From Paart Budo Buki by buki stolar
This is PAART Nagamaki "A" vereion, Koshirae look,
From Paart Budo Buki by buki stolar
This is PAART Nagamaki "A" vereion, Koshirae look,From TENRYU by jorgevaccaro
For the learning process of this secret, there is an initiation ceremony through the sixth sense, allowing the student to learn this strange technique. The student, dressed in white clothes, sitting motionless in an open room. The Master, like a shadow, without making any noise, attacks the student with a sword, as a floating boat. If the student dodges the sword, he got the secret, but if not, then that was it. There is a similarity between this and the artist who destroys his new work if he didn`t like it.
One day I was sitting in my master’s room when he told me: “wait here with your eyes closed, and do not open them, no matter what happens”, I relaxed and felt him leave the room. Suddenly, I made a side roll after I felt certain presence and I saw a shadow as if my body was splitted in half. Then I made a forward ukemi, after I felt that my head flew away. When I returned to Shizen Fudoza, I opened my eyes when I heard his voice said: “well done; you may open your eyes”. Then I say Takamatsu Sensei standing with a sword on his right hand. Being incredibly steady, I realized that this was the spiritual technique through the sixth sense. Then I received the sword of my master. Later on I was told that this was “Juji Giri Mumei no Itto”.
A year before Takamatsu Sensei died, he told me, “I let the Martial Arts in your hands.” Nine years since he died, and I’ve been training hard, and lately, I can say that this is the true Budo. By the way, in the test for Godan in the Bujinkan Dojo, I attack with determination from behind the student who is sitting, with his eyes closed. If he dodges, he passes. This is the beginning. Not only dodge an attack from behind. Sometimes you have to know the other side of the world. In human relations, the person you trust could betray you someday. Even then, you can realize the value of peace with this training. It is just a deception to cultivate only the sense , that will allow you to dodge an attack from behind. This kind of mentality creates a distance between you and the truth of life, and ruins it. That kind of mentality is the cancer to correct the growing. In this sense Juji Giri Mumei no Itto, is the operation to remove the cancer in the early stages. It can also be taken as one should stop teaching the person should not be taught.
When you teach many students, some kind of sense is important. Buddha taught ten followers, but one failed.
One of the 12 apostles of Christ, was a rebel.
Even a relationship between the Master and student, has a flaw. The relation between teachers and students, in a modern school system is bad. In these situations, the most important principle endures: Learn the mind of true Martial Arts.
When you pass the test for Godan, the way of training will necessarily change. Changes to a invisible training; incomprehensible training. I teach students who have been training for over 20 years, but only cordially. It could be the instruction of incomprehensibly strange techniques for them. They understand it, but they can`t do it. Apparently they may understand, but really don`t understand. Thus, the strange techniques start breathing . It’s ACCEPTABLE for me, if they don`t understand, because I am teaching incomprehensible techniques. If they understood, they would be Superman. They will improve, because they do not understand.
One day, one of my more graduated students, came up to me and said: “I heard out there, that there`s a technique that allows us to throw the opponent without touching. – “I decided to try and teach this, avoinding my students from getting hurt. I, along with the student and four other students, went to a place that had a video camera. Nine eyes are staring. “Forward” “Yes sir.” One passes to the other. My student, flew over me and fell. A few minutes later, he got up with blood coming out of his mouth. “Understand?” “No sir.” The “rest of you understand?” “No Sensei, but we believe that we will, when we see the video.” “You won´t understand,” I told them. We watched the video, but none of the students could capture the moment in his eyes. This is a Martial Art. It is impossible to learn the stranges techniques taking photos and writing. Another way of looking at this is that if you show your techniques in a makimono and it is stolen, doesn´t matter. This is the essence of Martial Art. Take pictures or write, is useless. No other way to study under the teaching of a Master and do what he says.
In the opportunity of publish this book, I present for your information, the book that Takamatsu Sensei had taught me. As a rule of this Ryu, it is forbiten to write down. Because if you write, the depth of its essence ends. The Martial Arts will be the secret without limitations. That is, to write this book, it is against my will. Even if I write the explanation for a future study, nobody truly learn. As Takamatsu Sensei said, “learn through hard training.”
A year before his dead, Takamatsu Sensei told me: “now you are a good Martial Artist. I have been rewarded the favors of my Masters”
I was half in doubt. I thought you could master the essence of a martial art, a few years after being taught. Since Master died, I’ve been wondering for nine years, and now I decided to publish this book. One day, I talked to a driver who lived in the U.S., that the expression of the Martial Arts, through writing, was like a sheet with musical staves. Martial Art has grown from unlimited space of zero, which was kept on paper. Even if the computer was developed to store all the information, I couldn´t figure zero. Even if it did, they could not put pressure on foreign techniques of zero without reaching the stage of constant power of Martial Arts. The Martial Artist’s dream is to live there.
Soke Masaaki Hatsumi
Book Hiden Togakure Ryu Ninpo
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From Shiro Kuma's Weblog by kumafr
Today one if my close student has been promoted to Jûdan by Hatsumi sensei. Cédric (left on the picture) has been training for many years with me and has a very nice Dôjô near Paris.
It is always a very special moment for a teacher when one of his or her student is reaching this high rank.
The Jûdan rank is the first one of the high ranks, as you know the ranks above are all “jûdan plus an element”.
We call them 11th, 12th ,13th,etc because it is easier to call them with numbers. But do you know that the real names for these ranks are linked to the five elements?
The so-called “jûichi dan” is in fact a “jûdan chigyô Happô biken” where “chigyô” is the border at the limit of Chi and sui. And this goes like that until the last rank: suigyô, kagyô, fûgyô, kûgyô.
To make it simple the ranking system can be divided as follow:
Beginner to ikkyû is like kindergarten.
Shodan to Yondan is like elementary school
Rokudan to Kyûdan is like secondary school
Jûdan to “Jûgodan” is like University.
Do you remember the first day you entered university and the way you felt? The world was yours wasn’t it?
Then when you began to study for real, you increased your knowledge dramatically. The Bujinkan system is exactly the same.
Your growing understanding of the art transforms you and prepares you gradually to be living on your own.
In fact the last Bujinkan rank is like a diploma of Engineer or Doctor.
But like in real life, when you “graduate” from the Bujinkan University, you have only acquired the theoretical knowledge and you have no real life experience. The real work can then begin.
The Jûdan is the first step to become a true practitioner.
Good luck Cédric on this new path. And remember that I’m here if you need help or advice.
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From BUJINKAN TASMANIA by Duncan Stewart
The Bujinkan Dojo is a new entity, yet holds within it the cultural treasures and traditions since the dawn of Amaterasu. Soke has said that he is worried that the Japanese culture is moving in a direction where “traditions” are being forgotten. The role of the Bujinkan Dojo is to preserve the essence of the traditions through the martial arts while adapting to survive with the evolution of man and world he lives in.
If people care not about the traditional aspects of budo, we are in a sence ” killing ” the art or saying that tradition is not important any more. The Bujinkan is a holistic art form. We must learn from the past to assist with the development of the future. Nagato Sensei during his classes often states that there are no shortcuts and that the larger more traditional forms must be practised and studied well, especially in regards to long weapons etc.
In the Bujinkan, we do this from kata. Kata helps us appreciate the history, traditions and culture of the martial arts of Japan. We also come to experience how culture and people have evolved in both mind, body and spirit. This is, in a way, a practical or ” hands on ” sociological or anthropological study of not only the Japanese culture but the cultures of the world. In a very natural sence through the study of budo, the practitioners of the martial arts become Anthropologists and Philosophers.
Budo requires individuals to come together ( often as groups ) and physically enter movements of combatative study. For many, this is an extremely challenging step. The dojo holds within it a great chance for each individual to truly develop a working knowledge of their humanity,mortality, and place in the world. The dojo is a sanctioned area by Kami ( god ) to learn through hardship the purpose and correct manner in which to connect with others to minimise violence. It is quite a dichotomy really. However, it is the only way to truly learn to value human life.
The fighting arts within the Bujinkan all commence with “spiritual purification”. This is extremely important. The practitioner must develop with a balance. If the person does not evolve with a balanced mind, then they will never naturally know when to act and not to act. Violence is to be avoided at all costs, yet the martial artist without the mind for peace, may rush into violence. Often it is said that all a good man has to do to defeat evil is to do nothing. Many people will see this comment as pacifist in nature. But to me, it is not. I have watched and listened to Soke, and I believe he follows the path of natural justice. I have thought about his manner of dealing with various issues and seen the results of this path way lead by Soke. I now try to build a greater capacity to trust in it as well.
It is in fact strategy of the highest nature and maturity. It is allowing the Universe to uphold natural justice. To relinquish ones own desires and allow the power of nature to take it`s course is knowing the “mind and eyes of god”. Those that need to be in control and have to take charge, are in their own ego. The release of the ego is to understand Mushin. To move from a state of nothingness or zero, is to move as dictated by nature and not your own selfish desires. The martial arts is about relinquishing oneself to a higher power. It is often a very difficult thing to do because we cannot see this power. As a result, we cannot trust in it and hold onto what we know and believe with our own consciousness. A step to trusting this power is the godan test. This test for both the giver and reciever is a move toward acknowledging and trusting in a greater power than ones own. In regards to the godan test, it is often discussed that the giver must emit a killer intention. This killer intention ( as described once to me ) is actually an act of compassion. It is also a test of the givers unification of shin gi tai. The ultimate goal of the martial artist is to win without entering the fight. The emission of sakki and making the reciever move is one way of testing this. We must consider why sakki is emitted? Any professional would try to hide this “killer intention”, as he does not want his adversary to move or have the chance to defend himself. So, the emission of Sakki is for a variety of reasons.
These things come to mind through the experience of training. The mind cannot understand alone. You have to learn through the body ( practise ). This is patience. If you do not have patience to learn this way, there will be the desire to ask questions ( with the mind ). People ask questions and want to know the answers to things that are too advanced for their actual ability and understanding. They may recieve the answers but, they still do not know the real truth because of their lack of training. It is the same with the Densho. It matters not who sees the densho, even if they are translated in all languages and can speak fluently in Japanese. The fact is, very few people have had the depth of training and life experience to understand the teachings of the waza.
I am one of these people. I`m a person who in actuality, understands barely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the martial arts and the art of living. I am a lowly student trying to live the way of budo. I study the Bujinkan within my capacity. This is all I can do.
I was once approached by a person at a seminar after I mentioned a “secret teaching” ( unknowingly by this person from one of Sokes books ). They said ” Why are you giving away secrets?” I said ” Do you understand what I said?” They said, “No.” I said, ” Well, it`s still a secret then!”
南虎
PHOTO BY SHEILA HADDAD
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