Author: Kasumi An Study Center

From Kasumi An Study Center 　霞庵 スタディセンター by Kasumi An Study Center

Kajou Chikusei.

I often write Kajou Chikusei in my calligraphy, paintings and pottery. It seems like it was one of the first gokui (inner teachings) of Ninjutsu that Hatsumi Sensei taught me. So it feels natural to share it with you here as I start this new journey at the kasumian. At the kasumian, you will find many paintings and references to this teaching though out the center. Here is a translation of Sensei talking about Kajou Chikusei from way back in 1964. Before I was even born! I hope you enjoy.

Kajou Chikusei,
This means that if you want to reach to the highest inner teachings of Ninjutsu, you must have the kindness of the flower in your heart and the pliability/flexibility (sunao) and straightness and up righteous heart (masugu) of the bamboo.

This is the heart of the martial path, the warriors heart. And the warrior`s heart is, as it almost goes without saying, the pure heart (magokoro).

If the ninja does not have this heart, it simply becomes only a skillful manipulation of the forms of ninjutsu. Something quite ordinary. low, vulgar, and worldly. (俗物- zoku butsu).

*Sunao has the idea of being honest and pliable in an accepting way, kind of opposite to hard headed or stubborn. For example, a sunao person can accept well founded criticism and new ideas.

Here is the original Japanese for those who wish to read the original.

花情竹性(かじょうちくせい)

忍術の極意に達するためには､花のようにやさしい心掛と､竹のように素直な､真直ぐな心掛けがなくてはならないという意味です｡
これが､やはり日本の武道の心､武心なのですね｡ そして､武心とは､とりもなおさず真心ということなのです｡
忍者にこの心がなければ､ただ忍術的形態を器用にこなす俗物というだけですね｡

From Kasumi An Study Center 　霞庵 スタディセンター by Kasumi An Study Center

Let’s get together, have some fun, and improve ourselves in Kasumi An Study Center!  The purpose of the Class is to bring people together, enjoy practicing yoga/Japanese and to foster our connections to nature and those around us. You can expect to laugh a lot, meet new friends, and, with a little luck, discover something awesome! Classes are for all levels. Newcomers to yoga/Japanese are most welcome, as are seasoned practitioners! You do not need to bring a yoga mat.

*If you take more than two classes, I will give you 10% discount.
*If you are staying in Kasumi An Study Center, the fee will be 1,500yen/class.

【May 5th】 Garden Yoga Class
Time : 11:00am – 12:30 pm
Fee : 2,000yen

*If it rains on the day of the class, we will have a class inside.

【May 6th】 Nihongo Class
To understand Japanese Shihan’s instruction in Japanese, we will focus on Bujinkan terms at this class. I will choose the phrase which Hatsumi sensei often says, and we will practice saying phrases. The class will be held both in English and Japanese.

Time : 11:00 – 12:30 pm
Fee : 2,000yen

【May 7th】 Garden Yoga Class
Time : 11:00am – 12:30 pm
Fee : 2,000yen

*If it rains on the day of the class, we will have a class inside.

I speak English & Japanese and the class will be held in both languages. I have been practicing Bujutsu mainly with Paul since 2012.

I look forward to sharing a wonderful time with you all!

Posted by Tomoe Gozen

From Kasumi An Study Center 　霞庵 スタディセンター by Kasumi An Study Center

On Friday, April 10 2015, a German television crew came to film a segment on Hatsumi Sensei. After training, they did a short interview with Hatsumi Sensei for which I translated. It is always fun to watch interviewers get flustered and a bit bothered by Sensei`s unconventional and seeming simple responses. it was a short interview with brief responses but I found such depth in them and enjoyed them so much, that I thought I would take the liberty of sharing them with all of you here.
Because I know must of you don’t have access to German television!

I am paraphrasing the conversation, but keeping it as close as possible to the actual responses. It is difficult because when you translate something on the spot, often you forget much afterward. That being said, I think I captured the essence of the responses for you here. I hope you enjoy this short interview as much as I did. All the best, Paul.

Interviewer: What did you feel when Takamatsu Sensie made you Soke of the nine schools?

Hatsumi Sensei: When Takamatsu Sensei handed over the linages to me and said “Now I leave everything up to you”, I really had no idea. I didn`t know anything.

Interviewer: Did something come to fruition because of your training with Takamatsu Sensei?
Hatsumi Sensei: No nothing. Nothing came to fruition. in fact I went backward, I returned to zero. you see if something comes to fruition, it then has to rot. And if something has to rot, it would be better to make (German) beer out of it! (Laugh)

Interviewer: Do people come for the techniques of Budo or the spirituality?
Hatsumi Sensei: It can`t be technique because I don’t do technique. It is something beyond technique, transcending technique.

Interviewer: “so it is spiritual side that they come for?”
Hatsumi Sensei: I would not say that, I don’t think about it, when you stop thinking about it, when your thoughts fall away. maybe something like this.

Interview: How do you see the future of the Bujinkan?
Hatsumi Sensei; I don’t think about it. You know every day is different. Everyday things are always changing. just like for you too, every day is changing, right? it is like this.

Interviewe: Did you receive any results of your training?
Hatsumi Sensei: The result is that good people from all over the world come together. People who single mindedly mastered this one thing, they have all come together here.

Translating at the Honbu Dojo. A big thank you to Michael Waschak for his fantastic photography.

From Kasumi An Study Center 霞庵 スタディセンター by Kasumi An Study Center

Kannon Sama drawn for my friend Jess with the characters Go Kou.

悟光護心 Gokou Goshin

Many of my Bujinkan friends have asked me to write on the topic of this year`s theme of the Bujinkan dojo as written by Grand Master Hatsumi. First and foremost, perhaps this is better not thought of as a theme for the year, but more of a guiding principle for your martial arts and indeed life. The characters, as written, are Enlighten, Light, Protect, and Heart. Short and succinct but deep and profound as many of life`s simple things are. It reminds me of the Heart Sutra. It is said that in the heart sutra, the whole of Buddhism, it`s essence, is boiled down to a mere 260 chinese characters or 16 english sentences.

In many philosophies it is said that, at first, the Master speaks but in the end falls silent and in this silence, a transmission occurs. Words become no longer necessary. In the silence, in the space between master and student, communication happens. In the course of twenty years living and training in Japan with Hatsumi Sensei, it seems that he too, at one time kicking and striking like a tiger and leaping and spinning like a dragon, he has now become more and more subtle, graceful in movement. One could say softer, smaller and even delicate, yet heavy with that which can not be weighed. At one time his poems of the gokui (極意ーinner secrets) long and flowing become more and more abbreviated, condensed. Yet this compactness and simplicity, like a zen painting, adds weight and beauty. For me, these four characters, Go Kou Go Shin, remind me of the longer poem Sensei often says before class. Chihayaburu Kami no Oshie wa toko shie ni tadashiki kokoro mi wo mamoru ran. 千早ぶる神の教えは永遠に正しき心身を守るらん.
A poem which can be translated roughly as `the teachings of the divine forever protect the pure (correct) heart.` And as Takamatsu Sensei once told Hatsumi Sensei, `it is only the pure heart of man that has a connection to the divine`. Go Kou Go Shin, you understand? With age, the long poem becomes compacted, and boiled down to its essence, like a fine wine or fine whiskey takes many years in the barrel. And as Sensei approaches his 85th year, his teaching are becoming more and more elegant, seemingly simple yet heavy with experience and wisdom.

In an ancient Indian text, it says that in the center of the body. there is a little shrine surrounded by a wall with eleven windows. Hidden within this shrine is a lotus blossom. And within the lotus blossom is a tiny tiny room. Spark. Most seek outward for enlightenment. But perhaps it is something that already exists within us. It just needs to be uncovered, discovered, dug up. You must be like an archeologist. This is what we do in our training, whatever training you do. We strive to understand ourselves and uncover this treasure. The tears and sweat of our training act to soften the ground and wash away the unnecessary, the dirt, and give us a glimpse into ourselves, our hearts, this treasure within – Nin Po. (忍宝ーtreasure of nin) (Nin=perseverance). In training we are plowing the field of our hearts. Plowing is simply creating space (ku- 空間）in the ground for life to more easily thrive. Training plows our hearts, giving room for the spark in your heart to catch and burn bright in the vastness of space inside us. Like the sun which gives freely of itself to all beings and makes all life possible on the earth. Burning bright in the vastness of space, the sun creates and protects all life without bias on earth. The sun does not care the color of your skin, or the beliefs you hold. It shines unbiasedly on all life. All colors, all religions, all countries.  No Borders.**

And the sun asks nothing in return. It burns itself to give you life on earth. The sun never sends you a bill and the sun never negotiates prices and times with you. It never says `I gave you 24 hours of sunlight yesterday so today you work for me for 12 hours`. The sun always burns 24 hours a day for us. Without the sun, all life on the earth perishes. Without a sun, there is no life. There is also a sun in you, (hikari 光、or also pronounced kou). Uncovered and free, it too, will also create wondrous life and protect those upon which it`s rays shine.

In training, at the upper levels, just as there is the Satsujin Ken and Katsujin Ken, the killing sword and sword of life, we must train on how to bring the opponent to life. The killing aspect of martial arts is easy, even children can kill trained men. Once this killing aspect is mastered, one must then turn the other way, to change directions. 180 degrees. Now you must learn how to create and support life. By losing, as Sensei says, the intention of attacking and killing, we give opportunities for our opponent to live, to maybe experience a blossoming. Moving with compassion and the heart of the gokui (inner teaching) Amo issun no tama mushi, we gently envelop the opponent to protect not only ourselves but also to protect them, even from themselves. If we move from fear and anger, we kill and stop life, But if we build an awareness in ourselves, we can move with compassion and thus truly protect life allowing the next to flower. As Sensei has said, `there is no opponent, the opponent is ourselves`.

** Perhaps you might remember when Hatsumi Sensei first went overseas, he remarked, `I am UFO, I am borderless`. To become borderless, we must continually watch ourselves and throw away the unnecessary. to see thru beliefs, to understand that we have been indoctrinated by our by our cultures, education, religions, politics, ect.. Seeing thru them, can you realize the connectedness and power of supreme nature?