is actually the ability to imagine new development in our action

process based upon the information received by our senses. To receive this “power” (nothing mystical there), we have to develop the ikasu defined earlier. We can understand this as follows: Life is meant to create not to destroy. As often withsôke the words he used are hiding many deeper meanings within them. Plato said that the “knowledge of words led to the knowledge of things”. This is exactly how sensei is teaching. Everything that he teaches has to be understood and assimilated at various levels. If we stay only at the omote level we train a nice martial art not so much different from the other gendai budô. Conversely, if we play with the sounds, the words and their roots (at the ura level) we enter a multiple entry system like a matrix that goes further, leaves the physical world, and give access to the philosophical world in which we will transform our vision of Life. Those changes and interpretations are infinite, they are like the cycle of life beginning with “A” and finishing with “UN”. The baby first sound and the dying man last. But this is also the Japanese pronunciation of the Indian “OM”. Everything is linked. So if we are not meant to destroy but to preserve life why do we train budô? We trainbudô to understand death and by this understanding we come to the conclusion that killing has to be avoided. This is pure common sense. But in order to understand death we have to feel it and that is why the techniques we train at the dôjô can be so devastating. We do not injure our partners but we train in such a way that we are aware of the risks and therefore get to understand death. This whole thing about death is linked to kûkan. Kûkan is the “last frontier” where nothing more is manifested, this is the end of things. To get to kûkan we must go to our “last frontier” where nothing more exist, no waza no kankaku neither. Only then can we communicate death (kaitatsu). By knowing and understanding death we reach the level of kûkan. By being into the kûkan we can manifest it, by manifesting kûkan we manifest death, and we communicate it to the opponent who will stop his attack paralyzed by his own fears and tensions. This is one way to understand the in-yo kyôjitsu that sensei introduced this year. To preserve life, you have to know death. By sending this death feeling to uke, he cannot attack anymore. Ikasu unleashes kaitatsu and paradoxically our lethal power perceived by the attacker preserves his life. His life is in his hands, it’s his choice to live or die. Kuki Taisho! Posted in Thoughts on Budo | Leave a comment

Honbu dôjô experience Posted on April 11, 2010by kumafr

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Today Noguchi sensei did the first morning class and he taught us parts of the koto ryû. Then it was the regular class with sôke but as he had some obligations, I was honoured byNoguchi sensei to begin the teaching. This is not the first time it happens to me on Sundays but I always find it strange when it happens. When I remember my first classes here in Japan more than 20 years ago (noHonbu dôjô at that time) I measure the long path I have been following since then. Back then, I would never have suspected that the young man I was then, would learn so much on how to become a true human being. What Hatsumi sensei is teaching in his budô is not a set of old fighting techniques but really a way of Life that transforms you more than you think. As he said yesterday night we have to behave as members of the samurai class, the upper layer of the Japanese feudal society. Our actions should be guided by the code of chivalry. Today during the calligraphy session, I asked him to write “chivalry” and I got “shinobi” … I don’t think he made a mistake. He is teaching us through mysterious ways. During the break, he told me that we (jûgodan) have to follow him and walk by his side as long as we can and do what he asks instead of thinking too much by ourselves. Being a sensei he is guiding us as far as possible, and the closer we are to him the further we can go. This is, he said, what he did with Takamatsu sensei. Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Kankaku – feeling Posted on April 10, 2010by kumafr

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A short note about the word feeling (kankaku in japanese). If you split it in two and usekan (piercing through) and kaku (side). Kankaku can be understood as the way to make visible the invisible by going through the appearance of things. (free interpretation of Sensei’s class on Friday).

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Class with Senô sensei Posted on April 10, 2010by kumafr

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Japan trip 41 update:

I am just coming back from a class with Senô sensei, it is always a fantastic moment oftaijutsu. We did a lot of hanbô techniques as the hanbô is very similar in its use as thetachi. We finished with tachi techniques, mainly mutô dori against tsuki. A very rich class indeed, I wish we could have more classes with him. Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 2 Comments

Connecting through the sageo Posted on April 9, 2010by kumafr

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When using a sword, we are often bothered by the sageo, this is the long flat rope made of silk, leather or cotton, hanging down from the kurigata (the little piece of wood on the scabbard through which the sageo is inserted).

Peace time samurai would use it as an adornment with a fancy way of knotting it onto the scabbard. Obviously they were not fighting anymore and had the time to spend making beautiful but useless knots. In traditional sword schools (from mid Tokugawa, Meiji and until today) there is a whole set of etiquette on how to fold, put it on or in wearing it; however this has nothing to do with its srcinal use. On the contrary it looks to me that the modern Japanese had to find a way to put it into use because they had no clue about what to do with it. The Bujinkan deals with the Muromachi period of warfare, and making knots was not a priority for these warriors. Sensei commented that the “real sword masters were thetachi masters and that those using a katana used it because they did not know how to use the tachi”. Even though it seems a little harsh, this is right, when you become aware of the power of the tachi you understand the devastating possibilities created and how it can benefit your fighting abilities. To get a clear image of tachi waza think about the military world of today. Military men carry the equipment they have to be more efficient, they don’t wear equipment to look good. In order to stay alive they “adapt” their gear to their body, and to the situation. This brings us to the conclusion that the sageo had to be useful in some way. First the sageo is a rope and a rope is used to tie. Tachi kumiuchi implies the use of yoroi(Japanese armour) and the upper part of the yoroi is supported above the hip bone by a big large obi (belt). Remember that the yoroi is moving quite freely around the torso because when you ride a horse the cylinder of the dô has to be able to move up along the body. Actually there is a lot of free space between your flesh and the plates of the yoroi. This kûkan gives dynamics to the yoroi and permits to receive heavy blows while dissipating the power of the hit. This belt was thick and round to support the dô and had three major uses: 1) It positioned the dô above the joint of the hip to free the movements of the leg. Without it the dô would cover the hip bone and prevent the legs from moving. Try the yoroi without it and you will be stuck in your footwork. 2) The dô is made of a heavy metal plates that would crush down the sides of your hip bone and create a lot of pain. The belt cushions the weight of the dô onto the hips. 3) The belt would carry many weapons by sticking them to the body/yoroi for easy use. Using the belt for carrying weapons however does not concern the tachi which was hanging down low on the thigh and not on the hip. A tachi is not a katana and the holster bears two strings separated by about the width of the hand to hold the scabbard of the tachi. In comparison the katana is held at the koiguchi (tip of the scabbard). The holster is continued by a long sageo tied around the body and/or the waist to keep the sword in place and allow easy drawing in any situation. The sageo is tied up in the same way you tie your hakama. You do not make knots but fold it half crossed until the final knot. Actually the sageo is connecting the sword to the body making it a “natural” extension of it. In 1991, I remember that sensei taught me many ways of tying the sageo around the body and

the waist in a nearby temple in Noda for the sake of taking pictures (all pictures came out blurred). I forgot all about it until recently when we began to study the tachi kumiuchi. Tied up properly, the sageo is an important device when using the tachi as it keeps the blade from swaying away from your hands and body and keeps it always ready for drawing. In tachi waza, the tsuka goes to the hand by the momentum created by your footwork. You do not grab it because you don’t see it as your vision is impeded by thekabuto (helmet) and the mask. With the sageo your movements and your sheathed blade are connected at all times. Last year, when we studied the nawa we learnt the concept of connection, that all our movements were connected like a rope and that our weapons should move like a rope. During daikomyôsai, sensei insisted that we should not severe the connection with a) our environment, b) our opponent(s) and c) ourselves. That was “en no kirinai”. Because the tachi is used katate (one hand) and because the movements are very similar to those of hanbô jutsu, we can manifest this connection with the tachi as we are able to change hand (right to left and left to right) many times during the fight to get uke’s balance. Uke is blinded by the multiple angles created and cannot interpret our moves and therefore cannot counter them. The quality of our connection to nature, is “dis-connecting” him from himself, uke is only able to react to our multiple moves until it is too late for him. But the quality of this connection isn’t limited to the manifested level of things by is also deeply related to Life. Playing with Japanese language, as usual, we have to see the connection between “sageo” (sword knot) and “sagasu” (to seek, to look for). So we can “look for” a deeper understanding of it. At a more spiritual level we see that further to our connection to the weapon (physical world), all our actions are linked to nature, and to the kami (spiritual world). We are able to use the kanjin kaname, the eyes and the heart of the gods in our actions and stay fully connected to the ten chi jin of nature. In a Bujinkan dôjô each class begins with the following uta (Japanese transmission of wisdom): Chi-Haya-Buru Kami-no-Oshie-wa Tokoshie-ni Tadashiki-Kokoro Mi-o-Mamoru-ran In his book “Chi-haya-Buru, a Japanese cultural treasure”, Craig Olson explains the deep meaning of it. “The Japanese Uta”, he writes, are “srcinally a form of oral transmission, (…) [the] venerable ancestor to the Haiku, (…) a link back to the srcins of Japan (…). (page 3). A few pages later, when explaining the second sentence meaning “the teachings of kami” he writes: “the implication is that there was a personal connection between the composer of this uta and the kami that was passing along valuable lessons”. (page 51).

What we see, what we perceive is not the full reality. The quality of our connection makes it possible to integrate unseen information in order to survive and to live fully. “Developing the ability to understand the nature of our interaction with things that we cannot see is vital to our survival” (page 61). Tachi kumiuchi is bringing us to this level of understanding sensei’s budô. Tachi kumiuchi is the key to encompass nature in our movements and the proper use of the sageo is what is connecting us to this new dimension. Positioned at the hip level, thesageo links the upper part of the body to the lower part; the ten to the chi and allows us to be moving like a jin (kami?). So why do we wear a sageo? to be connected, to become one, and finally to become zero. Posted in Thoughts on Budo | Leave a comment

Basics Posted on April 8, 2010by kumafr

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Since Solkan Europe has released many new products in the last six months I feel that I should elaborate on our products and answer the many queries that I have received at www.budomart.com. Our partner www.koimartialart.com has edited and released all our new DVD products. Solkan Europe released the DVD ”jin ryaku no maki volume 1″ long time ago and many wanted to know when part 2 would be available. Last July with our partnerwww.koimartialart.com we did it. This is a DVD dedicated to the intermediate and advanced student. Then in October 2010 we had a 5 days seminar covering all the Ten Chi Jin ryaku no maki . As you know the ten chi jin is the basic program of the bujinkan that each student must know in order to get to the black belt. From this we did for christmas a set of 3 DVDs entitled: Ten ryaku no maki 2010, Chi ryaku no maki 2010, and Jin ryaku no maki 2010. These DVDs are intented to the young black belt (or soon to be) as a means to review the basics and fundamentals of the Bujinkan. They show all the techniques of the three levels but do not

dwell too much into the explanations. The jin part of the ten chi jin set is a totally new version (more basic) different from the other 2 DVDs jin ryakuvolume 1 & 2. In March we released, from the same footage, the Ten ryaku Extended version (4 DVDs) and the Chi ryaku Extended version (3 DVDs) as we figured out that we had more than 30 hours of explanations! These two sets are intented to the non black belt and complete the teachings received in the dôjô. A few weeks later, we released the Bujinkan Kyû Program (BKP) which is using still the same footage. Each DVD box contains a mix of the ten chi jin techniques required for eachkyû and presented each in a 2 DVD box. So far, the 9th kyû, 8th kyû, 7th kyû, and the 6th kyû are available on www.budomart.com. Next month we will release the remaining kyû grades (5th kyû to 1st kyû) that will complete the whole series with the rest of the taijutsu techniques and the weapon basics. Last February we recorded a 4 day seminar covering the basics of all the major weapons:tantô, kunai, shotô, hanbô, jo, biken, bô, yari, and naginata. The complete syllabus detailed in the three books of the memento (beginner – vol. 1, intermediate – vol. 2, advanced – vol. 3) includes all the taijutsu techniques from the ten chi jin plus the basics of the small, medium size ang long weapons. The buki waza sets (small, medium and long) will also be available soon (May or June) and sold separately for the teachers. Unlike the techniques demonstrated in the BKP (5th kyû to 1st kyû) many weapons include also the kaeshi waza (counter techniques) that give a deeper understanding to the study of weapons. This is the first time these techniques are demonstrated on a DVD! The buki waza sets are dedicated to the confirmed black belts (to this date, the editing being in process we do not know yet if each set will include 2, 3 or 4 DVDs). In order to make this whole explanation easy to understand:

Kyû: BKP from 9th kyû to 1st kyû in 2 DVDs, covering the whole ten chi jin and the buki waza. Young black belt and shidôshi: the Ten Ryaku no Maki Extended (4 DVDs), the Chi Ryaku no Maki Extended (3 DVDs), the Jin Ryaku no Maki (vol. 1 & 2 – 2 dvds). Confirmed shidôshi: the ten chi jin 2010 set (3 DVDs), and the 3 buki waza sets (small, medium, long). Posted in www.budomart.com | Leave a comment

Sengoku Jidai Posted on April 6, 2010by kumafr

2 Votes

In his book the « way of the ninja », sôke introduces the shintô concept of nakaima (the middle of now) that allows us to live a permanent present linked together with the immediate past and the coming future. Even if it looks similar to the “here and now” of Zen Buddhism, I consider it to be a concept much more powerful as it gives a clear image of the ever changing world in which we live. Nevertheless it is also important, in my opinion, to learn the lessons of history; and Japanese warfare could not be understood without knowing the tipping point that issengoku jidai (age of civil wars) in Japanese history. Sengoku jidai lasted from the mid 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century until the forced peace established by Ieyasu Nobunaga (1603). This crucial period of Japanese history is when the tachi kumiuchi techniques were developed and used. What we are studying is the true essence of Japanese bugei. This is why it is so important. History is a cycle and the past can teach us lessons on what might happen next. By studying history, we learn how to avoid making the same mistakes again. When you look at how the Bujinkan is evolving these days I am surprised to see some similarities with the sengoku period. I am not known in the Bujinkan to be politically correct. Avoiding seeing what is happening is not changing the fact that it is happening, as using an umbrella under the rain is not changing the fact that it is raining! Sengoku jidai is the general term used by historians for a period of history covering the mid Muromachi period (1333-1573)to the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1573-1603); it was followed by the Edo period initiated by Tokugawa Ieyasu. The name sengoku jidai comes from the warring states period in China that led to the unification of the country. Before these troubled times Japan was struggling with a myriad of warlords more or less controlled by the Ashikaga Shogunate and the influence of the Hôjo clan. The Muromachi Bakufu of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (1368 – 1408) lost gradually his influence over the outer regions to rising samurai families (ji-zamurai) who got enough power to control large provinces. At this point the Ashikaga Bakufu had no more control over the country. This is at this period that the head of these families began to be called daimyo. The daimyowere not loyal to the shogun anymore and the major ones were more interested in developing their own power than respecting the rules and values of the past. I hope the Bujinkan will not have to go through such a period of chaos because unlike Japan it would not end in unification but to its destruction. The Bujinkan is rich of its “unified

diversity”. As sensei put it out in February “everyone is giving back the movement or the technique shown, according to his/her personality. This is also rokkon shôjô”. If you apply pressure to tomatoes you end up with ketchup but lose the taste of each individual fruit. This is what has happened in the 20th century with gendai budô (modern martial arts), they lost their flavor to become a tasteless sport. I do not want the Bujinkan to become like that. Tensions create war and war is not wa (harmony), wa(peace after war) can be avoided if there is no war. We must do our best to avoid that. They did not understand that in the 15th century and there was war because of heavy tensions. Sengoku jidai began with the Ônin wars (1467-1477) from tensions fueled by deep economic problems and a dispute over shogunal succession. Nobunaga Oda, daimyoof the Owari province (Nagoya) decided to force the unification of the country spreading his control from his Azuchi castle base. A century and a half of upheaval ending with the creation of unified Japan began. We can wonder if this would happen again and if some lessons can be learnt from the past. It is said that tigers are able to see the future. 2010 is the year of the tiger and when I look at the Bujinkan I have the feeling that big changes are coming. Since I began training Bujinkan in the 1980s I have seen many changes and it is up to us to keep them positive in the future.

Nobunaga continued the conquest of the country and seized Kyoto in 1568 with his generals, Hideyoshi Toyotomi and Tokugawa Ieyasu to name a few. He changed the rules of war and adapted the traditional ways to modern warfare. At the battle of Nagashino(1575) he won by using the firearms imported by the Portuguese (who had landed inKyushu in 1542). The tachi kumiuchi that was used until the mid muromachi period disappeared gradually with the introduction of firearms by Nobunaga. As sensei said, it is important to know the evolution of warfare and to be aware of the transitions between those types of fighting. Samurai warfare began with the ken (the Chinese double edge sword); then tachi, then firearms; and then at the end katana (when peace was established). Speaking of today’s warfare, he added that by pushing a simple button we now have a bigger power of destruction. Warfare techniques evolve and take into account the technologies available. The permanent improvement of blades vs yoroi is an example of this permanent adaptative process. Hatsumi sensei is not teaching us a set of techniques but a way to live a better life. By studying the fighting ways of the muromachi period we come to understand our life and learn how to live a happy future. This is rokkon shôjô. Nobunaga could not achieve unification. He was betrayed by Akechi Mitsuhide, one of his generals who killed him and seized the Azuchi castle. Akechi was immediately defeated by Hideyoshi Toyotomi who took control of the country and finalized the unification. The “Azuchi Momoyama” period is named after the two castles of Nobunaga (Azuchi inOwari) and Hideyoshi (Momoyama in Fushimi). The Bujinkan has become a big group over the last twenty years and I was lucky to witness its evolution. Sensei keeps telling us to work together and to be united but the more I travel the

world, the more I see groups getting insular. I am aware that nothing can change that, but I cannot prevent myself from feeling bad to see such a beautiful jewel losing rapidly its glow. Adapting George Orwell’s sentence in “Animal farm” we can say that: “All shidôshi are equal, but some shidôshi are more equal than others”. Sensei has established his Bujinkan on a “man-to-man” basis without creating any structured organization in order to give us a chance to be unified through friendship and not bureaucracy. The evolving Bujinkan outside of Japan sometimes forgets that. Unification can only happen within an open system based upon kokoro no budô and not by force or self interests. The same happened to the dream of Nobunaga. Even though I do not think thatNobunaga’s idea was dictated by pure goodness! Shortly after Hideyoshi achieved the unification by defeating the Hôjo clan in Odawara(1590), he died leaving the power to his young son. Before his death and in order to support his son while he was young, he created a council of 5 regents: Maeda, Môri, Ukita, Uesugi and Tokugawa. This council ruling the country did not work well for long and more fights happened. Accused of disloyalty, Tokugawa defeated the others at the battle of sekigahara, and took power. This battle is considered to be the last major battle of the sengoku period. He was then appointed seii taishogun three years later (1603). Two and a half century ofTokugawa shogunate followed, and it ended up with the Meiji restoration in 1868. I sincerely hope that we will learn the lessons from the past and be more intelligent than our elders and keep the Bujinkan unified for a long period of time as sensei wishes us to do. The Bujinkan is the best thing that ever happened to me in this life and my encounter with sôke has transformed me into the man I am today. I wish that the future generations have the possibility to experience the same chance of personal growth through the study of the ways of the past. History shows that power is mundane and that it lasts only for a short period of time. “All that glitters is not gold” says the adage, ranks and supposed power are only an illusion. The Bujinkan should stay “one in its multiplicity” and continue his growth as a “Life teaching system” the way it has been designed by Takamatsu sensei and Hatsumi sensei. What really matters is to live a happy life connected with our peers to become a true knight with high values, a Bujin. Sengoku jidai has been a “tipping point” in Japanese history, we have to hope that the Bujinkan does not reach its “tripping point” in the future. Losing the Bujinkan would be a loss for mankind. Rokkon shôjô!

Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 3 Comments

Are you a true shidôshi? Posted on April 4, 2010by kumafr

2 Votes

Sunday – Honbu dôjô – April 4th Each Japan trip, the first class with sensei is always some kind of event and this Sunday was not different. He began by a long speech about chivalry playing with the meanings of kan – kanroku (dignity, presence) and kanpeki (perfection) which I found interesting after what we said about perfection in the last post. Even if the “path of perfection is as important as the path of failure” (HS – March) our attitude has to be the one of a knight (kishi) focusing on his goals even at the risk of his own life. Yesterday, sensei reminded us that Japanese words always have several interpretations, so we might see here a link with the “ku-kishi(n)” and become a knight without intention. As he said, “tori has to become transcendent, clear because this is the way of rokkon shôjô. (…) We should be able to have the creativity of a music composer and do techniques sometimes with a touch of humor, with a smile” (HS – March). But the technical aspect of our actions is not important, what matters is the result in becoming a true knight, a true human being. To develop this chivalry ( kishidô) attitude is a long process and many practitioners are not close to achieve it, but it goes here as well as with everything, perfection takes time and a lot of work. You can move the needles of your watch forward (technique) but this will not change the time passing (feeling). Kanpeki (perfection) is a long process requiring patience and commitment. In India it is said that an elephant knows the time of his death. Death is the inevitable end of life and we must be aware that it is coming at one point. As sensei said yesterday we have to understand that what we learn in the dôjô is the link between life and death. A real knight should not be afraid of death as it is the logical end of the path. In March he said that: “”If you can smile in the face of your enemy you are a real master – if your enemy dies with a smile in his face – thats rokkon shôjô“.

Even though it sounds a little serious, we have to keep this ability to laugh in any situation and face the consequences of our actions without having any second thought. I often tell my students to be “face value” and responsible of their actions. Whatever we do in life is interfering with others and we should act properly. What we are learning through budô is a way of Life not a set of techniques. The techniques are the excuse to help find the solution to the questions we have. By training death techniques we learn how to become more human and to be alive. Every action bears some kind of knowledge and even if our experiences are not nice to live we have to learn from them this is the true meaning of “shikin haramitsu daikomyô”. Through permanent training in the form we discover that whatever we experience is positive at some point. This is always a win win situation. By understanding the values of chivalry, by becoming a knight we accept death and laugh at it like a real master. This is what the Bujinkan is all about. By the way, did you notice that kishidô includes shidô, “samurai code” or “chivalry”? One of the meanings of shi being death therefore a shidôshi can be seen as a human who died to himself to become a perfect knight, i.e. a bujin, a military spirit connected to his environment. So are you a true shidôshi? Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 1 Comment

Efficiency, beauty and elegance Posted on April 3, 2010by kumafr

2 Votes

Narita 4:15pm April 3rd This is Saturday in the middle of the day. The custom process was so long that I miss the bus to Kashiwa therefore I have to wait two hours. This 41st flight to Japan went fast, I slept. While queuing I was watching the efficiency of the Japanese officials at the immigration compared to the ones in Paris. After more than twenty years visiting Japan to train withsensei, I am always amazed at their working attitude. Back in 1980, I remember watching a man

sweeping the street and staring at him for a long time. He was acting as if the whole economy of the country depended upon the quality of his work. Efficiency here in Japan is not only a word it is a philosophy. This is the same when it comes to training in these ancient waza regrouped in the nine schools of the Bujinkan. What is efficiency all about? It is about surviving, about staying alive. In a highly competitive society or in a fight the rules are the same. One has to do what is necessary not to be destroyed. Too often, the westerners are looking for something looking good, or exotic. Fighting or living is not about beauty it is about keeping your life. And if you can reach the beauty in your actions this is on top. It is like the sword. We have heard many teachers for years saying that you should not damage your sword when fighting and always block with the mune. Even if it is always better to do that in order to keep your weapon in good shape, the real question is: “do you prefer to save your blade or your life?” In the classical 47 ronin depicting the values of samurai, the author explains at the end during the final battle in Kira’s household that the hero whose name I don’t remember right now was fighting so much during that day that his sword resembled a saw at the end as the ha was totally damaged! I guess that he decided to protect his life rather than protecting his blade. In my opinion this worshipping of the sword is quite modern and must have taken place when Japan was already pacified and under the strict tokugawa dictature (1603-1862). But in the old days, the ones of the Tachi, only efficiency on the battle field mattered. The image of the invincible samurai spread by the Japanese government during world war II to gather the national feeling and relayed extensively by westerners having no understanding of the Japanese culture is the reason for this mistake. The Bujinkan is about training in the ways of the muromachi era where those modern values didn’t replace yet the true value based on the individual. So do not be so concerned about looking good. As sensei said it recently, “the path of success is important and the path of failure is as important too”. In 2004, we entered the world of Yûgen no sekai or the world/dimension of elegance. The whole idea was to counter the attack before uke actually launched it. In short, we are blocking the decision before the attack comes. Funnily the Japanese language considers this ability as being elegant. The least we can say here is that this yûgen/elegance is pure efficiency and pure beauty. Now if we look at it from a different perspective, we understand that beauty and elegance exist already when they are not manifested, not visible yet (we move before the attack). From that we can draw the conclusion that beauty is not physical, but that it is a truth transcending our

vision of the reality perceived by our senses. Maybe this is why senseiintroduced shiki, the sixth sense the year after during the kasumi no hô year. Shiki is total awareness and this is what brings efficiency in everything we accomplish. When shiki is within your actions, then mushin can be attained. Posted in Thoughts on Budo | Leave a comment

The importance of Basics Posted on April 2, 2010by kumafr

2 Votes

I was speaking the other day with a young teacher, student of mine and I was happy to hear that “kamae and ukemi” were the key to understand the whole Bujinkan taijutsu“. For this teacher, this was like a revelation! Sometimes in our lives we find a book that opens up a total new perspective of life. This comment to me is of the same quality. After training for many years and thinking that you know your basics, you become suddenlyaware of a different quality in your basics. As Durckheim wrote one day: “the quality of the depth depends upon the depth of the quality”. By repeating and teaching those basics (here kamae and ukemi), one day you cross an invisible border deepening your understanding of the whole picture. The foundations of taijutsu lie in the permanent polishing of your basics this is why they are so important. Whatever your rank, training and teaching those basics is the key to generate new freedom in your own movements and reach this natural movement that sensei refers to. Each class, whether you are a beginner or not (this includes also the high ranks) should “generate” this new depth in your understanding. I always push my students to open their own dôjô to give them a chance to get to this “enlightenment” more rapidly. One day I remember sensei telling me: “arnaud you have to teach what you have to teach, and you have to train what you have to train”. It took me along time to understand this

Bujinkan koan. Today my feeling is that through the teaching of your students, you are actually teaching yourself more intensely that if you were attending a class. The teaching process forces you to find solutions to problems you never suspected before because each one follows different mental patterns. To use a metaphore, I would say that you understand the plate in which you are serving the food. The student is mainly interested in learning as many techniques as possible, and as a teacher you supply them endlessly. At one point though, you begin to consider the plate itself (the support) without which the food could not be served. This plate, this support in the Bujinkan are your basics; Remember that a teacher is only an old student, even if too often high ranks tend to forget it. When in Japan, my mindset is the one of a true student and I make the same mistakes as everyone during sensei‘s and the shihan classes. But this is how we get a chance to evolve, and we have to create this chance as often as possible. Now what gives us access to this are the strong basics we keep training and teaching in the dôjô. Natural movement cannot be attained without a permanent study of the basics. And these basics well understood will, one day, unveil a new reality. In a way this is exactly the process detailed in the shu ha ri (see previous posts). So, next time you come to teach or to train in your dôjô and once the class is over, please ask yourself: “what did I generate today?”

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Duality and connection Posted on March 30, 2010by kumafr

1 Votes

Tachi kumiuchi is not about cutting, crushing or even hitting; it is about finding the openings in uke’s body in the midst of an ever changing encounter. These openings get visible only if

you are connected to: space, time, and the opponent at all time. As always “simple is difficult” and to find, to keep, and to use the connection efficiently is very hard. We have to find the connection to the situation to move in harmony with it. We have to be a small boat floating on the sea and following the rhythm of the waves, no intention, no destruction. It is the same with budô, we have to go with the nagare (flow). En no kirinai is the key to understand that and keep the connection with our environment (human or not) and solve the problem. But we often think too much and this permanent thinking hinders the results of our understanding. Too often we want to find a technical solution to the fight (to life?) by overanalyzing, over-reasoning and over-thinking everything. “Enlightenment cannot be found through the senses” said Sensei once. And becoming natural is to go beyond our senses in a realm of possibility not limited by our vision/understanding/perception of reality but by getting access to a dimension where mere reasoning is not working. This is the “zero state” or “natural state” taught by Sensei during many years. This is now our goal, our objective. The moment you understand that the natural connection between everything goes through your body (and not only the brain), you reach the mushin state and you become aware of the implicate world underlying the explicate world that we sense. Sensei said recently that “kan” in bufu ikkan meant “going through” and this is exactly this connection between the visible and the invisible realities that we can link here. We become able to see through the illusions of the visible reality to have a glimpse of “Reality” to find the openings to off balance uke and be happy! Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 1 Comment

Do you understand the Bujinkan? Posted on March 29, 2010by kumafr

9 Votes

Do you really understand what the Bujinkan is?

Keep the connection

When I give seminars, I am always astonished to discover the misconceptions carried out by so many teachers and students all over the world. As I said once during a seminar: “no one is forcing you to claim to be “Bujinkan”, if you want to do your own stuff then do it but do not call it Bujinkan!”. So it was a real pleasure last week-end to meet Manolo Serrano’s group in Belgium and spend some time with him and the Mitrou brothers from Greece. All of them being 14th dan, it was good to share our common vision of the art. On the way back, I thought it would be appropriate in this blog to refresh our memories about what is the Bujinkan really is. When Hatsumi sensei began to spread his vision on budô and to share it all over the world, there was no plan, no step by step process going on. Hatsumi sensei was only sharing his knowledge to everyone willing to listen. Then in 1983 he published, in Japanese, his first “ten chi jin ryaku no maki” detailing the basics and fundamentals of our art. A revised version of it translated into English reached us in Europe in 1987. Ten years later Hatsumi sensei decided to move on and established a theme and a concept to work with for each year. In 1993, I was lucky to be already jûdan in the Bujinkan so I had enough basics to followsensei‘s evolution in his teachings. As many Bujinkan practitioners of today were not students at that time, I want to list here once again those themes that created the art we know now. After the ten chi jin, we learnt distancing and angling for 5 years:

Bô jutsu – 6 feet staff (1993), Yari jutsu – spear (1994), Naginata jutsu – halberd (1995), Biken jutsu – sword (1996), Jo jutsu – 3 feet staff (1997). During the Valencia Taikai (1995) and again in Sanmyaku (the Bujinkan newsletter of that time) Hatsumi sensei said that “bô, yari, naginata are the sanshin no kata of long weapons”. Then we entered the world of budô taijutsu and studied not the schools (as it is often believed) but the 5 pilars of body movement, through five of the 9 schools that was: Taihen jutsu – shinden fudô ryû (1998), Daken taijutsu - kukishinden ryû (1999), Koppô Jutsu - kotô ryû (2000), •

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Kosshi Jutsu – gyokko ryû (2001), Jûtaijutsu – takagi yôshin ryû (2002).

This second cycle of 5 years that can be related in some way to the gogyô allowed us to understand (through training within specific schools) the various way of meeting the opponent and adapting our ways of fighting to the situation. The third cycle has been even more complex as we entered the world or dimension of juppô sesshô (negociating in ten directions). That was also a 5 years long cycle. Juppô Sesshô is the highest mechanical and technical level in any martial system (ryûha) in Japan and gives the ability to adapt a specific type of fighting to any situation encountered. As for the second cycle (the 5 pilars of budô taijutsu), the important point here had nothing to do with either the weapon we used or the school studied. The juppô sesshô cycle was the following: Sanjigen no sekai – kunai & shotô (2003), Yûgen no sekai - Roppô kuji no biken -kukishin sword (2004), Kasumi no hô – gyokko bô (2005), Shizen – shinden fudô ryû (2006), Kuki taisho - sword and yoroi (2007). The juppô sesshô has discouraged a lot of practitioner and even today many of theshidôshi really have no clue of what has been studied during these 5 years. Many teachers do not understand the depth of what we have been receiving. How many of them know that the techniques of the kukishin ryû bô jutsu were used to teach the feeling of kasumifrom the gyokko ryû? Also the move from “happô” to “juppô“ has to be seen as some kind of a quantum leap in the world of Bujinkan physics. This juppô sesshô cycle ended the series that we can now see as a kind of ten chi jin. We all •

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know that the ten ryaku deals with footwork (angle, distance); the chi ryaku with the body mechanics (budô taijutsu); and the jin ryaku with a mix of everything (moving from body to spirit). This 3 steps progression (sanpô) of 5 years (gohô) therefore can, or should, be considered as the true kihon happô of the Bujinkan (3×5=8!). Then it was time to begin the study of shiki – consciousness- the 6th element that sensei introduced to the community back in 2005. So we studied things based more on “philosophical” concepts than schools or mechanical movements. That was: Menkyo kaiden – destroy the thinking process (2008), Sainô kon ki or sainô tamashii utsuwa – ability, spirit, container(2009) Rokkon shôjô – happiness is the essence of life (2010). If Hatsumi sensei follows the 5 year cycle that he, apparently followed until now, we can •

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expect the end of this for 2012. But this is only a guess. I hope that this little review of the various themes will be helpful to you and that now you can answer the initial question:

Do you understand the Bujinkan?

Be happy!

Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 12 Comments

Do you have a good connection? Posted on March 26, 2010by kumafr

2 Votes

En no kirinai has been one of the important teaching of Sensei at Daikomyo sai and ever since then in is classes at the Honbu or in Ayase. Do not severe the connexion so that you can reach a different level in your ability. As I told my students in December: “During last daikomyo sai, Sensei asked

a deep connexion

us to not severe the connexion ( en no kirinai) between uke and toriand within their mutual environment. This is only possible when reaching the mushin state of action where kûkan becomes a reality. Like photons and stardust colliding in space, their encounter reveals the intention and allows the body to flow in a natural manner”. Since then I also understood that this connexion should not be severed within our own self. The connexion within ourself, our opponent(s), and our environment is vital to our survival. Not only can we react to the ever changing situation but we become able to stop thinking. To quote sensei‘s: “if I do not know what I’m going to do next how do you want uke to be able to decipher my future movements?”

This thinking and not thinking thing is the key to understand the Shu Ha Ri (see previous articles) as by not thinking you become permeable to the multiple informations received by your 6 senses (the regular 5 + Shiki – consciousness). Failure is created by thinking and analysing wrongly a situation because our attention is mainly focused on a few parameters only instead of encompassing the whole. This ability will then allow us to reach the mushin state. As I wrote many years ago: If earth does not think; if water does not think; if fire does not think; if wind does not think; and if emptiness does not think, then why do YOU think? I will explain in detail one day this idea of photons and stardust but for now we only have to understand that photons do not think (as far as we know); that stardust do not think (as far as we know) and that they are totally invisible from an external observer until they collide on one another. The techniques are the same, you do not want to do anything, you react to a complex set of parameters without analysing (i.e. without thinking). You are connected, you are one, you are zero.

Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 1 Comment

Tachi or Tachi? Posted on March 26, 2010by kumafr

1 Votes

The key thing with the Tachi kumiuchi is to stay balanced which means not to lose your balance. It means that you have to stay up standing. Being balanced actually means to be equally unbalanced in all directions at the same time. We all know that the techniques done on the ground are called “suwari waza” and that the standing techniques are called “tachi waza”. And understanding the habit of sensei to play with

keep your balance!

words maybe one of the key principle for this year is to master our ability (kon) to stand up and not to fall. we have to learn to be toatally, and equally unbalanced. A closer look at the various meanings can help us here; Roku is “6″, Shô is award, and Jô is emotion. The concept for this year being “rokkon shôjô” through Tachi we can understand the “rokkon shôjô and tachi” concept and theme in a very different manner. Also the number “6″ can refer to the four direction plus up and down (some other understanding of Juppô sesshô). So if we replace all these terms by their different meanings we get: “rokkon shôjô tachi kumiuchi”

= developing the ability to be (un)balanced in all directions (tachi) by developing our emotions (be happy) when meeting with others.

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Shu Ha Ri (2) Posted on March 23, 2010by kumafr

1 Votes

With the study of Tachi waza, Sensei plays a lot these days with the different meanings of the word “Ri”. As you know the japanese language being monotonic, one sound has always several meanings which gives this language a great variety of possible understanding and/or interpretations. Depending on how you write it, the word “ri” has the meaning of 1. distance, keeping away or 2. truth, principle. Understanding this ambivalent signification one can see that going through the sequence of Shu (learning) and Ha (understanding) one will reach the truth or distance himself from it. The truth in your Taijutsu comes only when by learning for a long time you are able to understand the hidden part of the waza.

Therefore, you begin to go away from the form to express the principle of it. One day in Japan one of the Shihan said that the waza is only to channel our understanding in order to develop the natural flow created by our ability to adapt our movements to the situation. Now if we look at the other meaning of distance or keeping away, it can be understood positively or negatively. We know many teachers getting lost in the world of variation and having at the end no clue about the real (true) forms. As I often say, it is easy to tell the students to forget the form when you do not know it before. Remember, if you want to forget something, you first have to learn it! Those teachers have no Shu, no Ha and will never get close to the Ri. We can also see this “keeping way” or “distancing” as the result of a true Shu Ha Ri progression where your understanding distances itself from the dead form of the waza to bloom into another technical dimension, one that encompasses the connexion with everything around and within you. To finish on this new approach given by the different meanings of those sounds, we have to be aware that there are other meanings for those three sounds (even for “ri”): Shu: master, lord; kind, variety, species; actor, supporting post; tumor; hand (Te). Ha: edge of a sword; leaf (like in happa); tooth (like in hadome); clique, faction, school. Ri: official; clever; old measure; diarrhea; advantage, benefit, profit, interest; rustic, illmannered. So Shu Ha Ri could also be to become the “clever master [manipulating] the edge of the sword” or in modern term to become a true swordmaster. Interestingly, this year’s theme is “Tachi Kumiuchi” and as Sensei said recently: “the true swordmasters were the Tachi Masters”. Be happy!

Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 1 Comment

Shu Ha Ri Posted on March 21, 2010by kumafr

1 Votes

Today while training in Tachi waza with a group of students I thought that maybe the whole thing about Shu Ha Ri that Hatsumi Sensei is pushing these days may have always existed but that we were not ready to understand it.

go beyond the form

We know that Shu is learning the form, that Ha is absorbing the form and Ri is destroying the form. But we all know also that Sensei used to say: “understand? good. Play.” Now can’t we understand that as “understanding the Shu, becoming good at the Ha level and destroying it by playing with the concept more than the initial form?

I will think a little more around that and come back to you. be happy!

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India 2010 Posted on March 16, 2010by kumafr

3 Votes

Many seminars have been organized in India since my first post in 2008. Things are always improving with the inevitable changes due to life, men, and

Shiva Subramanian Shidôshi

understandings but the dôjô is doing really great under Shiva (Shidôshi). I am proud to be one of the several Shihan helping them to grow within the Bujinkan system. Soon they plan to open other dôjô in India and I am sure that they will make a success of this evolution. During my last three seminars, the group has been more and more dedicated and growing. Last December in Japan, India was widely represented with a first group of black belts. During my last stays over there we have covered all the basics of the Ten Chi Jin Ryaku no Maki (5 days); then the basics of Tantô, Kunai, Shotô, Hanbô, Jo, Biken (sword), Bô, Yari, and Naginata (4 days). I think this is the first time that a new group is following the logical evolution of learning. The basics have been studied so we can now begin the real study and follow the order imposed by Sôke with the yearly themes. Respectively since 1993 we studied: bô, Yari, Naginata, Biken, Jo, Shinden Fudô Ryû Taihen Jutsu, Kukishin Ryû Daken Taijutsu, Koto Ryû Koppô Jutsu, Gyokko Kosshi Jutsu, Takagi Yôshin Ryû Jû Taijutsu, Sanjigen no Sekai, Yûgen no Sekai, Kasumi no Hô, Roppô Kuji no Biken, Kuki Taisho, Menkyô Kaiden, Saino Konki, Rokkon Shôjô. Next May we will study the full series of forms of Bô Jutsu from the Kukishin Ryû. I hope that 4 days will be enough…

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Be like Seaweed in your training Posted on February 20, 2008by kumafr

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We must train our basics to be like water; in fact we must become like seaweed. Seaweed under water is attached to the ground. Like some kind of water Tenchijin, we must become seaweed and sway

without tension in the stream of life. Stop hugging hard onto things. Let go of your beliefs and mental structures and discover the true freedom of life. The Bujinkan is a tool that is to be used mainly out of the Dojo. Hatsumi Sensei explained it once: “training in the Dojo is only a few hours per week, life is 24 hours a day”. The more you “keep going”, the more likely you will reach this higher state of freedom you are looking for. Here is a poem called “Seaweed”, by D.H.Lawrence explaining it perfectly: Seaweed sways and sways and swirls As if swaying were its form of stillness; And it flushes against fierce rock It slips over it as shadows do, without hurting itself Posted in Thoughts on Budo | 1 Comment

Bujinkan India: memories of a fantastic experience Posted on February 15, 2008by kumafr

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Dear Buyu from India, I first want to deeply thank you for the profound sense of community I found here in Bangalore sharing my thoughts, interpretations and movements with you. I often give seminars around the world, but the quality of the depth of the commitment I encountered here, was really refreshing to me. And I want to thank you all for this as it is the promise of a successful future for the Bujinkan community of India.A Dojo is complex mix between a teacher and his students. If the teacher is evolving the students are improving, and a group of dedicated students evolving positively pushes the teacher to improve his skills even more. After such a small training time, you have achieved this mix better than in many Dojo I have been teaching to.Reading your comments about the seminar on the Shidoshikai forum, I found that many of you were expecting something different, maybe something including more pain. Pain is important in the learning phase of Budo but it is not the most important thing. Physical pain is an accepted consequence of the training but it is nothing compared to psychological pain. And maybe you have got a glimpse of that during these four days. This is the best lesson you could learn.

Even if our seminar was dedicated to Ninpo, the theme for 2008, many comments speak about how this seminar has (or is going to) improve your basics in Ukemi, Uke Nagashi and Sanshin no Kata. In one of the many late discussions I had, we came to the understanding that everything we do in the Bujinkan has to be easy if we want it to be natural. Water will always find the simplest path to the sea; this is the same with our Budo. If you cannot do a movement it is often because your thinking process is blocking the way as a dam would do it to a small river flow. Please don’t stop, keep going you are heading towards what real Budo is. Your energy and willingness to improve is an example for all Bujinkan members all over the world, be proud of it. The waythe group has been structured and taught explains it but without your willingness to learn, nothing would have been achieved so beautifully.

Someone quoting me wrote: “Noise on the mats is pain outside”. It seems to have been the seminar’s motto. The Dojo is the place where you can make all the mistakes you need to get things correctly. As we explained it several times, you are allowed to make mistakes in the Dojo in order to, hopefully, avoid them in Jissen (true fight) and in Jissen (real life). The Bujinkan is teaching us to become real human beings, living a full and happy life. After a week in India with you, I came to understand even better the power of what Hatsumi Sensei is teaching us, life. Life is what struck me while I was there. India is a boiling, fast expanding and blooming country that is going to be of major importance for the world in a very near future. This dynamism is also present in your training and I honestly loved teaching your group. I hope there will be more other seminars like that to follow this first one. I can say that I learnt as much as you did. This is the best lesson of “Shikin Haramitsu Daikomyo” I was ever given. Thank you all for this present. I want to thank you all for your time and hospitality in Bangalore; for the many exchanges we have had during this week; and for making us feel at home. We feel richer after this trip than ever before. Chukrya, Arnaud Cousergue Bujinkan Shihan

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Hello world! Posted on February 15, 2008by kumafr

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Welcome to our new weblog. All year long, I travel the world, train in Japan and teach in Paris. I thought that you would like to share with me some of my experiences. This is the objective of this weblog. Thank you, Arnaud Cousergue, Bujinkan Shihan, France