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Daikokujin

From Shiro Kuma's Blog by kumablog

daikokujinWhile cleaning my papers I found a notebook relating my japan trip of April 2007.
A lot of time has passed and my students of 2007 are all 15th dan now and live their own lives.

During the year 2006 we had been studying the Shinden fudô ryû, and even though we were now studying the concepts and techniques of the kukishin ryû the concept of Ikken Hassô 一剣八双 (one weapon, all weapons/directions) was totally in harmony with the feeling sensei was teaching.

Ikken Hassô can have different interpretations but what sensei said that night of Friday 13th, April 2007 is interesting.

Here are my notes from what he said during that class:

  • You have to train all the weapons but not only in the use they were designed for. This is the essence of Ikken Hassô 一剣八双.
  • Train slowly even if Uke is fast, use small (light) controls.
  • When uke is down be like a cat playing with a mouse.
  • You have to train the feeling hidden within the form of the waza and only then you can play, this is the way you should train.
  • Shingitai Ichi 心技体一 is very important in budô”.
  • Train the 9 schools but with the principles of the Bujinkan, because the evolution of the bujinkan follows the Bufu Ikkan 武夫一環”.

What is amazing is that Sensei is still saying the same today. The Bujinkan has been created through the study of the nine schools but has become today a path on its own. This is why for example even if we have sword techniques only in the Kukishin ryû and the Togakure ryû*, we can train sword techniques with the feeling of any other ryûha.

Later during the same trip, I went for lunch with him and Nagato sensei and he said: “The fake Shihan like xxx and xxx go by themselves. Anyway I had this statue of Daikokujin made to smash those who are in the way”. He laughed and added “it weighs 6 tons!”.**

Did you know that Daikokujin 大国主神 when written Daikokujin 大扱く塵 could mean “big stripping of impurities”. Maybe the statue is there to clean the bujinkan from those fake practitioners.

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* only these two ryûha have biken densho (private discussion with Sôke in 2013).
**the huge statue outside of sensei’s house in Noda was made in memory of Takamatsu sensei for the 50th anniversary of their encounter in Kobe (1957).


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Hidden Weapons of the Unconscious

From Bujinkan Santa Monica by Michael

Black Market at 江戸東京博物館, Edo Tōkyō Hakubutsukan. photo by Michael Glenn
One of the secrets to understanding this year's theme of 神韻武導 Shingin Budo  is the ability to find the hints and openings hidden everywhere. These are like the lingering sound of a bell that hangs in the air after it has been rung. If you did not hear the original strike of the bell, would you know what you were hearing or where it originated from?

This sound is like the hidden training that takes place in the Bujinkan. Training that takes place in the unconscious. If you are only learning with your body and mind, you are missing out on the important unconscious training that is very real in correct Bujinkan training.

You may know that your unconscious affects ordinary life. It also is at work in combat or in the dojo. But do you know what it is doing?

Hatsumi Sensei has written 無意識 muishiki (the unconscious), as 武意識 buishiki which is warrior consciousness or military awareness. With this kind of unconscious ability, you will always be able to tap into hidden fighting strategy. Or find a surprise victory in an impossible situation. This is also a secret for hidden ninja weapons.

The best hidden weapons are not weapons you are hiding. That takes too much conscious effort and can be seen, read, and even countered. The best hidden weapons are hiding in plain sight.

Soke tells us we can find 鉄扇 tetsubane, 鉄刀 tetsuto, 馬手差 metezashi, and 隠し武器 kakushibuki hidden everywhere in normal everyday life. These things leave hints or suggestions (暗示 anji) to the warrior who is attuned to their resonance. Your unconscious can read these clues and allow you to find these hidden weapons.

If everyday objects can be transformed into weapons by the unconscious following these hidden signs, then what about yourself?  Soke says that this type of knowledge will make your life pulsate (生悸に一変) and undergo a complete change. It can make it possible for 早替わり hayagawari, or for you to quickly change into anything. This is the real shugyo.

Martial arts create this kind of transformation in life. Seek out a dojo that has these hidden hints and signs for your unconscious intelligence. Remember, if you're the smartest guy in the dojo, then you're in the wrong dojo. Look for hints that lead you to hidden knowledge and the right teacher for your whole self, not just the conscious part.

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