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横砂の器 Empty the cup

From Kabutoshimen by Toryu


Sorry for not posting anything for a while. The trainings here in Japan is great, at least for those who have been training for a while. For beginners it might be hard and difficult. It is not said right out but I guess it’s expected that you know the basics well before you come to training in japan. There is plenty of good teachers everywhere, somewhere around 150 “true” master instructors in Bujinkan Dojo. You don’t need to go to Japan for good basic training if you are under 4′th dan!

Soke says that it is time for us to throw away the basics. He said we should throw away Sanshin no kata, Kihonhappo and everything else we know at the moment. This reminds me of a famous story about a zen master, I will quote the story from memory (so please don’t take it literally)…

Once an experienced samurai visited a zen master and said that he knew everything about the martial arts, but he have not yet reached enlightenment. So he is coming here for advice about how to reach it. The zen master offered him to sit down and have a cup of tea and talk about this. He put a cup on the table and started to pour into the cup. The cup was filled but the master kept pouring. The samurai said, can’t you see that the cup is already full?
The master said yes, and it is the same about you! You have to empty the cup (mind) before you can fill more into the cup. The samurai understood and later on finally reached enlightenment.

This is the meaning of 器 UTSUWA. It can mean a bowl, vessel or container. But it can also mean ability, capacity or caliber. When you have learnt all the basics and all the techniques there is the cup will be full. In order to pass beyond this stage you need to empty the 器. See other posts about the theme of this year and 才能魂器 (sainou kon ki / sainou tamashi utsuwa).

Everytime you go to training you should throw away everything you know, “empty the cup”. Then eagerly try to take everything in like a sponge with a playful and artistic kind of mind. This is the 極意 GOKUI essential point passed on through many generations in Gyokko-ryu that we study in Bujinkan Dojo. Keep the mind of a three year old kid that want to learn everything. Even if you think you know everything (see my previous essay) throw it away. The one who gives away everything has it all.

Keep this in mind when training. Also keep in mind that there is 20 years of 面 omote-training and then 20 years of 裏 ura-training. I might come to this in a later post. …

Japanese beer test #5

From Kabutoshimen by Toryu


On the left is still my favourite so far, Yona Yona Ale from Karuizawa Nagano.

On the right was an alcohol free beer from Kirin. Pretty lame compared too good alcohol free beer like Jever and Klausthalle. It had some weird taste which reminded me of sweatty shoes.

The middle one is with alcohol 5%, Sparkling Hop from Kirin breweries. It has hops from New Zealand. This beer is also without bite :-( . It taste almost like all their other beers. Kirin have thousands of different beers and they are all the same more or less. What a boring brewery! That is why I didn’t include them in the earlier tests.

It will probably take some time before I write about Kirin again. Same goes for Asahi and Sapporo. It seems to be as difficult to introduce dark bread as ales in this country. It will change, I know!…

四世界 The four worlds

From Kabutoshimen by Toryu


I learned these stages of development a few years ago from my TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) teacher. He taught it as four levels of development in becoming a TCM master, but it goes with any trade or area of study.

The first stage is when you are in an incompetent awareness stage. When you start learning someting new you know that you are a beginner. You are humble and like a sponge, you absorb and learn everything new.

After some years of studying you are entering the incompetent unawareness state. The stage where you think you know it all. Be careful, many people get stuck in this level forever because of their ignorance. People say you are good, it is getting difficult to teach you because teaching can only go to a certain level, next you need experience and guidance. Maybe you heard about the “invisible training”? The more experienced you get the more transparent the teaching will be. Be careful that you don’t stop growing here or feed the ego to much. I’m sure you seen a few people that have some experience in other martial arts and after a few weeks or months they think they know Bujinkan.

When you get competent awared you have passed all the illusions and start seeing clearer. You know what you can do and can’t do. This is the stage when you are skilled in what you do, but hang on you’re not a master of the style yet. You need to always be aware of what you do to do it right.

The fourth level is when you are competent and unaware. In Bujinkan we often say it is the zero state. The art is so deep within us that we don’t need to think or remember any techniques at all. This is the level most people in Bujinkan is talking about. But I strongly believe you need to pass all levels. If you think you are at this level you could still very well be unaware of your incompitence.

You don’t need to think about this and try to figure out what level you are in. It’s no point doing that. Besides I remember Soke answering a question of what the highest level (in mikkyou, I think); he simply said there is no highest level. No matter how far you go you will never reach the end. This is also the 道 DOU, the path you have chosen to walk. …

緊縛 Year of the rope

From Kabutoshimen by Toryu

The theme of this year is the rope. The rope can be used to describe many things…

The rope is flexible, it has no static form. It change form depending on circumstances. We should strive to be the same in our Taijutsu.

The rope can tie your weapons together, it can hold things together. When you use the rope for tying things together you should make the knot very easy to release, in a way that you quickly can release everything and free the rope. In Taijutsu, use the same principle. You can tie the opponent up, but you should be able to quickly get free. For example the ever so popular jujidori armlock from judo and MMA cage fighting is not it.

The rope can be used as a net, or linked to many things. Like the synapses in your brain, or cables between the internet routers. If you need to use a weapon in Taijutsu you know how to get it and use it without thinking. Because you already made a whole system where everything is the same. You don’t need to think because everything is already linked by the synapses.

Also you can psychologically tie up your opponent in Taijutsu as if you really had a rope in your hands. If you belive it strongly, do it as if you had an invisible rope. The opponent might feel trapped and confused… maybe!…

TCJRNM Sanshin no Kata (warm-up drill video)

From Kabutoshimen by Toryu

I just uploaded a new video on YouTube, please check it out, give comments and ratings :-) .

This is from the forth coming Ten Chi Jin Ryaku no Maki DVD coming sometime this summer. I’m not sure if exactly this segment will be on the DVD (it is a little too long I think?), I will decide this later when I have all the material filmed and edited.

TCJRNM Sanshin no Kata (warm-up drill)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A63TvGQAYg

/Mats…

Fix Universal

From Kabutoshimen by Toryu


I must recommend this for cleaning swords, I think it is called “Fix Universal” and the website is universalfix.com.

I had a nasty spot on my iaito for years, from a chestnut I cut. I didn’t clean it properly so it was this for 10 years or so. The iaito is aluminium so it never rusted, anyway the stain looked worse and worse. It came of really easy with this fix.

It is also supposed to be very good for polishing away rust from metal. I don’t have anything rusty to clean, so I can not testify this myself. But I do believe it could work if you have a sword that got rusty and stained.…

才能魂器 sainou tamashi utsuwa

From Kabutoshimen by Toryu

This years theme is taijutsu with the feeling of rope, and also a little sword. It is still early to tell how the year will continue, I was there the first two weeks and it will of course change. It is stupid to think you can get the whole thing in just two weeks. As soke so often says, “nothing is decided.” We should go along with what is given by the gods or spirits, not steal techniques or take something that is not given. If you train slowly and correct you should be able to sense what uke is giving you, if you go to fast your ego is directing you and you will not be able to see and use what is given to you.

Enlightenment can be found in three places. Under your feet, up in the space (heaven), and written on your eyelids. It is as simple as that. In our case that study Bujinkan it is as simple as Soke says. Go to japan and train with him, and train with those that do to keep yourself on the right path. So simple!

To become a master you need three things. Ability (what you are born with), soul (how much you put into the training), and openness (being open enough to take in all that is taught). There is also other words that can explain the kanji in other words, maybe even different. Look them up in a dictionary and read what others already explained on blogs and forums.

I wrote this in January already and just discovered it waiting to be posted. Sorry, but better late than never.…

The new Honbu dojo

From Kabutoshimen by Toryu

Today was the first training with soke in honbu dojo. He opened speaking about a new honbu dojo that hopefully can be started on in 3-4 years. The current honbu will stand here for five more years, then the city will build the railway where it stands now.

Soke asked us to spread the word that it is ok to send in donations for the new honbu dojo. I would suggest that each dojo-cho will collect money and donate it in the name of respective dojo.…

Bujinkan.ME News #39 (New Year, new DVD at Budo Shop)

From Kabutoshimen by Toryu

Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu!
(Happy new year!)

This year is Heisei 21 and 牛年 ushi-doshi, the year of the buffalo, cow or ox in the zodiac calendar and the element of earth. Buddha invited the animals to participate in a race. The prize was a coveted position on the Chinese Zodiac calendar. The first 12 animals to cross the river would appear on the Chinese Zodiac calendar in the order in which they completed the race …. the rat used his brain rather than his brawn. It hitched a ride on what it perceived was the mightiest swimmer. Just before the buffalo reached the shore, the rat jumped off the buffalo’s back and crossed the finish line before the buffalo, putting the rat in first place, and the buffalo the second place, followed by the tiger…

The cow is is also associated with the deity 虛空藏菩薩 Kōkūzō Bosatsu (Ākāśagarbha in Sanskrit). Kokuzo (also written Kokuuzou, Kokuuzoo) symbolizes the “vast and boundless” Buddha wisdom that permeates the universe. Believers pray to Kokuzo to grant them wisdom on their quest toward enlightenment. People also pray to Kokuzo to improve their memory, technical skills, and artistic talents, for Kokuzo is revered not only as the deity of wisdom, but as a protector of craftspeople and artisans.

About this years Bujinkan theme… I don’t know so much other than what has been stated on websites (here, here, here and here), apparently there is no particular theme for techniques concerned (the philosophy you can read on the links above). However I heard there will be more sword as this is a thing we in general need to practice more, sword is also my favourite weapon :-) .

I will be off to Japan tomorrow, and will probably make a few blog posts on my web site… http://kesshi.com about the trainings and stuff.

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Web Site Updates

I’ve been working on a a new seminar list, completely new code. I’d like to call it Bujinkan Seminar List v2.0 beta, check it out (webmasters check the page source).
http://kesshi.com/seminars/bujinkan.php

I also set up two new rss feeds. I’d like to keep updated with everything new so I merged all kinds of blogs and forums I’d like to keep an eye on in one single feed. There is two different ones, first one is in English, the second one is in Swedish.
http://feedproxy.google.com/SuperfeedEN
http://feedproxy.google.com/SuperfeedSE

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Hankyou 2008 – Christmas seminar DVD

Christmas seminar 2008
Instructors: Paul Waserbrot, Mats Hjelm, Steven Helling, Daniel Bodin, Fredrik Markgren, Arvid Karlsson, Jens Lindstrand, Richard Maier, William Ustav

Theme: Reflections of this years Bujinkan theme, Togakure-ryu ninpo taijutsu

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.

Recorded in Stockholm, Sweden December 2008

Format: DVD/R- which plays on all computers using and ordinary DVDRom. It also plays on most DVD players (check your manual!).

100 Minutes playing time top quality, available in NTSC only.

Language: The instructions is in Swedish!

Click here if you want to buy it!

I will be away for training in Japan and back January 20′th when I will be able to ship all orders right away.

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Upcoming seminars

International Bujinkan TAIKAI 2009

2009-01-16/2009-01-18 – Helsinki, Finland
Shihan Moti Nativ Seminar, with Shihan Moti Nativ
For more information (price & schedule) please contact [email protected] More info… http://shinden.fi

2009-01-24/2009-01-25 – Stockholm, Sweden
Seminar with Sheila Haddad, with Sheila Haddad & Thomas Franzén
Bujinkan To Nan Dojo invites you to a Sheila Haddad Seminar 2009! Sheila returns once again to give one of her popular seminars with focus on women in Budo. Men are of cource welcome to train as well. Most welcome. More info… http://www.budogruppen.nu/

2009-02-07/2009-02-08 – Stockholm, Sweden
Keiko seminar intro to this years theme, with Mats Hjelm
Introduction to this years theme. Mats is planning his annual January trip this year also. More info… http://www.kaigozan.se/seminars/

2009-03-14/2009-03-15 – Stockholm, Sweden
Keiko seminar with Holger Kunzmann, with Holger Kunzmann, Shihan
Shihan Holger Kunzmann from Germany will be in Japan during February, after this trip he will come here to share what was being taught there. More info… http://kaigozan.se/seminars/

2009-03-20/2009-03-22 – Helsinki, Finland
Shihan Arnaud Couserque seminar, with Shihan Arnaud Couserque
For more information (price & schedule) please contact [email protected] More info… http://shinden.fi

2009-04-18/2009-04-19 – Stockholm, Sweden
Seminar with Pedro Fleitas, with Pedro Fleitas
Bujinkan To Nan Dojo invite you all to a great happening. Pedro Fleitas will be giving a seminar in Stockholm, Sweden. Mostly welcome. More info… http://www.budogruppen.nu/

2009-04-18/2009-04-19 – Szeged, Hungary
Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu (Chuden kata), with Mats Hjelm
Chuden kata techniques from the schools of Bujinkan. For more info see the web site More info… http://szeged.bujinkan.hu/

2009-05-01/2009-05-03 – Stockholm, Sweden
International Bujinkan TAIKAI 2009 (Kaigousuru), with Many instructors from the whole world
To date the following instructors is coming… Duncan Stewart, Shihan (Japan). Juan Manuel Serrano, Shihan (Spain). Lauri Jokinen, Shihan (Finland). Mariette vd Vliet, Shihan (Holland). Mats Hjelm, Shihan (Sweden). Morten B. Østenstad, Shihan (Norway). See the web site for latest info! More info… http://www.taikai.se

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