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Nagase and Furuta 先生方 Japan Report Four 令和6年

MichaelMay 25, 2025May 25, 2025

Today I had class with Nagase and Furuta 先生方. I wake up early these days. So I made some coffee with an AeroPress in my hotel room. Then I went out to take a few street photographs. By the time I had to catch the train, I was ready for more coffee.

I installed myself at the lunch counter of a cafe. A handsome elderly woman sat next to me, drinking tea, and eating pasta. Her hair was pulled tight, and a jacket draped from her shoulders. I noted her posture with tucked elbows and a delicate use of the fork and spoon. Holding a proper teacup. I was no match for her.

Nagase and Furuta 先生方

I thought about her as I rode the train to go to Nagase Sensei’s class at the Bujinkan Honbu Dojo. I normally train with him at his own Dojo, but things are more convenient now with him having classes at the Honbu. When he arrived, I helped him unload his bags from the car.

Nagase Sensei started class with a 手解 tehodoki technique leading to both 武者捕 musha dori and 武双捕 musō dori. But these techniques were concealing a vise like 竹折り take ori against his chest. I was one of the first students he demonstrated on, and it was so intense that within the first five minutes of the class I was done. He already had me in survival mode.

He continued the chain of henka off of the original technique. He described it as doing Plan A, then if that didn’t work, he did Plan B. Then he added C and D… all the way to Plan G. The last one locked the Take Ori by wrapping it with his own belt! Nagase Sensei did these all sequentially, so the opponent experienced one type of pain, and then another… and the chain never broke. Until his opponent did.

From there he began to explore three points of control from Ichimonji no Kamae. He spoke of checking or stopping the next punch. He told us this was 三心 sanshin using 上段 Jōdan, 中段 Chūdan, and 下段 Gedan… which is also 天 Ten, 地 Chi, and 人 Jin. This all becomes an infinity of 八方 Happō. If you are a long time subscriber, you may have seen me cover this theory in more detail from my other classes with Nagase Sensei.

Next, Nagase demonstrated variation of tsuke iri with the hanbō. The emphasis was still on three points of control. The number three was also expressed as 無念無想の構 munen musō no kamae, 音無しの構 otonashi no kamae, and 型破の構 kata yaburi no kamae.

He extended this sanshin progression to the levels study within Bujinkan rank. From 五段 Godan you must develop your taijutsu. At 十段 Jūdan the study is mastery of bōjutsu. And then 十五段 Jūgodan must perfect kenjutsu.

I will add that not many people know that we have award levels after Jūgodan that lead up to Daishihan. I didn’t even know this until Soke gave me these awards and emphasized to me that they were to be given in order. Hatsumi Sensei has said the focus for us Daishihan is 無刀捕 mutō dori.

So Nagase Sensei finished with a kenjutsu variation on the take ori that we did earlier. I really enjoyed the class. Nagase makes me work hard as his uke. His class is one of the only sessions where I need to tap out a lot.

Furuta Sensei

I stepped outside for fifteen minutes to eat an おにぎり onigiri and slam some green tea. Then it was time for class with Furuta Sensei. Furuta showed up in a great mood because he had just returned from antique shopping with Hatsumi Sensei. I was happy to hear this because Soke’s health has been up and down.

One of Soke’s favorite hobbies is shopping for antique weapons. So they went to lunch and He made Furuta Sensei buy a yari. I say “made” beause that is how Furuta described it. Hatsumi Sensei strongly recommends that Furuta buy things when they find unique weapons or artwork. Furuta said the yari didn’t even fit in his van, so he had to go back later to pick it up.

Furuta Sensei started class defending against a grab and punch. He leaned way back with his shoulder to evade. And just when the opponent adjusted to this, he would shift back the other direction and disappear. As the next Soke of 雲隠流 Kumogakure Ryū, this is an example of his approach to this school.

He applied a bunch of finger attacks to 急所 kyūsho on the opponent’s neck and face. Furuta Sensei then told us a story about Takamatsu Ōsensei who was attacked by a wild dog. Takamatsu stood his ground and with one finger gouged out the eye of the dog and it ran away.

Furuta did these same movements with double knives. He combined it with the kyūsho control using the fingers. But he also added throwing the knives as a distraction or to cover distance.

I find these angled evasions with the sharp and low posture that Furuta Sensei uses to be fascinating. It is very unsettling and confusing as his opponent. My normal taijutsu isn’t anything like this. Which is great because it makes me stretch and learn outside my comfort zone.

He finished class with kenjutsu from 棟水之構 Tōsui no Kamae vs a downward cut. Furuta Sensei dropped his body while his sword intercepted the cut. But he disappeared. He even dropped his own sword to disguise his escape. In that moment where he dropped away he controlled the opponent or took his weapon from him.

Finally it’s time for dinner. This is my chance to write my notes from all of this wonderful training I did with Nagase and Furuta 先生方. I will have another class with Furuta Sensei coming up in Japan Report Five 令和6年
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暗殺 Ansatsu: Japan Report Three 令和6年

MichaelApril 21, 2025May 25, 2025

From Bujinkan Santa Monica by Michael

I rose early to catch a train. First I boarded the Jōban line, then transferred to the Toei subway to catch the Ōedo line. I warmed to the early morning sunlight because my trip had a dark destination. I was up to investigate the sites of two assassinations, or 暗殺 ansatsu.

If you would like to support my Japan reports, get the FULL video of this Japan Report here: https://www.rojodojo.com/ansatsu-japan-report-three-reiwa6/

I wandered the neighborhood following a hand drawn map from the 幕末 Bakumatsu era. The map actually marked with red ink where blood was found on the street at the site of the murders. The first ansatsu was at 中ﾉ橋 Naka no Hashi.

Henry Heusken was born in Holland, but his family moved to the United States. He learned many languages and was asked to travel with the American Legation to act as a translator for the first Consul to Japan, Townsend Harris. He really took to Japan, dating women, and traveling freely even though foreigners were regarded with great suspicion in those days.

He ran afoul of the locals for a few reasons. First, he had a Japanese common law wife and child. He also had a fondness for horseback riding. But this was something that was reserved for the Samurai class. This really upset the Rōnin who disagreed with the Shōgunate and any attempt to open the country to foreigners.

暗殺 Ansatsu

One night, after he was returning from a party, a band of Rōnin called the 老士組 Rōshigumi ambushed him at the bridge. He was basically disemboweled, and he lay in the street for awhile before anyone came to his aid. He died later that night.

Visiting these crime scenes seems like a weird thing to do in Japan. What does it have to do with martial arts? If you understand the history of Japan, you know it is closely intertwined with Samurai and martial culture. Visiting these places helps me understand and connect to this history.

That was a very chaotic period in Japan, and justice for Henry didn’t arrive until 3 years later. This was when 清河八郎 Kiyokawa Hachirō, one of the leaders of the Rōshigumi was hunted down in a second ansatsu. He was found in the same neighborhood, just a few blocks away.

Kiyokawa had aligned his group of Rōnin with the Emperor going against the Shōgun. But the Emperor did not want this alliance. This left the Rōshigumi as nothing more than a group of thugs and terrorists.

Another group of samurai loyal to the Shōgun and led by 佐々木只三郎 Sasaki Tadasaburō confronted Kiyokawa at 一之橋 Ichi no Hashi. All these men knew one another, so he might not have suspected anything as they approached. In fact, one witness said they called out to him, “Kiyokawa Sensei” and, as he acknowledged them, they cut him down. Was it a politcal ansatsu, some kind of justice, or just an act of vengance?

After that excursion we met up with Furuta Sensei who gave us a ride to his home dojo out in the countryside of Ibaraki. The dojo was cold so he turned on the heater. But we warmed up quickly with ukemi practice.

One drill we did was to start curled up at the intersection of the tatami, and then roll in eight directions. After each angle, the goal was to return to the starting point. These rolls had to be very small and controlled.

After that we studied some basic striking using a three part punch. It starts with a 指環拳 shikan ken that changes into a 不動拳 Fudō ken, then slides into 手起拳 shuki ken. As one strike becomes three, your other fist is hidden from the opponent. But it also does three strikes. Then, the foot delivers three kicks. This was all done in a flow to break the opponent down.

Furuta Sensei evolved this training to draw hidden weapons during the three part strike. And he extended this line of training into long weapons. He started with an 大太刀 Ōdachi.

With a long sword, you don’t hack away like mowing down grass. You still use the kissaki to cut. As the kissaki drives into the target, a small turn in your body creates the cut. Furuta Sensei told us it was born from sanshin no kata.

He did the same with the 薙刀 Naginata. He showed us how to balance it in our grip. Then he taught how to cut with the body.

Furuta Sensei then spoke about countering long weapons. He said that Bujinkan people always have 9 kunai or 9 shuriken. So you attack with these ranged weapons until you create a gap to close distance. Then at close range the long weapon is not as functional for your opponent.

We had a lot of fun in that class. And Furuta Sensei is very generous. After class he drove me all the way back to the curbside of my hotel. I said it was like a Bujinkan taxi. At home, I often do the same for some of my students who ride the metro to attend class. I still remember when I was a young man and had two hour bus rides to go to class. So it is good to pay it forward.

Up Next: Japan Report Four 令和6年

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Gokui Training: Japan Report Two 令和6年

MichaelFebruary 17, 2025February 17, 2025

From Bujinkan Santa Monica by Michael

I began this day by catching a train to the Bujinkan Honbu Dojo for a class with Furuta Sensei. In the past few years I’ve been able to train with him quite a bit. And each class gives me a little more insight into the gokui of 雲隠流 Kumogakure Ryū and Ninjutsu.

Furuta Sensei began class using 乱勝 Ranshō as a springboard to explore many ideas. He would use a dramatic drop or lean in his body to evade and upset his opponent’s balance. He also shifts this way to hide within the opponent’s movement.

When he called me to be his uke, he blocked my attack, but the way he held his other hand gave me the impression that I could attack again. Then Furuta Sensei encouraged me to hit him. I said, “are you sure?” But this was intentional because he was baiting me. So when I went for it, I fell into the space as he hit me with an unseen strike.

He used this same feeling to access hidden weapons. If you’ve trained with Furuta, you know he always has a couple of knives on him. One moment I thought I had gotten away from him, then I felt a knife hit me in the foot. He had thrown it from a distance during my ukemi.

He had us do some mutō dori techniques, but he surprised us because as we did the evasion, Furuta Sensei attacked us with another sword from behind! Then he shared some gokui for dealing with multiple opponents and this live type of Godan test.

極意 Gokui Training

I went to 長全寺 Chōzenji to reflect on where I am at with my current training approach. I am not focused on basic fighting or combat, but rather on the level of gokui. This is how I expand my training to match the feeling I get from Hatsumi Sensei.

One might ask, 霊魂よ、そこにいますか。Because when a student is defeated in the dojo, or even worse, in combat, that moment is overwhelming. And they start to wonder what went wrong or why they failed. When the spirit is full of these doubts, it is very difficult to find the essence or the gokui.

What is the essence of defeat? A big lesson is to get back up and move forward. Perseverance is the gokui of life.

It is difficult to communicate to someone who is focused on technique, fighting, or winning the nature of this type of training. But if someone trains with me in person, they might feel it. Or maybe they can learn from some Japanese Shihan who are teaching this way.

Even though I am a still tired from training and travel, I went to Noguchi Sensei’s evening class. I drank some tea for a boost because his classes are energetic. He usually jams through a bunch of kata and henka.

When he first arrived at the Honbu dojo, someone asked him about his busy schedule last year with many taikai around the world. He commented that even though he enjoyed it, he was getting old and he would probably retire next year. I hope this was just a daydream on his part.

My friend László gave Noguchi Sensei a photo calendar with pictures from his mountaineering expeditions. Noguchi Sensei really admired these photos of snow covered peaks. I said to him, “when you retire you can take up mountain climbing.” He laughed and said he would rather stay home and drink beer.

Noguchi Sensei taught from the 初伝型 Shoden Gata level of 虎倒流骨法術 Kotō Ryū Koppōjutsu. He surprised me because he only made it through maybe half of them. But that didn’t mean the class was slow.

He emphasized taking a cross step during the strikes and evasions. Then he changed levels from 上段 Jōdan to 中段 Chūdan, and then 下段 Gedan. He also showed ura and omote with each kata.

Noguchi Sensei did grappling techniques against punching attacks, or the reverse. These are some of the ways he finds henka. But I think he makes this teaching choice to expose the gokui found in each kata. I’ve trained with him for many years so I can see some of his strategy for teaching and exploring taijutsu.

In one of the techniques he did on me, he took a unique angle in his evasion that caused my second punch to catch air. In that moment when I was off balance, I felt him attack my upper thigh. And that sent me sprawling.

My training partner said he didn’t see that strike. But I felt it hidden within the movement. It was as if the angle of evasion was a type of strike! I spent the rest of the class trying to understand that angle.

As I sit here writing my notes, I look forward to some sleep. But I am excited to see what tomorrow brings here in Japan. You can watch the video about my experience in Japan Report Three 令和6年 coming soon.

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Hidden Influence: Japan Report One 令和6年

MichaelJanuary 25, 2025January 25, 2025

From Bujinkan Santa Monica by Michael

I’m off to Japan again. Every trip has a hidden influence so it feels fresh for me. I get excited leading up and preparing for travel. I get excited in the airports, on the planes, and on the trains. I always make big plans to do things in Japan, to visit places, to learn from specific teachers, to meet with friends I haven’t seen in a long time… But when I get there, Japan has other ideas for me.

The reality on the ground decides for me. I let Japan decide what I will be doing on that day, or on that trip. Then each trip becomes a unique experience in itself.

During one class with Hatsumi Sensei, he spoke of 幽玄の世界 Yūgen no sekai. He said it was like purposely taking a picture that was out of focus. He said you don’t want the focus to be too sharp. Instead you feel it with your eyes, your skin, and your heart.

I drive my curiosity just by noticing things. I try to notice the little details the country and the culture. I record things, I take notes in the dojo. This allows me to share with people who are interested. I’m very lucky to have been to Japan so many times. I know that not everyone can travel like this. So this is an experience I cherish.

隱身威光: Hidden Influence

After I arrived, I decided it might be nice to find some inspiration in Soke’s art. I know a place that has a sample copy of Dojo Giga that I could read. When I cracked open the book, my eyes fell on a painting with the title of 隱身威光: Hidden Influence.

The painting is very vibrant and has two figures, 天照大御神 Amaterasu Ōmikami and her brother 須佐之男命 Susano’o no Mikoto. It appears to be a scene from 天の岩戸 Ama-no-Iwato, in which Susano’o misbehaved and drove his sister into hiding in the cave. Since she is basically the Sun goddess, this plunged the whole world into darkness.

No matter how much Amaterasu defended her brother, he continued to misbehave and treated her badly. She became depressed and withdrew into a cave, removing her divine light from the world. Disappearing into the cave is symbolic of a type of death and depression. People who are depressed often withdraw into a cave of their own making.

As the story goes, the world was in darkness. Nothing would grow so starvation and famine spread. Various demons took advantage and rose up to plague humanity.

All of the other Kami became desperate to get her light back out into the world. No matter how much they pleaded with her, she would not come out. They even tricked roosters to crow as if the sun was rising. None of it worked.

They hatched a plan to make her jealous. They constructed a bronze mirror (one of the three treasures of Japan) and threw a big party outside the cave. The Shintō party goddess, 天宇受賣命 Ama no Uzume no Mikoto, began a wild dance outside the cave that was part comedy, part strip tease.

This amused all of the Kami so much that they grew festive and cheered loudly. Amaterasu heard all of this revelry and decided to peek out of the cave to see what had everyone so excited. Through this small opening, her light flashed out and caught the mirror.

She asked them why they were celebrating and they told her that there was a Kami greater than her outside the cave. She had to see this so she came out and her gaze caught her own reflection in the mirror. The other Kami quickly shut the cave behind her and sealed it with a Shimenawa.

In Japan, you find Shimenawa at shrines and even in the dojo. These ropes delineate a sacred space from the everyday world. So when you pass that threshold it is a type of rebirth into your sacred self. That is a nice cure for depression!

The kanji Hatsumi Sensei wrote on the painting are translated as “hidden influence.” But 隱身 kakurimi means you’re hiding yourself or become invisible. And 威光 ikō is a very intense and powerful light that is transcendent.

So you might hide or disappear within this divine light. Our training is hidden like this. This is why people with dark agendas or personalities can’t find the essence of our training. Even when they come to our dojo.

Hatsumi Sensei’s painting is asking us questions. The answers come in many layers. I’m glad I started my trip viewing this painting so it can be a “hidden influence” over my training.

Class with Nagato Sensei

After my art reverie, I went to Nagato Sensei’s class where I was immediately charged with the sign in sheet and taking money. Luckily the class was small, maybe only 15 people. Helping them sign in allowed me to say hello to each one.

Nagato Sensei had a “volunteer” demonstrate to open class. This person did a very elaborate technique that included 3 spins. I guess it was nice that his uke waited patiently for the wrist lock.

But Nagato Sensei used this wild use of space to explore. He did many pass throughs and hand offs of the locked wrist. All the while pressuring with his elbows or using his legs to stop or lock up the opponent so they were trapped.

Nagato Sensei’s footwork is quite refined. He used a lot of cross steps to lock up the opponent or even sweep their feet out from under them. His legs kept the opponent frozen in space. This even included submissions like a dō jime.

Class with Paul Masse

After that class I took a small break for lunch and went back to the dojo for the next class with Paul Masse. Paul is a friend so training with him feels like sharing. He often asks for my input in class or for me to share what I remember from training with Hatsumi Sensei.

And the great thing is, my memories will trigger a waterfall of Paul’s own training memories with Soke over the last 30 plus years here in Japan. He started off class very advanced with a subtle use of 刀匿 tōtoku. But he quickly realized he needed to simplify for the small group that was at the Honbu dojo. He changed to a grab and punch defense.

But, I kept pushing for the more advanced material. So he began to use 虚実 kyojitsu to access hidden weapons. At one point he let the attacker drop, who then seemed to just fall into position.

Paul told us that Hatsumi Sensei called this 回経つ外力 Kaitatsu Gairyoku. This is kind of a mechanical effect such as using gravity to unbalance. But it has larger implications because you are inviting the powers of nature to assist you.

Gravity is the most obvious force in the dojo. But we are surrounded by many natural forces at all times. Which of these can be your “hidden influence” to help you prevail in a fight?

Powers of nature don’t have to be invited, they’ll just show up. Kind of like how I just show up in Japan. If you’d like to learn more about my trip please look for Japan Report Two 令和6年 coming soon.
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Japan Report Eleven 令和5年

MichaelNovember 13, 2024November 13, 2024

From Bujinkan Santa Monica by Michael

下谷神社 Shitaya Jinja, photo by Michael Glenn

I got up early to catch the train into Tokyo. I headed to 下谷神社 Shitaya Jinja to fill in my 集印帳 shūin-chō stamp book. But I also wanted to purchase some 御守 Omamori as gifts for my students back home.

2024 is the year of the dragon and Shitaya Jinja has a bit of a dragon theme. You might remember on a previous visit I was very lucky to be invited to enter the 拝殿 haiden. There, on the ceiling, is a painting of a dragon by 横山大観 Yokoyama Taikan that was commissioned by the parishioners. I thought my students would appreciate omamori with a dragon motif.

After my visit to Shitaya Jinja, I had another train ride all the way back out to Noda-shi, and the Bujinkan Honbu Dojo. The first class was with Noguchi Sensei, and I was definitely ready to hear his laugh. I heard him as soon as I opened the door of the dojo. I was the second student to arrive and Noguchi gave me a cheerful welcome before I even stepped over the threshold. We had a great class which I will review in a minute.

First, I had to go pack and catch a train to Haneda airport. The commute was crazy busy, with the windows all steamed up, and the cars swaying with the weight of our bodies smashed together. A young man next to me used his finger to make drawings in the window condensation.

At the airport I had a little time to kill before my flight. And I like to walk a lot before my 12 hour flight across the Pacific ocean. As I strolled around Haneda, I discovered they had installed a scale replica of 日本橋 Nihonbashi.

The bridge is made of Japanese Cypress and has many wonderful details you can study as you cross or walk underneath. From their description, “The wall is decorated with Edo period folding screens from the National Museum of Japanese History that depict various famous locations throughout Edo… This pair of screens is one of only few historical artifacts that depict scenes from the time that Edo was founded. “

Since I still had time before my flight, I reviewed my notes from Noguchi Sensei’s class. He trained on the 天之型 ten no gata section from 神傳不動流 Shinden Fudō Ryū and he embraced the idea of sudden change. If you’ve trained with him, you know he moves fast. He covered all of the kata from the section along with a bunch of his own henka.

As he began with 日撃 Nichi Geki he explored different levels. The normal, chudan level might use a strike to 七抜 shichibatsu to stop the opponent’s throw. But he also showed variations for the jodan and gedan levels. He told us to make sure everything you do is a kamae.

月肝 Gekkan was all about the rhythm. Noguchi Sensei interrupted the opponent’s attack with his kick, taking their rhythm away. That deft set up flowed into a take down.

When we got to 風靡 Fubi, he didn’t want to do the leaping 胴締 dōjime. Even though I know he is capable because I saw him do it many times over the years. But since he is now in his eighties, He had some creative ways to express the kata without the risk of that move.

He kept telling us to “embrace our opponent with a loving feeling.” But his embrace attacked 腰 koshi. And it also disguised a 足起拳 sokki ken to 鈴 suzu. He said you crush them down.

During 雪耀 Setsuyaku he applied a 逆背負投 gyaku zeoi nage. But he did it almost without touching. He would set of the form of the lock and then drop the power out to send his opponent flying.

When he did it on me, what I felt was very surprising. The lock confused my body structure. Then as he dropped out, I went flying even though it didn’t feel like he did anything. This gave me some ideas to work on when I return home.

With many of the techniques, but 霧散 Musan in particular, Noguchi Sensei would do the opposite of what you expect. The kata might say to take one side, but he would take the other. He would take one arm up, and one down. If you only take one, the opponent will sense what you are up to and try to counter.

Noguchi Sensei called one of his throws a 俵投げ tawara nage. This is like throwing a big bale of rice. He told us that one of the 47 Ronin was famous for doing this kind of throw.

You hoist them up and heave them over. For any normal person, it takes a lot of vigor to do a throw like this. But Noguchi Sensei did it without any force or power.

I really enjoyed Noguchi’s energy and good humor. He finished by rocking his uke with a 骨法拳 koppō ken where he swung the entire arm like a baseball bat. He laughed and said that he was like the baseball player, Shohei Ohtani.

As I strolled around Haneda, I found an installation of 絵馬 Ema. An entire wall strung with these prayer plaques. You can purchase your own plaque and write a wish or prayer on the back to add it to the wall. The described purpose of the installation is to help heal travelers from Covid. The Japan tourism business was hit hard when they closed their borders for almost 3 years.

I had a great trip with many adventures and training discoveries. But every time I leave Japan I start making plans to return. You can expect more Japan Reports from me soon.
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Author: Michael

Nagase and Furuta 先生方 Japan Report Four 令和6年

Nagase and Furuta 先生方

Furuta Sensei

暗殺 Ansatsu: Japan Report Three 令和6年

暗殺 Ansatsu

Gokui Training: Japan Report Two 令和6年

極意 Gokui Training

Hidden Influence: Japan Report One 令和6年

隱身威光: Hidden Influence

Class with Nagato Sensei

Class with Paul Masse

Japan Report Eleven 令和5年