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Nagase and Furuta 先生方 Japan Report Four 令和6年

From Bujinkan Santa Monica by Michael


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

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

Nagase and Furuta 先生方

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Furuta Sensei

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gokui Training: Japan Report Two 令和6年

From Bujinkan Santa Monica by Michael


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

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

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

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

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

極意 Gokui Training

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 …

Japan Report Ten 令和5年

From Bujinkan Santa Monica by Michael

I got up early for a long train ride to 石神井城跡 Shakujiijō ato. I wanted to investigate the ruins of Shakujii castle. This also gave me some time for reflection on my training here in Japan and to add more detail to my training notes.

My view on train ride to 石神井城跡 Shakujiijō ato, photo by Michael Glenn

Last night in Furuta Sensei’s class we were training in the old middle school gymnasium. He warmed us up with a bunch of ukemi practice. I was doing ok until he went into the standing forward breakfalls. For some reason after about ten of these, fatigue got the best of me. Maybe all of the classes are catching up to me.

After that he went into basic 捕手基本型 Torite Kihon Gata. We did 表逆 Omote Gyaku and 裏逆 Ura Gyaku. He had a particular focus on the line of entry to affect balance.

Furuta Sensei evolved the technique from there to do 輦輿 Ren’yo. He kept saying 斯う入る kō hairu, or enter like this. He really emphasized the 雲隠流 Kumogakure Ryū way of entering to set up the technique.

Next he showed 橰 Kō or 撥釣瓶 Hanetsurube. Again, the focus was on the entry. With this in mind, he gave us detail for how to set up the gedan uke.

If you know these kata, you know that the ukemi is not easy. The uke must take care not to be slammed head first into the ground. Furuta Sensei asked us to demo at the end of class.

My training partner was Peter Crocoll. He demonstrated first and really put the pressure on. I went flying in an effort to protect myself with ukemi.

Then Furuta Sensei said I should do it on Peter with “extra spice.” I figured I could get a little revenge and I went in with an energetic timing. Peter hit the mat hard and did not get up.

The entire class came over to check on him. We helped him off to the side of the dojo so he could recover. I felt bad but Peter said that he had brought it on himself by doing the technique so hard on me.

Peter has an old neck injury. He said when I slammed him down it created a kind of whiplash effect. Luckily, after a short rest he said that he felt better.

I’ve noticed that injuries often occur during demonstrations. When students are put on the spot and have an audience, their adrenaline goes up and they try to show their technique. This means that they might rush or do the technique harder or in a more realistic manner. We all need to be careful with demonstrations because I have witnessed many awful injuries and broken bones during these moments.

When I arrived at the site of the old Shakujii castle, the beauty of nature was there to greet me. The Fall colors, along with many herons, ducks and crows were reflected in the waters of 三宝寺池 Sanpōji-ike. This atmosphere caused me to reflect on some lessons from nature taught to us by Hatsumi Sensei.

I sat next to the lake to enjoy the view and to eat some メロンパン melonpan. Shakujii castle was property of the 豊島氏 Toshima Shi, from Kamakura period until it was detroyed in battle in 1477, during the Muromachi era. The only obvious ruins are some ramparts and remnants of a moat.

During one Daikomyosai with Hatsumi Sensei, we trained outside under the Japanese maples. He made the sign of 天略宇宙合掌 Ten Ryaku Uchū Gasshō with his hands. He told us that when you are out in nature you must know 自然の方程式 Shizen no hōteishiki.  

Shizen no hōteishiki are the equations that describe nature and natural phenomena. The forces of nature can be described in equations. And if we know these we can have power over nature. But Soke did not mean this in a purely mechanistic approach.

If you remember studying with Hatsumi Sensei, his classes were full of laughter and good humor. He even told us that laughter is a form of self defense. We should enjoy our study of budō.  

If you are full of negative emotions and anger, you may make yourself sick. But those negative emotions may also make you respond poorly in emergency situations. A lot of laughter and a good sense of humor in your training will be the best type of self defense.

I watched some crows mobbing the ducks and herons. They engaged in a pitched, aerial battle across the lake. It reminded me of something Hatsumi Sensei told us about facing multiple opponents.  

He said that part of 遁形の術 Tongyō no jutsu and being able to escape is to locate the weak point. Soke said that you should engage that which is not engaging you. Maybe one attacker is holding back or less eager to fight then the others. If you engage with that weak point, you might be able to escape.

Even with everyday life problems, when you find yourself facing obstacles, move in a direction where the obstacle is not present. The weak point to escape your trouble is not found while banging your head against the wall. Disentangle from the trouble by engaging with life from a different angle.

During that same lesson, Hatsumi Sensei explained how to use 目潰 metsubushi for Tongyō. One tip that he gave was to know 風向き kazemuki, the direction of the wind. If you are facing a headwind, you can use that against your enemies by throwing the metsubushi into the wind. He said you throw it up and run under, so the metsubushi comes down to hit the people chasing you. This is how you engage opponents in a direction they don’t expect.

I’ve got a few more days left for this Japan training visit. I plan to study well and train hard. Watch for Japan Report Eleven令和5年 up next at Rojodojo.
…

Japan Report Ten 令和5年

From Bujinkan Santa Monica by Michael

I got up early for a long train ride to 石神井城跡 Shakujiijō ato. I wanted to investigate the ruins of Shakujii castle. This also gave me some time for reflection on my training here in Japan and to add more detail to my training notes.

My view on train ride to 石神井城跡 Shakujiijō ato, photo by Michael Glenn

Last night in Furuta Sensei’s class we were training in the old middle school gymnasium. He warmed us up with a bunch of ukemi practice. I was doing ok until he went into the standing forward breakfalls. For some reason after about ten of these, fatigue got the best of me. Maybe all of the classes are catching up to me.

After that he went into basic 捕手基本型 Torite Kihon Gata. We did 表逆 Omote Gyaku and 裏逆 Ura Gyaku. He had a particular focus on the line of entry to affect balance.

Furuta Sensei evolved the technique from there to do 輦輿 Ren’yo. He kept saying 斯う入る kō hairu, or enter like this. He really emphasized the 雲隠流 Kumogakure Ryū way of entering to set up the technique.

Next he showed 橰 Kō or 撥釣瓶 Hanetsurube. Again, the focus was on the entry. With this in mind, he gave us detail for how to set up the gedan uke.

If you know these kata, you know that the ukemi is not easy. The uke must take care not to be slammed head first into the ground. Furuta Sensei asked us to demo at the end of class.

My training partner was Peter Crocoll. He demonstrated first and really put the pressure on. I went flying in an effort to protect myself with ukemi.

Then Furuta Sensei said I should do it on Peter with “extra spice.” I figured I could get a little revenge and I went in with an energetic timing. Peter hit the mat hard and did not get up.

The entire class came over to check on him. We helped him off to the side of the dojo so he could recover. I felt bad but Peter said that he had brought it on himself by doing the technique so hard on me.

Peter has an old neck injury. He said when I slammed him down it created a kind of whiplash effect. Luckily, after a short rest he said that he felt better.

I’ve noticed that injuries often occur during demonstrations. When students are put on the spot and have an audience, their adrenaline goes up and they try to show their technique. This means that they might rush or do the technique harder or in a more realistic manner. We all need to be careful with demonstrations because I have witnessed many awful injuries and broken bones during these moments.

When I arrived at the site of the old Shakujii castle, the beauty of nature was there to greet me. The Fall colors, along with many herons, ducks and crows were reflected in the waters of 三宝寺池 Sanpōji-ike. This atmosphere caused me to reflect on some lessons from nature taught to us by Hatsumi Sensei.

I sat next to the lake to enjoy the view and to eat some メロンパン melonpan. Shakujii castle was property of the 豊島氏 Toshima Shi, from Kamakura period until it was detroyed in battle in 1477, during the Muromachi era. The only obvious ruins are some ramparts and remnants of a moat.

During one Daikomyosai with Hatsumi Sensei, we trained outside under the Japanese maples. He made the sign of 天略宇宙合掌 Ten Ryaku Uchū Gasshō with his hands. He told us that when you are out in nature you must know 自然の方程式 Shizen no hōteishiki.  

Shizen no hōteishiki are the equations that describe nature and natural phenomena. The forces of nature can be described in equations. And if we know these we can have power over nature. But Soke did not mean this in a purely mechanistic approach.

If you remember studying with Hatsumi Sensei, his classes were full of laughter and good humor. He even told us that laughter is a form of self defense. We should enjoy our study of budō.  

If you are full of negative emotions and anger, you may make yourself sick. But those negative emotions may also make you respond poorly in emergency situations. A lot of laughter and a good sense of humor in your training will be the best type of self defense.

I watched some crows mobbing the ducks and herons. They engaged in a pitched, aerial battle across the lake. It reminded me of something Hatsumi Sensei told us about facing multiple opponents.  

He said that part of 遁形の術 Tongyō no jutsu and being able to escape is to locate the weak point. Soke said that you should engage that which is not engaging you. Maybe one attacker is holding back or less eager to fight then the others. If you engage with that weak point, you might be able to escape.

Even with everyday life problems, when you find yourself facing obstacles, move in a direction where the obstacle is not present. The weak point to escape your trouble is not found while banging your head against the wall. Disentangle from the trouble by engaging with life from a different angle.

During that same lesson, Hatsumi Sensei explained how to use 目潰 metsubushi for Tongyō. One tip that he gave was to know 風向き kazemuki, the direction of the wind. If you are facing a headwind, you can use that against your enemies by throwing the metsubushi into the wind. He said you throw it up and run under, so the metsubushi comes down to hit the people chasing you. This is how you engage opponents in a direction they don’t expect.

I’ve got a few more days left for this Japan training visit. I plan to study well and train hard. Watch for Japan Report Eleven令和5年 up next at Rojodojo.
…

Japan Report Seven 令和5年

From Bujinkan Santa Monica by Michael


I began the morning in a hurry because I had to get to the dojo early. My days in Japan are very busy. I run and gun to fit in all of the classes, recording my video reports in between. And I still have to find time for food, laundry, sleep, as well as tourism and shopping. 

Today I planned three classes, Furuta Sensei, Nagase Sensei, and Noguchi Sensei. But I didn’t have time to review my notes until the next morning in a cafe. The coffee sure helped.

The FULL video review can be found here: https://www.rojodojo.com/japan-report-seven-reiwa-five/

The first class was at the Bujinkan Honbu dojo with Furuta Sensei. We began class wearing a lot of knives. He said you should wear at least 9 knives. He didn’t mean that literally but the number 9 implies an infinite amount. So you have the ability to respond or attack infinitely.

He kept hiding behind the attack of his opponents. I learned this approach from him a few years ago during our study of 雲隠流 Kumogakure Ryū in his home dojo. He said it is like hiding in the clouds as the name of the school suggests.

I have the understanding that he is often teaching from that school as he is the next Soke. He won’t always mention it directly, so if you aren’t paying attention you might miss the subtlety. Training with him is fun because it feels like we are on this journey together.

As an example, He told us a story about a class with Hatsumi Sensei when they were using the sword. Soke kept telling them to let go of the weapon. Furuta Sensei said they were all confused by this instruction. How do you use a weapon when you let go? But Soke only responded by saying, “class is finished.” They were all left wondering what he meant. Well, Furuta Sensei is still exploring the meaning of this in his own classes.

My next class was with Nagase Sensei. This was at the Honbu dojo, so the feeling of the class is different than when I visit his own dojo. Not sure how I would describe it exactly except it feels more pro forma.

He started the class with 武双捕 musō dori and used that to transition to 竹折 takeori. The takeori he applied to me were the most painful I have experienced. He had me dancing around the dojo and tapping out. That doesn’t happen a lot to me here in Japan. But Nagase Sensei had me flipping and flying because the pain was immense. And if I didn’t take ukemi I felt like I would break.

My training partner in that class was Xάρης Μήτρου from Greece. The pain was intense for both of us. At one point he asked me to ease off a bit. And I apologized because I felt like I was trying to copy Nagase Sensei. We went to dinner later that night and he wasn’t broken, so I guess it was ok.

After dinner was Noguchi Sensei’s class. Xάρης had requested that Noguchi Sensei share some 義鑑流 Gikan Ryū. If you have been following my posts you know I did a whole series of classes with Noguchi Sensei on this topic. And I made my own in depth videos on all 10 of the kata sharing everything I learned from my notes. So this was a refresher course for me.

But Noguchi Sensei rarely does things the same way twice. So the class was full of many surprises and hidden aspects of the kata which he chose to explore, including some ura waza! But I was surprised he didn’t do all 10 of the kata. Normally he moves very fast, but this class was a different feeling from him.

For example, he did a whole sidebar on 抱囲之構 Hōkō no Kamae. His focus was on the 虚実 kyojitsu of this kamae. He kept saying it was not a ホールドアップ Hōrudoappu, or hold up kamae like a mugging, but hōkō. And he would demonstrate the difference and laugh at his own joke.

He showed us how to use it for 蝦蛄拳 shako ken. And he applied a powerful 逆武者捕 gyaku musha dori. He also showed a sneaky but powerful way to strike 歯止 hadome.

I survived my long day of training and made a lot of notes. Don’t tell anyone, but I might have slept in late the next morning. Stay tuned for my Japan Report Eight 令和5年.

 …

Japan Report Six 令和5年

From Bujinkan Santa Monica by Michael


I was invited to Furuta Sensei’s home dojo out in the countryside. He is very generous and picked us up from the train station. The only problem is that he plays a Lady Gaga CD on repeat during the drive.

Furuta’s home dojo is very rustic with traditional tatami mats. He started training with ukemi and my cotton tabi really slid across the straw! His exploration of 基本八法 Kihon Happō is influenced by his study of 雲隠流 Kumogakure Ryū. As the next Soke of Kumogakure Ryū, he is hard at work learning and studying this school. And I feel lucky to be part of this journey every time I study with him.

At one point he showed a detail of how to attack the 急所 kyūsho 血止 chidome and 血ダメ chidame. The name of this kyūsho means to stop the blood. Obviously this would incapacitate an opponent if you pull it off. But Furuta Sensei used a hooking strike into chidome to unbalance with one finger.

The kyūsho becomes a 支点 shiten. The pressure creates a pivot or a fulcrum to affect the opponent’s structure. Studying the kihon in this way to find shiten within them will really transform your understanding of taijutsu.

My luck continued when Furuta Sensei pulled out the pole weapons. First up was a 刺股 sasumata. This had been on everyone’s mind because of a viral video where a security guard in a Tokyo jewelry store fought off three smash and grab robbers with a sasumata.

Furuta brought out a heavy iron and antique looking sasumata. I had never trained with one before. He used it against a sword and a 長巻 nagamaki. He used the hook to lock up the attacker’s blade. The sheer weight of the iron can swing like a pendulum grounding the opponent and his weapons.

Furuta Sensei also shared some yari. We studied with 片鎌槍 katakama yari, 三角槍 sankaku yari, and 管槍 kuda yari. These were live blades so we had to be very careful in his small dojo. The kuda yari was so long I had to thrust out the open door from the dojo into the garden!

I had little prior experience with some of these weapons. But this is the kind of opportunity that arises if you form good relationships with the teachers in Japan. Then they’ll share things with you that not many people get to study.

Furuta continued his generosity after training by taking us on an excursion. First we went to lunch at 末廣 Suehiro, which is a restaurant frequented by Hatsumi Sensei. Then we listened to more Lady Gaga as we drove to 夢楽堂 Murakudō for some shopping.

Hatsumi Sensei also likes to shop at Murakudō, an antique store packed to the rafters with many things, including weapons. My teacher, Peter was looking for 矢の根 yanone as you may have seen in my Japan Report Three 令和5年 video. Another member of our group bought a sword. And people were looking at tsuba, tessen, yari and even a nice 仕込杖 shikomi-zue. I had trouble guarding my wallet.

After the shopping, I went back to Noda-shi for an evening class with Paul Masse at the Honbu Dojo. Paul began with a form of 手解 tehodoki. But this was just an excuse to explore more themes related to 支点 shiten.

He raised his forearm to create support under the attacker, then he dropped it away. This caused the opponent to stumble and expose other weak points. He added in knife techniques, but all through the class he was creating shiten then throwing them away.

Having personal relationships with the teachers here makes my visits feel like family. Then the training feels like sharing. And no matter how long my days are, I always come away energized and excited for the next day’s training.

If you like what I do, you can support my writing and video productions by signing up at Rojodojo. Then you can watch the FULL video of this report here https://www.rojodojo.com/japan-report-six-reiwa-5/ along with more than 400 other training videos

 …

Japan Report Six 令和5年

From Bujinkan Santa Monica by Michael


I was invited to Furuta Sensei’s home dojo out in the countryside. He is very generous and picked us up from the train station. The only problem is that he plays a Lady Gaga CD on repeat during the drive.

Furuta’s home dojo is very rustic with traditional tatami mats. He started training with ukemi and my cotton tabi really slid across the straw! His exploration of 基本八法 Kihon Happō is influenced by his study of 雲隠流 Kumogakure Ryū. As the next Soke of Kumogakure Ryū, he is hard at work learning and studying this school. And I feel lucky to be part of this journey every time I study with him.

At one point he showed a detail of how to attack the 急所 kyūsho 血止 chidome and 血ダメ chidame. The name of this kyūsho means to stop the blood. Obviously this would incapacitate an opponent if you pull it off. But Furuta Sensei used a hooking strike into chidome to unbalance with one finger.

The kyūsho becomes a 支点 shiten. The pressure creates a pivot or a fulcrum to affect the opponent’s structure. Studying the kihon in this way to find shiten within them will really transform your understanding of taijutsu.

My luck continued when Furuta Sensei pulled out the pole weapons. First up was a 刺股 sasumata. This had been on everyone’s mind because of a viral video where a security guard in a Tokyo jewelry store fought off three smash and grab robbers with a sasumata.

Furuta brought out a heavy iron and antique looking sasumata. I had never trained with one before. He used it against a sword and a 長巻 nagamaki. He used the hook to lock up the attacker’s blade. The sheer weight of the iron can swing like a pendulum grounding the opponent and his weapons.

Furuta Sensei also shared some yari. We studied with 片鎌槍 katakama yari, 三角槍 sankaku yari, and 管槍 kuda yari. These were live blades so we had to be very careful in his small dojo. The kuda yari was so long I had to thrust out the open door from the dojo into the garden!

I had little prior experience with some of these weapons. But this is the kind of opportunity that arises if you form good relationships with the teachers in Japan. Then they’ll share things with you that not many people get to study.

Furuta continued his generosity after training by taking us on an excursion. First we went to lunch at 末廣 Suehiro, which is a restaurant frequented by Hatsumi Sensei. Then we listened to more Lady Gaga as we drove to 夢楽堂 Murakudō for some shopping.

Hatsumi Sensei also likes to shop at Murakudō, an antique store packed to the rafters with many things, including weapons. My teacher, Peter was looking for 矢の根 yanone as you may have seen in my Japan Report Three 令和5年 video. Another member of our group bought a sword. And people were looking at tsuba, tessen, yari and even a nice 仕込杖 shikomi-zue. I had trouble guarding my wallet.

After the shopping, I went back to Noda-shi for an evening class with Paul Masse at the Honbu Dojo. Paul began with a form of 手解 tehodoki. But this was just an excuse to explore more themes related to 支点 shiten.

He raised his forearm to create support under the attacker, then he dropped it away. This caused the opponent to stumble and expose other weak points. He added in knife techniques, but all through the class he was creating shiten then throwing them away.

Having personal relationships with the teachers here makes my visits feel like family. Then the training feels like sharing. And no matter how long my days are, I always come away energized and excited for the next day’s training.

If you like what I do, you can support my writing and video productions by signing up at Rojodojo. Then you can watch the FULL video of this report here https://www.rojodojo.com/japan-report-six-reiwa-5/ along with more than 400 other training videos

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Bujinkan Daikomyosai Party and Training Themes from Japan

From Bujinkan Santa Monica by Michael

What are the current Bujinkan Themes?

For my second week of Japan training, I begin with a visit to 上野東照宮 Ueno Tōshōgū. This shrine was built in 1627, and enshrines Tokugawa Ieyasu. I have visited many times, but they did an extensive remodel a few years ago. This was my first time going beyond the 唐門 Karamon and into the grounds. The entire 本殿 Honden is covered in gold leaf and looks spectacular with the gingko leaves fluttering down around me.

Michael Glenn at 上野東照宮 Ueno Tōshōgū

Later that night, I arrived a bit early for Nagase Sensei’s class. He had moved the class time back 45 minutes so I took the opportunity to review my notes from the prior class. He has been working with 十方折衝 juppō sesshō and the directions for 天地人 Tenchijin and the sanshin within it.

He described many aspects of Tenchijin. He would control his opponent at three points, high, middle, and low. He told us the Ten direction is 天照大御神 Amaterasu ōmikami. The Chi direction is 国常立尊 Kunitokotachi no mikoto (that’s how people pronounce these kanji). And the Jin direction is the spirit across from you, or your opponent.

Nagase Sensei and Michael Glenn December 2022
 

He also emphasized these three points on the jutte: the tip; the pommel; and the hook. He told us that we have sanshin in our training development. Learn taijutsu up to godan, bōjutsu from godan until judan, and kenjutsu until 15th dan. Then after that is what Soke teaches with mutō dori.

The next morning I dressed up to go to the Daikomyosai party AKA Hatsumi Sensei’s birthday party. I wasn’t sure what to expect. Soke has had some health issues and everyone in Japan is taking precautions for the virus. There was a joke going around that we would all line up in the parking lot and Hatsumi Sensei would drive by and wave like the Queen.

Since the Bujinkan Honbu Dojo is still closed (as of December 2022), People ask me about class schedules and where is there training in Japan right now? They see my photos of my training at various dojos in Japan and they want me to give them the location and the schedule. That is not how it works. These are private classes and you have to be invited or ask permission.

Technically you even need permission and must be a “member” of the Bujinkan to train at the Honbu dojo. But in actual practice, anyone can drop by a class if it is on the schedule. But we all know each other, and strangers stick out…

For private dojos, every teacher is different and has different expectations, but it is customary to ask first. This is why it is so important to form good relationships with the teachers. Or if you are new to Japan, your own teacher should have these relationships so they can give you an introduction.

Back to training updates from Japan. The next morning, I went to Furuta Sensei’s dojo in 茨城県 Ibaraki-ken. He came to pick us up from the train station for a 25 minute drive to his house. It is a nice old Japanese house with a garden and an out building for a dojo. We trained for a morning session, then had lunch in his kitchen. Then we did an afternoon session.

Furuta Sensei's Dojo December 2022

It seemed like Furuta Sensei had three years (pandemic years) worth of teaching waiting to get out. He had so much to share. He told us that many martial arts in Japan are like 化石 kaseki, or fossils. They are being preserved but there is no life in them.

Furuta spoke about kata and densho. He said these are like samples of a dish. You can take a bite of something to taste it, but that is not a meal. He said that people who only do kata or densho are missing the meal. This is something I often say to my own students. The Bujinkan is not just kata or the densho, it is also the kuden and direct transmissions from teacher to student that are not on any menu.

Furuta Sensei said ここ当たり koko atari

During training, he had some peculiar angles for evasion. He also showed various places to strike kyusho as he said ここ当たり koko atari, meaning “hit here.” I found out later why things looked strange to me.

After training, he took us out to dinner to a local Soba shop. If you didn’t know, Furuta will be the next Soke of 雲隠流 Kumogakure Ryū. So over dinner he shared that his recent training used the strategies from this school. He would hide himself in the space with subtle angling of his body, just like mountain hiding it’s slopes in the clouds.

Now I realized why all of my classes with him felt different. He had been expressing ideas from Kumogakure Ryū and I didn’t know it. Based on this new insight, I had to go back and revise my notes from each training session with him!

On the flight home from Narita to Los Angeles, I spent some time reflecting on Hatsumi Sensei’s birthday. The party was great fun for me. It had been 3 years since I had seen most of my friends here in Japan. Everyone was happy to let loose a little.

My friend from Senou Sensei’s dojo, Sasa, was entertaining our whole table. Sayaka, Ueki, and Hirotoshi kept things youthful and I enjoyed their wonderful smiles and energy. Nakagawa-san dressed up like some kind of scary geisha with unkempt nose hair and bad jokes.

Hatsumi Sensei and Michael Glenn Dec 2022

Hatsumi Sensei and Michael Glenn Dec 2022
 

The restaurant has two levels. Hatsumi Sensei sat downstairs and we took turns visiting with our birthday gifts to him. I made this trip to Japan in his honor and I felt lucky I was able to see him.

I made a video about all of this while I was in Japan that you can watch here: Japan Report December 2022 Part 3
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