Year: 2015

From Shiro Kuma's Blog by kumafr

Men who wish to know about the world must learn about it in its particular details. Heraclitus

Senō sensei showed a very interesting way to hit the attacker and get his balance. As he explained in Saturday, there are many steps hidden within the spaces of a 1, 2, 3 technique. This hit is one of them. Mastering it, will change your taijutsu entirely.

Uke attacks with a right fist and you pivot softly (1),  keep your hips parallel with his. At the same time, you use Naka Dakken, and hit Nagare in a special way.

Naka Dakken is a type of Fudô ken from the Koto ryû. You can see it in sensei’s book “unarmed fighting techniques of the samurai”. In this book, there is a double page with many forms of fists. Study them, they are not there by chance. (2)

To form this fist you put Sui in your palm and top it with Kû (3). You fold the other fingers so that “Ka” and “Fû” are supported by Sui/Kû. This special manner of clenching the first, gives solidity and coherence to the fist during the hit.

The way you use this fist will take uke’s balance. While positioning your hips in the correct distance and position, you hit and “sukui” or scoop the attacking forearm at Nagare. (4) The scooping action has to be done precisely. As Senō sensei said “if you are too light, you don’t take the balance; and if you are too deep, you lose the momentum of the action. The timing of the scooping action has to be fine with the whole body.

When it is done correctly, uke’s balance is broken. Uke’s stops in his attack. The next movement is hitting with the same fist, to Gankotsu, Jûjiro or Murasame.

From there, you end the fight the way you want. Either with a Ganseki type of movement in the left arm; or a Ô Soto Gake on his right side. In fact you apply Ishitobashi, the skipping stone concept taught by Sensei since last summer. (5)

I hope this very detailed explanation will help you improve your general taijutsu. As we say, the “devil is hiding in the details.”

In our case,  棄世, Kisei (death), leads to 気精, the power of the devil (spirit) is what gives strength and vigor to our actions. (6) (7)

Details are important. 
_____________
1. Depending on the distance, Senō sensei explained that you either step forward or backward. The body movement is like a dance movement, you are one with your partner. It’s nearly magnetic. 
2. Everything that is in Sensei’s books is there for a reason. It is not only to fill the pages. 
3. The five fingers follow the order of the Gogyō from the pinky (Chi) to the thumb (Kû). 
4. 掬う/sukû/to scoop; to ladle out. This is sukui. 
5. 石飛ばし/ishitobashi/skipping stones (on a body of water); skimming stones. 
6. 棄世/kisei/death
7.  気/ki/spirit; mind; heart|nature; disposition|motivation; intention|mood; feelings|atmosphere; essence. 
精/sei/spirit; sprite; nymph|energy; vigor (vigour); strength|fine details|seven.

… Read More

From Shiro Kuma's Blog by kumafr

In this article I want to share some of my thoughts on my understanding of Sōke’s vision. It will seem quite esoteric to most of you. Please forgive me.

On Sunday, at the end of the class, Sensei gave a little speech.  Amongst many subjects, he announced the theme for 2016.

Without surprise the theme is “42”. Sensei explained that the Taikai commemorating Takamatsu sensei’s passing anniversary that will take place on the 2nd of April 2016 will be the beginning of a new cycle of 42 years.

Takamatsu sensei died on the 2nd of April 1972. The 2nd of April 1973 was the first year of the 42-year cycle that ended this year, in 2015.

The year 2016, he said, will be the beginning of a new cycle of 42 years. I already wrote about the symbol of “42” that we find in many ancient esoteric traditions. (1)

Sensei said that it took him 42 years to master what he had received from his beloved teacher. He added, half joking, that, for a long time, he understood nothing (that gives hope to many of us).

Now, is the time for a new beginning. The new Honbu inaugurated on the 22nd of February of 2015 was the end of the previous cycle. When the new dōjō opened, Sensei told us that it symbolized the beginning of a new era for the Bujinkan.
The following is how I understand the logic of the 42-year cycles.

Last year, I wrote that the date of the inauguration of the new Honbu, might not be accidental but chosen on purpose.

As you know, Hatsumi Sensei and the Japanese love numerology. And Sensei is definitely very Japanese in this respect,  and love to play with numbers, symbols and spirituality.

So we have two dates: the opening of the new Honbu on February 22nd, 2015; and the Taikai on April 2nd, 2016.
Both can be translated with “69”.

In numerology, the 22nd of February (02) is 6; and 2015, the 27th year of Heisei is 2+7 or 9. This is “69”, or Roppō Kuji (2), which is another representation of Inyō (yin-yang). (3)  You might have noticed that the concept of Inyō is deeply rooted into the Bujinkan system.

The date of the Taikai is 04/02/2016 which is another “69”. (4)

The old cycle of 42 years that ended in 2015 (based on the Heisei calendar), is reborn in the modern times, next April 2016 (based on the Gregorian calendar).

The previous 42-year cycle was the one of Takamatsu Sensei; the new cycle will be the one of Hatsumi Sensei. And it will be our duty to carry on his teachings, the way he did with the ones he received from Takamatsu Sensei.

This way of understanding reality, might look weird to us westerners, but knowing Sensei, I would not be surprised that this is the kind of thought process, he went through to come up with this new theme.

The new 42-year cycle that will begin in 2016, is another Roppō Kuji (69 or yin-yang). Symbolically, the old world gives way to the new world.

For me, it is his way to tell us that, starting next year, he is going to leave the future of the Bujinkan to us. He is doing what Takamatsu did for him in 1971 when he inherited the nine schools.

The circle is completed: this is “maru no ichi”. (5)

______________
1. The answer “42” that became famous with the book “the Hitchhiker’s guide to the Galaxy” is one amongst many. You don’t need mice. Check this article to know more: https://kumafr.wordpress.com/2013/08/04/42-the-end-of-the-cycle/ . 
2. Roppō Kuji was the theme of 2004. It was also the year of Yûgen no Sekai,  the  “world of ghosts”. 幽玄/yuugen/subtle grace; hidden beauty; yugen; mysterious profundity; elegant simplicity; the subtle and profound; the occult
3. 陰陽/inyō/cosmic dual forces; yin yang; sun  moon, etc.
4. This is also “69” because 2nd of April (04) is 2+4 = 6; and 2016 is 2+1+6 = 9. 
5. Maru no ichi was the name of Takamatsu sensei’s restaurant in Kobe. This is also another name for Inyō.

… Read More

From Shiro Kuma's Blog by kumafr

Thank you for your endless support!

Today we passed the symbolic milestone of 500 000 views on your blog. Since the beginning of the blog, you were 114 000 visitors in total reading the 333 articles I published.

When I created it, this blog was intended to be my personal notebook, where I would write the many concepts taught by sensei in class. After a year it became a source of inspiration for those advancing on the way of Budō. Today, it is a live record of our training life.

Without your constant presence,  this would not have been possible.

I sincerely thank you all, for helping me with your comments and likes.
I will do my best, to continue writing.

Arnaud Cousergue
Bujinkan Dai Shihan

… Read More

From Shiro Kuma's Blog by kumafr

It takes more than just a good body. You’ve got to have the heart and soul to go with it. Epictetus

Today Sensei was late for the class, so I was tasked to begin without him. It’s not the first time it is happening to me, but I must admit that I’m always proud of his trust. 
When he arrived, he continued with the Mutō Dori feeling and we played unarmed techniques, and sword and Bō variations. Some movements included Sannin Dori . The dôjô was packed, so long weapon moved were quite difficult to put into practice, but we managed. 
Sensei was moving his body in a way that always let his uke mentally unable to counter. As he explained since I arrived,  Ninpō Taijutsu is not only physical, it is also mental. One of his uke’s of today said it quite well: “when I attacked, my mind was focused on his right hand applying Omote Gyaku. When his left elbow hit me, I didn’t see it coming.” 
Sensei’s movements are so subtle that we put our intention on one point, and always get destroyed from another angle.

But the Kaname of the day was not the class but what happened during it. At some point he invited a student to attack him. Apparently, it was the first time for him to Sensei’s uke. At first, he didn’t move. Then after Sensei asked him again to join him in the center, he turned twice to see who was being invited. Finally, still hesitating, he stood up. You could see the surprise and disbelief in his eyes. 
Still wondering,  he attacked and was easily defeated. When he was required to share his feeling with us, he said that “I was so surprised, that I couldn’t attack properly.” 
I spoke with him after the class and he told me that never, in his many years of training, he thought that he would be Sensei’s uke one day. That was cute.

But the story doesn’t stop here. Maybe ten minutes later, Sensei seated at the other end of the dōjō, stopped the class, and asked him for his rank,  country, and number of years of training. “Uke” still moved by his experience, looked lost again, and with a small voice. said “19 years, Germany, Jūdan “.

The training resumed, then sensei sat next to him, and called Furuta San in. Furuta San came with pen and paper. Sensei turned to “Uke” and said: “13th dan! Furuta San, get his name and details”. You should have seen his eyes when finally he understood that he got promoted from tenth to thirteenth Dan in a few seconds. He was more lost than when he was invited to be Sensei’s uke. I’m always wondering what Sensei and the Japanese Shihan see that we don’t.

This is the beauty of Hatsumi Sensei’s grading system. Ranks have little value if you don’t live up to them. But to be promoted in such a way by Sōke is a big honor. I’m sure his teacher will be proud, as I would be. When in Japan, when my students are promoted by Sōke, I always see it as some kind of acknowledgement of my teaching work.

At the end of the class,  Sensei rewarded three Jūgodan with the title of Yūshū Shihan and one with the Shingitai . (2) Then he spoke about ranks and rewards. “In the Bujinkan”, he said, “the title and ranks you received, are not given after but before you deserved it.” Too many practitioners seem to forget it. Ranks and rewards are given “a priori” not “a posteriori”. This is up to you to level your proficiency to be worth it.

Last August,  Sensei told Daniel Hernández, that there will be only twelve Dai Shihan. (3) All the others, will receive the Yūshū Shihan,  “important Shihan”. (4) 
As you know,  like the majority of the “jurassic ninja”, I have received all of these titles, I use to say that I have the whole collection. (5)
But the Shingitai diploma is the one I prefer. The Shingitai rewards the three levels of development of the student: Soul, technique, and body. (6) If it is quite easy to get Gi and Tai,  Shin is the hardest.

This is why I fully agree with Epictetus: “It takes more than just a good body (and technical skills). You’ve got to have the heart and soul to go with it.”

_______________
1. In Latin “a priori” means before; and “a posteriori” means after. 
2. Yūshū Shihan: Marcelo Ferraro (ARG ), Juan-manuel Gutiérrez (ARG ), Paul Fisher (USA). Shingitai: David Palau (COL). 
3. Dai Shihan: Noguchi (JAP), Nagato (JAP), Senō (JAP), Pedro (SP), Paco (SP), Sven (SWE), Peter (UK), Arnaud (FR), Phil (USA), Par (USA), Jack (USA), Daniel (ARG).
4. Yūshū: 優秀/yuushuu/superiority; excellence. My understanding is that those two titles only differ in the level of potential responsibility.
5. Check www.arnaudcousergue.ismyreal.name.com
6. 心技体/shingitai/(sumo) three qualities of a wrestler: heart, technique, physique. 技, Gi, is also read as Waza.

… Read More