Skip to content

Day 6 (12tr)

From Kabutoshimen by Toryu

It never cease to amaze me how some people don’t pay attention to what the teachers is showing. I just realized that I’m now starting to understand Shiraishi sensei’s movements and can use them more freely without thinking to much. I think this is because I have paid attention to what, and how he is doing things and most importantly trying to copy his movements. My training partner on the other hand was doing his own stuff -/

The second class with Nagato sensei was simple movements in to good positions taking the balance and have a strong kamae to make the final technique strong. Not because you use power but because you put the opponent into a weak position and yourself into a strong position (same as Shiraishi sensei!). Then lightly apply the technique. The important point I think is to get into the technique so that you don’t have to use so much power. My training partner this session was very stiff and rigid, he took my balance pretty good but when applying the technique there was no “koppo”, no technique, just muscles against my stronger points and not the weak points, as if he didn’t know how to do a gyaku. Very far away from what was being taught I think.

The third class was with Noguchi sensei. His classes is all about feeling and henka, he show the class something and get the training going and immediately show people henka of what he was just teaching, then he break the class and show something new. You have time to do the techniques two times each if you do it quickly. These training’s is very intense and a lot of fun. This training my partner was pretty good and we had a lot of fun.

By being so critical I wondered if I should post this or not, but then it is my blog and why shouldn’t I write what I feel. I hope there was some kind of insight.

Oh, yesterday I saw a few pages from the new book by Hatsumi Soke. It was just as I expected, text describing the techniques and not pictures describing the techniques as far as I could see. But there was many pictures, some I never seen before of Hatsumi Soke and also pictures of Takamatsu sensei I never seen before. The book was just a sample, and it will probably be ready in June.…

Day 5 (9tr)

From Kabutoshimen by Toryu

Today was a relaxed day, only one training (with Soke in Ayase). I went to Ueno looking for Engrish t-shirt’s (found one) and some green tea. Then I went to Akihabara to see if there was something new spectacular, it wasn’t. Then it was time for training, I trained with T-san, one of Noguchi sensei’s oldest students, that was very good. Dean called me (among four others) up to demonstrate, it was ok, but not so good.

Noguchi sensei showed the techniques in the beginning and Soke played along with variations. There was not much feeling I could pick up, no techniques I could relate to, so I don’t know what to say about the training really. So I leave it there. The theme now is no theme at all, only feeling, how do you describe that?

Sorry this post serves no purpose at all, I just wanted to use band width ;-) .…

Taikai Deutchland 2008

From Kabutoshimen by Toryu

Taikai Deutchland 2008

Taikai Deutchland last weekend was a big success for Bujinkan in Germany, there was about 25 German 10th dans teaching, and in total there was 350 people, mostly from Germany. Holger Kunzmann and his staff did a great job to organize this event. Everyone I talked to was very pleased about this seminar, good for Germany and the Bujinkan! I will upload many, many pictures from this event later in May/June.

I will go to Japan tomorrow and right now I need to go to sleep. There might be some more blog news coming from Japan soon :-) .…

Birthday party / mini seminar in Riga, Latvia

From Kabutoshimen by Toryu

Last weekend I was in Riga, Latvia. I was invited by my friend Juris attend his birthday party. The party was nice, and the food was excellent.

Riga

On the day after (Saturday) we also had some informal training. After the warm up with ukemi, we went through the nine Santo tonko techniques rather quickly. After the lunch break we did henka.

It’s nice to see the people in Latvia progressing, and always showing big interest in learning the art. Keep up the good spirit, and good luck with the new dojo!

Ganbatte kudasai :-)

Oh the “thing” I’m wearing on the photo is clothes to use when doing the sauna that the guys had put the 兜, Kabuto embroydery on. I found the helmet with horns specially funny :-D , thank you!…

Seminar in Gefle with Serrano Shihan

From Kabutoshimen by Toryu

The past weekend I went to a seminar with Bujinkan Shihan Manuel Serrano from Spain. It was a very good seminar I wish that more people would have attended. Anyway there was about 35 people in total, Serrano brought seven students with him.

The first day Serrano taught variations of Taihenjutsu ukemi from Togakure-ryu. And some Taijutsu henka, along with (strange) fun and games. One guy in the middle was jumping on one leg and chasing everyone else and when he whip someone with the belt every one attacked the guy and whipping him with their belts until he got to the safe zone. Then it was his turn to chase the next victim.

The second day more games, and some techniques from Zanto Tonko no Kata. Also some interesting techniques using a rope, since most people didn’t have a rope we all used belts instead.

Thanks to Serrano Shihan for coming and Patrik Johansson and the staff at the Bujinkan Gefle Dojo for organizing this seminar.

You can see the pictures at http://kaigozan.se/album/ I also uploaded pictures from the last two seminars at Kaigozan this year.

This weekend I will be going to Riga, Latvia :-)

The past Holger K seminar

From Kabutoshimen by Toryu

We had a very good seminar here recently with Holger Kunzmann, I really encourage everyone to go to his seminars! On the extra training on Friday we had asked him to teach Kihon Happo, and he did. He went through all eight techniques on Friday extra training and Saturday morning. Sunday morning he did Sanshin no kata for warm up training.

But the main theme for the seminar was Togakure-ryu Santo Tonko no Kata.
- Three unarmed techniques against an unarmed opponent
- Three unarmed techniques against a sword attack
- Three armed techniques against several opponents

He taught many very good applications and said many interesting things. One thing related to all the past years of training themes is that if you take each theme and make a map of each theme you can clearly see each theme’s structure. Then make them all semi transparent and put them on top of each other and look through them all, this is what we are doing now in training.

Let’s take it even further, take all maps and put them together, press them together really hard (under heat and pressure) until it become a raw diamond. What we try to do next is to cut the diamond, so that we can look through each prism. This I would like to think is the Jewel of Bujinkan.

An interesting thought, right? Remember when Soke said 10 years ago or so that he was going away like a rocket from now on, and if people did not train with him frequently they would be left behind. If you honestly look in the mirror and ask yourself, only you know the true answer. What other people think of you is really not important, as long as you can stand in front of the mirror and see your own weaknesses and try to strengthen them, then it is ok. If you do that I say “ganbatte kudasai”, if not I’m sorry to say that you have completely misunderstood the Bujinkan training completely. Our training is about “masai” constantly polishing our art.

If you just started training or was left behind, don’t worry, just follow the rockets that is following the main rocket. Not all rockets is following the main rocket, so be careful :-D

Well, enough rambling for today… Keep on going!…

new DVD title, Hankyo 2007 + pre order Iaito

From Kabutoshimen by Toryu

28'' Stainless steel iaito
Stainless steel 28” iaito Stainless steel 28” iaito Stainless steel 28” iaito Stainless steel 28” iaito

28″ Stainless Steel Iaito, mirror polish. Total length including blade and handle is 102 cm, the weight is 1087 gr. If anyone is interested in pre ordering this sword, please contact us!
Also, we have only one Togakure-ryu Shinken in stock, if you have other requests please contact us!

The Hankyou 2007 DVD is ready to be ordered, sorry for taking such a long time! I will start shipping the pre orders today, if you don’t get it please contact me!

We still have a limited stock of indoor Tabi from size 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 and 29. Some of the T-shirt sizes are sold out at the moment. Please let me know if there is any interest for sold out sizes so that I know if it is worth ordering more T-shirts. I haven’t got any indication that these t-shirts are popular, I’m stuck with some sizes and want to get rid of at least half of them before I make a new order.

Hankyou 2007
Christmas seminar (Hankyou 2007)
Many instructors from Sweden went to Japan to train with Hatsumi Soke and the Shihan. Many of these instructors came to share their knowledge and feelings from their training trips.

Instructors: Mats Hjelm, Christian Spicker, Petter Swedin, Daniel Åberg, Daniel Neiberg

Note: All instructions is in Swedish!

DVD, 91 minutes, only 239 SEK ($34 / 29 €)

ordernow
Order now click here

If you want the full version log in to Budo Shop and subscribe to the newsletters…

http://shugyou.com/catalog/images/oscommerce.gif

32 trainings… and done!

From Kabutoshimen by Toryu

Back at the hotel, doing my laundry and packing. I can’t remember much what was said on the trainings today. Something about conscious knowledge is 1 part and the rest that can not be understood or researched is 9 parts, we have to learn how to use these 10 parts, and one way I think is to become zero. My interpretation is that conscious knowledge plus 9 levels/parts is “kûji” which together becomes “jûji” or “shiki”. We also have nine schools and with Bujinkan it becomes 10. It was kind of difficult to understand what he was talking about because he also said during the training that you can not understand by just seeing, you need to feel it yourself to (even then it is difficult to understand without experience). Anyway maybe you can research more yourself, please feel free to e-mail me your results/thoughts :-)

Ganbatte kudasai!…

30 trainings, one day left

From Kabutoshimen by Toryu

Yesterday there was only 25-30 people at Soke’s class in Honbu, it was a long time ago I had more than a whole tatami mat for myself during a class with Soke in Honbu. The training was great as always, even more Santo Tonko no Kata with some crazy applications with hanbô and rokushakubô, let’s not talk about the shikomi-zue :-D .
OK, one more day of training, let’s see what happens the last day.…

27 trainings… and a couple of stories from trainings in the past

From Kabutoshimen by Toryu

Two days ago it was snowing and cold (9C in Honbu), yesterday it was warmer but very windy (almost 20C in Honbu). Yesterday one of the Shihan told us about training in the old days when they trained in Hatsumi Soke’s chiropractic office, it was only 8 tatami big full of stuff that they had to carry outside before training. They were usually 10 people training, so they had to be careful when moving not to break the glass window (the door to was glass I think he said). During one training Soke wanted to test one student for the Godan test, he used a Shinai but twice in a row the student failed. So Soke went outside and came back with a real sword and said to the student that he would kill him (if he didn’t move). Soke raised the sword and brought out his ki-power, and all the lights went out. That is how strong his ki was in those days. I’m sure he is stronger today, but he uses no more than necessary, just like taijutsu, no more power than necessary. The Shihan also continued talking about that Soke never showed the same technique twice, and that he never told anyone what to do, and that we are lucky today because Soke do show the same technique a couple of times and let us know when we are doing things wrong and try to help us.

Another Shihan also told us about training in the old days and said that Takamatsu Sensei never ever praised Hatsumi Soke even once during his 15 years of training with Takamatsu Sensei. He did however praise soke for his paintings, but not for his budo. One day Takamatsu Sensei told Hatsumi Soke that he does not need to come back, he thought that he sucked so bad that Takamatsu Sensei finally had given up. But in reality Hatsumi Soke had been taught everything Takamatsu Sensei knew, and he had been appointed the next Soke for our nine schools in Bujinkan.
The Shihan continued saying that today Hatsumi Soke praises everyone (maybe too much). When someone is doing something on the mat Soke says it was good, when it really was not so good (I know this from experience!). This is also Kyôjitsu I think, Soke is teaching us that nothing is necessarily the way it seems or looks.
The same Shihan also said that if we do exactly what Soke tells us to do we will be ok. “Do as the old man tell you to do”, this means also your parents or grand parents, they know a lot of things from experience, and usually knows what they are talking about. So if we do what Soke and the seniors tells us we will be ok. If we don’t believe in Soke and do what he tells us to do, maybe we don’t really belong in the Bujinkan.

I would like to thank Chris who translated from what the Shihan told us. I must also say that what I’ve written here above is a mix between my own thoughts and from what I remember, both the translations and the body language from the Shihan etc. I hope I got the essence of what they wanted to tell us right, not necessarily word for word.…