From Shiro Kuma's Weblog by kumablog

crossing the "flow" of a river in India

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 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 much as I can on this blog during my trip.

Be happy!

From Shiro Kuma's Weblog by kumablog

Shiva, Arnaud & the dôjô Koi

Hi all,

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).

From Shiro Kuma's Weblog by kumablog

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 bujinkan students 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 bujinkan path 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.

From Shiro Kuma's Weblog by kumablog

Booking online at www.budomart.com is on.

From Shiro Kuma's Weblog by kumablog

Dear friends,

You can now register to the Jupi Summer Camp 2010 and 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”.