Skip to content

BACK FROM JAPAN SEMINAR with MATS & JENS

From Budoshop.se by budoshop

BACK FROM JAPAN SEMINAR with MATS HJELM & JENS LINDSTRAND was filmed at TANRENKAI 6 Workshop in October 2026 in Sundbyberg.

Download Video $14.99

Shortly after returning from Japan in October, Mats Hjelm, back from his 55th training journey, and Jens Lindstrand, back from his yearly trip (he stopped counting long ago and guesses somewhere between 20 and 30), held a one-day seminar on Taijutsu and Mutōdori.

Mats opened with Yukichigai from Takagi Yōshin Ryū, Ishitani-den, then showed the Mizuta-den version and its henka.

Jens followed with Mutōdori techniques from Takagi Yōshin Ryū, with variations and henka.

Next, Mats showed the crucial distance in Mutōdori and what to do once you step into the “death zone”.

Jens then continued with more of the Takagi Yōshin Ryū Mutōdori techniques.

The last hour was what Mats calls a “Henka Chain”. Taking turns, each of them showed a variation of the technique before it.

The video chapters is.

#Chapter TitleTime Stamp
1. Start00:00:00
2. YUKICHIGAI (Ishitani-den + Henka)00:03:05
3. HIKI-OTOSHI (Mizuta-den + Henka)00:06:11
4. MUTO-DORI00:10:29
5. MUTO-DORI00:11:55
6. DAISHOSABAKI00:14:44
7. MUTO-DORI00:16:37
8. MUTO-DORI MA-AI00:29:18
9. MUTODORI00:38:23
10. HENKA CHAIN00:42:46
11. End01:00:07
BACK FROM JAPAN SEMINAR with MATS & JENS
60 Minutes. The language is English. 1920×1080. QuickTime Text, MPEG-4 AAC, Photo – JPEG, HEVC. Download size 1.09 GB.
Download Video $14.99

Filmed from two camera angles with high-quality audio and tasteful groovy background music that supports rather than distracts from the instructions.

Short Movie Trailer

!function(r,u,m,b,l,e){r._Rumble=b,r[b]||(r[b]=function(){(r[b]._=r[b]._||[]).push(arguments);if(r[b]._.length==1){l=u.createElement(m),e=u.getElementsByTagName(m)[0],l.async=1,l.src="https://rumble.com/embedJS/u13s0mt"+(arguments[1].video?'.'+arguments[1].video:'')+"/?url="+encodeURIComponent(location.href)+"&args="+encodeURIComponent(JSON.stringify([].slice.apply(arguments))),e.parentNode.insertBefore(l,e)}})}(window, document, "script", "Rumble");
Rumble("play", {"video":"v7fjvre","div":"rumble_v7fjvre"});
Rumble("play", {"video":"v7fjvre","div":"rumble_v7fjvre"});

About the instructor

Mats Hjelm started training in Bujinkan for the first time around 1983. It wasn’t until 1986 when he had the opportunity to start training more seriously under a Shidōshi. He has taught at numerous seminars all around the world, gone to Japan 3-5 times every year. After he started training he never had a training break. He takes his budo training very seriously! If you want to sponsor a seminar or course, please don’t hesitate to contact him. For more information see his web site toryu.se or come and train with him at Kaigozan Dojo.


Video download specs

  • Price: $19.99 USD (PayPal download)
  • Length: 51 minutes
  • Resolution: TODO: confirm on product page
  • Language / commentary: English instruction
  • Filmed: TANRENKAI 4 Workshop in May 2026 in Sundbyberg
  • Instructor: Mats Hjelm (Tōryū / Toryū), Dai-Shihan, 15th Dan

FAQ

Is there verbal instruction on this training video?

Yes. Instruction and commentary are in English (Mats Hjelm).

Can I keep the file after I download it?

Yes. After PayPal checkout you download the video file(s) to your own device. Keep your own backup copy; re-download links from the seller may expire, so save the files locally.

Is the seminar download in English?

Yes. Instruction and explanations are in English.

What player do I need?

Files are typically MP4 (H.264 / AAC). Any modern player works — VLC, QuickTime, Windows Media Player, iOS/Android built-in players, smart TVs that open MP4. No special DRM player is required.


{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@graph": [
{
"@type": "Product",
"name": "Back from Japan Seminar with Mats Hjelm",
"url": "https://budoshop.se/back-from-japan-seminar-with-mats-hjelm/",
"description": "Back from Japan Seminar. seminar / training video download. with Mats Hjelm. 51 min. TANRENKAI 4 Workshop in May 2026 in Sundbyberg.",
"brand": {
"@type": "Brand",
"name": "Budoshop.se / Kaigōzan Dōjō"
},
"offers": {
"@type": "Offer",
"url": "https://budoshop.se/back-from-japan-seminar-with-mats-hjelm/",
"priceCurrency": "USD",
"availability": "https://schema.org/InStock",
"seller": {
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "Budoshop.se"
},
"price": "19.99"
}
},
{
"@type": "FAQPage",
"mainEntity": [
{
"@type": "Question",
"name": "Is there verbal instruction on this training video?",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "Yes. Instruction and commentary are in English (Mats Hjelm)."
}
},
{
"@type": "Question",
"name": "Can I keep the file after I download it?",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "Yes. After PayPal checkout you download the video file(s) to your own device. Keep your own backup copy; re-download links from the seller may expire, so save the files locally."
}
},
{
"@type": "Question",
"name": "Is the seminar download in English?",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "Yes. Instruction and explanations are in English."
}
},
{
"@type": "Question",
"name": "What player do I need?",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "Files are typically MP4 (H.264 / AAC). Any modern player works — VLC, QuickTime, Windows Media Player, iOS/Android built-in players, smart TVs that open MP4. No special DRM player is required."
}
}
]
}
]
}
…

Staying Alive: Japan Report Three 令和7年

From Bujinkan Santa Monica by Michael

I’m staying alive for my third Japan report from my recent trip. I had some rank paperwork to submit for my students, so I made the walk to Hatsumi Sensei’s house. To my surprise, when I walked past the 大黒天 Daikokuten statue, some workers were in the process of demolishing the house. They are building the 新武神館本部事務所 new Bujinkan honbu office and exhibition space to open in 2027.

It hit me hard right in my nostalgia 急所 kyūsho. I have so many memories of my visits to Soke’s house. Many afternoons drinking tea, listening to his stories and jokes while hanging out with his dogs (and so many cats!). I guess the only constant is change. As they say,「十年一昔、」even ten years ago seems like ancient history.

Staying Alive with 古田先生 Furuta Sensei


I had time to ponder my nostalgia on the walk to the Honbu Dojo for class with 古田先生 Furuta Sensei. He started class from 天略宇宙合掌 Ten Ryaku Uchū Gasshō and evolved from there into 虚空 Kokū. He really emphasized the cross step footwork and unwinding into the 蹴返 keri kaeshi.

Next he threw himself into the 天地陰陽之構 Tenchi In’yō No Kamae. He used an an extreme angle, and reached up to the heavens. It looked like the dance pose of Travolta in Staying Alive. He used the phrase, 上げ倒し age taoshi, suggesting you throw your hand up high while the other is thrown down.

天 Ten and 地 Chi, heaven and earth. You throw them apart to separate 陰 in and 陽 yō. This is an explosive motion for staying alive. And he even used the high hand to throw a weapon.

He then raised up again into a 片手投げ katate nage henka. He kept the focus on controlling and shielding. And during the cross step he even added an attack with his knee to 時 toki. Or even kneeling down on the back of the leg after the keri kudaki.

As in the prior class, Furuta Sensei changed to 半棒術 hanbōjutsu 基本 kihon. He reviewed what we did last time, but he showed one fascinating detail. When you release the hanbō to strike, the releasing hand maintains a connection. He did this with the back of his thumb. Then as the hand slides along the stick to re-grip, you can change the angle or type of strike at any moment because of that connection.

Then he used the hanbō to control space against a knife attack. In the first example he projected it forward from the 縦(盾) “tate” position. This was like a vertical shielding move that redirected the knife attack. Then he did the opposite by collapsing the shield to draw the opponent into his trap.

Again, like the previous class he finished with 六尺棒 rokushakubō. He showed a very cool sliding foot assist for a 胴打ち dō uchi strike. Then he cross stepped to hide behind his bō, before slamming it to the ground like the kata 鶴の一足 Tsuru no Issoku.

I still have many days left here in Japan. I will probably have more classes with Furuta Sensei, so I’m curious to see if he continues along the same course of study. I look forward to more and will see you in Japan Report Four 令和7年.

 …

Tiny Insects: Japan Report Two 令和7年

From Bujinkan Santa Monica by Michael


When I travel to Japan it seems like I race from class to class. Or, I race from train to train through Tokyo to explore the historic sites of Japan and our Bujinkan art. But here I stopped the race to enjoy training with Nagase Sensei and think about tiny insects. Video here: https://www.rojodojo.com/tiny-insects-japan-report-two-reiwa7/

I slowed down for 考え事 kangaegoto with deep thoughts about a class I had with Hatsumi Sensei. He demonstrated evading an attack to the outside. Then Soke used his shoulders to support the attack briefly before dropping them. This allowed him to secretly take 子殺 ko goroshi. The opponent never saw it, but he yelped in pain.

Tiny Insects


Hatsumi Sensei then shared a lesson about あも一寸の玉 虫 amo issun no tama  mushi. This is a a gokui found in 高木揚心流 Takagi Yoshin Ryū. It has to do with the relationship of the strong and weak. The strong seek to control through strength. But Soke suggests we control lightly so we don’t get “stung.”

The concept of even tiny insects having a soul has an ura and omote. Back during the 鎌倉時代, Kamakura era; 1185–1333, 北条重時 Hōjō Shigetoki wrote 極楽寺殿御消息 Gokurakuji dono goshōsoku. These are messages from Gokurakuji palace explaining the ethos of a samurai. In it he advised, 一寸の虫にも五分の魂 Issun no mushi ni mo gobu no tamashī. This means even small tiny insects have a soul.

Maybe this is why Hatsumi Sensei said that amo issun no tama mushi is the kamae of the heart. This is both an encouragement and a warning. If you are the weaker opponent, you may find the spirit to fight on. But, the opposite is that the weak have a spirit and will to survive. They may be underestimated to surprise the strong with daring, unconventional tactics.

Training with Nagase Sensei


After my meditation on tiny insects, I went to class with Nagase Sensei. When I arrived at the dojo, he greeted me warmly and immediately invited me to his house for shuriken training.

Nagase started class with a waza similar to 霞雷 karai. During this, he focused on plus and minus, inside and outside, heaven and earth. All of these were connected through the person. As you may remember, I have described his ideas on 天地人 tenchijin during other visits to Japan.

He told us that all of his techniques are connected in an infinity. He said that he’s been training for 46 years. During this time he has collected many data points. He described those points in the form of inputs to his body. He emphasized that it wasn’t his mind that held this data, but his body.

I definitely experienced some of that data. He gave me some training input in the form of pain that I won’t forget. Sometimes doing ukemi in his class feels impossible. He applies the technique in a very intense way. He only releases you to take ukemi right at the break point.

Nagase Sensei is aware of this. And I have to trust him to release me at the right moment. So I accept the pain and add it to my own data collection.

Then as he progressed with the form, he emphasized kamae like 左右の一文字 sayū no ichimonji where both hands act as 大小 daishō. And he spent a lot of time with 攻勢之構 kōsei no kamae. Each kamae provides its own interpretation of the form.

The kōsei henka that he did finished like 雪耀 setsuyaku. The ukemi was impossible because he locked up both hands and lifted us to the heavens. We had to trust him to release us.

During this he also wrapped his 帯 obi around a wrist. He compared the length of the ends of his obi to the length of a tsuka on sword. This led into the progression from taijutsu, to bōjutsu, to kenjutsu. You might lock up the opponent’s wrist with a sageo or trap it with your tsuka.

Nagase Sensei finished class with some 半棒術 hanbōjutsu variations. He kept telling us to use 地 chi power. The hanbō was touching the earth and he used that as a fulcrum point for leverage on the wrist.

As usual I had a great time in his class. I look forward to the shuriken training at his house. Please check Rojodojo for the next Japan Reports.

 …

鷹の舞 Taka no Mai (The Hawk Dance)

From 武神館兜龍 Bujinkan Toryu by Toryu

鷹の舞 Taka no Mai (The Hawk Dance)

鷹 Taka meaning: Japanese Hawk vs Falcon

Taka no Mai (Hawk Dance) is an excellent exercise for basic physical strength, and it needs very little space. The side-to-side rock works the legs, but that is not all it trains. Shifting weight over the toes and folding the arms across the body asks for balance on a changing base. The same motion opens the hips, ankles, and spine, so flexibility improves with the strength. Done as a flowing drill rather than a frozen stance, it builds control through the whole body without a large floor or extra equipment.

Taka no Mai

鷹 (taka) is the everyday Japanese word for a mid-sized bird of prey. The character 鷹 is Chinese. The spoken word taka is Japanese, and it is already in the Man’yōshū, Japan’s oldest poetry anthology. People have guessed that taka comes from 高 (taka, “high”), because the bird flies high; from 猛 (take, “fierce”); or from the idea of a hunting bird raised by hand. None of these guesses is proven. The Nihon Shoki also records an older Korean name from Baekje, 倶知 (kuchi), for the same bird.

The kanji has a different story. In Chinese, 鷹 is linked to 膺 (the breast) and 応 (response). The image is a trained raptor held against the chest in falconry, and used to read omens. That is the history of the written sign, not of the Japanese word taka.

Hawks & Falcons

A hawk and a falcon are not the same bird. A hawk belongs to the hawk family, together with eagles and kites. It hunts by chasing and grabbing, often through trees, and has broader wings. A falcon belongs to a different family. It dives from high up and strikes with its feet. Its wings are long and pointed.

Japanese names keep this split. 鷹 (taka) means hawk-type birds such as the オオタカ (ōtaka, northern goshawk). 隼 (hayabusa) means falcon. 鷲 (washi) means eagle. 鳶 (tobi) means kite. English often calls both hawks and falcons “hawks.” Japanese hunting, 鷹狩 (takagari), used both birds under the one word 鷹 (taka). In ordinary speech, though, 鷹 (taka) is the hawk, not the peregrine falcon.

舞、踊り、舞踊 Mai, Odori, Buyō (Turn, Leap, Dance)

Japanese once split dance in two.

– 舞 (mai) means to turn. The feet slide, the body circles, and the movement follows melody more than a counted beat.

– 踊り (odori) means to leap. The body rises and falls with the music and stays on the rhythm. Festival dancing is odori. Noh and shrine mai are mai.

– 舞踊 (buyō) is a Meiji-era word made from 舞 plus 踊, invented to translate English “dance.” After that, many people stopped saying mai or odori and just said buyō for any Japanese dance.

Interesting side note: 鷹踊 (Taka Odori), a Kagoshima folk dance from Satsuma Town. Same bird in the name, different tradition — almost certainly no connection to our Taka no Mai.

鷹の舞の流れ Taka no Mai no Nagare (The Flow of the Hawk Dance)

Hawk Dance (Taka no Mai) is an excellent exercise for improving basic physical strength that requires little space. —Sakasai Sensei (Hiden Magazine January 2024)

From Hira-ichimonji no kamae I face forward with both arms straight out to the sides, without standing too deep or too wide in the legs. Then I look straight to the left and move my body weight over my left toes. I fold my right hand to my left shoulder and form a Shikan-ken with my left fist. This is the kamae of a left strike.

Then I move my weight to the right, over my right toes. I look straight to the right as I swing my right hand straight out to the right and bring my left hand to my right shoulder. This is the kamae of a right strike.

Then I move the weight over the left toes as I look to the left and swing the arms to the left. I start rocking left and right in a flowing motion, faster and faster.

Speeding it up may be my own addition to the dance. I do it because it is a balance challenge, it is probably also good practice, and it is more fun. I imagine myself as a sea anemone, just following the current under the water.

鷹の舞 (Taka no Mai) is only named in the kamae section of 天地人略の巻 (TenChiJin Ryaku no Maki), under 平一文字の構 (Hira-ichimonji no kamae). It is one of six training forms listed there. There is no written explanation of how to do it. It is taught by 口伝 (kuden), oral transmission.

体七分目 Tai Shichibunme (The body stops at 70%)

Anyone can do Taka no Mai, the hawk dance. It is easy. Jane Fonda did the same thing: legs slightly bent, arms straight out, little hand circles, rocking left to right — only she had disco.

If it is easy and anyone can do it, I do not think it would even be mentioned in the Bujinkan tradition. So let’s examine the movement.

I have a theory of only putting 70% into anything we do — power, reach, strength, and so on — so that you always have 30% saved in case you need it. But how can you give 70% if you do not know where your 100% is? Let me explain with a few examples.

Taka no Mai Kyokuken Tanren

Taka no Mai

First, go back to 2009 during a break at Daikomyosai in Ayase Dojo. I was sitting next to Mr T, and I guess he was restless. He started by standing really low. Then he extended really far out to the left. Then he moved over to the other side, keeping his head at the same level. And then he extended really far out to the right, still keeping his head at the same level. I noticed his knees went really far over his toes. And I realized he was practicing his full reach, getting familiar with his 100% limit.

Then I snapped these two pictures, and like most Japanese he said “thank you.” I do not think that meant I could publish his face on social media, which is why I do not show his face.

I also used these two pictures and replaced his face with Keitarō, and asked Grok to make a video of the rocking movement. It was difficult to make the video 100%. The arms swing around at random, half wrong. But the important part, the leg movement, is nearly as I remembered Mr T doing it. He did not rock to the sides as fast as Keitarō. Still, the AI video is 70% correct.

The post 鷹の舞 Taka no Mai (The Hawk Dance) appeared first on 武神館兜龍 Bujinkan Toryu.…

CANE SELF DEFENCE with MATS HJELM

From Budoshop.se by budoshop

CANE SELF DEFENCE with MATS HJELM was filmed at TANRENKAI 5 Workshop in September 2026 in Stockholm.

After two films — one based on Hatsumi Sensei’s Stick Fighting techniques for Self Defence, and one based on the traditional hanbō of Kukishin-ryū — it is time to let those two worlds meet on the floor. And to do it in memory of Ed Martin, who carried that very tool as if it were a part of him.

I remember him from 1997. I was about 32. He was already carrying the cane then, with his wide smile and his many stories.

Five years later I invited him for the first time, to Kaigousuru in Stockholm. It mattered to me. Not because a new chapter was supposed to begin, but because I could see, up close, how he carried age and limited movement — what all of us meet sooner or later — and still kept teaching, laughing, and taking up space. Between 2002 and 2007 he came five times to the taikai I arranged myself. 2007 was the last time I held Kaigousuru, but not the last time we met.

Ed Martin died on 13 July 2017.

Now that I have reached about the same age he was when I first saw him, I want to pass on the cane self-defence I learned from him in those years. Timing, natural movement, and a tool you can actually carry with you. The same thing he gave to so many others.

Cane Self Defence Video Highlights Include

Walking with the Cane, Te-Hodoki, Yoru Na, Kamae to Te no Uchi, The Cane, Kote Uchi Ashi Ori, Kubi Dori, Osoto-Nage, Tsuke-Iri, Musha-Dori, Kosshi-Ori, Bo-Hodoki, Ashirau.

CANE SELF DEFENCE Poster

30 Minutes. The language is English with no subtitles.
Dimensions: 1920×1080.
Codecs: QuickTime Text, MPEG-4 AAC, H.264
Download size 674 MB.

Download Video $9.99

Cane Self Defence Promo Video

If you don’t see the promo video below go to BUJINKAN.TV

About the instructor

Mats Hjelm started training in Bujinkan for the first time around 1983. It wasn’t until 1986 when he had the opportunity to start training more seriously under a Shidōshi. He has taught at numerous seminars all around the world, gone to Japan 3-5 times every year. After he started training he never had a training break. He takes his budo training very seriously! If you want to sponsor a seminar or course, please don’t hesitate to contact him. For more information see his web site toryu.se or come and train with him at Kaigozan Dojo.


…

Memories of Jesse

From Bujinkan Santa Monica by Michael

I don’t know what to say. Last week I got terrible news. One of my senior students and friends passed away. He had been an integral member of our dojo since around 2009 when he started as a white belt. 

I watched him and his son grow as they trained with us. Now his son is a smart young man in college who has lost his best friend and role model. We are empty with grief.

I quickly went through my personal photo collection and video archive to find some images that reflected Jesse’s time as my friend. But I can’t get everything he meant to me from those images or into these words.

がんばって Jesse……

摩利支天法 Marishiten-hō (document from 1698)

From 武神館兜龍 Bujinkan Toryu by Toryu

摩利支天法 Marishiten-hō (document from 1698)

摩利支天法 Marishiten-hō Introduction to the Translation

This translation presents the complete text of a handwritten Japanese manuscript of the Marishiten-hō (摩利支天法), the Ritual Method of Marishiten.

The original is a short manuscript of eleven leaves held by the Treasure Hall of Zentsūji (総本山善通寺), the head temple of the Shingon school in Kagawa Prefecture. It has been digitized from microfilm and is made available through the National Institute of Japanese Literature (国文学研究資料館) under the Kokusho Database, DOI 10.20730/100226119 (catalogue number セ01-0243-004 / 図号 88-50).

The outer cover bears Siddham characters together with the notation 初安. The inner title is clearly 摩利支天法. The text is written in classical Japanese mixed with Kanbun and Siddham script, and includes detailed ritual instructions, mudrās, visualizations, and the traditional dhāraṇī of Marishiten. A colophon records that the present copy was drafted in Genroku 11 (1698) by the elder monk Jōgon of Reiun, on the basis of an earlier transcription made in Kan’ei 5 (1628).

The translation that follows aims to remain as literal as possible to the original wording and structure.

摩利支天法 Marishiten-hō

Invitation: Great Holy Marishiten Bodhisattva. Retinue, class, and the various heavenly hosts.

Making the vow: the Principal Deity, Great Holy Marishiten. Retinue and attendants, the various heavenly hosts, and so on.

Contemplation of the ritual site.

Inside the tower-pavilion there is the character 貞 forming a lotus-leaf seat; upon it there is the character 貞. The character 或 is the great self of all dharmas, the meaning of sovereignty; raising it, it transforms and becomes the form of a heavenly fan. The fan transforms into the Great Holy Marishiten, resembling a female form. The left hand bends the arm upward, the wrist placed before the left breast, making a fist; inside the fist it holds a heavenly fan. The fan is like the one that was before Vimalakīrti in former times.

The woman holds the heavenly fan; in the middle of the fan there is a 卍 Manji character, its form like the auspicious character on the upper part of the Buddha. The character has four curves, and inside each of the four there is a sun form. On that heavenly fan there is a light-flame appearance. The right hand fully extends the arm and stretches the five fingers, the fingertips hanging down, making the wish-granting gesture. To its left and right sides also each there is a 貞 character, both forming lotus-leaf seats; upon them each there is a 卍 Manji character that transforms into heavenly maidens who together hold white fly-whisks and stand in attendance.

Invitation: form the 結身印 Kesshin-in (Body Seal). The seal is like the 大金剛輪印 Daikongōrin-in (Great Vajra-wheel Seal). The two empties twist the two winds sideways, only letting the two empties come and go.

The dhāraṇī says:

曩謨引囉怛曩合二怛囉二合夜引野一 Namo ratna-traya-ya

怛你也二合他去引遏迦摩鼻聲己一 Tadyathā a-ka-ma (with nasal sound) …

三沫迦麼臬四阿上度引麼臬五紫 … tri-maka-ma-ne shi a-u-du-i-ma-ne go shi

精以鉢囉麼臬五摩訶紫鉢囉麼臬 sei-i hatsu-ra-ma-ne go maha-shi hatsu-ra-ma-ne

切引 setsu-in

頗怛馱引曩麼臬八麼引鼻哩引紫 ha-ta-da-i-na-ma-ne hachi ma-i-bi-ri-i-shi

野麼臬九曩謨引婆觀合帝十囉轉 ya-ma-ne kyū namo-i ba-kan-gō-tei jū ra-ten

乞濕合二囉乞濕合二斡引十薩縛薩怛 kitsu-shitsu-gō-ni ra kitsu-shitsu-gō-ni wa-i jū sa-ba sa-ta

縛引難上左二薩縛怛囉十合三薩 ba-i-nan-jō-sa-ni sa-ba-ta-ra jū-san-gō san sa

縛婆去喻引鉢捺囉合二吠引毗藥合二 ba-ba-ko-yu-i hatsu-natsu-ra-gō-ni bei-i bi-yaku-gō-ni

婆縛引合賀引十 ba-ba-i-gō-ga-i jū

Boundary of the unmoving. Praise of the Four Wisdoms. Empowerment of the principal deity. The preceding 召請印 Shōshō-in (Invitation Seal), only the two-empty mantra, says as above.

Also the mantra says (from the Amoghavajra-translated sūtra, named the heart mantra):

娜莫三去滿多没駄引南一唵引二摩 namaḥ samanta-buddhānām ichi oṃ ni ma

Next, the 安怛祖那印 Antarisona-in (Antardhāna Seal); this means the invisibility seal. With the left hand make an empty palm into a fist; the thumb slightly bent and pinching the tip of the index fingernail like a ring; the lower three fingers grasp into a fist making it tight; and also make a hole in the palm.

In front of one’s own mind, visualize one’s own body entering into the hole of this seal and being hidden. With the right hand, palm flat, rotate rightward stroking this seal and then cover the hole above. Visualize that this seal is the body of Marishiten Bodhisattva; one’s own body is concealed inside the heart of Marishiten Bodhisattva. With one mind concentrate without interruption, recite the preceding root and heart mantras without limiting the number of times. Only with sincere and earnest mind one will certainly obtain the Bodhisattva’s majestic-spirit protection. All enemies and evil people completely will not be able to see; all disasters and difficulties will all obtain liberation.

Correctly and mindfully recite the heart mantra. Contemplation of the syllable wheel.

[Circular diagram of Siddham characters with surrounding notes: unborn and unceasing, nature and characteristics both transcended, speech is itself the real truth, the flowing is unobtainable, self and other both extinguished, cause and effect are non-dual, and so on.]

All dharmas are like water flowing and pouring; in an instant they do not stop; the former is extinguished.

That which is later born is still only the limited view of ignorance; yet in reality all dharmas from the beginning are originally existent, without difference of the three times, without change of the four characteristics. This is called the flowing that is unobtainable. In the gate of original non-arising, the self also fully possesses the other, the other also fully possesses the self; therefore self and other both are extinguished, of one taste and equal. This is the meaning of the 卍 Manji character. When self and other are already non-existent, then the nature and characteristics of self and other also are extinguished; raising it, the nature and characteristics of all dharmas also have no fixed characteristics. This is the meaning of the 卍 Manji character. As for the characteristics of arising and ceasing, characteristics returning to nature is called ceasing; nature giving rise to characteristics is called arising. Nature and characteristics already empty, therefore there is no arising and ceasing. This is the meaning of the 卍 Manji character. All dharmas completely have no arising and no ceasing; therefore the changing words and letters, raising them, are the one real truth. Words and letters, raising them, are true reality; therefore causal practices, raising them, are the resultant virtues. Cause and result are one body; therefore all dharmas unite with original non-arising.

Scattered recitation.

佛眼 大日金或 本尊 Buddha-Eye Mahāvairocana (Golden or) Principal Deity

日天 法施 一字 Sun Deity Dharma Offering One Syllable

Homage to the Buddha.

Dismissal: using the 召請印 Shōshō-in (Invitation Seal), the two empties wave outward. The words say:

[Siddham]

Accompanying-monk heart mantra. Subsequent empowerment heart mantra.

護摩 息災 增益 敬愛 降伏 Homa Pacification Increase Respect-and-love Subjugation

Healing illness. Obtaining clear hearing. Extinguishing heavy sins.

According to the original: Drafted on the 13th day of the 10th month of Genroku 11 by the elder bhikṣu of Reiun, Jōgon, age 60.

Copied from the Gokoku-ji original on the 15th day of the third winter month of Kan’ei 5, the year of the Earth Rat. Corrected once in vermilion by Zuishō of Ichinai village in Tanshū, beginning together with the śramaṇa Jakunyo.

Translation Notes

  • Siddham characters (梵字 / 悉曇文字) Large Siddham (Bonji) characters appear throughout the manuscript, especially in the mantra sections and on the cover. Because they cannot be reproduced accurately in plain text they are marked as [Siddham] or [Siddham groups]. Their phonetic Chinese transcriptions are translated only where the manuscript itself provides readable Sino-Japanese readings.
  • Phonetic annotations The manuscript contains many small interlinear notes that guide the precise pronunciation of the mantra syllables. The most frequent are:
    • 鼻聲 (bisei) – “nasal sound”: the syllable is to be pronounced with nasalization.
    • 上 (jō) – “rising”: indicates the rising tone.
    • 去 (kyo / ko) – “departing”: indicates the departing tone.
    • 切引 (setsu-in) – “cut and draw out”: the syllable is given a sharp onset and then lengthened.
    • Other marks such as 引 (lengthen), 合 (combined sound), and numbered sequential markers (四, 五, 八, 九, 十, 十三, etc.) also appear. These numbers are the original phrase counters of the standard multi-phrase dhāraṇī and are rendered in the English line with their conventional Japanese readings (shi, go, hachi, kyū, jū, jū-san, etc.).
  • Seals (mudrās) The text describes several seals with finger instructions:
    • 結身印 Kesshin-in (Body Seal), said to be like the 大金剛輪印 Daikongōrin-in (Great Vajra-wheel Seal).
    • 安怛祖那印 Antarisona-in (Antardhāna Seal), explicitly called the invisibility seal (隱形).
    • 召請印 Shōshō-in (Invitation Seal), used both for invitation and for dismissal.
  • 卍 Manji The character 卍 is used as a seed symbol on the fan and the attendant seats, and later as the focus of a philosophical contemplation on emptiness and non-duality. It is always written as 卍 Manji.
  • Colophon The final page records two layers of transmission: a draft made in Genroku 11 (1698) by the elder bhikṣu Jōgon of Reiun (age 60), based on an earlier copy from a Gokoku-ji original made in Kan’ei 5 (1628) and corrected in vermilion by Zuishō of Ichinai village in Tanshū together with the śramaṇa Jakunyo.

The post 摩利支天法 Marishiten-hō (document from 1698) appeared first on 武神館兜龍 Bujinkan Toryu.…

太公望と天津蹈鞴 Taikōbō and the Amatsu Tatara

From 武神館兜龍 Bujinkan Toryu by Toryu

太公望と天津蹈鞴 Taikōbō and the Amatsu Tatara

I once read that the Amatsu Tatara scrolls themselves were said to have come from the belly of a fish. That single detail made the old Chinese legend of Lü Shang leap off the page. Three thousand years ago, the sage known as Taigong Wang fished for years with a bare thread until a carp rose from the river carrying a book of profound military strategy in its belly.

The parallel is hard to ignore. Both traditions speak of sacred strategic knowledge arriving from the water, sealed inside a fish, and later entrusted to rulers who would shape the destiny of nations. Whether the Amatsu Tatara transmission somehow inherited or echoed this far older current is something we can never prove. Yet the resemblance is striking enough to invite the thought that these two stories may, in some distant way, share a common root.

The Great Straight-Needle Incident

(or: How a Man Caught a Carp Full of Military Secrets)

呂尚 Lǚ Shàng more known as 太公望 Taikōbō in Japan. He lived around 1000 BC

Long ago there lived a man named Lü Shang1, later known as Taigong Wang. He was old, bearded, and thoroughly tired of ordinary life. So he moved to the state of Zhou2, sat down by the Wei River, and began fishing with a thread that had no hook at all.

Just a plain thread. Dangling. For three entire years.

The villagers walked past every day, scratched their heads, and whispered:

“He’s either a profound sage… or he’s completely lost his mind.”

Lü Shang ignored them and kept dangling the thread with the calm of a man who already knew the punchline.

Heaven watched.
Heaven waited.
Heaven eventually grew impatient and decided to speed things up.

One fine morning a large, slightly offended carp swam up, eyed the useless thread, and thought:
“Fine. I see how this works. Bureaucratic destiny it is.”

The carp bit.
Lü Shang pulled.
And there, inside the fish’s belly, was a book — not a shopping list, not a love letter, but a detailed manual of military strategy containing the very essence of Qimen Dunjia3.

At almost the same moment, King Wen of Zhou woke up from a vivid dream in which a sage was sitting by the Wei River doing something extremely peculiar with a fishing line. He immediately sent messengers.

They found Lü Shang still sitting there, wiping fish scales off an ancient book of battlefield secrets.

“Would you consider becoming our military advisor?” the messengers asked politely.

Lü Shang looked at the book, looked at the river, and shrugged.
“I suppose the fish has spoken.”

He joined the Zhou forces. Later, under King Wen’s son King Wu, he helped overthrow the tyrant King Zhou of Shang. The strategies that came out of that carp’s belly proved remarkably effective.

According to later tradition, the same art had first been mastered by the Yellow Emperor, then passed down through Huang Shigong and Zhang Liang, until it was finally perfected by the famous Zhuge Liang.

And that is how a man fishing with no hook, a mildly annoyed carp, and a book of directional military secrets changed the course of a dynasty — while the villagers continued to insist they had known he was special all along.

  1. His personal name is written 呂尚, pronounced Lǚ Shàng in Chinese and Ro Shō in Japanese. In Japan he is far more widely known by the name 太公望 (Taikōbō). ↩︎
  2. Here is a direct Google Maps link to the Zhouyuan area (周原), the early political center of the Zhou people in present-day Shaanxi, China: https://maps.google.com/?q=34.49,107.84
    This points to the core region of the Zhouyuan archaeological site (near Qishan and Fufeng counties, Baoji). ↩︎
  3. Qimen Dunjia (奇門遁甲) is one of the three classical Chinese divinatory systems known as the “Three Styles” (三式), together with Taiyi and Liuren. It is a complex method of cosmological calculation and strategic divination that combines time, space, direction, and human action. ↩︎

Title 道教の本 ― 不老不死をめざす仙道呪術の世界 (Dōkyō no Hon – Furōfushi o Mezasu Sendō Jujutsu no Sekai)

Series NEW SIGHT MOOK / Books Esoterica 4 (ＮＳＭブックス エソテリカ)

Publisher 学習研究社 (Gakken)

Publication date September 19, 1992 (some listings note 1993 reprints)

ISBN 978-4-05-600031-3 (ISBN-10: 405600031X)

Format A5 softcover mook, 223 pages Original price: ¥1,068 (tax included)

The post 太公望と天津蹈鞴 Taikōbō and the Amatsu Tatara appeared first on 武神館兜龍 Bujinkan Toryu.…

Tiny Insects: Japan Report Two 令和7年

From Bujinkan Santa Monica by Michael


When I travel to Japan it seems like I race from class to class. Or, I race from train to train through Tokyo to explore the historic sites of Japan and our Bujinkan art. But here I stopped the race to enjoy training with Nagase Sensei and think about tiny insects.

I slowed down for 考え事 kangaegoto with deep thoughts about a class I had with Hatsumi Sensei. He demonstrated evading an attack to the outside. Then Soke used his shoulders to support the attack briefly before dropping them. This allowed him to secretly take 子殺 ko goroshi. The opponent never saw it, but he yelped in pain.

Tiny Insects

Hatsumi Sensei then shared a lesson about あも一寸の玉 虫 amo issun no tama  mushi. This is a a gokui found in 高木揚心流 Takagi Yoshin Ryū. It has to do with the relationship of the strong and weak. The strong seek to control through strength. But Soke suggests we control lightly so we don’t get “stung.”

あも一寸の玉 虫 painting by Hatsumi Sensei
The concept of even tiny insects having a soul has an ura and omote. Back during the 鎌倉時代, Kamakura era; 1185–1333, 北条重時 Hōjō Shigetoki wrote 極楽寺殿御消息 Gokurakuji dono goshōsoku. These are messages from Gokurakuji palace explaining the ethos of a samurai. In it he advised, 一寸の虫にも五分の魂 Issun no mushi ni mo gobu no tamashī. This means even small tiny insects have a soul.

Maybe this is why Hatsumi Sensei said that amo issun no tama mushi is the kamae of the heart. This is both an encouragement and a warning. If you are the weaker opponent, you may find the spirit to fight on. But, the opposite is that the weak have a spirit and will to survive. They may be underestimated to surprise the strong with daring, unconventional tactics.


Training with Nagase Sensei

After my meditation on tiny insects, I went to class with Nagase Sensei. When I arrived at the dojo, he greeted me warmly and immediately invited me to his house for shuriken training.

Nagase started class with a waza similar to 霞雷 karai. During this, he focused on plus and minus, inside and outside, heaven and earth. All of these were connected through the person. As you may remember, I have described his ideas on 天地人 tenchijin during other visits to Japan.

He told us that all of his techniques are connected in an infinity. He said that he’s been training for 46 years. During this time he has collected many data points. He described those points in the form of inputs to his body. He emphasized that it wasn’t his mind that held this data, but his body.

I definitely experienced some of that data. He gave me some training input in the form of pain that I won’t forget. Sometimes doing ukemi in his class feels impossible. He applies the technique in a very intense way. He only releases you to take ukemi right at the break point.

Nagase Sensei is aware of this. And I have to trust him to release me at the right moment. So I accept the pain and add it to my own data collection.

Then as he progressed with the form, he emphasized kamae like 左右の一文字 sayū no ichimonji where both hands act as 大小 daishō. And he spent a lot of time with 攻勢之構 kōsei no kamae. Each kamae provides its own interpretation of the form.

The kōsei henka that he did finished like 雪耀 setsuyaku. The ukemi was impossible because he locked up both hands and lifted us to the heavens. We had to trust him to release us.

During this he also wrapped his 帯 obi around a wrist. He compared the length of the ends of his obi to the length of a tsuka on sword. This led into the progression from taijutsu, to bōjutsu, to kenjutsu. You might lock up the opponent’s wrist with a sageo or trap it with your tsuka.

Nagase Sensei finished class with some 半棒術 hanbōjutsu variations. He kept telling us to use 地 chi power. The hanbō was touching the earth and he used that as a fulcrum point for leverage on the wrist.

As usual I had a great time in his class. I look forward to the shuriken training at his house. Please check Rojodojo for the next Japan Reports.

 …

武風 Bufū by Takamatsu Sensei

From 武神館兜龍 Bujinkan Toryu by Toryu

武風 Bufū by Takamatsu Sensei

Bufū by Takamatsu Sensei
Transcribed by Goroku, might contain errors.

武風 Bufū by Takamatsu Sensei in question is a classical Japanese martial manifesto written in kanbun (漢文) style—formal classical Chinese as traditionally composed and read in Japan. This elevated literary form was commonly used for official proclamations, school founding statements, and philosophical or martial writings that aimed to carry authority and permanence.

The Bufū document is a deliberate adaptation of the famous Kōdōkan-ki (弘道館記), composed in 1838. The original was written under the name of Tokugawa Nariaki, the ninth lord of the Mito domain, though the actual drafting was largely the work of the prominent Mito scholar Fujita Tōko. The Kōdōkan-ki served as the founding manifesto of the Kōdōkan, the large domain school established in Mito. It defines “the Way” (道) as the natural order of Heaven and Earth that people must never abandon, explains why a school was needed to promote it, and calls upon the domain’s people to uphold loyalty, learning, and proper conduct. The text is one of the most influential expressions of late-Edo Mito learning and the sonnō jōi ideology.

Takamatsu Toshitsugu took this highly respected classical text and systematically rewrote it. He preserved the overall structure, rhetorical patterns, and much of the formal language, but replaced the central concept of “promoting the Way” (弘道) with the martial way and the martial wind (武道 / 武風). Political and Confucian references were transformed into statements about the eternal martial spirit. Tokugawa Ieyasu as the restorer of order became “our martial ancestors,” and the purpose of the domain school became the duty to transmit and uphold true Budō. The result is a martial manifesto clothed in the authoritative language and form of a celebrated late-Edo document.

This kind of rewriting, sometimes called tenka, was a recognised way of giving new ideas historical weight and legitimacy by linking them to respected classical models. By adapting the Kōdōkan-ki, Takamatsu elevated the concept of Bufū—the martial wind or continuous martial spirit—into something that carried the dignity of traditional scholarship while remaining firmly rooted in the warrior tradition.

The colophon at the end makes the personal intention clear. It states that the text was carefully written (or copied) by Takamatsu, the 33rd-generation head of Togakure-ryū, specifically for Hatsumi Masaaki, who would become the 34th generation. This indicates that the document was not a general essay but a formal transmission piece, presented from teacher to successor as part of the living inheritance of the martial way.

In this form, the text functions both as a philosophical statement on the nature of true Budō and as a personal charge from Takamatsu to Hatsumi: to preserve, clarify, and continuously embody the martial wind across generations.

武風 Bufū by Takamatsu Sensei

What is a person of the martial way? It is one who can expand and promote the Correct Way. What is the Correct Way? It is the natural order of Heaven and Earth, from which people receive life, and from which they must never turn away or separate, even for a moment.

What, then, is the “martial” in the martial way? It is that which is taught and transmitted.

Respectfully reflecting: In high antiquity the sacred deities established the ultimate principle and handed down the succession. Heaven and Earth took their proper places, and through their compassionate love all things were nurtured. They cultivated in human beings the feeling of flowers and the upright nature of bamboo, thereby nourishing the spirit. By this they illuminated the six directions and governed the entire realm. Never has this been accomplished by any means other than this Way.

By it the Imperial Throne is made everlasting, by it the national essence is made dignified, by it the people are made peaceful and secure.

The martial wind (Bufū), possessing the feeling of flowers and the nature of bamboo, causes all to submit. Yet even the sacred descendants of the gods were never content to rest in self-satisfaction; they gladly learned from others so that the fragrance of the flower would remain unchanged.

Their benevolent and virtuous character was like that of the ancient sage-emperors of Tang and Yu and the Three Dynasties. Drawing upon this, they assisted the Imperial designs. Thus the Way became ever clearer, and no longer was there ceaseless contention and defeat in battle.

However, after the defeat in war, the heretical doctrines of “freedom” and “equality” deceived the people and confused the world. Foreign winds and distorted learning entered from all sides. The Imperial civilizing influence declined, calamities and disorders followed one upon another, and the great Way of the martial wind became unclear in the world. This has already been long the case.

Our martial ancestors restored order from chaos, revered the Heavenly position, expelled the barbarian winds, and truly united the martial wind with the literary heart, thereby laying the foundation of great peace. Our ancestral teacher, from the day he received investiture in the eastern land, caused all the people of Yamato to admire the beautiful customs, revere the Way of the Gods, and cultivate martial preparedness. The national prestige shone proudly across the seas. For more than two thousand six hundred years the successive generations have inherited the thread of the Way and bathed in its blessings, down to the present day.

Therefore, if one is truly a subject and child of the nation, how can one fail to consider how to promote and expand the martial wind and make manifest the virtue of the ancestors? This is precisely the reason the nation itself exists.

Moreover, the enshrinement of Amaterasu Ōmikami, Marishiten, and Hachiman Daibosatsu is so that the vast sincerity of Heaven’s merit may shine clearly like the sun, and so that their awe-inspiring spiritual power may remain here. In spirit we desire to trace back to the origin and repay the root, so that the people may know from whence the martial wind comes.

The building of Confucian temples is so that the Way of the Tang, Yu and Three Dynasties may be harmonized here. We revere their virtue and draw upon their teaching, so that people may understand that the reason the martial wind grows ever greater and clearer is no accident.

Alas! Let the gentlemen and people throughout our country, day and night without negligence, enter and leave the martial training halls. Uphold the legacy of the Divine Land together with the teachings of the Western scholars. Make loyalty and filial piety one. Keep the literary and the martial undivided. Let learning and practical affairs not diverge. Let the result be reverence for the gods and esteem for Confucianism, free from partiality or faction. Let all with one mind exert their collective strength, so as to repay the boundless grace of the nation.

Is this merely the will of the ancestral teachers alone? We look up and hope that the spirit of the Divine Emperor in Heaven will also look down and bear witness.

The teaching of the ancient martial way is pure and governing.

Written with care by Takamatsu Toshitsugu 33rd Generation Sōke of Togakure-ryū
For the 34th Generation Hatsumi Masaaki (with seal)

Bufū Transcribed by Goroku

武道者何人能弘正道也。正道者何天地之自然而生民不可順災離者也。武道之武何為教傳也。恭惟上古神聖立極垂統天地位焉慈愛以萬物育焉人花情竹性之養精神其所。以照臨六合統御宇內者未嘗不由斯道也。寶祚以之無窮國體以之尊嚴蒼生以之安寧。花情竹性武風以之率服而聖子神孫尚不肯自足樂取於人以為花之香不変。色慈愛善乃若西上唐虞三代治教資以賛皇猷於是斯道愈明而無復尚争敗戰以降。自由平等之異端邪說誣民惑世外風曲学舎此從彼皇化陵夷禍亂相踵武風大道之不明於世也蓋亦久矣。我武祖撥亂反正尊天位攘夷風允武風文心以開大平之基。吾祖師日実受封於東土凡大和民於慕美風尊神道繕武備国威海外為翹勇来二千六百餘年世承道緒沐浴恩澤以至今日。則苟為臣子者豈可弗思所以推弘武風發揚先德乎。此則國家之所以為設也。抑夫祀天照大神摩利支天八幡大菩薩者以莫亮天功於日倫留威靈於茲精神欲原其始報其本使民知武風之所絲来也。其營孔子廟者何以唐虞三代之道折衷於此欲欽其德資其教使人知武風之所以益大且明不偶然也。嗚呼我國中士民風夜匪懈出入武道場奉神州之遺資西士之教忠孝允二文武不岐学問事業不殊其效敬神崇儒兼有偏黨衆思宣群力以報国家無窮之恩豈徒祖師之志乎。望神皇在天之靈亦将降鑒矣。古武道教以純治。

戸隠流三十四代 戸隠流三十三代宗家 為初見良昭 高松寿嗣謹写（印）

Notes on the Bufū text

  1. 武道者何人能弘正道也 Directly modelled on the opening of the 1838 Kōdōkan-ki (“弘道者何。人能弘道也”). The substitution of 武道 / 正道 for 弘道 is the central rewriting of the entire piece.
  2. 天地之自然而生民不可順災離者也 Adaptation of the classical phrase “天地之大經而生民不可須臾離者也”. “順災” is an unusual wording (possibly a calligraphic or stylistic variant) for the idea of going against or abandoning the natural order.
  3. 花情竹性 A refined classical metaphor. “花情” suggests sensitivity and aesthetic feeling; “竹性” suggests uprightness, resilience, and purity. Together they describe the ideal cultivated character.
  4. 照臨六合統御宇內 Standard elevated kanbun diction for imperial or divine rule. “六合” = the six directions (heaven, earth, and the four cardinal points); “宇內” = all under heaven.
  5. 寶祚以之無窮國體以之尊嚴蒼生以之安寧 Parallel construction typical of formal Sino-Japanese prose. “寶祚” (imperial throne), “國體” (national essence/polity), and “蒼生” (the common people) form a classic triad.
  6. 唐虞三代 Tang (Yao) and Yu (Shun) are the legendary sage-emperors; the Three Dynasties are Xia, Shang, and Zhou. A standard Confucian reference to the golden age of ideal government.
  7. 自由平等之異端邪說 Strongly charged language. “異端邪說” is a classical term for heterodox or pernicious doctrines. Here it is applied to post-war democratic ideas (“freedom and equality”).
  8. 撥亂反正 A classical four-character phrase meaning “to quell disorder and restore correctness.” Originally used of sage-kings or great restorers; here applied to “our martial ancestors.”
  9. 天照大神・摩利支天・八幡大菩薩 A deliberate combination of the imperial sun goddess (Amaterasu), the Buddhist warrior deity Marishiten (especially revered by bushi), and Hachiman (god of war). Reflects the syncretic religious world of traditional Japanese martial culture.
  10. 文武不岐 Classical ideal of the unity of civil and military virtues (bunbu). The phrase insists that scholarship and martial practice must not be separated — a key theme in both the original Kōdōkan-ki and this martial rewriting.

弘道館記 Kodokan-ki

弘道館記 弘道者何人能弘道也道者何天地之大經而生民不可須臾離者也弘道之館何爲而 設也恭惟上古 神聖立極垂統天地位焉萬物育焉其所以照臨六合統御㝢内者未嘗不由斯道也 寶祚以之無窮國體以之尊嚴蒼生以之安寧蠻夷戎狄以之率服而 聖子神孫尚不肯自足樂取於人以爲善乃若西土唐虞三代之治敎資以賛 皇猷於是斯道兪大兪明而無復尚焉中世以降異端邪説誣民惑世俗儒曲學舎此從彼 皇化陵夷禍亂相踵大道之不明於世也蓋亦久矣我 東照宮撥亂反正尊 王攘夷允武允文以開太平之基吾祖 威公實受封於東土夙慕 日本武尊之爲人尊神道繕武備 義公繼述嘗發感於夷齊更崇儒敎明倫正名以藩 屏於 國家爾來百數十年世承遺緒沐浴恩澤以至今日則苟爲臣子者豈可弗思 所以推弘斯道發揚 先德乎此則館之所以爲設也抑夫祀 建御雷神者何以其亮天功於草昧留威靈於茲土欲原其始報其本使民知斯道之所 繇來也其營孔子廟者何以唐虞三代之道折衷於此欲欽其德資其敎使人知斯道之 所以益大且明不偶然也嗚嘑我國中士民夙夜匪解出入斯館奉 神州之道資西 土之敎忠孝无二文武不岐學問事業不殊其效敬神崇儒無有偏黨集衆思宣群力以 報 國家無窮之恩則豈徒 祖宗之志弗墜 神皇在天之靈亦將降鑒焉設斯館以統其治敎者誰權中納言從三位源朝臣齊昭也 天保九年歳次戊戌春三月齊昭撰文并書及篆額

Kodokanki by Tokugawa Nariaki written in 1838 and monument erected in 1840.

What is “promoting the Way”? It is that a person is able to expand and promote the Way. What is the Way? It is the great constant principle of Heaven and Earth, from which the people are born and which they must never leave even for a moment.

Why was the Hall for Promoting the Way established?

Respectfully reflecting: In high antiquity the sacred and divine established the ultimate principle and handed down the succession. Heaven and Earth took their proper places, and all things were nurtured. That by which they illuminated the six directions and governed all within the universe has never been accomplished by any means other than this Way.

By it the Imperial Throne is made everlasting, by it the national essence is made dignified, by it the common people are made peaceful and secure, and by it the barbarians of the four directions are made to submit.

Yet even the sacred sons and divine grandsons were never content to rest in self-satisfaction; they gladly learned from others in order to cultivate goodness. Just as they drew upon the governing and teaching of the sage-emperors of Tang and Yu and the Three Dynasties of the Western land to assist the Imperial designs, so this Way became ever greater and ever clearer, with nothing further to be added.

From the middle ages onward, however, heretical and pernicious doctrines deceived the people and confused the world. Vulgar Confucians and distorted learning abandoned this and followed that. The Imperial civilizing influence declined, calamities and disorders followed one upon another, and the great Way became unclear in the world. This has already been long the case.

Our Eastern Illuminating Prince (Tokugawa Ieyasu) quelled disorder and restored correctness, revered the Sovereign, expelled the barbarians, and truly united the martial and the civil, thereby laying the foundation of great peace. Our ancestor, Lord Mitsukuni, actually received investiture in the eastern land. From early on he admired the character of Yamato Takeru, revered the Way of the Gods, and cultivated martial preparedness. Lord Tsuna continued this work; inspired by the example of Bo Yi and Shu Qi, he further exalted Confucian teaching, clarified human relationships, and rectified names, thereby serving as a protective barrier for the nation.

For more than a hundred years since then, successive generations have inherited this legacy and bathed in its blessings, down to the present day. Therefore, if one is truly a subject and child of the nation, how can one fail to consider how to promote and expand this Way and make manifest the virtue of the ancestors? This is precisely the reason the Hall has been established.

Moreover, why is Take-mika-zuchi-no-kami enshrined? Because he manifested Heaven’s merit in the age of chaos and left his awe-inspiring spiritual power in this land. We desire to trace back to the origin and repay the root, so that the people may know from whence this Way comes.

Why is a Confucian temple maintained? So that the Way of Tang, Yu and the Three Dynasties may be harmonized here. We revere their virtue and draw upon their teaching, so that people may understand that the reason this Way grows ever greater and clearer is no accident.

Alas! Let the gentlemen and people throughout our country, day and night without negligence, enter and leave this Hall. Uphold the Way of the Divine Land and draw upon the teachings of the Western land. Make loyalty and filial piety one. Keep the literary and the martial undivided. Let learning and practical affairs not diverge in their results. Revere the gods and esteem Confucianism without partiality or faction. Gather the thoughts of the many and exert collective strength, so as to repay the boundless grace of the nation. Then not only will the will of the ancestral lords not fall to the ground, but the spirit of the Divine Emperor in Heaven will also look down and bear witness.

Who is it that has established this Hall in order to unify its governance and teaching? It is the Provisional Middle Counsellor, Junior Third Rank, Minamoto no Ason Nariaki.

Composed, written, and the seal-script title brushed by Nariaki in the third month of spring, the ninth year of Tenpō, the year of the Dog (1838).

The post 武風 Bufū by Takamatsu Sensei appeared first on 武神館兜龍 Bujinkan Toryu.…