April, 2013 - NinZine 3.0

暴力 Bouryoku: How to Train For Violence

Michael GlennApril 20, 2013April 20, 2013

From Bujinkan Santa Monica by Michael Glenn

地震體驗室 photo by Anav Rin

If you follow the news this week, or any week on earth, really… violence (暴力 bouryoku), disaster, and tragedy never make sense. Sometimes the more you learn about a violent act or violent person and his motives, the less you understand. You can study a disaster like a historian. But you can never comprehend the scope, depth, or impact on real lives of the event itself.

A few years ago, Hatsumi Sensei told us that our training should pass into areas that can't be understood. I wrote about what he said here: Beyond Godan Into Wakaranai-Keiko

What can you do about this in your training? If you learn the concept of 万変不驚 Banpen Fugyo, then you can embrace the incomprehensible in your training. So how do you start doing this in the dojo?

Last month when I was training with Sensei, he explained more about this strategy for dealing with these events in our lives. He said,

"We're doing these things that can't be understood. And in real life people are killed by things they can't see or understand. We are studying how to survive things you can't understand. No matter how many techniques you study, they might actually interfere with your ability to live if you get stuck on them. And bit by bit you just end up collecting techniques. So get rid of those. Erase them."

These points are at the heart of what it means to study the Bujinkan. If you are not studying this way, or you are unwilling to look at your own training methods through this lens, you cannot understand Soke's art. And I see MANY students and teachers who refuse to look at this.

I get it. It's hard. People want something like techniques to hang onto. Just like people search for explanations for senseless acts of violence. People literally crave this.

As natural as that may be, that very human impulse is a trap and a luxury that true warriors cannot lean on. Survival requires it. And if you want your Bujinkan training to be more than typical sports or commercial martial arts, you should learn to not understand.… Read More

Tre koordinationer

IwatoApril 19, 2013

From Sida 21 – Iwato 1810 by Iwato

Vi har alla upplevt hur armar och ben utgör en förlängning av bålen. Även om lemmarnas rörlighet är mycket stor, har rörelserna ursprung i tre koordinationer i bålen, som i sin tur svarar för kroppens enhet i all agerande.

Den första av dessa stora koordinationer har vi redan träffat på när vi går. Det är relationen mellan vridning och motvridning som runt den centrala axeln förbinder axlarna och bröstkorgen med bäckenet. När vänster axel förs framåt förs även bäckenets högra sida framåt som en motkraft. Armar och ben förlänger och förstorar rörelsen ta vare spänningsbalansen (vi brukar prata om detta även som ”twist/untwist).

Den andra av de tre stora koordinationerna i bålen bygger också på vridningsrörelsen. Men nu roterar hela bålen, dvs bäckenet och bröstkorgen, och även huvudet i samma riktning runt mittaxeln (vi kallar detta även för vridning av ”axialskelettet” jap. taijiku). Denna andra koordination tillåter inte någon förflyttning som den första gjorde. Genom att hela muskulaturen verkar i en och samma kraftvektor gör den rörelser som till exempel att kasta eller att slå mycket effektiva.

Slutligen finns det en tredje grundläggande koordination i bålen. De två första koordinationer, vars prototyper vi finner i att gå och i att rotera, bygger båda på den vertikala rotationen av kroppen. De gör det möjligt för oss att handla kraftfullt och effektivt visavi yttervärlden. Den tredje koordinationen kan kombineras med de två första men, är annorlunda till sin karaktär. Också den engagerar hela kroppen runt dess centrum men nu inte längre i en rotation, utan i en böjnings- och sträckningsrörelse.

Axialskelettet, övre och under extremitetsskelettet sträcks (stretch/unstretch) under en inandning och den böjs under en utandning. Genom att den står i nära förbindelse med andningskoordinationen blir den ett uttrycksmedel inte bara för den viljestyrda handlingen utan också för det känslomässiga och den instinktiva rörelsen och förflyttningen. Lika aktiv som utandningen är, lika passiv är inandningen. Dess rörelser uppstår i en kombinerad samverkan av andningsreflexerna och gravitationen.

Alla slag, grepp och sparkar, med eller utan beväpning, i vår Taijutsu utgör förlängningar av dessa tre koordinationer eller kombinationer av dem. Det är då lätt att inse hur viktigt det är att bli medveten om dem och att samordna dem på bästa sätt. De är avgörande för kvaliteten i alla våra handlingar.…

Paris taikai registration opened

kumafrApril 19, 2013

From Shiro Kuma's Weblog by kumafr

Registration for the Paris taikai 2013 is open.

Since 2002 the Bujinkan France invites you to share 3 days of training in Paris with the Shi Tennô: Pedro Fleitas, Sveneric Bogsater, Peter King, and Arnaud Cousergue in our three Dôjô located in the city of Vincennes.
Each year around 150 Bujinkan participants gather there to share training and insights with the Shi Tenno under the Parisian summer sun.
As always lunches are included, tshirts are included, and free sleeping at the Dôjô.

Come to Paris and enjoy some memorable moments on the mats and outside and discover the French Capital.
This taikai happens around the French National Day (July14th), which means:

many fireworks,
a lot of dancing,
good time.

Places are limited so don’t wait too long!

Registration is mandatory to participate:

http://www.budomart.com/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_PARIS_TAIKAI_36.html

From 無刀捕り(Mu Tou Dori ) to 無闘捕り

goshinartsApril 17, 2013

From 術心悟 by goshinarts

Having returned to Japan after spending some time training in the yogic arts in India, it is wonderful to see old friends and my martial arts master, Hatsumi Sensei. How fortunate we are to be able to train with living masters, whose presence can be as a great fire. In Eastern thought, fire is the element charged with the power of transformation. It has the power to transmute the other elements and bring vast change. Perhaps you have felt the fire of a great master?

The common Characters for Mu Tou Dori are 無 (not,no,) 刀 (sword) 捕り(to trap, catch) and is often translated as unarmed sword trapping/defense. It is perfectly reasonable to translate it in this manner. And in the beginning of our training journey, it is natural to be concerned with the dynamics and techniques of taking a sword unarmed. But as we progress on our path, and our feeling of the art deepens, perhaps our Mu Tou Dori could transform to 無　闘　捕り。No Fight Catching. A brilliant play on the Chinese characters by Hatsumi Sensei.

As we progress perhaps we should seek this Mu Tou Dori feeling in not only defense against the sword but as a guiding principle in our art and heart. This idea of the Mu Tou feeling is essential part of Hatsumi Sensei`s teaching and one that is crucial for all practitioners to aspire. From “No Sword Trapping” to “No Fight/Struggle” and perhaps we can change trapping to more of an image of enveloping or wrapping your opponent in that intangible yet undeniable presence or spirit. When this takes root in you, it is as the dew drop that returns to the ocean. You may start spontaneously dancing!

Bo Munthe, 70 years

Mats Hjelm "Bujinkan Toryu"April 15, 2013

photo-1 Bo Munthe was the pioneer who brought Bujinkan to Sweden and Europe in. In 1975 Ischizuka Sensei came over for two weeks and introduced Bo to Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu (then simply Ninjutsu), shortly after he went over to Japan and met Hatsumi Soke for the first time. If it wasn’t for him, who knows when someone else would have brought the art to Europe. He recently had his 70’th birthday. Hooray!