2015 - NinZine 3.0

The 骨 Kotsu of Bujinkan 手解 Tehodoki

Michael GlennJuly 26, 2015July 26, 2015

From Bujinkan Santa Monica by Michael Glenn

Michael Glenn is frequently beat up in the Bujinkan Hombu Dojo

A little over a week ago, I was in Soke’s class trying to do 両手解 ryō tehodoki. Normally, this is not difficult for me except there were complications. Hatsumi Sensei showed this double wrist escape while he was being punched by a second attacker. Of course, he destroyed them both with little effort.

Soke looked around the dojo. I think he saw everyone fighting. His main point tonight was not to fight at all. He admonished us, “戦わない tatakawanai.”

Hatsumi Sensei watched me and said to do it without waza, without technique. He offered his wrists so I could grab them. I didn’t feel him move at all.

One of my training partners tried to punch him, but was blocked by my own arms. Then we were tangled. My other training partner attacked Soke, and all three of us ended up in a pile on the floor of the dojo. Hatsumi Sensei stood over us laughing. He told me, don’t do it with waza, but with 繋がり tsunagari or connection.

Then he decided to share this most important idea for the whole group. He said,

“Study this way of connecting one to the other. Don’t show that you’re trying to take something. I’m not taking anything, but still holding. If you put it out there too fast they will feel that with their reflexes. Don’t try to take anything. Release or let go in the middle. Remember that the connection is the reality. It’s the waza, but it’s not the waza.”

Well now my mind was blown. The connection IS the reality. Not the fight or any technique. Wow!

Hatsumi Sensei had me grab him again. He spoke as he tangled me up with my partners,

“Don’t try to attack, just consider the importance of connecting one to the next, and the next. This is the 骨 kotsu (knack or secret) of fighting. Very important in a real situation.”

But Soke didn’t knock me down. He just walked away and left me hanging in mid air, about to fall on one of my training partners. I teetered there like I was in a weird game of twister. I guess that’s what happens when you lose your connection.… Read More

Roppo

IwatoJuly 17, 2015

From Sida 14 – Iwato 1810 by Iwato

Termen Roppo är komplex och det finns flera olika sätt att tolka det beroende på sammanhanget. Inom vår Kukishin ryu förekommer den inom bla jojutsu, juttejutsu och dakentaijutsu. På japanska kan man skriva det på två sätt: 六方 eller 六法. Det första tecknet står för siffran sex, medan det andra går att tolka som riktning eller metod, men har många fler tolkningar.

Kabuki scen med hanamichi till vänster

Enligt Hatsumi sensei är Roppo är ett sätt att undvika och att ta kukan, sex metoder för att stödja, likt roppo träning inom Kabuki-teatern.
Inom Kabuki användes roppo ursprungligen som en term för hur man gör entré på scenen, men kom även senare att inkludera hur man gör sorti på hanamichi-gången.
Termen kommer sannolikt från den svassande gångstilen (tanzen roppo) som Edo periodens snobbar hade när de struttade mellan de olika tehusen i glädjekvarteren.

Det finns flera olika sätt att göra entré och sorti. Vid ”tobi roppo” (flygande roppo) gestikulerar skådespelaren med sina händer medan denne studsar utefter hanamichi. ”Kitsune roppo” är när skådespelaren lämnar scenen sidlänges med lätt ihopkrupen kropp, eller som ”roppo o fumu” när denne kraftfullt stampar med fötterna.
Ett sätt att tolka Roppo skulle kunna vara de olika sätt vi förflyttar oss för att ta kukan i besittning.

Sex grader av frihet

Termen kan också härröra sig från den reningsceremoni för blivande präster inom Mikkyo buddism då man åkallar himlen, jorden, öst, väst, nord och syd.

Den tolkningen kan kopplas ihop med de riktningar vi kan förflytta oss i, dvs sex våra frihetsgrader – six degrees of freedom. Denna tolkning kan innebära att vi hela tiden ska förhålla oss till omgivningens krafter på ett sådant sätt att vi alltid kan stoppa eller till och med att retirera en rörelse och på så vis ständigt behärska kukan.

Gogyo – eld slår metall, som slår trä, som slår jord, som slår vatten och som slutligen slår eld

Ett tredje sätt att se på Roppo är som de ”sex naturlagarna” och med dem menar man de fem faserna – gogyo – och medvetenheten om dem – shiki. Det handlar om att positionera sig i kukan på ett sådant sätt att jag alltid kan slå motståndaren. Det som leken med sten-sax-påse. Det här är för komplext att beskriva här och måste betraktas som något som bara kan överföras under våra lektioner, sk ”kuden”.…

悪い感覚 Warui Kankaku: Use Your Bad Technique as a Strategy

Michael GlennJuly 13, 2015July 13, 2015

From Bujinkan Santa Monica by Michael Glenn

I get the distinct feeling I'm being watched. I wonder if he would approve?

I sat across the dojo from Hatsumi Sensei. He had just thrown his opponent to the ground. Then he kicked him in the skull. I felt the thud in my legs where I sat. The impact vibrated across the entire floorspace.

Then Soke said something that made everyone laugh, but he was quite serious…

"This is a bad feeling."

He used the words 悪い感覚 warui kankaku. He went on to add that you have to take what's bad, and make it good. This idea hits on many levels for our current Bujinkan study.

Of course when someone attacks you it creates a bad feeling. The bad feeling can also arise when you find yourself in a bad situation. It can even help you avoid trouble before it starts. Take the "bad feeling" and turn it to something good by winning the fight, or by escaping before the fight.

But Soke also meant 悪い感覚 warui kankaku on another level. He meant that we should take our bad technique and make it good. Not just to get better as a martial artist, but to use this as an actual strategy in combat. Use your own bad technique to win!

How do you do that? The answer has a big clue for this year's theme. Soke said,

"Don't think of trying to make it work. You don't have to make this work. Don't be tied up in whether it works or does not. No one ever teaches you that it's ok if it doesn't work."

and,

"It's ok if it doesn't work, because you can change. You can keep going."

Hatsumi Sensei even gave us an example of how to do this. First, you may try to do a technique. Maybe you use a technique that you are skilled with. When the opponent senses this, when he thinks you are about to do a technique, you just take that away from him.

Then you do a bad technique. Maybe one that you've never studied. Or a random henka that doesn't even exist in the densho. This kind of "bad feeling" is a way to steal the fighting power away from your opponent.

This leads to 自然力 shizenryoku, or to a power greater than yourself. Soke looked up from his defeated opponent on the mat. Many of us in the dojo were stunned. He said,

"There's no decided outcome, but because of that, there is. You're not deciding the outcome. You let that be decided naturally. This is this year's theme."

This happened during my first class when I got off the plane and went straight to the dojo. After 20 hours of travel, I could have just passed out in my hotel room because I was "too tired" to go to training. But I would have missed this experience. I'm glad that I took that bad feeling and made it into something good instead.… Read More

How to Use 初心 Shoshin to Protect Your Bujinkan Training

Michael GlennJuly 9, 2015July 9, 2015

From Bujinkan Santa Monica by Michael Glenn

Rain brings Summer Flowers to the Bujinkan Hombu. photo by Michael Glenn

During the tea break today, Nagato Sensei said some profound things. He began by speaking about how Soke has said that we should not teach bad people. Then he gave some examples.

Nagato named names. He listed some of the bad people that have passed through the Bujinkan. He aired some dirty laundry with details I won't write about here. Then he also shared how they are dealt with by Soke and the Japanese instructors.

Nagato commented on the interesting fact that Soke does not eliminate these people from the Bujinkan. He said we need these bad people around to learn from them. They are the devils we know. Keep your enemies closer, as they say.

He said in the Bujinkan, we need to be capable of doing worse than the devil himself. He used the mafia or the yakuza as an example of evil. They may be bad, but we are worse. He said they should be afraid of us.

But then Nagato explained that the most important of all is to protect the goodness in yourself. Don't allow your ability to destroy evil, or to be more terrifying than the devil, color your own heart black. How do you stay clear of the bad around you?

Nagato used the word 初心 Shoshin. This is beginner's mind, or the spirit of a newborn. It can also be your original motivation for training. He said people forget why they began training. Then they lose their way.

They get caught in ideas of rank, power, politics, or building territories. And the purity of budo is lost to them. This purity that can both protect and destroy is a gift. Throw it away at your own peril.… Read More

Kunai 苦無

IwatoJuly 7, 2015

From Sida 14 – Iwato 1810 by Iwato

Kunai som klätterverktyg

Kunai [苦無] (översätts till ”utan problem”) är ett ninja verktyg för att gräva, fungera som hållare för fackla eller som ett kort svärd eller shuriken. En stor kunai kallas för ”daikunai” [大苦無] och en lite för ”shokunai” [小苦無].

Tobikunai [飛苦無] hade en kaginawa (rep med krok) eller liknande fastknyten i ändan för att kunna kastas. Det fanns även tobikunai med långt handtag, där en borr eller liten lie kunde fästas och kunde då användas som både verktyg och vapen. Det fanns även tillfällen då en bunt torrt gräs, grenar eller liknande kunde bindas fast på den för att användas vid ”katon” (flykt med hjälp av eld).

Kunai var alltså ett verktyg för inbrytningar som även kunde användas som vapen.

ur: Sengoku Ninpo Zukan (1978) av Masaaki Hatsumi i fri översättning…

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Year: 2015

The 骨 Kotsu of Bujinkan 手解 Tehodoki

Roppo

悪い感覚 Warui Kankaku: Use Your Bad Technique as a Strategy

How to Use 初心 Shoshin to Protect Your Bujinkan Training

Kunai 苦無