From Shiro Kuma by kumablog

No more strength, no more technique, only control! That is how I can summarize the many classes I had the chance to do here at the Honbu.
I began to study this “control” in March, then again in July, and then now, I know what Sensei is doing. At the same time, I cannot do it.

To reach this “non-movement” requires many more years of practice. Control as we saw, is something natural that your body does when it is ready. This is not something you decide to do. Each time you want to do it, you are limited by parasitical movements. Small mistakes, impeach you from doing what you should do.

In every class, by Sensei (and some of the Dai Shihan), one concept keeps coming back. This is Amo isshun no tamamushi. (1)
I heard it for many years, but it is only now that Amo isshun no tamamushi begins to make sense. It means “to catch a bee in your hand and not be stung.”

When you enclose the bee in your hands, it stays in darkness but has space to walk. The bee doesn’t understand what is happening. At the same time, it doesn’t feel any threat and thus, does not sting you.

This is control.

Uke is trapped in a somewhat comfortable state. There is no pain, no hit. Sensei controls him with one or two fingers but doesn’t show any intention of finishing him. Uke is stuck in his thinking process and tries to escape to find a better angle of attack. This is pure survival and denotes a drastic change of attitude from the opponent. The initial “attacking mode,” disappear when Sensei wraps Uke’s attacks softly. Then Uke has to reconsider his options.

That is when he moves into survival mode. Now, his first priority is to save his integrity. He has no more willing to destroy Uke.

Survival is “seizon,” (2) and it is about existing, not about fighting. Sensei keeps saying “Tatakai wa Janai”, “there is no fight.” (3) It is what he means when he says that we have to control Uke as a whole, the same way you would, a bee in your hands. We have to wrap Uke so that he is only trying to survive. Then, no fight is happening.

Last March I didn’t get the “Tatakai wa Janai” right. “There is no fight” doesn’t mean, that there is no combat. It means that the attacker is not in a position (body and mind) to attack. Like the bee trapped in the hands.

The willingness to attack is there, but the possibility is not offered to the opponent. We do not stop fighting, we prevent Uke from attacking. If he were not wrapped by Tori’s movement, he would attack. But as there are no more strength and no more technique, there is no fight possible.

This is the exact philosophy of Sensei’s ninpō. The Bujinkan is not about warfare, it is about controlling without violence. Because we are who we are, there is no possibility of a fight.

My friend, Jack Hoban, studied under Dr. Robert Humphrey. Dr. Humphrey wrote the “warrior’s creed,” and you can read it on his t-shirt, each time jack is around.

Here it is:

“Wherever I walk, everyone is a little bit safer because I am there.

Wherever I am, anyone in need has a friend.

Whenever I return home, everyone is happy I am there.” (4)

Jack did many lectures about the creed. Check the link below. It will interest you and help you understand what we study at the Honbu. (5)
Like in “Amo isshun no tamamushi,” Hatsumi sensei teaches to control the world around us with peace. Our goal is to make it impossible for something terrible to happen.

No More!
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1 中一瞬 の 吉丁虫, Amo isshun no tamamushi: 中 amo:center, inside, during. 一瞬 isshun: one moment. 吉丁虫 tamamushi: jewel beetle
2 生存, Seizon: existence; being; survival; to exist; to live; to survive
3 戦いじゃない, Tatakai janai: no battle; no fight; no struggle; no conflict
4 https://www.lifevalues.com/warrior.htm
5 Recommended reading: https://www.alvinsoon.com/what-it-means-to-be-a-warrior/

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From Shiro Kuma by kumablog

Today is my last class for this trip. And I will train with Shiva at Nagato sensei’s training.

It is time to summarize the central aspects of the training I did in the last two weeks. The key element this year is “control in the Mutō Dori.”

This control requires no strength, no force at all. This is the familiar “Chikara Janai” used by Sensei in class. (1) Beyond this lack of physical strength exists another type of force: Jitsuryoku. (2) The more you train, the less power you use, and this is the consequence of increased skills and abilities.

Sōke said that “there are no forms, only control” and that we should “move after, not before the attack.” When you have gained this type of competency, your body reacts naturally, with no muscular force. This is the “true strength,” one that doesn’t require muscle.

What we learn in the Bujinkan is way above our physical senses, this is the mysterious world of Yūgen (the theme of 2004). (3) The (yet) non manifested movements lying in the Ether, and that we express with our body and mind.

This expression is Inochi, the life force. (4) Inochi also means “destiny.” I understand that as a way to better ourselves. The techniques that we train are only an excuse to find this truth within us. This is our fate.

Friday night, Sensei said this is identical to the godan test. The Sakki feeling is of the same nature as Yūgen. (5) But this ability to feel the sakki is in us since we are born. This is not something we learn. But something we make available again through hard training.

If we fail to walk this path and use the life force in nature, we limit our possibilities and enter the Yūgen. (6) That is a limited world where elegant simplicity and control can exist.

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1 力, Chikara: force; strength; might; vigour (vigor); energy; capability; ability. capacity; faculty; efficacy; effect
2 実力, Jitsuryoku: (real) ability; true strength; merit; efficiency; competency
3 幽玄, Yūgen: subtle grace; hidden beauty; mysterious profundity; elegant simplicity. the subtle and profound; the occult
4 命, inochi: life; life force; fate, destiny
5 殺気, thirst for blood; bloodlust; determination to kill
6 有限, Yūgen: finite; limited

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From Shiro Kuma by kumablog

This is my third trip to Japan this year, and Sensei is still developing the concept of control through Mutō dori. The type of control he is able to apply to his opponents is not mechanical, but mental. And when there is physical contact, it is only with the twist of a few fingers.

Often Sensei controls with the tip of one finger; other times, he is not even touching the attacker. But this one is so stressed that he freezes like a rabbit caught in the headlights of the car.

In many occasions, Sensei has been using the word “Kūki” to explain how he is controlling the opponent. (1) My friend, Peter Torngren from Sweden, told me about  a specific Japanese expression: “Kūki Yomu” or “to read the air”, that explains this.

The full sentence is “Ba no Kūki wo Yomu.” It is “understanding the situation without words” or “sensing someone’s feelings.” It is a critical concept for understanding Japanese culture. The literal meaning is “reading the air.” (2)

When Sōke meets the attack, he “reads the air” and reacts to control the opponent. This typical Japanese trait is often difficult to grasp for a Westerner. In Japan, you have to develop a new skill and know when “it is the time.” To find the “good moment” is something we are not used to doing in Europe. We often privilege direct speech and answers.

Here, in Japan, you have to read the atmosphere in order not to make a mistake. This is the same in a fight. And I tend to believe the centuries of wars, have helped the Japanese to develop this ability. On the battlefield, awareness is an asset.

Many times I came here with a question to Sensei, that I couldn’t ask. Because it was never the right moment. In Budō, this capacity creates a natural set of reactions. Your body reacts naturally without strength or thought. This is the “zero state” we learned a few years back. In the “control”, Hatsumi Sensei plays with Uke, like a cat with a mouse. And at times, it seems he is not interested in the attacker, that he chooses to ignore him. (3)
Uke is so focused on sensei’s reactions that he is unable to move.

I cannot do it yet, and, apart from Sōke, no one can. Control is not something you decide. It emanates from you and forces the attacker to reconsider his actions.

Everything is Genkaku, an illusion (see the previous post). You don’t do anything for Uke to be unable to react. But it should be something natural, undecided.

If you fail to understand Kūki Yomu, you will remain “kūki ga yomunai”, “someone unable to read the situation”. (4)
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1 空気, Kūki: air; atmosphere; mood; situation
2 Kūki Yomu: https://en.m.wikipedia.org
3 空気扱い, Kūki atsuka: treating (someone) like they are air; ignoring (someone)
4 空気が読めない, kūki ga yomunai: unable to read the situation; unable to pick up on the mood (e.g. of a conversation)…

From Shiro Kuma by kumablog

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From Shiro Kuma by kumablog

Noguchi sensei was very enthusiast yesterday. We covered the Tonsō no kata; the first level of Kukishin; a few sword techniques, and some hanbō jutsu. That was intense!

Noguchi sensei’s taijutsu is getting more destructured every time I train with him. As often, it is difficult to see the basics from the variations. I have attended his classes for 28 years now, and I am still amazed by his creativity.

Each time I train the Ryū with him, I have the feeling that I am studying new techniques. That is impressive and shows me the distance between his level and mine.

In the Mutō Dori part of the Tonsō no kata (waza 4, 5, and 6), we control the Uke’s sword. Noguchi sensei made a fascinating point. Uke attacks with Tsuki and Tori dodges the attack from the right. Dodging is Gomakasu. (1)

He said that holding the blade the way Hatsumi Sensei does, is not of our level. First, we have to learn how to avoid the stab. Catching and controlling the blade will come later

Sōke’s level is way above ours. He shows what is happening when you reach his degree of mastership. He does that so that we know where we are heading. But if we try to mimic his movements, we are dead.

For the last few days here, I have been exchanging a lot with my friend Daniel about this. We have to train at our level. Copying Sensei is not what we need, we need to better our sabaki first.

Too often, young black belts try to reproduce Hatsumi Sensei’s movements. They cannot do it because they don’t have acquired the basics. Footwork is key to our survival, and as long as we don’t have a perfect sabaki, and perfect timing, we cannot do what Sōke does.

Many visitors in Japan try to teach what they train here when they come back to their students. This is wrong in many aspects.

They “play Grandmaster” without the proper knowledge.
They do not teach their students.
They put their students’ lives at risk.

As teachers, we have a responsibility of transmitting what we see in Japan. But we have to do it in a way so that our students can develop their skills. If we keep imitating Sōke, we don’t pass on any new knowledge. This is not teaching, this is cheating (the other meaning of gomakasu). (1)

Teaching is Shugyō in Japanese. (2) And the essence of education is to instruct. You don’t need to look good, you have to be. It is not about showing off, some teachers should reflect on that.

If you lure your students into a fake sense of efficiency, you deceive them. You are Shūgyotō, attracting fish using lights. (3)

A fake teacher can cause the death of his students.
Be a true shugyōsha, not a shūgyotōsha!
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1 誤魔化す, gomakasu: to dodge; to deceive; to falsify; to misrepresent; to cheat; to swindle. It is interesting to see that to dodge also has the meaning of misleading.
2 授業, shugyō: lesson; class work; teaching; instruction
3 集魚灯, shūgyotō: fish-luring lights

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From Shiro Kuma by kumablog

Precise footwork is what defines better the taijutsu of Nagato Sensei. We had a long session of Taijutsu where we “wrapped” Uke, taking his balance in many directions. François, a newly promoted Shidōshi had a long flying and crashing meeting on that day.

Nagato sensei was controlling Uke with his elbow, as usual. But he was also using his back a lot. By turning inside the attacker, Nagato sensei was taking the distance to lock Uke.

Hatsumi sensei wants us to “control” the attacker and space during the fight. This was a fantastic demonstration on how to do that. The techniques unfolding one after another, it seemed that Nagato sensei was a leaf in the wind. When you know his body shape, it is interesting. James Garcia recently wrote: “someone commented on how muscular Nagato was. He said, “yes, but with Taijutsu, you don’t need muscles.” There was no strength, only footwork.

During the break, he spokes of his relationship with Sōke. He said he was following him like the bug holding the tail of a horse and moving with him. Applied to his taijutsu, it was the same. The attacker was the horse, Nagato sensei, the bug. And whatever the opponent was doing, the control was total.

At the end of the class, Nagato did some hanbō jutsu. On a fist attack, Nagato sensei put the weapon vertical to the outside of the arm, protecting himself. It was like a high tate no kamae. (1)

This point of contact was the fulcrum. From there, he would counter attack, moving from the outside of the first to the outside in a sort of tsuke iri. (2)

That was a simple and efficient movement in one flow. What amazed me was that with this simple action, Nagato sensei was taking advantage of every opening created by Uke.

He insisted on the importance of shielding your body behind the hanbō with Tō Toku no kamae. (3) Hatsumi sensei said many times this year that there is no attack. You do not fight back, tatakai wa Janai. (4) You do not leave any suki available to the opponent. (5)

Staying out of reach is how you can control Uke’s and turn his actions to your benefit. Remember Tō Toku, it is a vital part of taijutsu.

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1 縦, tate: vertical; height
2 付け入る, tsukeiri: to take advantage (of somebody’s weaknesses, carelessness, etc.); to impose on
3 匿, Toku: shelter; shield; hide
4 戦い じゃない, tatakai Janai: there is no battle; no fight; no struggle; no conflict
5 隙, suki: gap; space; break; chink (in one’s armor, armor); chance; opportunity; weak spot; breach

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From Shiro Kuma by kumablog

Despite his fragile health, Senō sensei continues teaching on Saturdays. It is always a pleasure to attend one of his magic classes.

Of all the Japanese Dai Shihan, he is the one that has this fantastic touch. The movements he teaches are always simple, but impossible to reproduce. This is why I will not even try to detail the moves we trained during the whole class.

It was some kind of Ryō Mune Dori (double chest grab). Then it was magic.

During the class, I was training with my friend Aluisio from Brazil. We had excellent training, but we couldn’t do the technique. What is nice when you practice with a high rank, is that no one is trying to win, both do their best to repeat the technique. At some point, a pair of students were doing their own stuff instead of trying to understand the waza. I saw myself doing the same mistake years ago. I went to them smiling, and asked: “did he change the technique?”. And I went back to my training spot. Both looked at me puzzled. I hope they understood this subtle message. When you are a young black belt, you cannot see correctly. Then you add the strength you feel is needed to get to the same result. But it doesn’t work like that.

The movements by Senō sensei are very light and very subtle. Many times I asked him to perform the technique on me. It was like fighting a cloud. You cannot sense any pressure from his part. But you always fall as he softly takes your balance without you knowing it.

This subtlety is the make of a great teacher. The Japanese have a term for that: “Bimyō.” (1)

Bimyō is another of these Japanese words carrying many different interpretations.

At the same time, it is subtle and difficult; delicate and complicated. Bimyō also is tricky. As I wrote earlier, when you are Uke, you know what he is going to do, and you lose your balance without knowing.

At one point during the class, Senō sensei said to ask anything we wanted and to experience with him as Tori. Many teachers don’t do that. Senō sensei is so good that his taijutsu applies the same to anyone. This is not a technique, this is real control. It is beyond the biomechanical aspects of the movement.

I hope that one day I will get this superior taijutsu. His movements are holistic in the sense that they encompass the whole without any tension. This is exquisite to be his Uke and to witness first-hand the elegance of his taijutsu. We are lucky to have him teaching us.

This natural elegance is also Bimyō. (2)

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1 微妙, bimyō: delicate; subtle; sensitive; difficult; delicate (situation); complicated; doubtful; questionable; dicey; tricky
2 美妙, bimyō: elegant; exquisite

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From Shiro Kuma by kumablog

In the official Tenchijin, in the Chi Ryaku no Maki, in the Nage Kata you find a throw that very few people understand. It is Uchi Gake. (1)

It is listed as follow: “Uchi Mata / uchi gake (kuden) (内股内掛 口伝).”

The explanation of the Tenchijin is cryptic. It says “Additionally, after hane age, you can knock uke down by obstructing them with uchi gake (内掛け) or “inner hook.””

Ten years ago, I asked Noguchi sensei. I understood that it was similar, in a way, to the same movements in Jūdō. Except that “Gakeru” (2) means to hook or catch. (2)

In Jūdō “Gari,” means to harvest. (3)

Also, in Jūdō, they have split the Nage Kata into three sets of techniques for the arms, the hips, and the legs. This is not the case in the Bujinkan because the nage waza includes the three sets of techniques. This is a Tenchijin and will need another article.

So, why do we have “Uchi Mata / Uchi Gake” in the program? As you might have understood, Uchi Gake is the continuation of a failed Uchi Mata. After failing to throw Uke with Uchi Mata, your right leg goes down and “hook” Uke’s right leg, he falls on his back.

But this is not all. If instead of hooking the right leg, you reposition your body and hook the left leg you get another Uchi Gake. As it is the case in Jūdō, we can name the first one, Ko Uchi Gake; and call the second one, Ō Uchi Gake.

The pictures will help you to understand better.

But if we have these two extra throws, we can apply the same logic to Ō Soto gake (outside), we get:

I hope that now you know Uchi Gake, and that you will experiment it during your next class.

Enjoy!
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1 内掛, uchi gake: inside leg trip
2 掛ける, gakeru: to catch (in a trap, etc.) / Note: there are 25 different definitions for Gake in my dictionary.
3 刈る, to cut (grass, hair, etc.); to mow; to clip; to trim; to prune; to shear; to reap; to harvest

Note to the reader: No Brasilian Spartan was injured during the session. Thank you Leandro Barros for your help.

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From Shiro Kuma by kumablog

Since last January, Hatsumi Sensei repeats that our actions are “undecided.” In Japanese, the term is “Mitei.” It can be translated by “untruly” or “uncertainly. (1)

In a fight, you will either lose or win, but you will know the outcome only at the end. You cannot decide it. As westerners, we are programmed by our educative system not to be undecided. And Rene Descartes, the French philosopher is the one to blame for that!

He wrote “I did not imitate the skeptics who doubt only for doubting’s sake and pretend to be always undecided. On the contrary, my whole intention was to arrive at a certainty, and to dig away the drift and the sand until I reached the rock or the clay beneath.” From there comes our problem.

“To decide” comes from the Latin “decidere.” It is made of “de” (privative) + “caedere” (to cut). It implies the act of choosing by “cutting” the wrong choices.

Once again this is what we learn in school. We train ourselves not to doubt, and to always “know with certainty.” This type of reasoning applies perfectly to non-animated objects, but not for humans. (2)

In a fight, we do not choose the actions of the attacker. We only adapt our reactions to the situation, like a surfer on a wave.

When Sensei reacts to an attack, he doesn’t know what he is going to do next. He lets the body do it. This is why he often says “I don’t do the same movement twice,” nature cannot be tamed.

He doesn’t make any choice before the movement, as he is always reacting with a natural flow. The brain (thinking process) is not part of it.

Understanding that, is understanding how to control Uke. The control of Mutō Dori is not something we “decide,” it naturally manifests itself. The control is not mechanical, it is total, and includes everything. The control is coming from outside.

Sensei uses only the word “control” in English, instead of the Japanese word “Seishi.” This is because Seishi is more physical and does not imply the non-physical world. (3)

The control of Mutō Dori can exist only when our actions remain undecided. The moment we “decide” to do any movement, we lose the ability to control the attacker.

Mitei, indecision, is a necessity to achieve full control. By full control, I mean the attacker and the space between and around us. This concept of “control” is not coming from the west, is it Japanese.

To improve our Budō, we have to behave and think like a Japanese, it is Seishi, a matter of life and death!

So, decide to be undecided!
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1 未定 / mitei not yet fixed; undecided; pending
2 We have the same problem in the “discourse on the method.” It works perfectly for objects but has to be adjusted when dealing with humans.
3 制止, seishi: control; check; restraint; inhibition
4 生死, seishi: life and death, Samsara

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From Shiro Kuma by kumablog

The first class with Sensei in Japan is always particular. Whatever my expectations are, this is still something different that I find.

In that respect, this first class with him was no different.

Similar in appearance, they are not. Sensei’s classes are like fireworks, it is beautiful, powerful and always different.

Because Sensei’s Budō is unpredictable, yet always the same.
This is “order in a clear disorder,” it is like fireworks.
It is 新設の乱, Shinsetsu no ran, organized chaos. (1) (2)

Mastering the organized chaos is the type of control we are learning this year. Control applies to the whole situation. It encompasses the opponent, but also the space between the players; and the space around them. As Sensei keeps repeating, “the Bujinkan is no sports.” This is about survival at war.

And do not limit the meaning of “war” to the sole military. War is something we face every day. Surviving is not becoming “Rambo,” it is able to survive our everyday problems. Ran are war and chaos, and it is everywhere. But the most important is how we respond to it.

We confront daily situations that are difficult to control. This is Muchitsujo, disorder. (3) Our goal is to change that. In a real fight, at the office, at home, or at school; our interactions with the others are a permanent battle. We are humans, and this is how we deal with adversity. The control we seek in 2018 when achieved, frees us from all trouble. Controlling our life, and our actions is a way to be one with nature.

But Muchitsujo (3) is not a curse, it is a fantastic chance to find control. Because without the disorder, there would no order. Without adversity or risk for our integrity (physical or mental), we would die. This is Howard Bloom exposes in “Lucifer Principle” (1995). (4)

Bloom “argues that social groups, not individuals, are the primary “unit of selection” on genes and human psychological development. He states that both competitions between groups and competition between individuals shape the evolution of the genome. Bloom “explores the intricate relationships among genetics, human behavior, and culture” and argues that “evil is a by-product of nature’s strategies for creation and that it is woven into our most basic biological fabric.” It sees the selection (i.e., through strong competition) as central to the creation of the superorganism society. The Lucifer Principle shows how ideas are vital in creating cohesion and cooperation in these pecking order battles.

The Dōjō is this “magic space” where, as a group of individuals, we can learn and experiment the reality of chaos. There we learn how to control chaos and to be in communion with nature. Sensei’s teachings are way beyond the simple mechanical movements of martial arts. What he teaches is a Budō of life. And the way to get immersed in this Budō of life is by studying the cause of chaos, and to put order into it. Control is teaching that.

When you train in Japan, you learn control, and how to evolve from Michitsujo to Chitsu, from chaos to order. (5)

Then Shinsetsu no Ran becomes only Shinsetsu. (1)

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1 新設, shinsetsu: organized
2 乱, ran: revolt; rebellion; war
3 無秩序/muchitsujo/disorder; chaos; confusion
4 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lucifer_Principle
5 chitsu 秩序/order; discipline; regularity; system; a method

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