The Question

As in all things, there is a duality.  In Budo, there is also something called “shunkan” meaning “the moment”.  If you train with Soke, you truly realize how critical this is.

This also ties directly in to the point of “no technique” or further, “no fixation”.

 Last Tuesday night, Soke said that the way to enlightenment in Budo Taijutsu is to see through.  -”Minuku”

He made the analogy of taking all the 9 Ryuha and turning them transparent.  When you layer them on one another you can hold them up and then can see through the 9 traditions.  On the other side, you will see what enlightenment is.  In Ninpo you need to learn how to disappear and become transparent.

Toda Sensei did and therefore our trandition lives on.

Timing, distance and luck are all important, but there is a time for questions and a time to listen.

Ninpo Ikkan

The Answer

    

     Recently, I have been looking at the “Way of the Ninja” to better understand the aspects of Ninpo that Soke is speaking of this year.  I have found that this source gives some good food for thought regarding this year’s theme as well as the BK in general. 

After reading a few sections in the book, I developed several questions that I thought I would pose to Soke to get a better perspective on this year’s theme.  I memorized my questions and was off to training at the Hombu Dojo looking for the first chance to ask Soke my questions.

The training that day was great and I was lucky to have the opportunity to translate that day and I was very intrigued by the topic of discussion.

Time came for the break and I sat next to Soke translating for the people that were lined up to have Soke write their requested calligraphy, and I saw the chance to ask my questions. 

Before I had a chance to open my mouth, Soke began telling me about training in the past and how Akimoto san, a student of Takamatsu sensei once cut down a starling with a sword that he drew as the bird leaped from the ground into would be flight.  Soke continued to tell me that Akimoto san was a very devoted student and would cup his hands for Takamatsu Sensei when he needed to knock the ash from his smoke.  Soke said that Akimoto san said that if anyone ever hurt Takamatsu sensei he would grab his sword and take revenge.  A very devoted student.

I sat there and realized that my questions were gone and that even if I spent hours preparing them or written them down, they would have still meant nothing.

If I have 5 minutes alone with Soke, or even 5 hours, I find it more rewarding to sit there in silence asking nothing, only listening. 

The answers to your questions are all there, and available to you at anytime-if you listen.

Buffu Ikkan

Treasure Hunt 忍宝一貫

     This year, as you know, we are focusing on the ninpo aspect of our art.  This is not a new concept since the mindset of the Bujinkan is based on the concept of ninpo.  However, Soke is putting specific emphasis on the “escape” aspect of ninpo and the art of not being there.  On a physical plain the aspect of kyojutsu is critical and how it influences the aspect of escape.  In a sense, this is the ability to escape conflict or the need to fight.  The Ninja of old were focused on their mission and therefore needed to successfully escape in order to preserve their acquisition or information.  Capture or loss of life meant failure of the mission.

The Iga Ninja were especially adept at the art of munitions and the mixing of gun powder.  To hold that technology meant to have a considerable advantage in war and therefore this technology was protected with the lives of the bearers.  Experimentation was constant as well as new recipes were developed secretly and in result the ninjutsu was deployed to protect this technology and knowledge from falling into the wrong hands.

This purpose was so important that warriors were sent to crush the people of Iga.

So in our modern day, we need to understand how we can incorporate the teachings of ninpo and how it influences our training.  We are obviously not going to mix up potions of gunpowder, but have to adapt the MINDSET to our present day of peace.  (in some countries)

Ninpo was developed as an “outside of the box” thinking mindset and thrived in a culture, country and time that was strictly set in policy and standard. 

I strongly feel that to think of the teachings of the Bujinkan as a normal martial art, is to miss the point entirely.  If not a normal martial art-then no way bound to the definition of what people to believe a martial art to be.

Therefore fixed ideas of what is a ”martial art”, means nothing and completely out of context when speaking about the Bujinkan.

Recently Soke has been writing the terms for Ninpo Ikkan replacing the character of “po” with the “po” meaning treasure.

Takamatsu Sensei told Soke that what matters in Budo is the heart of the warrior.

Development of this heart is the treasure that we all seek.

Warrior Harmony-Canadian Style

I would like to take quick minute to inform everyone of the up and coming Canadian Shihan Taikai arranged by our local Buyu Craig Olson.  Craig is a long time translator for Soke and member of the translation team that worked on the up and coming book, Budo Taijutsu.

 All the instructors for this event, if not residents of Japan, visit Japan for training with Soke on a fairly consistent basis.

 As per Craig, please see below:
 
For anyone who ever dreamed of exploring one of Canada’s most exciting cities, get in on the training adventure by checking out the: 
 
Canadian Shihan Taikai 
Toronto
22 / 23 March 2008
 
http://bujinkancanada.org/

Making the Connection

There seems to be quite a bit of popularity with the post “Do or Don’t”.  This topic, although not a new one, seems to be misunderstood and over discussed.

So how do we train?  Well the truth is that it is really up to you, and depends on what you intend to achieve in your life.  Training should be specific and comes down to your own ability to reflect within and know your strengths and weakness and then take the necessary action.

I see so many people talking about what is best, what is more effective. 

There is no question about the effectiveness of the technique of the Bujinkan.  It is the ability to execute what you have learned and how far you have internalized that is in question.  Most importantly, it comes down to your mindset and having the guts to act or not act when necessary.

Not acting when you should is the same as acting when you shouldn’t.  It is a duality and this is why it is Budo. 

I might ruin some body’s dream here, but there are NO secret techniques, not in the Bujinkan and not in any other martial art.  Do you think that if Soke stood up and said “here is the secret”, that we would be surprised?  What Soke teaches is the mindset.

Gaining a level in Budo comes down to individual ability, creativity and training combined with the inspiration from a teacher who has gained a level through training. With this inspiration you can discover how to open your eyes, mind, heart and spirit.

Furthermore, there is no distinction between soft and hard training, they are the same. Soke may appear to be soft in his movement, but this is a misconception. He is both and we should be both.  If you only train soft, then you will not have the hard and vice versa.  If you lack one or the other, then there is no balance and therefore no”0″. Kyojitsu works for you and against you. 

Also, we should understand that the Bujinkan has grown to the point where it is a community and organization with culture.  Therefore, we should not jump to the conclusion that everyone is here for the same purpose.  Training is an individual endevaor. If you assume without proper observation, then you are not reading your environment.  This is a point Soke repeatedly makes clear.  Too many jump to conclusions and pass judgement.

To offer a solution-In my humble opinion self training is a very powerful way to make the connection.  How many of us do this on a regular basis, or do we just train only at the dojo? 

Just to give an example from my own training -I remember the year we were studying Bo (1993), since I had quite a bit of free time as an exchange student in Japan, I spent several hours a day in a park swinging and hitting trees with the Bo.  You will learn quickly how a soild oak Bo will bounce back once it makes impact.  This teaches you to quickly make the adjustment in your taijutsu to avoid injury and maintain control of the Bo.  There are many ways to discover realness through self training and this discovery process is also training.

The truth is there are no shortcuts or secrets, there is only training.

Keep Going!

Book of Secrets

Many have been asking, so I will let you know that the translation of the new book is complete.The English text has been submitted to Kodansha and we should see the release sometime around April this year, if all goes well.

Without getting myself into trouble, the following is a basic outline of the content per memory:

-Mindset on Budo Taijutsu

-Kihon Happo

-Chapters on the main Ryuha (the ones we have focused on) including step by step explanation of the waza for the various levels.

The cool thing is that at the end of each Ryuha Chapter, the record of Takamatsu sensei or Hatsumi Soke is there, as well as a few columns from Soke regarding training.  So in a sense, very much in the format of what one would imagine the Densho to look like.

It will be a great asset to anyone studying Budo.

Do or Don’t

      Late last year, just before the year -end break, Noguchi Shihan approached me at training and said, “before, training was different, we used to really hit each other and Soke used us as experiments for what he learned from Takamatsu sensei”. I stood there, with an obvious smile on my face, and asked him, “can I ask why you are telling me this?” and his response was “I don’t know, I just thought that you might want to know”.  Funny how things work, but the days of being surprised are long over-Banpen Fugyo.

He continued to explain that in the early days of training, the Shihan tested everything that was taught, and Soke did the same by beating them silly, using them as experiments for what had been taught.

Soke once weighed close to 100 Kg and was very strong.  There was a time when he was giving the Godan test and his Sakki was so strong that he flipped the circuit breaker and the room went black. 

Noguchi Shihan explained to me that those days training was different and therefore the kihon happo is even more important.  I asked him, “So how must we get this type of training?” and he replied “it is up to you to get this training, Soke is not teaching this way anymore.”

Coincidence? I don’t think so.

So look at the timeline of the Bujinkan and see where you fit in the continuum. If you missed something, it is your responsibility to fill the gaps.  Some of us have been there and some of us have not, but don’t make the mistake of assuming who has been there and who has not.

Soke ofter states that the biggest sign of immaturity in Budo is to jump to conclusions.

If you are here to train, then do so, if not then step aside because there is no other way up the mountain. (Merci Arnaud!)

New Years Resolute-Theme 2008

     More than a week has passed since the first day for training 2008 and more than that has passed since my last post. I want to thank all the supporters of the blog for their kind comments and support; I will continue to express my thoughts and experiences here in 2008.

This year is year of the Rat in Japan, and the Rat plays in to the concept of the Ninja or Ninjutsu.  This year we will study the concepts of Togakure Ryu and the mindset associated with Ninjutsu.  Soke also mentioned that Kukishin will also continue to some degree.

So what will we study in the year of the Ninja Rat?  Well, maybe that there is a thing such as truth and false hood and how that plays into our daily lives and training. For us in the Bujinkan, training is our daily lives.

Soke mentioned on the first day of training 2008 that Budo is a lifelong purist and to think that one has achieved a level in Budo or has “got it” has not.  Budo is not something that can be developed academically pursued or deemed as knowledge.  Budo is something that must be lived, experienced and absorbed via the senses.   If you think you have it, it will most likely work against you and what you see with your eyes will often deceive you. 

Soke often teaches this, and it is a lesson that many overlook.  What you often see and perceive to be the truth is often not the truth and in order to learn the truth, you must learn to look in a different way.  Additionally, there is focus on not showing what is the secret to the technique.  Just as a good magician does not show the trick, the Ninja does not reveal the technique.  What you see is not the technique.  What might appear as losing, would be winning and what might appear as right, may well be wrong. 

Therefore, in this year’s scroll (in the picture) Soke has written the words Menkyo Kaiden.  Normally the characters would be 免許皆伝, but Soke has used different characters for “Kyo”and “Kai” as 免虚怪伝. The “Kyo” is the kanji for Kyojitsu and “Kai” is for mysterious. 

Let the Year begin…

Why?

Well, why not? 

IT WAS TRAINING and nothing else.  I grappled him because I wanted to know what he is capable of, and I saw opportunity to learn from it in a training environment. Now I know what a MAA can do, and I take responsibility for MY own training.  I think walking away without a scrape; injury or need for ice, is winning.

Didn’t Soke say “Play with the opponent”?

Didn’t Takamatsu sensei said “What really matters is guts”?

I’ll let you on to a 2000 year old secret-YOU are responsible for your own training. -Not Soke, not me, not Bruce or your Shidoshi. 

Human Weapon Aftermath

      Well, I finally got to see the Human Weapon show.  Many friends and family in the US got to see it before me and many had nice things to say, so thanks for your comments.

Of course, I had to withhold any comments on the show that revealed too much detail until it aired, so, I will take a few moments to comment now on the experience after viewing it. 

The show seemed to turn out similar to what I can remember, and the challenge was interesting to watch.  I do recall there were a few more things that happened that must have been cut for entertainments sake, but hey, that’s Hollywood, right.  I do remember that putting the challenge together in the last minute was a bit on the fly, but we needed to come up with something that would work to meet the director and producers need for a challenge.  With our art being being “non-competitive” it was a bit of a challenge in itself and I think the end product worked for the show and was resonably well done for the short time that we had to produce it.  We also knew the risk that there will be people out there who will jump to the conclusion that it was ” representative” of what we do here in the BK.  I do feel sorry that they did not have their chance to see what they imagine should have happened.

Unfortunately, what was requested as the challenge was denied, and therefore something had to be done to control the space.  Not all Ninjas show their tricks.  Silly Rabbit…

Turning BK into a sport, is tough and to adhere to rules is tougher and there were plenty of talks and conversation prior to avoid injury. And yes, even reality shows do have some level of control.  The plastic goggles might have been safe, but they just did not look that cool on camera, so we chose to go without them.

All in all, Bill and Jason are great guys and they do have knowledge and abilities.  Jason maybe more so, being a professional mixed martial artist, so it was a truly a training opportunity and learning experience for me, and that’s all I ever expected it to be.  It took some time for me too, but I finally learned that Ninja can’t really walk on water.

After seeing the show, I finally got to learn where Jason and Bill were spending their all their time that week, and there were some “interesting” additions to the Ninja tradition (I did not know that Koppojutsu was Ninja Knife Fighting).  Well done on the obstacle course. If anything is a motivation, it is doing everything you can to avoid falling in that water. From what I remember from 18 years ago, when I tried to be a Ninja too, I fell in, and nobody who sit next next to me on the train back to Noda.  And I don’t think anybody as been back to the course since.

To the local BK guys who participated, a job well done and thanks for having the guts to do the job when requested to do so.  Thanks to Yost for his support and great hosting skills.

By the way, we have a new idea for the next challenge, it will be combat with keyboards so all you masters out there, now is your chance to save the world!

Luckily I don’t have to miss a day at work again this time.

Buffu Ikkan