Unarmed Fighting Techniques of the Samurai-“A Lesson in Budo”
The book is out in some areas and the comments are coming in, and therefore I’m inspired to write this post in response to some of the comments and questions and unfortunate misconceptions.
To some, this book is a lifeline for training, hopefully answering all the questions about the secrets of Budo Taijutsu. However, if you put too much emphasis on this, you are not exercising what is taught by Soke. This book is only meant to be a reference to your training and I think most of us understand that.
In addressing the misconceptions, I will start with the San Shin No Kata which appears in the book differently than what the typical Bujinkan practitioner is socialized to expect.
Anyone with a years experience in the Bujinkan knows that the Sanshin is referred as Chi, Sui, Ka, Fu, Ku. It is what we are used to and comfortable with. So, of course it was translated this way and submitted to the editor as such, but ultimately has come out in the book as Chi, Mizu, Hi, Kaze and Ku. The more fixated Bujinkan Book critic will see this and immediately jump to the conclusion that is was miss translated. However, it is ridiculous to assume this and would be clearly evident of a lack of wisdom, experience or ignorance of Japan to think that this is the case. Some might think it was intentional…
To give an explanation, in Japanese language there are commonly two readings for a Character. The On Yomi and the Kun Yomi. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanji The basic rule is that when a character stands alone, the Kun yomi is used. For example, in the case of water, the actual grammatically CORRECT reading would be “Mizu” and not “Sui”. So our version is incorrect, or is it?
In fact, if I’m not mistaken, in the Gorin Sho (often called Go Rin No Sho even though the “no” is not always not written but implied), the readings are as they appear in the book. However, the real point here is that we should NOT be surprised by this and jump to conclusions-a Ninja is never surprised, Banpenfugyyo. Soke, is always twisting the words and the meanings to make point in a moment. These are meant to be inspiration or a way to look at the duality of things and nothing more. The Editor was made aware of this and chose not to change it this time.
I will give you another example; Hatsumi Sensei chose the name “Bujinkan” for the name of the Dojo. These characters combined of “Bu” and “Shin” will be read by any Japanese person as BUSHIN and not BUJIN. BUJIN is decided by Soke and another example of his uniqueness.
This is also often seen with Japanese names, there is a logic with the reading of them, but it does not always apply. The rules are always broken.
To give a simple analogy, its like me the American going to the UK and asking for ketchup and not tomato sauce. I will get a funny look, but I will eventually get the tomato sauce. In the end, it still tastes like ketchup.
So don’t be surprised. I will go as far to say that those who are surprised by these things are the same who are attached to technique. It is not fixed. And the precious Bujinkan is not ruined Because of it.
Then there is the desho. What do they really say? Are they gramatially correct? Do they really spell out the waza step by step, or is there inconsistency and confusion? Use your imagination.
Maybe knowing a little more about the process of this book will help to shine some light on those misconceptions for those who are not familiar with the publishing business or process. The Editor has all the power and makes the ultimate decision. The translators are simply translators who are asked to translate what is in front of them. I said translate, not interpret, which is fundamentally a different practice. Also, this time around (unlike the Sword and Bo book) the translators were not given the opportunity to proofread the proof text. That was done by a professional proofreader with a high level of Japanese, working for Japan’s largest publishing house with over 100 years of history. And these guys are perfect. So, what you might see maybe the evil typo that seems to rear its ugly head no matter how many times you read it over. There are several of these typos that I have noticed and have been brought to the attention of the editor. They should be cleared up in the next printing.
Then there are the translation mistakes. Common and typical. We don’t claim to be perfect and are honestly quite happy with our achievement in imperfection. Surprising enough, we are focusing our time in Japan on training and not to become professional translators. Translation for the Bujinkan is done on a volunteer basis, if you haven’t already noticed.
So there is no surprise if you actually take the time to allow the truth to bloom without jumping to conclusions. “That which is hidden is the flower” In the Bujinkan, there are many hidden elements that require time to evolve.
What is taught in the Bujinkan is not always grounded and it takes the right mindset, maturity and self control to gain from what Soke puts out there. As I have stated numerous times, there is no shortcut and there is no ultimate truth. That must come from within.
The book is nice to have, but it won’t fix your Taijutsu, your heart or your spirit.
Bu Kaze Ikkan
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About
My name is Doug Wilson, originally from the US (CA). I have been studying martial arts for almost 30 years, 20+ of those years in the Bujinkan. I have spent 14 of those years in Japan training at the Hombu Dojo. I act as a main interpreter for the Hombu Dojo and have co-translated the above books by Hatsumi Soke, released by Kodansha International. I feel that the time is right to provide my acquired information to the Bujinkan public about training in Japan. I guess I can say from my unique position and close proximity to Soke, I can provide a perspective that most can not. Here, I will post what I have recently learned, translated, experienced, and interpreted as well as been told to say. Some may find the content to be too direct or controversial. It is not meant to be, it is the truth provided in a “zero” way to those people who are interested in hearing it. It is not a place designed to draw fire from those who live online, expending energy arguing about things that mean nothing. I am a student of Hatsumi Soke and this is MY perspective. I hope to provide an insight to the dedicated practitioners of Hatsumi Soke’s Budo and the Bujinkan.
Doug Wilson-15th Dan, Bujinkan Hombu Dojo
*Profile photo by Sheila*
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Say what you want Doug, the Japanese “Table Tomatoe” does not taste like American Ketchup.
Marty
I chose the name “Bushin Books” (for my publishing arm for “U?G.P!”) purposely because every Japanese person I met would “mis-read” the Bujinkan name. To me, this mis-reading by highly educated Japanese people reflected one of the beauties of our art–the hidden discourse that occurs between Soke and us.
It has long been said that Soke uses “ninja-speak”–manipulating homophones and hiding things in his word choices. This is why the Japanese Shihan often look to the J-E translators to see if they have picked up on a word-play that they (as Japanese) did not see. This type of ninja-speak was evident in the manipulations that Soke made to the U?G.P! manuscript before we went to print. Remember: These were quotations of things that Soke had said in the past. Soke read every page of the book, and made little changes throughout–even though many of those changes did not actually alter the meaning of the words in English. To those who appreciate the beauty (and complexity) of the Japanese kanji system, it can be quite fascinating to read such plays on words….
Over the years, we have seen much hullaboo when Soke made changes in the way he expresses himself. We saw hullaboo when Soke changed the character “tai” (in the word “taijutsu”) written on dan-rank menkyo. We saw similar hullaboo when Soke wrote the word “Bujinden” rather than “Bujinkan” on other dan-rank menkyo. And for those who have been to Japan this year, we again see a play on words with the phrase “menkyo kaiden” (which Doug has addressed in a previous diary).
The consideration of these extensions naturally rubs off on students who spend a lot of time around Soke. Witness Paul Masse’s recent exploration of the term “Go shin jutsu” on his own website.
Doug and Bruce and Paul and Craig and Shawn and Mike and Larry and Kenji and all the other translators who give up their own time and attention (many times away from their own training, which they are still paying for) to provide interpretation for the Bujinkan community deserve far more respect than they receive. I hope people appreciate that even the original Japanese is occasionally incorrect, and that everyone does the best that they can do.
Thanks for the hard work, guys!!!
The Bujinkan would not be what it is today without your help.
There will always be critics and it is a rare one that can look beyond the superficial to see the work and value in that which they critique. Often a critic’s job is to review a book on a subject matter, which they know little. To them a book is basically hundreds of words that are spelled correctly or not. They look for sentence structure as a means of defining worth. For some rare critics, upon opening a book they are able to see beyond the layers of words. They see the book, its subject matter and the audience. These individuals are more likely to now the true worth of the product. To them a book is something much more than words and pictures; its an experience.
“Unarmed Fighting” is a great book that I am happy to own. I highly recommend it to all Bujinkan instructors and their students. Oh, and if you are a ninjutsu groupie, you’ll probably want to get a copy, too.
Doug, thanks you (as well as Bruce, Craig and the photographers) for all your hard work in translating this book and at class. And to Hatsumi-soke for sharing his art with all of us and publishing a another wonderful book.
Hello
Your way of thinking to write this article should be taken as a nice axample as how to understand everything. I know your blog has a nice reputation and what you wrote is of great valor!
Waiting for the next one. Thanx
its better to fix that mistakes, than explain this and that. if enybody read japonise word like he want, than, our art will brokeup soon. we must set good standard what is sahsnin no kata, or which kata is from which ryu.
in other case, we will change the art in the maner of the individuals.
its time for change in all bujinkan, j think…
i would like to thank all the people who take time to translate soke words for us especially you doug thanks for all your hard work in translating this book and at class as soke says keep going gambette
Doug, you and Bruce and the translation crew always do such an amazing job in helping the entire Bujinkan family…thank you!! Can’t wait to grab a copy of the book.
I second Ben’s comment that the Bujinkan wouldn’t be what it is today without your help. Sometimes I wonder if people really, really stop to think about how different our training experiences would be if no one volunteered. IMHO, good translators become part of the fabric of an experience, not the focus. That kind of seamlessness makes it easy to forget that, if key threads are removed, fabric falls apart. And those of us who are not fluent in Japanese rely on the thread of translators to keep our training experiences whole. Sure, we could substitute the thread of fluent Japanese, but that would take years of first learning the spoken and written versions of the language, and then more years learning to hear those nuances in meaning you mentioned in your post. A very expensive endeavor in time, dedication, and brainpower.
You guys give us this essential thread for FREE! Free. On top of that, you didn’t get it for free, you paid for it. But what if, instead of dedicating so much time and effort to make our experiences more complete, you said, “go make your own thread”? Until we managed to do so (IF we ever did), all of the books that have ever been translated would become indecipherable pages. Classes in Japan would become just as opaque and unimaginably challenging. The luxury we have now to spend so much time reading about, thinking about, talking about, and practicing the finer points of the Bujinkan would be gone. We’d be spending most of our time just trying to figure out what the heck is going on on a very basic level.
So I have to say thank you again, to you and Bruce and the current translation crew, and every translator who’s ever tackled the challenge of helping us make more of our time studying this art. We couldn’t do it without you. For real.
Kat
Hey Doug-Trained a weekend with you many years ago when you were a godan. Takagi Yoshin Ryu I believe. Nice to see you doing so well and progressing. Great to see your blog and the History Channel program. I was quite surprised to see someone on TV that I had trained with so many years ago. Can’t train much anymore these days at 45 years old, but I take my hat off to you for all you do. I have never forgotten the things you taught me that weekend. You were kind, friendly, helpful and very efficient. You deserve all the good things that happen to you, and you deserve the attention Soke gives you….soak it all up, all you can! My best wishes for more success for you in the future…
Hello!!!
I totally agree with Doug on the on and kun yomi, that can give you quite a hard time understanding it. Japanese language is so complex and, to me, that is reflected in Bujinkan training. The very same kanji can totally change a word or phrase depending on the context. We do that too in our training: the very same technique with a different feeling given by the context. I don’t own a copy of the book, but ‘m looking forward on getting one so I can have an opinion. Thank you for sharing information with all Bujinkan-ers all around the world.
Errors and mistakes will always be there, as we are all just human.
Nevertheless, it might be a good idea if there was an authorised central place with all the known errata collected. I didn’t get my copy yet from Amazon, so I cannot comment on this very book, but I occasionally find an error (or what seems to me to be as such) in other books, like: “Advanced Stick Fighting” and others.
Since my Japanese knowledge is very basic, it takes me quite some time to get convinced the printed page is wrong and not me, and there is always the chance that the error is mine, and the printed text is correct after all.
I don’t know where such an authorised central place could be established, if at all (perhaps soke would not like this idea in the first place), but I guess those of you who live in Japan and see soke regularly might have an idea.
Great Post.
I took the meaning to be, even though there might be minor errors, the ’soul’ and ‘information’ is still there.
and if one is already comitted to training, such errors will not be of much consequence.
I have a question, in some techniques they use arm gyaku, is that an armbar?(juji gatame), I believe is this because in page 160, chapter 7 they show in the upper left side an armbar.
Thanks!
I have to say I was a bit disappointed by this book. It’s touted(by the author) as the bible of martial arts. I think it is too short to be the martial artist’s bible. Since Hatsumi uses so much ninja speak the translations should be much longer. Included should be counter statements that show what else the author “could’ve” meant. Though I enjoyed some of the explanations of the different ryuah I didn’t quite catch the message of the book. I disagree what someone said about reviewers. Often the opinion of outsiders is thought of as uneducated or somehow flawed because they are not involved emotionally. Often the opinion of the people in the circle happens to be biased. Ultimately the opinions of insiders and outsiders has to be taken into account cause otherwise the opinion would be lopsided, I think.
The paper quality of the pages should have been better especially for a martial arts books. Some of the photos looked terrible.