2012 - NinZine 3.0

Kumade hook

buki stolarApril 16, 2012April 23, 2012

This is Kumade which I make in version of hook for climbing.

As you know (or do not know) Kumade exists in several versions,

in this version of the hooks for climbing or grasping an opponent, with two branches, three branches (this which I did) or with four or more branches.

There is also in a version that is placed on poles, similar to Yari, but instead of the spear head was placed Kumade, I will soon make this one too.

This kind of hooks for climbing has its own advantages, which normally depend on the method and place of use, the laws of physics do their role, which is the advantage of what I want to say something.
The moment when you throw a hook of this type, gravity affects the spikes to be turned down, which ensures that the spikes thrust into an opponent or will grasp some support for climbing.

Other types of benefits, refer to the quality of the reception area, it is a lot better if you ensure with three or more spikes than one or eventually two,

however it all depends on the proper technique of using

I was made this one for my dojo museum,

a little black paint and is already better, if you need more info about this tool send e-mail

Shindô, The True Path

kumafrApril 16, 2012

From Shiro Kuma's Weblog by kumafr

The recent days have brought their amount of new experiences. Yesterday going to the Takamatsu memorial with sensei was a nice moment that I always cherish, and it is was a true moment of budô shared with sensei, Oguri senei’s family and a group of shihan from all over the world. I am always thankful to sensei for these rare opportunties unveiling another true aspect of his budô.

This is the proof, if needed to, that the bujinkan is a Shindô – 真道, a true path of Life.

We stayed in Tsukuba for a few hours and burnt incense sticks in memory of Takamatsu sensei and Oguri sensei. After we finished sensei asked us to rebuild a statue that fell and broke into pieces after a recent earthquake. Nagato sensei, Moti, Darren and a few others repaired it and put it back standing up on its piedestal. It is a statue of a woman pouring water like the zodiac symbol of the Aquarius.

For me, it was a symbolic lesson concerning life and hope. This “aquarius” woman lying on the ground and destroyed was suddenly raising again and standing up for a better future. In budô, we often fall (ego, illusions, self pity) but each time we rebuild ourselves and stand up again. This is what perseverance is about. The fact that we are at the end of the era of the Aquarius adds even more meaning to the scene as if telling us that untill the end there is always a need to be living in the present. Too many people are heading towards a potential future and do not take the time to enjoy the present moment. In the techniques this is obvious as uke is already moving in his future and is not able to react correctly in the present.

I began to see the links with sensei’s past teachings coming together in a single space and time.The concepts of nakaima (the center of now), henka (the begining and the end of change), and juppô sesshô were dancing together and melting in my brain. This was indeed a very special day. I understood suddenly that all the teachings I had received in the past 28 years were summing up into one single idea: being one with oneself to live happily in a permanent present.

Then, back to Noda I met with sensei at his home. Shiraishi sensei was struggling with the many orders received recently, and the floor was covered with enveloppes, papers, diplomas, patches and membership cards. The bujinkan has become a big organization today but as sensei wants to keep it human, it is not run like a business. I want to take this opportunity to thank Shiraishi sensei for his hard (and unrecognized work) in dealing with hundreds of orders during his free time.

I also want the bujinkan community to understand the huge amount of work it requires from both Hatsumi sensei and Shiraishi sensei. The bujinkan office receives about 15000 orders per year (my guess). These orders concerns: membership cards, patches, shidôshi hô menkyô, shidôshi menkyô, kyû ranks, dan ranks up to 4th dan, and shidôshi ranks from 5th dan to 15th dan. Shiraishi sensei has to control every order in the bujinkan logs and prepare the various orders until fourth dan. All menkyô diplomas and shidôshi ranks are done by sensei. Sensei told us last week that there were now over 3200 shidôshi in the bujinkan!

If you consider that an average order takes 5 minutes you get an impressive total of 1250 hours of work.

Shiraishi sensei is helping sensei around 20 hours per week to do this, so I hope that you now understand why it takes so long between the day you send your order and the day you receive it. An average of 8 to10 months is therefore logical. Even though those “papers” might have some importance, remember that what you are learning is not on this piece of paper with your rank on it, it is on what you do with yourself and that will take more then 8 to 10 months to achieve your mission in budô.

Time is an illusion and the path is long, and this shindô will transform you more than you think. But you will understand this only after training 30 or 40 years of real training.

Ganbatte!

KAIGOUSURU 2006 TAIKAI – 10′th International Training Party

budoshopApril 15, 2012

From Budoshop by budoshop

Kaigousuru 10 – the tenth International Bujinkan Training Party with…

- Arnaud Cousergue (Fra)
- Ed Martin (USA)
- Lauri Jokinen (Fin)
- Lubos Pokorny (Cze)
- Mats Hjelm (Swe)

At this three day Tai Kai the five instructors taught three classes each. One big group with everyone, then we had split up the group in two, green belts and the black belts so that the instructors could teach more freely and more detailed to the appropriate groups. See below for details of what they taught.

Recorded in Stockholm, Sweden April 2006

All movies are 640×360 (H.264, AAC), in windows rename file from .M4V to .MP4 if you have problems.

Part 1 – 138 minutes, 1.67 Gb for $14.99

Arnaud Cousergue (France)

138 minutes where Arnaud taught Taijutsu, the first class was more advanced Taijutsu. The second class was for the green belts where he taught proper Kamae, blocking and movement.

Part 2 – 68 minutes, 831 Mb for $11.99

Ed Martin (U.S.A.)

68 minutes where Ed taught breathing techniques, how to use the body structure to your advantage, self defense from a knife attack. To the green belt class he taught Taijutsu from grabbing situations.

Part 3 – 90 minutes, 1.1 Gb for $11.99

Lauri Jokinen (Finland)

90 minutes where Lauri taught Suwari-gata and Tachi-waza techniques from Shindenfudo-ryu. At the green belt class he taught more Taijutsu henka, and a little basics.

Part 4 – 90 minutes, 1.1 Gb for $11.99

Lubos Pokorny (Czech Republic)

90 minutes where Lubos taught Taijutsu feeling from his many months in Japan this year (we did not film the green belt class with Lubos).

Part 5 – 88 minutes, 1.06 Gb for $11.99

Mats Hjelm (Sweden)

88 minutes where Mats Hjelm taught Sabaki, Kamae, Striking and blocking. Sanshin no kata. Sword basics, Iai-nuki, cutting (makiwara cutting), evading/blocking. And Shindenfudo-ryu Taijutsu techniques.

Confused? Not Anymore!

kumafrApril 15, 2012

From Shiro Kuma's Weblog by kumafr

I am not confused anymore as today, I finally got my answer. I am happy to share it with you as I guess you were all totally confused after my previous post.

Friday night, Hatsumi sensei was speaking of the necessary adaptation to take into account when using fighting techniques of the past.

His point was that applying techniques that belong to a period of time from the past, might result dangerous in another time.

I remember reading one day a book of strategy for samurai (Heiho Okugi Sho) were it was said that the best side to attack a sleeping samurai was to arrive by the top of the body (head) because he wouldn’t be able to draw his sword in this configuration; and a few pages later , they said to always protect the left side (this is why the Japanese still drive on the left side of the road) in order to protect the sword. These two examples show how wrong a good tactic can become a few centuries later. Today any soldier can shoot reverse above his head, so the first tactic is wrong. Guns being on the right side of the body today is the total ooposite, therefore this is the right side that must be protected (this is why the americans drive on the right side of the road)*. Wrong again.

Sensei used the image of the change from Chinese based beliefs to Buddhism around the Heian period. He spoke about jukyô (儒教 – confucianism) and of bukkyô (仏教 – buddhism) that replaced it. Acccepting changes is often difficult bur is alays necessary if you want to survive in your present.

This permanent change is what we learn in the Bujinkan, it is always better not to resist. Change is not good or bad, it is simply necesssary to survive. This is the original image of the in/yo concept. In/Yo (陰陽) symbolizes the alternative between sun and rain.

Like the nami (the wave) of yesterday, being able to interchange the in/yo every time needed is the best way to ensure victory.

* For Europe it is a change of sides decided by Napoleon in all the countries he invaded in order to protect the supplies for his troops. They were using big chariots with six horses and needed a young man on the first horse to help moving to the left or to the right the first horses so that the others horses would follow the proper direction. Now riding horses was always on the left side of the horse** and driving on the left side of the road created a big blind spot that prevented full visibility. This caused many accidents with walls, trees, other chariots. By changing the side of driving this problem was solved.

** the Europeans including the British*** were all driving on the left side because before the crusades the swords of the knigts were straight***** and being worn on the left hip prevented them from riding the horse on the right side.

*** The British were never invaded by Napoleon and so they are still driving on the “good side”, the left one even in New Zealand****

**** In the movie “the last Samurai”, they ride their horses on the left side. One of my friend being a stuntman on this movie, I asked him why they were riding their horses on the wrong side. His answer was: “we tried to ride them the Japanese way but the horses refused to let us ride them on the right side as Samurai would.” Why? “because the movie was recorded in New Zealand!”.

***** Japanese Samurai began to use curved swrod hanging lose on the hip, bbut as they were holding a long weapon in the right hand (yumi, yari, naginata) they would grab the pommel of the saddle with the right hand, and ride from the right side. te sword moving freely would follow the movement.

Confusion

kumafrApril 14, 2012

From Shiro Kuma's Weblog by kumafr

Being wrong is good
The first class with sensei is always a fantastic moment that I enjoy pretty much. And this one was not different. It was rich and full of new feelings that will brew in my brain and body to create a new flavored taijutsu.

As often when I arrive in Japan for my first class, Hatsumi sensei asked to open the class and as I have recorded recently the Takagi Yôshin Ryû with my Indian Buyu, this is a Takagi like movement that came out. When you are asked to show it is always better to have nothing “ready” so that what you are doing reflects your own personal evolution since your last trip and not a fake movement repeated over and over to “look good” in front of the Sôke. Over the years I noticed that often the simplest movements are the best to trigger his creativity and in that way everyone in the class whatever rank he or she is wearing is able to get something out of it.

Uke is attacking with his right fist and you ura jodan uke his attack with the left elbow then grab his left hand softly, extend his left arm and bring him to the ground in a kind of musô dori. At least this is what I remembered showing but when, five minutes later, sensei asked to repeat it again he watched and said: “no Arnaud do the first one you did”. I am sure I looked confused and lost because I honestly thought that this was the one I did. I will not take any responsability here, I will blame the jet lag.

We found out later that the first technique ended with a jûji dori on uke’s arms using the right one under the left to add some leverage and ease the throw. This “leverage thing” is one of the basic concepts used in theTakagi Yôshin and the Kukishin and is called teko (梃 – lever) shiten (支点 – fulcrum) it uses also the second main principle of these two fighting systems the jûjiron (十字路 – crossroad), the principle of always using a perpendicular control whatever you do.

Confusion (1)
The interesting thing (apart form the techniques) is the state of confusion I experienced when sensei stopped me in the demonstration. Funnily this was one of the very interesting development he taught during the class. Confusing your opponent is the best way to create openings in his attacks; it changes distances and overall it modifies his perceptions of reality in front. Actually uke is sure to make the good choices where in fact he is living in an illusion. Remember that ninjutsu is genjutsu (幻術 – magic). This holistic attitude (body and mind) creates a fake reality for him and triggers his actions. The distance he sees is wrong, the timing he perceives is wrong, his whole world of certitudes is off balanced. Off balancing uke’s brain, is always the key and your movements should always allow you to react instantaneously to the changes he is creating.
As always Sensei did many applications with weapons, manly daisho sabaki ones and insisted a lot on not grabbing. If you grab, he said, you are locking yourself and become unable to adapt to uke’s changes. Since he redefined for us at dkms the meaning of henka (beginning and end of change) I see it everywhere. But here it was making a lot of sense. Every minor change in uke’s intentions and actions is addressed immediately because we are not grabbing. Uke is the one grabbing himself. To me it looks like if we grab uke we shut down our ability to read the next step: grabbing reders you totally blind. Controlling uke with the body on the contrary gives you the eyes of the hawk. As hawk is taka (鷹) and gi (or waza – 技) is technique; the Takagi becomes a technique of a hawk.

Sword and daisho sabaki
The Daisho sabaki (大小捌き) forms add an infinite set of new possibilities. Sensei explained that the goal here is not to draw uke’s blade but to use it to trap his mind and apply basic controls with the body as if you would be using a simple stick. The blade still sheathed there is no risk for you, but in uke’s mind you are going to cut him soon and he freezes. This freezing created by his inability to read your intentions creates new opportunnities that you use to finish him. And this works also when more than one opponent is facing you. At one point, sensei applied the technique against three opponents. When weapons are flying in the air everyone tries not to be hit or cut and this creates another illusion for each uke. First they don’t want to injure one of their friends, and second they do not want to get injured themselves. At one point sensei was controlling effortlessly three opponents with swords on the ground. Each one trying not to die and having no understanding on where he was and what he was going to do. In this situation, the group disappears and each one thinks individually to escape from the situation. Everyone was confused… except for sensei.

Jin is Hanpirei
Another interesting point sensei developed was that we must learn how to do the technique as tori and how to avoid the technique when being uke. Only when you are able to do this are you really in control of the technique. To illustrate this sensei played with the kanji for man, 人 jin, and he said that in this kanji there is one line splitting in two lines like the ura/omote or the yin/yang. This is to symbolize the ability to reverse any action and to transform defeat into victory. Everything comes in a flow and you keep reversing the situation by surfing on uke’s intention.This is why grabbing is out of the question (tsukamidori to grab – 掴み取り). Sensei’s movements were “hanpirei”, inversely proportional to mine. Grabbing the opponent would be stopping the flow of things and locking the brain; and leading to defeat.

It felt like a wave
During the class I went to sensei to feel the technique as I didn’t get it. It was amazing. While receiving the technique I got the feeling I was caught by a wave. I told him and he confirmed it to me. This nami (波 – wave) sensation was soft but there was nothing I could do to avoid being drawn. It seems that letting go was the best thing to do. It was amazing because sensei was not using any strength at all, he was only playing subtly with my body reactions. I was the stupid witness of my downfall, and it seemed logical. In fact his relaxed movements were creating tension in my brain and body and my automatic reactions were opening a kûkan. Once a new kûkan would open, sensei would reverse it proportionally to his own benefit. To understand it better, it was like supporting yourself on a collapsing wall. Suddenly, there is nothing and there was no warning nd no violence.

Shuko and Kaname
In every technique we did, sensei insisted how much easier it would be if we would have worn a pair of Shuko or a pair of ashiko. The Bujinkan is a martial art where everything is used and we have to keep an open mind on what is possible…even if it is not in the book. The kaname (要) of this year, the “essential point” is exactly this. Actually we can define two types of kaname, one addressing the body/technique; the other one the brain. After some point you will figure out that those two are one but for today seeing these two aspects can help you improve your taijutsu.

Confusion (2)
So during the class sensei apparently spoke about confusion. At least this is what I thought until I checked in the dictionary… During the class sensei used a specific term but then I am not sure of what I heard exactly. Once again our senses are the one creating our off balancing. I thought he spoke about “confusion” when he used the word “jûkyo”, and speaking after the class with some resident on the platform at the train station, he confirmed it to me.
Now back in my hotel room I went through my dictionary and found that jûkyo meant house, residence. So I thought that my Romaji transcription or my hearing were not good so I tried every close possibility:

chûkyô: Communist Chinajûkyo: house, or residence
jukyô: Confucianism
jikyo: retiring leaving
jikyou: confession
shukyô: primary mirror of a telescope (the telescope again!) or main mirror
shûkyô: state boundary, or religion
shûkyo: removal, or religion

Now was there any “confusion” in the translation between the sound “confusion” and “Confucian” pronounced by a Japanese? I don’t know but I will ask him tomorrow; but one thing I do know is that the class was confusing and let me with even more questions.

At the end of the class sensei said that he was teaching exclusively for the fifteenth dan. I wish I was only fourteenth to have an excuse to be so lost.

Ganbate!