From Bujinkan Santa Monica by Michael

Bujinkan Hombu Dojo Walls, Windows. July 2013 photo by Michael Glenn

We have three basic staff lengths in the Bujinkan: 六尺棒 Rokushakubo (six shaku staff), sometimes just called 棒 bo (stick or pole); 四尺棒 Yonshakubo (four shaku staff) or 杖 jo (staff or cane); and 三尺棒 sanshakubo (three shaku stick) or 半棒 hanbo (half bo).

Did you know that the Hombu dojo is built around these measures?

I was in one class recently where Someya Sensei held the bo and hanbo up against the walls and windows of the Hombu to show us this. The wall sections between supports was the length of six shaku, or the length of a bo. The sliding windows along the sides of the room are six shaku each, and the sliding portion is 3 shaku.

A doorway is six shaku high and 6 wide. But the sliding portion is just 3 shaku.

These lengths of shaku are not a measurement we have in the west. It is said to be derived from nature and is the length between nodes on a shaft of bamboo. But this measurement varies widely. I have also seen it described as the distance between the outstretched thumb and forefinger. The "official" measurement has varied over the centuries by country or by decree. Currently the Japanese government has defined it as approximately 30.3 cm, or 11.93 inches

From wiki about shaku:

While Japanese law required official use of these units be discontinued on March 31, 1966, the shaku is still used in some fields in Japan, such as the traditional carpentry. The ken and jō are multiples of a shaku: 6 shaku make up one ken; 10 shaku make up one jō. The ken is commonly the distance between pillars in traditional buildings such as Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines.

Michael Glenn in the doorway of Lord Kira Yoshinaka's residence

I think these measurements have grown as the Japanese people have gotten taller. Some of the older structures I've walked through in Japan have the height of the door set at jo level or 4 shaku.

Of course you would never want your 六尺褌 rokushakufundoshi (traditional Japanese G-string for men) to be too small.…

From Bujinkan Santa Monica by Michael

Somedays I don't feel like going to class. But I go anyway. Why?

Well, one spectacular reason just happened to me (again) yesterday. I showed up and saw this:

斧 ono

This is an 斧 ono, and it's not often one sees it in action at the Hombu. Yes that is rust, and that is solid metal, and one heavy muther&^%.

So I can't believe my luck when another surprise appears:

鎖鎌 kusarigama

Another hefty piece of equipment by the name of 鎖鎌 kusarigama. Or you may just call it, the reaper.

Go to class or Michael will hit you with 大槌 o-tsuchi

So anyway, go to class. Like I've said before you might find a surprise there, and not going just feels empty.


…

From Bujinkan Santa Monica by Michael

Hidden Underground Snake, 池田弁財天 Ikeda Benzaiten

Today  I went on a search for the underworld that is (not so) hidden in Japan. This search involves prostitutes and their secret shrines. And the furtive 遊女の祈願 prayers harlots say on the day of the snake to stay free of disease and wash their money.

All I had were some clues from a mysterious local who we can call deepthroat. My man on the inside said that there was a place hidden nearby where two snakes would turn piles of shit into gold. What sort of miracle is this, I wondered. Then he went on to explain the miracle of the Hindu deity Saraswati and her Japanese Shinto/Buddhist mutant cousin known as Benzaiten.

Benzaiten symbol in Bujinkan Hombu Dojo

I didn't know it when i started my search, but Hatsumi Sensei had just added the same symbol to the Hombu dojo a few days ago. And I couldn't turn down a search for evidence of the 平潟 遊郭 Hiragata red light district. Even if people say it no longer existed. Something was leading me to explore.

The train ride was easy, one stop on the 常磐 Jōban rapid. Then I exited the station into the neighborhood. The heat and humidity have been overwhelming. So i wanted to orient myself quickly so as not to add to my trek. Of course I couldn't go around shouting, "Hey, does anyone know where the prostitutes hang out?"

I found the closest landmark on the map my source had given me. The Keiyo gas building. A nice woman told me I was on the wrong side of the tracks. On the other side, a friendly policeman looked at a map with me, but he couldn't help me. I knew I was in trouble when he tried to stop random people walking by to ask them for directions. Doesn't anybody know where the whores are?

You see, the feminine creative energy represented by Saraswati, 弁財天 Benzaiten or her Shinto sister Ichikishimahime, is often an undercurrent in people's lives. And even though this energizes our training, Japanese culture and humanity, it is dangerous to those in power. So it remains in dark, quiet places. Or sometimes in hidden plain sight.

The heat was getting to me. I became distracted with other sightseeing. I let go of trying to find any working girl holy sites today. Then, like a mirage seen through the hot and steamy city, I found myself passing through a crack in the city. Through a love tunnel of 鳥居 torii. To be reborn.

Here I was at 池田弁財天 Ikeda Benzaiten. Surrounded by snakes.

池田弁財天 Ikeda Benzaiten

The tunnel passes tightly between two buildings. The torii are very short so that you must bow as you shuffle along in their shadows. On the other side I could hear flowing water.

Torii tunnel of love

When I could finally stand upright, I found myself in a sacred space hidden in the city. This hidden garden was surrounded by flowing water and a koi pond. Benzaiten is the only female of the 7 lucky gods of Japan, and she is associated with flowing qualities in water, the flow of music, wealth, or flowing and eloquent speech. Anything nagare.

Inner Shrine and Garden

I found an old man named Enemoto tending the fish. He took little notice of me at first. But this place felt like some body's private garden so I asked him if it was OK to enter. He nodded with a smile.

Enemoto san

There isn't much obvious evidence of the red light district remaining. Even though this space could still be in action to help bless prostitutes, keep them safe and free of disease, today it was quiet. I felt at home and I sat on one of the benches.

Another Past Hidden Underneath?

Saraswati symbolizes the essential feminine creative act of giving birth to new life and knowledge. She, or the snake symbol associated with her consort are shown with a white color to evoke a pure heart, mind, and character.

Snakes!

Enemoto san finished his prayers and left me alone. I felt very relaxed like I could sit here all day in this garden of feminine energy and burning incense. The koi splashed in the pond.

Saying Prayers

A very old woman arrived. She sat on the bench across from me with a big smile and she immediately started talking to me in Japanese. I didn't understand anything she said. I told her that I didn't, but that didn't stop her flow.

She looked hot, so I offered her my fan. She said, no, thank you. This stopped her speech.

She got up and lit prayer candles and incense. I decided to leave the private garden to her and I walked back out of the love tunnel of torii. She looked at me with sparkling eyes as I left, and I bumped my head on one of the low gates.

Benzaiten is a complex symbol in Japan. A mix of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Shintoism all in one. Benzaiten is the elder sister of Enma-ten 閻魔天 lord of the underworld. Like everything I discover here in this culture, there are many layers hidden beneath if you are prepared to look underground.…

From Bujinkan Santa Monica by Michael

Sumo Wrestlers 1914-18, photo by A.Davey

How long does it take to be a Shihan? What about a Shidoshi? Blackbelt? How about just being good?

These seem like silly questions to ask, but I want to examine some real numbers here. I think we will be surprised at what the numbers reveal.

Let's start at the bottom.

No experience, no classes, pure beginner. How long is it to go from beginner to "not" beginner? Everyone's ideas on what it means to be a beginner are different. So I am asking you.

Is it going to classes for a few months? A year? 3, or 5?

How many ACTUAL classes does it take?

In my own training I teach 3 classes a week. So my own students have the opportunity to show up to roughly 12-14 per month. And if we take off for holidays and such, maybe 150 per year.

Except, almost no one comes to them all.

How long does it take to reach beginner's level? (That's what our black belt level is called: Shodan) How many classes? How many classes did you go to before you got there? I don't force an exact number on my own students, but it is maybe 3-5 years. Not calendar years, but actual class attendance.

So by the math above that means a minimum of 450 classes. who in the Bujinkan will claim they had that many before they reached Shodan?

Don't worry, I'm not talking about you personally, but I will in a minute.

What about Godan? or Shidoshi level? Many people seem to get there in approximately 7-10 years. Of course, I personally took a LOT longer. But  I don't think I am the norm.

So if we use my math above, that is roughly 1500 classes. But I know for a fact, that people have many gaps or lapses in their training schedules. Life gets in the way. So I truly doubt anyone actually reaches that number.

Maybe you think you have. Maybe you train 5-7 days a week for the last  6 years. OK Shihan, what does it take to be a MASTER?

Malcolm Gladwell wrote in his book Outliers about the 10,000 hour rule.  This rule, based on a scientific study says that it takes a minimum of 10,000 hours to become a master at anything.

Let's add it up. My classes are roughly 1.5 hrs long.

That means if you never miss a single class at my dojo, you hit 225 hrs per year. Divide that into 10,000 and you get…

44 years!

How many people who call themselves Shihan have trained 44 years without missing a class? How many think they have mastered training?

Hatsumi Sensei said this to us in one class,

Just because someone's been training for 40 or 50 years, it doesn't mean anything. Even for myself, no matter how long I've been training.. it's nothing special. I'm still walking along behind Takamatsu Sensei. 

Of course, I don't believe rank or skill is all about math and hours. But I do think we should be honest with ourselves. Then we can take steps to do better or supplement our training in other ways.

I challenge you to take a hard look at your own training. Do you invest in yourself? Do you clock the hours? How many hours a week or per month is the right amount for you? What would it mean for your life if you can be dedicated to this training? How much would you grow?

PS. I know. You are different. There was that all day seminar you went to last month. Or that 2 week trip to Japan last year. That should improve the math, right?…

From Bujinkan Santa Monica by Michael

涅槃 photo by Aeternitas.

I train outdoors all year. Traditionally ninja, and many of the founders of the Bujinkan ryuha, all found their inspiration for training in nature. Lately, in every class I am annoyed with mosquitoes. But I also observe the nest of some Cassin's Kingbirds and how they teach their fledgelings to catch those same insects out of the air.

This kind of direct insight is very valuable. Hatsumi Sensei says,

"Training in nature, where there is not only a lack of footing but one is attacked by the wind and rain, is greatly different from training in a dojo with wooden floors or mats, and with air conditioning installed."

He says that to develop higher powers of perception we must train in nature. This is how we develop the ability to produce something from nothing in combat.

必要な無から有を生み出す勘生という知恵を授かったのであろう。

So every class, I start with only the open air, the sky and the earth. Then we bow in.  

This lonely path of the warrior is self reliant. Sensei says it is like the Buddha, who at his birth pointed to the heavens and the earth and said, 天上天下唯我独尊 I alone am exalted in heaven and on earth. In Japan there is an annual ceremony on April 8 to commemorate this moment, it is called 潅仏会 kanbutsu-e.

People think that saying "唯我独尊, Yuiga Dokuson" or, I alone am exalted, means you are conceited or arrogant. But the true meaning of this phrase suggests there is no separation between you and the world. It is all about positioning. In a fight, if you could see things from the position of your enemy, see through his eyes, he would be very easy to defeat. In fact, by walking in the other's shoes, the enemy disappears.

When you retreat, or separate yourself from your enemy, he will only chase you. And you may stumble. When you realize the enemy is yourself, then you have nothing to fear.

Before training outside in nature, nature was outside and you were inside. Before your enemy was separate from you and you could not control him. Take away the enemy's power.  When you realize your enemy is you, you empower yourself.

As a warrior, you must take responsibility for your own victory. So train in nature because you ARE nature. Defeat your enemy, because he is you.…

From Bujinkan Santa Monica by Michael

踩上一脚 photo by 大杨

Last night in class the kata I was teaching required you to stomp down on the kyūsho 強経 kyokei. This is supposed to move your opponent and open him up for the rest of the kata. The way most people teach this is to stomp the ground like a Maori tribesman.

Stomping like a polynesian warrior or bratty child is the omote way of doing this technique. This means it is obvious and easily seen or countered. And if this is all you put behind this strike, many opponents will not be moved.

What I have learned from Hatsumi Sensei is to accomplish more with less. Exist inside of nothingness, he says. Be able to move from there.

The Japanese text of the kata we were studying says 強経を強く踏み付けると. This suggests breaking through the strength of the opponent by stomping this 急所 kyuusho, kyokei. First, let's see where this kyūsho is located.

強経 kyokei is above the five toes of the foot. A strike here attacks the strong tendons on top of the foot. This creates an ataxia which will "open up" or cut through your opponent's defenses.

Here is some 要 kaname

This same point is considered 要衝 youshou for acupuncture. 要衝 youshou can also be read as piercing through kaname. It is interesting that the kanji in 経穴 keiketsu, or acupuncture point, may also be read as passing through an opening.

and now some 口伝 kuden

The way I have learned to open up and cut through is not by stomping and relying on ataxia. That is part of it, sure. But a better way is to use the connection through what Hatsumi Sensei calls 玉の緒 Tamanoo.

Soke tells us that this is the lifeline or thread of life and also the same connection that is used when giving the Godan test. This is what moves the person out of the way of the sword. So that is the way I would attack kyokei.

Do you think that would be enough to move your opponent?


PS. this is the type of information I share in my exclusive Keiko Kiroku training notes. To get in on this, sign up here: Keiko Kiroku
…

From Bujinkan Santa Monica by Michael

砲台~十八羅漢~猴子( 全身是傷 ) photo by houliuken

If you are athletic, or train hard like I do, you will face the problem of being injured at some point. At first this feels like, why me? Why now?

But then if you are like me, you get to work finding a way to move forward, overcome this obstacle and to heal. You can solve this problem. And maybe, if you approach this problem properly, you will encounter the same wonderful mystery I have. Let me explain.

I train when I'm injured. I do this because the nature of life means there will always be encumbrances to peak performance. I want to be able to adapt when I encounter those obstacles.

But there is another, better reason I have discovered. The kind of discovery that may only occur while training injured. While I was in pain and feeling gimpy one night, I had a flash of inspiration:

Constraints on free movement can open up infinity.

This is an authentic 妙法 myouhou, or mysterious law in life, art, and training. The greatest lives are lived through obstacles. The best art burns through boundaries on expression. And the freest training can be discovered and enjoyed through constraint, injury, disability, or impediments.

If you have experienced this directly, you may know what I mean even though it is difficult to describe. It's like that by adapting, overcoming, or training through the injury will open up new horizons and possibilities you did not know were there before. Without the injury, you would not be forced to find this new path, so it wouldn't even exist for you.

And your world would be smaller. And your training would be stuck on the same path as it usually is.

On this night my struggle was a knee injury. And it forced me to hop about and pivot on one leg. I had to capture my opponent's balance and throw him without great strength or control over my own balance.

Then I remembered something mysterious I had seen from Hatsumi Sensei. He seemed to be throwing his partners around not with physical effort on his part, but by disturbing their psyche or spirit. I held this image in my mind of watching Hatsumi Sensei throw someone using only the smallest gesture of his hand.

Then I began to discover a whole new world of control by playing with how my uke reacted to my strange movement. It began as simple playful distractions. But over time this exploration has led to defeating my opponents through 繋がり tsunagari. And even by a broader connection to the kukan itself.

You see, there was an infinity in training that I discovered hidden behind and through my injury. My knee has healed. A couple of years have gone by, and I still am unwinding discoveries that arose from that night and that constraint that changed the way I train.

In my blog post, Kihon: The Heart of an Infinite Circle, I wrote about this concept. Hatsumi Sensei says that kihon is like thrusting your sword into a point about which there is an Enso or limitless circle (happo) and existing in the space is the kukan.

Do not forget this mystery. Embrace it. Find teachers who embrace it rather than putting training in a box.

Here's a hint: Teachers with VERY  strong opinions about the right and wrong way to train are trapped in a box.

The best Bujinkan training adapts to you. You should not have to adapt to the training. The world doesn't need another Bujinkan teacher. We already have great ones! What the world needs is training that shows people how to truly bring their own authentic self and demonstrate that value in our art.

This is achieved through a depth of self awareness that you may only discover under adverse conditions.

This is the transcendent mystery of overcoming your own limitations.…

From Bujinkan Santa Monica by Michael

滚滚江水 Torrential photo by livepine

There is a bit of magic in the Gokui we find in the history of our art. This magic can help us with training or in our own lives. One that Hatsumi Sensei has shared with us says,

からまれて何にーっの勝手なし、身を捨ててこそ浮かぶ瀬もあれ

Like many ideas in Japanese, there is more than one way to translate this into English. Two that I've heard are:

When you become entangled, there can be no victory. By sacrificing yourself, you have the chance to be saved;
or, with no thought of one's self, float in the torrent by throwing oneself in.

In English we have similar sayings like: nothing ventured, nothing gained; make your own luck; put your life on the line… commit totally; Risk it all to win it all.

These ideas show the power of being fully committed, but where does the magic enter in? Well some other translations hint around this: When you are ready to sacrifice yourself, you may succeed; by rejecting the body comes opportunity; It is those who sacrifice themselves that will be rewarded with rising currents.

A clue for us can be found in the word 浮かぶ瀬 ukabuse found in the second part of this gokui. This word suggests good fortune or a lucky break when one floats or rises to the surface of the flood. The luck that arises from sutemi! What is this magic source of luck?

I would posit that it is found in the flow of whatever current that you leap into. Whether an actual river, the flow of combat, or the current of events. Consider this famous piece of advice often attributed to Goethe but more than likely by William Hutchinson Murray,

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.”

So I'll give you two final bits of 諺 kotowaza wisdom. One for the Bold,

小さな流れも大河となる Small streams too grow into large rivers.

And one for the cautious,

浅き川も深く渡れ Cross even shallow rivers as though they were deep.
…

From Bujinkan Santa Monica by Michael

影電話 photo By shokai

Do you know how to use a shadow shield? If you've dropped all your fantasies of being a Ninja and only focus on dojo martial arts, you may have forgotten about what attracted you to being a ninja in the first place. So let's be mysterious Ninja for a moment.

We have a skill, yes, a skill in our training called 遁影 ton'ei. This is sometimes translated as "shadow shield," but there is more subtlety for us to understand. Shadow is not just a nickname for Ninja, it is an aspect of ton'ei no jutsu.

So this is a tactical strategy as well as a mysterious one. For the tactical, you simply fight with the sun at your back so that the opponent is blinded and has trouble seeing you. As Hatsumi Sensei says you are casting your shadow forward. Hiding in the sunlight is the real shadow of budo.

For one mysterious aspect of 遁影 ton'ei, learning this skill can start with kamae. Soke says that even as you stand in any specific kamae, your heart and mind must be in Kage Kamae.  The shadow in this case is what your heart is feeling. From this shadow kamae you may attack hidden targets. One may even use what is called kage no ken or moguriuchi.

In one of the gokui from our Kukishin Ryu Densho we may discover more secrets for this.

月影の　いたらぬ里は　なけれども　眺むる人の　心にぞすむ
Tsukikage no itaranu sato wa nakeredomo nagamuru hito no kokoro ni zosumu.
 

Though the moon shines all over the world

Leaving no corner in darkness,

Only those who gaze upon the moon

Appreciate its serene light.

This gokui no uta suggests to us that that the shadows and light of the moon exist for everyone whether you gaze on it or not. But only a few appreciate its mystery.

Another version of this poem is

月影の照らさぬ里はなけれども眺むる人の心にぞ住む



"The village, illuminated by the moonlight, exists in the heart of he who looks upon it."

So here is a secret. It exists in the heart. Your kage no kamae exists there. But when you project that shadow forward, it will also exist in the heart of "he who looks upon it."

This shadow projection is like a clone that your opponent perceives as a threat. Then he will be haunted by your shadow as if by 後神 Ushirogami which a type of 妖怪 youkai. One depiction of an Ushirogami shows its front and backside are the same. One of its arms faces forward and the other backwards.

This Ushirogami is connected to 臆病神 Okubyô-gami and will produce cowardice and confusion for your enemy. When he thinks you are in front of him, you are behind. So he turns around, and there is nothing.

As you project this escaped phantom 遁影, your opponent's mind is clouded with regret, anxiety, fear, and anger. This is your shield. It is as easy to hide from his mind as the moon hides behind clouds.

But you may trap yourself if you are not careful. In Japan, some fisherman have a legend of 影ワニ a shark that feeds on shadows. There you are... fishing by moonlight. You see a shadow pass under your boat...

You stand to get a better look. Then you see your own shadow fall across the water. CHOMP! the shark eats your shadow and you are dragged down into the sea or die right there in your boat.
…

From Bujinkan Santa Monica by Michael

地震體驗室 photo by Anav Rin

If you follow the news this week, or any week on earth, really… violence (暴力 bouryoku), disaster, and tragedy never make sense. Sometimes the more you learn about a violent act or violent person and his motives, the less you understand. You can study a disaster like a historian. But you can never comprehend the scope, depth, or impact on real lives of the event itself.

A few years ago, Hatsumi Sensei told us that our training should pass into areas that can't be understood. I wrote about what he said here: Beyond Godan Into Wakaranai-Keiko

What can you do about this in your training? If you learn the concept of 万変不驚 Banpen Fugyo, then you can embrace the incomprehensible in your training. So how do you start doing this in the dojo?

Last month when I was training with Sensei, he explained more about this strategy for dealing with these events in our lives. He said,

"We're doing these things that can't be understood. And in real life people are killed by things they can't see or understand. We are studying how to survive things you can't understand. No matter how many techniques you study, they might actually interfere with your ability to live if you get stuck on them. And bit by bit you just end up collecting techniques. So get rid of those. Erase them."

These points are at the heart of what it means to study the Bujinkan. If you are not studying this way, or you are unwilling to look at your own training methods through this lens, you cannot understand Soke's art. And I see MANY students and teachers who refuse to look at this.

I get it. It's hard. People want something like techniques to hang onto. Just like people search for explanations for senseless acts of violence. People literally crave this.

As natural as that may be, that very human impulse is a trap and a luxury that true warriors cannot lean on. Survival requires it. And if you want your Bujinkan training to be more than typical sports or commercial martial arts, you should learn to not understand.…