What is “Henka”?
I had a conversation with Soke last night at Ayase training regarding the aspect of “Henka”. Due to the inspiration of this conversation, I have renamed my blog “Henka”
According to Soke, the aspect of Henka is not only critical to Budo and what we do, but to how we live our lives. Many have heard the term “afraid of change” well that is essentially the point. Those who are free to change or “Henka”, will survive in life, Budo and in combat.
We also had a discussion about the evolution or “Henka” of the Bujinkan. Soke made it clear that those who have been training for many years have evolved with the Bujinkan and have endured the ““Henka””, therefore the current Shihan understand this term of “Henka” and have had real life experience with it.
Internalization of this is critical.
Those who have stopped training or stopped coming to Japan or training with a Shihan who regularly comes to Japan are lost.
June 10, 2007 at 10:26 am
Hi, Doug
You might remember me from Dale Seago’s Dojo back in 1990, we trained together at Stockton Dojo, my name is Joe Perez, I was the very short guy with a lot of enthusiasm. I have lived with this art in me for a long time now, and it has inspired my life in infinite ways, recently I began training again after a long time away. I found the Bujinkan Irvine dojo, which is near the college I’m getting my film degree at (CSULB). I am amazed by your progress in the art since we met, I always liked training with you. I had 8 years of ground and pound training in the Bay Area, and nine years of solo training (Life happens) and now at 41 am finding my balance or lack of (been awhile since I did oni-kudaki). I have lived henka, from 1997 in San Francisco when I survived in Golden Gate Park and along the pacific coast without a home for nineteen days and nights to now as a Cal. State University film student, I have surfed the void of change with the spirit of Ninpo in the shadows. I do feel lost though, since moving to L.A. in 1998, I have not tapped into training until now. I have not lost skills, in fact they have improved dramatically(solo practice), which is strange, and was something I wondered about, but since I have been training again, it is like I have been given a rush of previously latent ability that I have had to keep in check while I rediscover proper everything in my movements again. I hope to come to Japan next year and train there for the first time in my life. Oh! Ya! Great to see you Ukeing on the Kuden dvds, and I will enjoy reading all you have to say about training with the Grandmaster of Ninjutsu. Once again, it is great to see you still in the art, you have given me renewed inspiration to keep going. I am going to drive up to the BuYu north at the end of the month, they have not seen me, or heard from me in ten years, what a reunion, like the good ol’ days going to seminars. Have a great summer.
see ya.
Joe