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Doron Navon – Taijutsu + Feldenkrais

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Title: Ninpo Taijutsu & Feldenkrais

Instructors: Doron Navon

Theme: Ninpo Taijutsu & Feldenkrais

Recorded: Recorded in Stockholm, Sweden 1994

Format: VideoCD. 55 minutes. Moviebox

Doron Navon from Israel started training with Hatsumi Sensei in the late 60's long before the "ninja-boom". When he came home from Japan 1974 he had so many injuries that he could hardly move for a long time. He was introduced to Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais who founded the Feldenkrais Method, and learned this method directly from him.

Doron says that the Feldenkrais method is a shortcut to the godan test. This has been confirmed by both Hatsumi Sensei and many other who have studied Taijutsu and Feldenkrais.

Skr169.00

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Bujinkan Nanadan 七段: The Bull Transcended

From Bujinkan Santa Monica by Michael

The Ox Transcended, digital c-print photograph by Andrew Binkley
Hatsumi Sensei describes the journey of a Bujinkan student through the Dan ranks as being akin to the Ten Oxherding pictures in Zen Buddhism. These pictures describe the seekers journey to enlightenment.

If you haven't read my other posts in this series, please check them out. You may find them useful no matter what your rank is:

Bujinkan Shodan 初段: Searching for the Bull
Bujinkan Nidan 弐段: Discovering the Footprints
Bujinkan Sandan 参段: Perceiving the Bull
Bujinkan Yondan 四段: Catching the Bull
Bujinkan Godan 五段: Taming the Bull
Bujinkan Rokudan 六段: Riding the Bull Home

On reaching seventh dan we may find that we have forgotten the ox. What does it mean to forget the Ox?


Woodblock print by 德力富吉郎 Tokuriki Tomikichirō

忘牛存人 The Bull Transcended
Astride the bull, I reach home.

I am serene. The bull too can rest.

The dawn has come. In blissful repose,

Within my thatched dwelling

I have abandoned the whip and ropes

We made it home. Comfortable in our own taijutsu and in our dojo, whatever ambitions we had attached to training or rank are abandoned. We no longer attempt to manipulate training to serve the purpose of our ego.

Through all the stages of finding, following, catching, taming, and riding the ox, we have been seeking the true essential nature of training and of ourselves. If this process was pursued with pure intent, the self that was doing the seeking falls away. It disappears little by little until it is gone. What you are left with is only the essential, true training.

Even better than this, you may enter into another dimension of training where the true self doesn't even make an appearance at all. This is often symbolized in Japanese art and poetry as the pure white moonlight moving apart the clouds until there are no longer clouds and the whole world is bathed in this purity. This aspect of training becomes pure experience and is beyond words. Only direct experience remains.

And, your consciousness remains, observing. The bull is gone but through your direct experience all that is left is you observing and feeling. There clouds may gather again.

At this point in training we may start to wonder at how pointless all of the work we did up till now has been. All of the exercises, all of the kata, all of the drills… they feel like useless effort in the face of the pure moonlight. With this direct experience of the essence of training, everything else is a distraction.

People sometimes find themselves in the dojo going through the motions. Observing their movement and the movement of others and feeling like it is wasted effort. It is amusing to find your body repeating whatever the class is working on, while your heart is not in it. Or it feels pointless.

It feels like once you have grasped the essential nature of training, there is nothing left to do. You realize that what you were seeking in training is within you already, but also without. You stop looking and it is everywhere. All the secrets are made known.

So with nothing left to do, what is the point of training?

The fabric of training itself is the students and the art. Just like the stream is also water, or stars are also night sky- so students are their study. You observe this relationship: uke and tori; teacher and student; training and dojo; body and gi; hands and bokken. As you notice these things, you realize you are not them and they are not you. But you are part of this fabric.

This dreamlike quality of training can carry you for a long time. Even though you no longer need the whip and the halter, or the tools and exercises of the dojo, you are left observing these. In your reverie, you are still tied to those experiences.

Next we go even further to Bujinkan Hachidan 八段: Both Bull and Self Transcended…

Tachi bokken "2"

From Paart Budo Buki by buki stolar

This is the second tachi bokken slightly better, with few details on the saya and kashira, still under development,
third should be fully faithful to original copy of the Tachi sword.

For now, enjoy the pictures, and all other possible questions or orders, please contact me via e-mail, because it will be three more tachi bokken AVAILABLE.




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Regarding the Ranks

From TENRYU by jorgevaccaro

Regarding the Bujinkan Ranks

By Sôke Masaaki Hatsumi.

DVD HIMON BUJIN DEN

必問 武神 伝

 

There are off course, levels, ranks and casts everywhere.

I believe this cast of zones is important for human existance in earth.

I feel this things are necessary for those who adapt. The creation of a territory is also what adapts on each individual. I believe  that is not something that produces an impediment, but also what is free. This is some matter to understand on each position. Those who not have this strenght and aim to high, will certainly fail.

On my 5th Dan test, there’s an attack from behind. This is the beginning of the Kihon Happo. Please this means that you must understand the Happo and the Juppo. This is what is called Juppo Sessho no jutsu. You don’t know where an opponent may come. You don’t know what kind of dissaster will come and from where.

You must be able to deal with things  when they come from certain way, and it’s not just a question of protecting from a blow from behind – Please know about Juppo Sessho no jutsu and Kihon Happo. The ways in that Kihon Happo can be applied on this kinds of situations, are the tipe of things that are though on 5th dan. The test isn’t about just try to avoid an attack from behind.

Three people are bound to propose someone for the 10th dan. This in a sence, is Sanshin No Kata. This is the meaning of Sanshin no Kata that I’ve mentioned before. A person cannot become a 10dan without 3 people as sponsors.

There are individual differences on people, that’s why there are ranks until the 15th dan -This isn’t a question of ryuha-

I’ve created the ranks of 15dan, off course, with the meaning that people can take notice that they are in fact human beings. You could say that is to leave the abode.


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Relativity

From TENRYU by jorgevaccaro

As many of you may know, the teachings of Sôke during 2001, where focused in Gyokko Ryû and Daisho. Inside Gyokko Ryû Sensei Hatsumi tought the concepts of IN/YO (opposite polarities) applied to the In Ryoku 引力 concepts (gravity force, attraction),Jû Ryoku 重力 (gravity),  Ji Ryoku Sen  磁力線  (magnetic force line) among others.

Last night, we had a wonderful class with Sōke. Outside of the Dojo, the wind and the rain blew strongly in Taifu 台風 way, inside of the dojo the wind of the Bufu kept us moving from the hands of Sōke, while he shared with his Kuden the theory of relativity of Einstein  相対性理论, applied to Taijutsu. During the class, as Sôke showed techniques with Katana, Daisho, Kodachi and long weapons (Bo), he explaines the importance of moving freely taking advantage  the skillness of being able to use any weapon, even firearms. Throughout  the enlightening skills of  Sôke, while Uke fell naturally over the sword, that was naturally unsheathed by letting if fall down (In ryoku), he started to introduce us into the theory of relativity of Einstein, Everything happens so fast in the Dojo when Soke teaches, but at the same time seems very slow and hard to understand.

The escencial idea, of vital point (Kaname) of the theory of relativity, is for example that two observers that move relatively side by side with different speed, (if the difference is much minor than the speed of light, it’s not appreciable), often will have different measures of the time (time frames) and space (distance – maai) to describe the same series of events. That is, the perception of space (kukan) and the time depend of the state of movement (Taijutsu) of the observer or its relative to the observer. However, despite of the relativeness of space and time, there’s a more sutile form of physic invariance, as the content of the physical laws will be the same for both observers. This last thing means that, despite that the observers differ on the result of concrete measures of temporary and space magnitudes, they’ll find that the equations that relate physical magnitudes have the same form, with independence of his state of movement. This last fact is known as principle of covariance.

I feel that beyond what’s relative on each observer and the variance of perceptions, we can all find a vital point (Kaname要)  that can connect us to the escense of Budo, even though there are infinite changes (Banpen) and if the Mushin mind is kept, the escencial point appears by itself. Maybe that’s the Gokui of martial arts, though if we try to understand it, it’ll loose it’s escense.

Soke said, The Kaname can be understood, or it cannot be understood, it’s simple”

Bufu ikkan Banpen Kaname !!!

Christian


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HEISEI

From TENRYU by jorgevaccaro

平静 Heisei; is equanimity, from latin “aequanimitas”: balance, fairness, consistency and fairness in mind. We can understand it as keeping a balanced and serene attitude. It can also be translated as neutrality, balance or justice.

Antonyms of Fairness: imbalance, Inequality, obsession, paradox, bias, perversion, goodwill, prejudice, injustice.

If anyone saw pass  “equanimity” please let it notice and don’t let it get away!!

Train daily both inside and outside of the Dojo is one of my targets, to achieve “Kokoro no heisei (心の平静), an equable mind.


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The Meaning of ‘Shihan’

From The Magick & The Mundane » Bujinkan by Shawn Gray

What does the title Shihan mean?
This blog post is in response to a question that I received on Facebook the other day:

I’m surprised every time I see people in the Bujinkan title themselves as Shihan. If I’m not mistaken you never present your self with -san added, this is only used when addressing others. So would not the same thinking apply to Shihan?
I’m not sure when people started doing this, maybe when they got tired of “just” having 15 dan? However, this are just my own thoughts, which very likely can be completely wrong [:)] I’d be curious to hear your thoughts on this. Maybe this could lead to yet another great and educational blog post of yours?

In the Bujinkan martial arts, the title “Shihan” has come to be used to refer to anyone ranked Judan (10th degree) and higher. Many people seem to think that it was always used this way, but it actually used to be used differently. So for this blog post I’ll be discussing what the word Shihan means in general, and how it’s come to be used the way it is in the Bujinkan.

師範

The word Shihan is generally defined in regular Japanese as instructor, teacher, or model. In Japan, there are various groups, organizations, or situations where both Sensei (the much more commonly used of the two terms) and Shihan are used, and in such cases Shihan is generally used to mean senior instructor, senior teacher, etc. This is common in the martial arts, but both words are  often used in other areas of Japanese life as well.

As far as the use of the word Shihan in the Bujinkan martial arts goes, the term was originally used to refer to the senior Japanese students of Hatsumi Sensei. That much is common knowledge, but many people I’ve spoken with over the years were unaware that Shihan was also used to refer to the senior Japanese students even before they reached the rank of Judan. Even now many people don’t seem to be aware of this – most people seem to think that the title is synonymous with the rank of Judan and up – and indeed, in a large sense, this is the meaning that it has taken on over the years. However, the senior Japanese students of Sensei (and two foreigners that I know of – there very well could be more) were called Shihan (by Hatsumi Sensei himself) before they reached the rank of Judan.

Over time, as the senior Japanese instructors began to reach ranks of Judan and above, they of course continued to be called Shihan. As time passed, foreigners began to associate the title Shihan with the colourful Judan patch. As more time passed and foreign students also began to reach ranks of Judan and above, they started to call themselves Shihan, thinking that it means a rank of Judan or higher, and perhaps desiring a new title after having already “achieved” the title of Shidoshi way back at Godan. Eventually, people began to think that having one of those Judan patches on one’s uniform makes one a Shihan, and this has become the default understanding that we see in the Bujinkan today.

In Japanese culture, just as with a title like –san, a title like Shidoshi, Sensei, or Shihan is not something that one applies to oneself. It is not something one puts on one’s business cards. It is not something that one uses to refer to oneself in class, or on one’s own website, or in email or other correspondence. It is something that others apply to you out of respect. In speaking of respect, it is my opinion (because this is the way that my teachers taught that it should be) that one should not force one’s students to call them by any particular title. This is something that should come naturally from the students’ side. If someone wants to be a Sensei or a Shidoshi or a Shihan, it is more important to act like the type of Sensei or Shidoshi or Shihan who deserves that title. In simple terms, respect is something that should be earned rather than demanded.

It’s important to realize that the word Shihan doesn’t just refer to a number on a rank certificate. This is one possible reason that Hatsumi Sensei refers to good Shihan (meaning that also, by unspoken implication (quite important in Japanese culture), there are not-good Shihan as well). In speaking of good Shihan, Sensei is indicating that it is more than just a numerical value written on a piece of paper. It is something other than simply that. There is a reason why we have both the numerical grade names (Judan, Juichidan, etc.) as well as the title Shihan. Through observing the people and the circumstances in which Hatsumi Sensei refers to people as Shihan, it is my opinion that he is using the title with an expectation that the person indicated is willing and able to take on positions of leadership and responsibility within the Bujinkan organization. More than just a numerical rank grade, it is a title that acknowledges leadership. These two things, rank and leadership, are not at all necessarily the same. Simply because someone is a skilled martial artist doesn’t mean that they are ready, willing, or even able, to take on a role of leadership in the Bujinkan and assume the responsibilities of service (let’s not forget that leadership is service) that are required of a leader. True Bujinkan Shihan are able to act as leaders and role models for others, leading by example and inspiring others to become martial artists of true ability, humility, integrity, and sincerity. These abilities don’t come from a rank number, but from a heart set on the true values (価値観, kachikan) and virtues (武徳, butoku) of the martial arts.

I hope that this article has provided some insight into the meaning of the word Shihan, particularly with regard to the history of the use of the term within the Bujinkan and how it relates to leadership in the organization.


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Bujinkan Rokudan 六段: Riding the Bull Home

From Bujinkan Santa Monica by Michael

Riding the Ox Home, digital c-print photograph by Andrew Binkley
Hatsumi Sensei describes the journey of a Bujinkan student through the Dan ranks as being akin to the Ten Oxherding pictures in Zen Buddhism. These pictures describe the seekers journey to enlightenment.

If you haven't read my other posts in this series, please check them out. You may find them useful no matter what your rank is:

Bujinkan Shodan 初段: Searching for the Bull
Bujinkan Nidan 弐段: Discovering the Footprints
Bujinkan Sandan 参段: Perceiving the Bull
Bujinkan Yondan 四段: Catching the Bull
Bujinkan Godan 五段: Taming the Bull

Passing beyond Godan brings us to a place of creative play. The Bull (mind) obeys without searching about and we don't need to work to constrain it anymore.
Woodblock print by 德力富吉郎 Tokuriki Tomikichirō

骑牛归家 Riding the Bull Home
Mounting the bull, slowly
I return homeward.

The voice of my flute intones
through the evening.
Measuring with hand-beats
the pulsating harmony,
I direct the endless rhythm.

Whoever hears this melody
will join me.

Sensei says that "When you pass the Godan test, then you realize 無意識 muishiki." This is moving from the unconscious. Once this seed is planted there is nothing to do except allow this state of muishiki to grow. There is no longer any question of trying to prove anything in relation to your rank.

When people first pass Godan, sometimes they continue searching for something in themselves. Some kind of change in ability or looking for more in training and wondering, is this all? At this stage the search comes to rest. The wall between unenlightened/enlightened, strong/weak, soft/hard, good/bad, and win/loss disappears so training follows its own course.

Unhindered, free taijutsu without any blocks.

Here is a trap. You become so free and comfortable and relaxed with training that improvement stops. This is like the middle age of training. People just settle in and enjoy, comfortable in rank and ability. But the real, true polishing of the heart is yet to occur.

Hatsumi Sensei says,
"Just because someone has been training for 40 or 50 years, it doesn't mean anything. Even for myself, no matter how long I've been training.. it's nothing special. I'm still walking along behind Takamatsu Sensei. That's what the tradition means."
Riding the ox home. Where is this home? And why are we not there yet? One experience of home is to be back where it all started, as a beginner. Beginner's mind as they say. Going full circle. We are not there yet because our self is still busy admiring it's own reflection in training or technique. We are not yet able to do taijutsu without observing ourselves in the experience.

Sometimes, like watching the sunset, or listening to the flute, we become nostalgic for the "old" days of training. We tell many stories to junior students about how training used to be. We miss those times.

But every note resonates with us, calling us back to pure training without thought or technique. We can experience the muishiki of the moment of godan anytime in the dojo. And this is like our compass, marking the path ahead.

Here whether we are teaching others, or being taught, we move beyond words and concepts. We can learn so much from a glance of our instructor. Or, a lesson becomes self evident so that when we show a technique, nothing needs to be said.

Hatsumi Sensei uses the word 暗黙的 anmokuteki, which is an implicit teaching. This is a silent, sometimes secret teaching that arises from a natural understanding between teacher and student. The only reason this teaching stays a secret is because the communication is on a level that not everyone is prepared to observe.

We should also teach ourselves in this manner. Then the Ox doesn't need to be led. He knows the way.

Next in this series: Bujinkan Nanadan 七段: The Bull Transcended

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Bujinkan Godan 五段: Taming the Bull

From Bujinkan Santa Monica by Michael

Taming the Ox, digital c-print photograph by Andrew Binkley
Hatsumi Sensei describes the journey of a Bujinkan student through the Dan ranks as being akin to the Ten Oxherding pictures in Zen Buddhism. These pictures describe the seekers journey to enlightenment.

If you haven't read my other posts in this series, please check them out. You may find them useful no matter what your rank is:
Bujinkan Shodan 初段: Searching for the Bull
Bujinkan Nidan 弐段: Discovering the Footprints
Bujinkan Sandan 参段: Perceiving the Bull
Bujinkan Yondan 四段: Catching the Bull

In the Bujinkan, Godan is marked by the Godan test. You must be free of doubt to pass through this gate. How do we become free of doubt?


Woodblock print by 德力富吉郎 Tokuriki Tomikichirō
牧牛 Taming the Bull
The whip and rope are necessary,
Else he might stray off down
some dusty road.
Being well-trained, he becomes

naturally gentle.

Then, unfettered, he obeys his master.

Once you have caught hold of the bull, rather than simply hanging on desperately as he bucks and runs around, it is necessary to tame the bull. The Ox or bull in these parables is the mind. In our Bujinkan training, it is the mind, spirit, and body.

Most of us begin training to develop physical skills and abilities. As we search for that elusive quality that our teachers have and seem to create at will, we start to realize we need to develop our minds and spirits equally.

In catching hold of our true nature- our true mind, body, and spirit… we discover where the heart of our training lies. While this is a nice feeling and helpful in the dojo, we may wonder, can we call this essence up at will?

To tame the ox, you must notice, it is not you doing anything. You are not performing techniques. You are not passing the Godan test. You are just sitting.

Having this realization is wonderful. But it is still far from being able to create this and connect to it when needed. The Godan test marks a chance for you to do that. If you pass, there may be a curious sensation of having done something, but not having done anything at the same time.

This is a vital feeling!

A feeling at the root of 虚実 kyojitsu. Truth and Falsehood. In taming the Bull, when you show truth, your taijutsu will be good. When you are mislead by falsehood, the Ox runs away with you dragging behind. To master these two is to understand one is the other. Truth is Falsehood, and Falsehoods are truth. When you can present either one purely the Ox is tamed.

To keep this feeling awake in the dojo requires a renewed focus and disciplined training (whipping the ox). With sincere training that is connected to your true nature, the pure essence of training will be reflected in your heart. This is the polishing of the mirror of our hearts.

The more pure your taijutsu becomes, the less whipping is needed. This will be reflected in your uke's response to your efforts, in your relationships in or out of the dojo, and the naturalness of your taijutsu.

Eventually the Ox is so tame, that you can let him go and he will follow you anywhere. In the dojo, with any uke, on the streets, at work, home, with your family… Your kamae expands to be always present.

When sitting for the Godan test, you should have no doubt about passing. The person giving the test also has no doubt. Their cut is a connection from the heavens down through you into the earth. As Soke often tells us, Don't sever this connection.

We'll see where this leads us with Bujinkan Rokudan 六段: Riding the Bull Home.…

Thoughts on Rank

From BUJINKAN TASMANIA by Duncan Stewart

The ranks in the Bujinkan are for heart.

Those with the right heart will accept rank from their teacher without question.
The student, with their feeling of discomfort or inadequcey for their new rank, should then go away and train hard until they become worthy of the grade.
This is understanding Sakizuke.

This is the correct feeling to have when dealing with the Bujinkan grades.

Everyone in the Bujinkan receives rank based on Sakizuke ( attaining a rank before the actual skill/understanding is achieved ).
It is important to understand this and therefore not become concerned with ranking requirements to achieve a higher rank.

The Bujinkan is like an Organism, rather than an Organisation. It is alive and very natural.
Those that wish to control their dojo by creating set requirements, rules and obligations etc, often are going against natures way.

All we have to do is trust in Sokes manner of transmitting his budo and train hard to obtain Shin Gi Tai Ichi.

There are over 300 jugodan ranks in the Bujinkan world today. Soke has said that none of them are masters. His ranks are in “hope” that one day, some masters will sprout from this group. this is an important teaching. It is important for everyone to keep training and never become complacent or satisfied with their supposed rank. Rank is transparent in the real world. The teachings are to remove oneself from the constraints of material gain and reward and to understand that the “shugyo” is the most important thing. The training never ends and the master never thinks of being a master. The master thinks of himself as forever a student. This is what truly inspires. Very few people in any martial art can truly become masters. Thus, the ranks of the Bujinkan are alive and people succeed or fail just as in life. The ranks of the Bujinkan are teaching that life and budo are one in the same. Therefore, we are encouraged to walk everyday with an everyday mind and just think of “keeping on Going”. That is all that matters – Bufu ikkan!!


Words based on recent thoughts sprouting from classes in Japan.


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