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Who Is Stupid?

From Shiro Kuma's Weblog by kumablog

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There is a new trend recently that is developing amongst the high ranks of the Bujinkan.
Searching for the true and original Bujinkan they are unearthing the past and reactivate unfinished programs discarded by Sôke.
Maybe because of our Christian origin, we think that “printed matter” is truth, and that the oldest the material is, the more we can trust it.
But concerning the Bujinkan program this is not the case.
Hatsumi sensei developed a syllabus called the Tenchijin basic program (aka bushinkan shinden kihon gata) and that it took him many years to come up with a (nearly) finished set of techniques.
Here is the genealogy of the Tenchijin program (the way I see it):
  1. In the sixties, Hatsumi sensei tells Takamatsu sensei that he wants to create a program regrouping the nine ryûha into one single one. Takamatsu sensei rejected the idea adding something like: “each system is important and they are all different, this is why they should be taught separately”.
  2. Fourty years ago, in April 1972, Takamatsu sensei leaves us. Hatsumi sensei is now alone, he begins to develop the Bujinkan system.
  3. Having had time to think it over, Hatsumi sensei abandoned the idea of a common program for the nine ryûha but takes the decision instead of regrouping all the basics of the ryûha into one set of techniques: this is the Tenchijin Ryaku no Maki  天地人 略 の 巻. The title says it all as 略 (ryaku) means shorten, abbreviation, outline. His idea, therefore is to create a simplified program to prepare for the study of the nine Ryûha.
  4. At the end of the 70s, Hatsumi sensei creates his first Tenchijin program. It is presented in the form of 3 stencil like booklets and is only in japanese, no pictures.
  5. In1983, Hatsumi sensei publishes, in Japanese only, the evolution of the first paper version. He calls it: “Togakure Ryû Ninpô Taijutsu”. It follows the tenchijin structure. This published version of the Tenchijin contains 267 pages and presents three parts: Ten ryaku no Maki, Chi ryaku no Maki, and Jin ryaku no Maki. Shuriken and kakushi buki are added in the Jin Ryaku.
  6. In 1987, some western students receive from Japan a photocopied booklet written on a typewriter and entitled: “Bujinkan Shinden Kihon Gata”. The subtitle is Tenchijin Ryaku no Maki. It contains many changes to the 1983 version. The Kyûsho are gone, the weapons are gone, and the techniques are reshuffled and simplified.
  7. In the “official” Kihon Happô, Ganseki Nage is replaced by Musô Dori.
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Since then the tenchijin of 1987 became the basic programme of the Bujinkan to teach the basics. It is the third and final evolution of the first tenchijin amended by Soke and this is the more developed programme of the three versions.
As you know to put out a comprehensive program is not an easy task and it took Sensei nearly 20 years to come up with a final tool. We can see the creation of this program as a famous painting like “Mona Lisa la Gioconda” by Leonardo Da Vinci, who spent 4 years to paint it. According to Leonardo’s contemporary: ”after he had lingered over it four years, (he) left it unfinished”. Leonardo, later in his life, is said to have regretted “never having completed a single work”*.
This is the same with the Tenchijin.

The first version (tcj1) was a sketch.
The second version of 1983 (tcj2) a prototype. A beta version.
The third version of 1987(tcj3), the Tenchijin 1.0. Unfinished but good enough.

Today in 2013, some 30 years after the Beta version (tcj2), I am surprised to see many high ranks trying to discover a new hidden truth by basing their teaching on the first tries by sensei.

Unable to exist by themselves they try to create some kind of “competitive advantage” by putting back to light the first unstable versions created by sensei. Many base their syllabus on version tcj2 or even worse on version tcj1. This is why we see many old terms unearthed from these pre versions of the tcj reappearing today.

But I wonder how can these high ranks be so wrong in their analysis?

Do they think that created first the perfect programme and that he destroyed it version after version?
Do they think he is stupid?

The tenchijin was an attempt to summarize all the basics of the nine schools into a single tool to make it easier to enter the specific study of the Bujinkan Ryûha.

Please keep in mind that:

  1. The terms used in the tenchijin are generic (or became generic).
  2. Similar techniques in various Ryû can be named differently.
  3. A technique is a mix of several basic generic moves
  4. Techniques “look like” some basic techniques but are not to be done fully to the end.
  5. Some concepts, some techniques are missing from one version to the other.
  6. Some concepts, some techniques are added from one version to the other.
  7. The structure if the tenchijin is evolving from one version to the other.
  8. Some techniques from the Chi enter the Jin.
  9. Some techniques from the Jin are now into the Ten, etc.
To me it is as if Sensei through trial and error had been tuning and adjusting his first programs (tcj1 the tcj2) in order to make a common platform for learning the schools. The Tenchijin is only a tool designed to help the practitioner to undda erstand the Bujinkan. The last version tcj3 (1987) is the best one to do that.
But like Leonardo Da Vinci’s  ”Gioconda”, please keep in mind that the Tenchijin of 87 is still unfinished so it is correct to mix with the tcj3 some of the concepts and techniques from tcj2 (the Kyûsho for example). Like in the Pareto distribution it should still respect the 80-20 ratio no more. Remember Sensei tried to make it simple.

With all that in mind, please see the overall logic followed by sensei since the death of his mentor:

  • Ninjutsu: Hatsumi Sensei develops the Bujinkan through 20 years of Tenchijin practice (1973-1992)
  • 1993-1997 – Budô Taijutsu Omote: He teaches the weapons, to emphasize knowledge of angles and distances (5 years),
  • 1998-2002 – Budô Taijutsu Ura: The five aspects of Taijutsu and body movement through five ryûha (5 years),
  • 2003-2012 – Juppô Sesshô: and then sensei continued with Ninpô Taijutsu: 5 years of Juppô Sesshô Omote and 5 years of Juppô Sesshô Ura.
  • 2013: This is where we are today with a Tsurugi in the hand.
When I look at it globally it seems to me that Sensei has been following some kind of very smart plan to bring us to his level of understanding. After all this is exactly what the word sensei means, no?
So please trust him, he knows what he is doing and he is the Tamashii (soul) of the Bujinkan.
If some high ranks in the West think they are smarter than Sensei, this is strange but after all they are adults.
If they decide not to follow Hatsumi Sensei’s vision and prefer to replace the Tenchijin programme 1987 (tcj3) by its former beta versions, let them continue. Everyone is responsible for his choices.
But if you are a dedicated Bujinkan instructor and if you want your students to grasp the essence of Hatsumi Sensei’s Budô, and to get a better chance to survive, then I urge you to think about it and to follow the only true and logical path: The one Budô path defined by Hatsumi Sensei!

Sensei can be called many names but “stupid” is definitely not the appropriate one!

This man is a fantastic human being who has been guiding us on the path for the last 40 years.
Choosing another path is like leaving the Bujinkan and his creator.
So, who is stupid now?

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Paris Taikai 2013

From Shiro Kuma's Weblog by kumablog

Memories: picture taken during one of the first Shi Tennô seminar organized by Steve Byrne in 2001 in Trinity College in Dublin.

Memories: picture taken during one of the first Shi Tennô seminar organized by Steve Byrne in 2001 in Trinity College in Dublin.

Watching the nice blue sky through the window, I began to think about the next Yûro Shitennô Paris Taikai next July in Paris.

This seminar have been going on for more than ten years and it has always been a pleasure to welcome you all in our dôjô.

Many of you are already familiar with this extraordinary seminar but I think it is time to explain its origin once again for those of you who aren’t.

Around the year 2003, I was on the phone with Pedro and we were speaking of the “good old days” when the Shi Tennô could meet twice a year for a joint seminar called “Shi Tennô Seminar” (see picture above). But at the turn of the century, these seminars were not organized anymore. Many reasons for that.

First of all, the financial risk of having the 4 Shi tennô for a two days seminar was too big. Second, since our beginning (the first Shi Tennô took place in 1993), many new high rank instructors arrived on the market and there were more seminars available. Today each weekend in a 500km radius, there are at least two or three seminars organized.

Also our personal seminars schedule being so full we had some difficulty putting up a common date together.

Over the phone, we decided to organize it ourselves and this is how the first Paris Taikai was created in 2003. It was such a success that I decided to continue organizing it year after year. This year is the 10th one!

But what is a Paris Taikai?

Until the year 2002, Hatsumi would come to Europe to give three days seminars, they were called Taikai. I attended over 30 Taikai since the first one organized by my friend Peter King. The Paris Taikai was meant to replace the absence of sensei in our countries.

When we decided to organize the Paris Taikai, Sensei approved the idea and called it: “Yûro Shi Tennô Taikai”. Yûro 融朗 means “brightness”but is also a pun with “europa” pronounced by Japanese “yuropa”. Basically this is the Taikai organized by the European Shi Tennô: Peter, Sven, Pedro, and me.

The Paris Taikai follows the same structure as the Taikai of the past where we used to train during three days. But this one is also different as we train in three different dôjô at the same time. Also the group of participants is divided into 4 groups: beginners, intermediates, advanced, shidôshi. We make sure that each group is about the same size.

The Bujinkan France teached in a facility that is made of three dôjô: 1 big dôjô (150 to 200 people) with mats and two smaller ones (around 60-80 m2), one with mats and one with wooden floor. Trainings are conducted in the three dôjô at the same time and each hour teachers and students are changing location.

Each hour one group is taught by one Shi Tennô in the two small dôjô, and two groups (always beginner-intermediate; or advanced-shidôshi) are taught by 2 Shi Tennô in the big dôjô. This is why whatever your technical level you will receive the teaching that you can understand. Many times when you are attending a seminar, the teacher has to teach a certain level. When he is teaching high level, beginners are lost, and conversely when he is teaching basics, the advanced practitioners are bored! This is not happening at the Paris Taikai.

This Taikai is also the chance to meet people from all over the world (there are around 15 to 20 countries attending) and to connect or reconnect with friends from everywhere.

When you register for the Taikai (which is limited to 150 participants) you get:

  • 3 full days of training (10am-5pm)
  • 3 meals regular or veggie (lunch time only)
  • Paris Taikai tee-shirt
  • Certificate of attendance
  • Goodbye drink on the last day
  • Free sleeping (Thursday to Monday) at the dôjô

Also do not forget that this event takes place right during the weekend of the French National day, and Paris is full of laughter, fireworks, drinking, dancing; and the weather is around 30° Celsius.

But if Paris is a nice city to visit in summer; if the techniques demonstrated are done by 4 of the more advanced students of Sensei; above all what you are getting out of such an event is hours of happiness and friendship, and for me this is the most important part of a Taikai. The techniques are always nice but the feeling of belonging to a community is even better. This seminar is Bujinkan at its best!

Places are limited and pre-booking is going very fast this year so if you are interested to join us, please follow the link below:

http://www.budomart.com/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_PARIS_TAIKAI_36.html

And if you do not come some other Bujinkan member will be happy.

Rokkon Shojo!


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Birthday Cake in Budapest: The Bujinkan Legacy

From Shiro Kuma's Weblog by kumablog

When Balázs and Laszlo asked me to give a seminar covering the Bujinkan themes of the last twenty years (1993-2012) I accepted but I didn’t immediately understand the “why?”, and I must admit that I didn’t see who would be interested.
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The day before traveling to Budapest I began to be concerned about the “how?”, and in a short mail, I told Balázs that I didn’t know if I could do it as suddenly Iunderstood the vast task it was. But eventually everything went fine and this is a seminar that I would like to repeat anytime. At first covering twenty different themes in two days made the seminar looking like some kind of food buffet where you are tasting many different dishes.
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But those themes have been chosen wisely by sensei, and the benefits from previous themes are reused after. Each year adding its particularity, was nurturing the next one.
 
If we follow the themes chronologically we rapidly see a logic in the system. Bô calls for Yari and Yari for Naginata. This “Sanshin of long weapons” as Hatsumi sensei called them once, is the best introduction possible to enter Biken jutsu, and Biken to understand Jô jutsu. In fact before the Tsurugi and the Tachi I thought that Jô was the ultimate weapon!
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This five year cycle (1993-1997) was followed by another five year cycle (1998-2002) focusing on the five different types of Taijutsu: Taihen jutsu, Daken Taijutsu, Koppô jutsu, Kosshi jutsu, Jû Taijutsu. During this period in order to illustrate these different Taijutsu, sensei used respectively the following schools: Shinden Fudô Ryû, Kukishin Ryû, Koto Ryû, Gyokko Ryû, Takagi Yôshin Ryû. Unfortunately very few people understood that the ryû that was taught was the omote and that the type of taijutsu taught through the school was the main thing.
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These first ten themes (1993-2002) taught us the various sides if what sensei called “Budô Taijutsu”.
Once the foundation of Budô clearly established, sensei put “Ninpô Taijutsu” on top of it. This was the beginning of Juppô Sesshô. As he said to me once: “the five different styles of Taijutsu are the expression of Budô Taijutsu; but Juppô Sesshô is the expression of Ninpô Taijutsu”.
The next ten years (2003-2012) have been dedicated to Juppô Sesshô.  We began with five years of “Omote” Juppô Sesshô (2003-2007), they were then followed by five years of “Ura” Juppô Sesshô (2008-2012). The Omote Juppô Sesshô was based on the body, the themes were: Sanjigen no Sekai, Yûgen no sekai, Kasumi no hô, Shizen, Kuki Taishô. We studied various weapons and schools during this cycle but only to put into evidence the concepts brought by sensei (kunai, shotô, biken, bô, yoroi etc).
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The Ura Juppô Sesshô is more about the soul, the mental side of the movements: Menkyo Kaiden, Saino konki, Rokkon shojo, Kihon Happô, Kaname. Once again we had to “listen” to sensei and understand the movement from the level of perception and not with our analytical mind and mechanical movements.
In fact it looks like a birthday cake with several levels. And in 2013, the Tachi hôken illustrated by the Tsurugi is like the candle on top of the cake. At the birthday party the cake is always good but what really matters in a birthday party, what is the most important thing is not the cake but the reason why people are gathered to eat it!
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Thank you Balázs for giving me this opportunity, I learnt a lot and I hope that the participants felt richer after these two exhausting days*
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*we had training from 10am to 6pm on both  days which left more or less 40 minutes per year of training… that was intensive.

 


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Tsurugi: The Divine Sword

From Shiro Kuma's Weblog by kumablog

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Sensei taught a lot of things related to the Chinese sword during the last day of the Taikai.
This sword that we call Jian or Ken is in fact Tsurugi.
This is the weapon of the high level warriors.
Even though the Chinese jian / ken does not carry any “social meaning” the Japanese when referring to Tsurugi include their myth of creation in it. As you all know this is Kusanagi no Tsurugi * given by Susanô to his sister, the sun goddess Amateratsu. She later gave it to Ninigi no Mikoto** the grandfather of the famous emperor Jimmu as a proof of his divine origin.
Kusanagi no Tsurugi is one of the three regalia of the Japanese Emperors.***
So where “ken” is a simple sword, Tsurugi is linked to the divine.
Sensei introduced the day by insisting on the fact that it is impossible to understand Japanese warfare if one doesn’t study the three types of sword that created Japanese warfare expertise: Tsurugi, Tachi, Katana. Each refers to a specific period of development of Japan.
The use of the Tsurugi is so old that no written techniques have survived. They were recorded on animal skin or bamboo slivers (thin blades) and didn’t resist the passage of time. These times were chaotic times and Japan was not one country but a group of multiple little clans run by warlords.
The Tachi was the weapon of choice of the Bushi cast he said when permanent fighting was happening. The Katana became popular with the forced peace time set by Tokugawa Ieyasu (1603) and therefore was the weapon of the Samurai.
To make it clear only the Tsurugi and the Tachi were used in fight and Japanese martial arts are the result of using these weapons.
Sensei opened the morning session by asking a few Jûgodan to demonstrate their vision of Chi no Kata; and from there we moved to the Tsurugi. I must say that the Tsurugi is really a fantastic weapon that renders alive our taijutsu. Nagato sensei said in his class that if you don’t have a good taijutsu the Tsurugi cannot be used properly.
To begin sensei explained that the Tsurugi is stuck at the hip level ad that the footwork puts it naturally into the opponent attack. There is no thinking process. The sword pivots from this contact point right into uke’s attack. Deflecting the attack the tip of the blade is immediately pointing to uke’s body. The Sanshin motion of Chi no Kata becomes a natural reaction and no intention can be deciphered by the opponent.
Once again sensei said that this was mutô dori. We all know that mutô dori is a technique where you are unarmed facing an armed attacker. So it took me some point to figure out exactly what sensei was trying to say. I understood that the weapon was simply an added extension of the body. As you don’t think the word and as the sword moves with the body movements, you are moving naturally as if you had no weapon. And that is exactly what I meant earlier when saying that the Tsurugi was making your taijutsu alive. I honestly don’t know what people who didn’t attend the class can understand from what I’m writing here. But if you simply stick the Tsurugi to your hip and use your taijutsu, I’m sure that the majority will get what I’m trying to say here.
During the morning break, my friend Elias who like me had been used by sôke as uke came to me to share what he experienced. The situation we had to face were the same. Sensei asked us to attack and we stopped immediately because the tsurugi was aiming (on its own) towards our face. What Elias said to me was that the way sensei moved the tsurugi from the pivoting point at the hip made it impossible foe him to see it coming. And the reason was that sensei was keeping his elbow low so that no shoulder movement was being perceived. And when you did, it was too late. When hee asked me to attack him sensei modified his movement slightly. Instead og being completely invisible, he did some kind of seigan no kamae and got my attention on the tip of the blade a few centimeters away from y face. Then in both cases, sensei moved his forward foot a little more and stabbed us in the throat.
These two examples are quite interesting because they summarize the essence of fighting with the tsurugi. Elias didn’t see the second step forward because he couldn’t see the blade. I couldn’t perceive it either because my focus being on the blade the foot was hidden by it. Both examples demonstrate a high level of 見えない 技 mienai waza, techniques you cannot possibly see. But in both cases the end was the same, death.
To summarize this sensei said that tsurugi waza followed a specific sanshin: foot, spine, fingers. We already explained in various posts here the importance of the fingers. The fingers are the extension of your leg movement relayed by the spine. You must be able to change your fingers positioning while moving the body so that the blade is arriving straight to the 隙 suki (gap, space, weakness) in uke’s defense.
Another point that was important is distance. Sensei said that the difference between life and death in a fight often resumes itself to the thickness of a sheet of paper. When you master taijutsu the body moves at the exact distance of uke, not too far, not too close. And when you add the tsurugi your body must find the new perfect distance to be far and close enough of uke. A wrong distance will create new opportunities for uke. A correct distancee will stop uke in between two movements.
After thinking a lot about the tsurugi and thanks to this fantastic day I want to share here now two things that make it easier for me to use this sword:
1. You only have to do taijutsu, the blade moves by itself. Forget the blade. For example if you do a basic uke nagashi, do it with the tsurugi in your hand and see what is happening. Do not try to do anything with the sword, let it react on its own (mutô dori principle).
2. I spoke with sensei last Tuesday during training and he confirmed that I was right to think “hanbô jutsu” when training with the tsurugi. So next time you train use a hanbô. When you have the movement correct, replacce the hanbô by the tsurugi and see how similar they move. The tsurugi is not sharp on the major part of the blade so there is no risk for you.
Next week, I will record the basics of tsurugi for Budomart and koimartialart, and I will use all the knowledge I got this time to make it easy for all of us to learn this fantastic weapon.
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kusanagi
**http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninigi-no-Mikoto
***http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Regalia_of_Japan

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Inryoku: Attraction

From Shiro Kuma's Weblog by kumablog

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Attending a class by Noguchi sensei is always a good moment. To me it is similar in many ways in having a very nice dinner at a grand restaurant in Paris.
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His taijutsu is full of flavors, very refined, elegant and classy; and I always feel sad when it is over. I am a student like any other and sometimes, even in Japan, I don’t feel like going to training. I do it but sometimes reluctantly. But when his class begins, suddenly you feel happy as his joy is visible. After the class you feel more rested than before.
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His Bujinkan interpretation expresses itself through feeling, and the class tonight was deep, innovative and will change (again) my understanding of Budô. But if you have already attended one of his classes, you know exactly what I mean.
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Tonight a TV crew was there and that added some rhythm to a class that usually is not missing it. In 90 minutes, Noguchi sensei creates a world of possibility and an infinite number of variations. He doesn’t do a technique, He is the technique.
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We covered some of the Takagi Yôshin ryû techniques during the class. None of these techniques of the Shoden no kata were new to us: kasumi dori, dô gaeshi, karame dori, kyoto, katamune dori, oikage dori, iki chigae, ransho, kobushi nagashi. But what was new was the way Noguchi did them using more than ever the 引力 inryoku (principle of attraction). Each technique was done in such a way that uke was “sucked into” the worst possible situation. Every action he was taking was leading him into a trap.
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This concept of inryoku together with the concepts of 重力 jûryoku (gravity) and 磁力 jiryoku (magnetism) are three keys to understand the Gyokko ryû Kosshijutsu and were taught extensively back in 2001 during the Gyokko Ryû year.
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But is is one thing to discover some concepts one day and to see their evolution 12 years later. And this is exactly what we witnessed tonight. The way Noguchi sensei is trapping his opponent is simply amazing. As usual there is no hits, no inflicted pain. Uke is down not by using strong movements but by creating the illusion of these strong movements. Uke reacts to the pain he “feels” is coming and the consecutive tensions create a kûkan in which he falls every time. From the outside it looks that uke is swallowed into a black hole.
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This inryoku turns any movement into a death trap for uke. Noguchi sensei by alternating the fake tensions with a total relaxed body attitude, creates a situation where uke does not understand what is happening and rushes into the trap.
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To be able to attract uke is not easy at first, but after many years of repeating these movements with him, one becomes capable of expressing it. This is real 虚実 kyojitsu, alternating falsehood and truth and the essence of Hatsumi sensei’s ninpô.
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Attraction is created by moving the body lightly at a slow speed that cannot be perceived in time by uke’s brain and by emitting fake intentions so strong that uke cannot avoid to react to them. This is the practical application of proprioception* as defined by scientists.
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But Noguchi sensei is not only using attraction in Budô. He is a shining and attractive human being full of joy and light. Attending his classes is the best remedy I know to feel better when life is tough.
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Thank you sensei for your magnetism and for sharing with us your budô vision.
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* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proprioception

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Kantan Desu!

From Shiro Kuma's Weblog by kumablog

 

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Today during his class at the honbu, Nagato sensei kept repeating that everything he was doing was 簡単 kantan (easy, simple). He repeated it many times during training.
But watching the many practitioners in the honbu I got the impression that these “easy and simple” techniques were quite difficult to reproduce for those of us who were not used to Nagato sensei’s taijutsu.
It reminded me of Kary Mullis (Nobel prize of Chemistry 1993)*, who said in his book “Dancing naked in the mind field” that to make things look simple, it is very difficult. This simplicity we are striving to get is the result of a long and difficult process.
During the break I was exchanging on that subject with my friend Joe Maurantonio and we finally agreed that this “simplicity” in sensei’s budô was indeed the real secret to be found in the Bujinkan. And we also agreed that only those who could develop the proper vision could see it. It reminded me of a discussion I had in the 90s with Mark Lithgow after a dinner we had with Sôke in Noda.
Mark said something that I will always remember: “Sensei is not teaching 体術 taijutsu (body techniques) but 目術, mejutsu, (the art of seeing reality).
The magic about Hatsumi sensei’s philosophy of budô and that it is so simple and obvious that very few students are able to understand it. Speaking about that we agreed, Joe and I that sensei’s vision had had a strong impact on the way we developed our lives as adults.
The real secret about Sôke’s ninjutsu is that there is no secret when you finally understand. Everything is hidden in plain sight!
But it takes many years to discover that and not everyone will find it. Joe told me that it reminded him of some sentences of  ”Ninpô: Wisdom of life”** one of the first book written by Sôke translated into English.
With Joe’s permission (he is the publisher of the book) I reproduce here a few sentences taken from this great book on Life and budô that each Bujinkan practitioner should have in his library.
About the secret, Hatsumi sensei wrote: “I believe secret teachings should only be given to those students who can find and create new lessons for themselves. This is because the secret teachings are not about how many techniques one knows, but rather about a person’s insight and preparedness.”
When you develop the “eyes of the heart” nothing is complex anymore, as you are in symbiosis with nature.
Sensei adds that: “if you are a martial artist and master budô and practice ninjutsu, you wil gain the most essential secret of all methods. This secret is called 心心 心 眼, shinshin shingan, (the mind and eyes of god). This knowledge is to know Tendô, the “path of heaven”. The truth of heaven is the correct way, without evil intent.”
 
Today was another great day for learning. Thank you Nagato sensei’s, thank you Sensei.
** Ninpô: Wisdom of Life: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ninpo-Wisdom-for-Life/132927646718631

 


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Kûkan, Fibonacci, and Snail

From Shiro Kuma's Weblog by kumablog

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When a beginner attends to a class with Nagato sensei it seems that he is always repeating the same movement.
When you have been training in Japan with him for over twenty years you see things differently. Nagato sensei’s movements are like a reverse Fibonacci suite*, the more he repeats the movement, and the more he is getting closer to the opponent.
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The Fibonacci suite looks like the shell of a snail and this is also how we should train, in slow motion.
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Nagato sensei taijutsu is very precise in his teaching and beginners often seem not to grasp it. He always begin the class with a movement given by one of the participants. Then he shows how to be always protected while getting closer and closer using his own precise footwork.
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You have to know that each one of  the Japanese Shi Tennô has a particular way of moving the legs. I remember once attending a class where he was asked to demonstrate one of the kihon happô. I was training with a Japanese high rank. We were both regular students of Noguchi sensei at that time and our taijutsu had the “Noguchi touch”. I was the first to do the kihon happô and I was unable to do it! A kihon happô! My ego felt bad and I felt bad for my Japanese partner, thinking tat he was judging my poor level of understanding of the basics. But then when he did it, he did the same exact wrong movement I just did. That day I understood that each one of them has his own way of moving. This is why when you have the chance to come to Japan, you must train with as many shihan as possible as each one is giving you a brick to build the walls of your own house of taijutsu.
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Nagato sensei when teaching is not trying to show “the true technique”, he is showing how to survive an actual fight. And to do that he repeats the movements changing the distance and the angles and getting closer. This is what I call the “artichoke approach”. Each repetition is like eating the leaves of an artichoke** as gradually you are reaching the essence/heart of the technique as you would the heart of this vegetable.
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By adjusting slowly his footwork Nagato sensei teaches the best way to get to the core of the technique. The precision of the angles, the subtle variations in the way he holds the opponent are close to heart surgery.  And he is always fully protecting himself from any reaction of his opponent.
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The beauty is that Nagato sensei can do that with anything demonstrated by the uke of the day, even with an apparently non interesting technique. This is the sign of a true shihan and I wish that one day I will get to this level.
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But this progressive adjustment is only possible if you train slowly. Forget the running rabbit attitude and learn by being slow like a snail. Everyone knows the fable of the hare and the tortoise by La Fontaine***, this is the same. When you train fast you miss the norikae (see one of my previous post) and end up using strength. The worst is that the technique you are supposed to learn is not there anymore. The beginning looks similar. The end looks similar. But the technique is absent of your movements.
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GAUSS5
It is like the normal distribution in mathematics (aka Gauss curve or Bell curve****). The key element here is the center of the bell curve called “standard deviation”. When you practice like a rabbit i.e. too fast the standard deviation disappears and you are left only with the omote of the technique.
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On the contrary, when you train like a snail you enter the ura, the heart of the waza and you can really learn.
Speed in the dôjô is often the mark of a bad practitioner. Doing the movement fast is a self centered approach. You learn nothing and you can even be dangerous to your partner.
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Many times over the years I heard Nagato sensei stopping the class and saying “people that are moving fast are stupid!”. Space and time are connected as we know since Einstein’s theories. The slower you train, the more chance you have to “see” the kûkan. Low speed is the key to unfold the kûkan and this is what we learned again today during his class. When you train slowly your brain has enough time so that your body can understand the technique. You have to create the proper brain connections in order for your body to move without thinking.
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The Bujinkan is not about looking good during training with flashy visible movements made to impress our fellow practitioner. The Bujinkan is about teaching our body and mind to move correctly and this is achieved by really studying what is taught in class.
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You might do it differently in your own dôjô but if you came here to train, then train for real, like a snail. I leave with one sentence that hatsumi sensei said to me once: ”Arnaud, train what you have to train, and teach what you have to teach”. Meditate this.
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If you behave like a 兔 usagi (rabbit) you will only get 有詐欺 usagi (a fraudulent existence). Thank you Nagato sensei for another enriching class, I’m drooling for our next class.
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** How to eat an artichoke: http://www.wikihow.com/Eat-an-Artichoke
**** Gauss curve: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_distribution

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Ken no Nigiri

From Shiro Kuma's Weblog by kumablog

ken1

At the end the class Hatsumi sensei came to me, took the wooden ken I got from Tanaka san* and showed me how to hold the Ken.

The Ken is versatile and the many possible 握り nigiri (grips) reflect this. Sensei demonstrating these grips to me precised that the many ways of holding the weapon implied the ability to change the grips freely according to the body movements. If you play tennis or golf you already know that. Different grips are used in different situations.
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The Ken is really a refreshing weapon because it is the extension/expression of our taijutsu. Nothing is wrong and everything goes.
The freedom of action of the Ken should reflect the way we lead our lives. After many years when sensei taught us to be happy, we are now free to live for ourselves.
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During the calligraphy break, sensei wrote in gold letters the bija mantra for Fudô Myô on my Ken.
As you all know, Fudô Myô is a major divinity in Japanese Budô, and he holds a Ken with a vajra/sanko handle in one hand. Fudô Myô is  often represented symbolically by a Ken. You would often find a simple Ken or a dragon wrapped around the Ken engraved on the blade of the Samurai to bring the divinity’s protection to the warrior.
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Fudô Myô (Acala)** is dark skinned, surrounded by the flames of sapience in which are hidden 9 karasu (crows). In Japan, the legend goes that the crows are the eyes of the gods watching our human behaviour.
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They caw to report to the gods.
Fudô is a myô***, i.e. a “angry-faced” divinity. He is benevolent, his left hand carries a mala (nenju, rosary) to catch those of us going away from the righteous path. He is holding a Ken in the other hand to cut our passions. Fudô has one eye looking up and the other looking down, one tooth going up, one tooth going down.
Fudô is a protector like all Myô divinities.
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Hereafter you will find the grips that sensei was kind enough to teach me at the end of Sunday class. In his explanations sensei insisted again on the importance of having a lot of mobility with the fingers to make the blade alive and move freely. Train that at home.
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Keypoints:
  • the tsuba is flat and the fingers are a natural extension of your body movements.
  • the blade is not sharp close to the tsuba allowing you to hold it with the fingers without getting injured
  • thrusts are done with flat blade
  • the body is behind all your movements, the legs are hitting uke through the sword
  • using the legs allows you not to use chikara (strength) 
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One finger (forefinger)
You hold the tsuka and your forefinger is extended on the tsuba and directs the blade.
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One finger (thumb – new)
You hold the tsuka and your thumb is extended on the tsuba to thrust the tip flat in a kind of boshi ken.
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Two fingers (forefinger and middle finger)
You hold the tsuka and your fingers are extended on the tsuba and direct and secure the blade.
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Holding the Tsuba (thumb and forefinger – new)
I see it as a kind of “ihen” in-between grip. It can be used also for thrusting (palm up).
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Reverse grip
Used when hiding the blade and to change side rapidly or to hit with the kashira.
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During the break and before writing on my Ken, sensei drew a bird diving to attack that I believe to be a crow: “hichô” he said simply while handing it to me.
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hicho
Later when he wrote the bija Fudô Myô on the Ken, he also wrote: カー ”kaa” on the opposite side of the Ken: the cawing of a crow.
Everything is connected.
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Be aware of coincidence and be open to reinterpret always what you think you know until you stop thinking and only act freely.
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This is what you learn when training in the Bujinkan under such a fantastic master.
Be happy, be free!
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*Tanaka San is selling two types of wooden Ken to the Bujinkan members
** Fudô Myô:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acala
*** Myô: http://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/400424/Myo-o

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Norikae: Change Your Mindset

From Shiro Kuma's Weblog by kumablog

hsmarch13

Do you think Hatsumi sensei is reading my blog? we can think so because in today’s class he gave us the next level to understand the Henka article.

I was asked to begin the class with some taijutsu technique. Uke attacks with a fist at short distance and by moving up and down, left and right you pull him down softly at your feet once uke’s balance is broken. Quoting Noguchi sensei in class today I would say it was a juppô sesshô technique. Hatsumi sensei did many henka around that, not using force at all, grabbing the fingers, crushing the nails having uke dance like a fool with pain. At one point he turned to me and said: “Norikae!”. Totally taken by surprised I said the only logical thing: “nani?” (what?). Sensei explained that the new taijutsu he is developing these days the key was to understand the possible changes that could be done and not to be lost in the way.
Softly he did many “henka” taking uke’s balance only by holding a finger and controlling him seamlessly. As my friend Sven would say the technique “is not about power it is about control”. Sensei added ”this is moving like a butterfly”, it was soft and light at the same time but very powerful. To keep the control with these soft movements was the spirit of woman self defense which we will study during the taikai.
乗り換え norikae or 乗り換える, norikaeru is a verb used when transferring trains or changing buses. If you take the wrong track you never reach your final destination. Norikae is the keypoint to develop proper control of the opponent. Once again there is no strength at all (he repeated many times again 力じゃない, chikara janai, don’t use strength). Having no preconceived plan of action you move like a butterfly from one control to the other, never stopping until uke is defeated. But if you make one mistake, i.e. miss a connection, you end up dead. To reach this ability one must have developed a powerful taijutsu and, he added, this is the most difficult expression of taijutsu, .
Let me illustrate this 乗り換え ”transfer, change” concept with an example. Mistakes are always possible and the results can be dramatic. If during your meal you use tabasco instead of ketchup you might get quite surprised after the first bite. On a side note and speaking of tabasco, sensei said that you could put some chili on your nose to peek into the eye of the opponent. This way of thinking is also ninjutsu.
Full awareness leads to instantaneous changes and adaptation to uke’s reactions. Then strength is not necessary. Whatever move you are doing it can be wrong but if you don’t dwell on your mistakes, learn from them, and regain advantage over uke, it is good. In any situation you have to decide fast and often there is no time to think. You have to become so good that you surf on the best possible wave of action.
Ninpô taijutsu is a tool and your choice of action will determine your fate. But as it is the case with any tool there are always several options. A tool does not have 識 shiki, consciousness; you do. A lighter for example is a simple tool: it can be used for the fireplace, cook your food, or burn your house. Because you have shiki you don’t destroy everything. This is norikaeru.
If we dig deeper, 乗り換える norikaeru has also the meaning of “changing one’s mind”. You must be capable of changing your course of action at any moment. The quality of your listening to uke’s reactions makes the correct norikae.
This is why Hatsumi sensei’s techniques are so difficult to get. But the difficulty does not lie in the movements per se. It is based upon the awareness to adjust, in a blink, to uke’s reactions without thinking or using any strength. What sensei has been teaching today is indeed for me a new paradigm. I understand now why he was saying last year that this “goshin jutsu” was the hardest way to learn how to fight.
This is linked with 縁の切身ない, en no kirinai (don’t sever the connection) that we studied a few years ago*. By keeping the control and the contact with uke we are able to move freely and to defeat him. By understanding what sensei was teaching today we become able to 乗り代える, nori kaeru, “ride on the change”; and to 忍びの理科得る, shinobi no rika eru: “obtain the science of ninjutsu”.
*search for it on this blog, several entries

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Kachikan Leads to Jiyû

From Shiro Kuma's Weblog by kumablog

 MenkyoBufuIkkan

The majority of Bujinkan  practitioners will never fight for their lives. And this is good!

So even if our martial art system has proved its valor in numerous encounters, its power resides in the values that sensei is teaching.

Only a master can do that and in our case this our Sensei Masaaki Hatsumi. But his teachings can bear fruits and benefits to the receivers (us) only if we recognize him as a Master. This is only through this special relation linking the master and the disciple that this transmission can be done properly.

Today the Bujinkan has spread all over the world and each country is filled with qualified teachers. But these technicians when they are able to do the techniques correctly are not always getting the intention hidden in the movements. We said in an earlier blog entry that waza is only the omote. The ura is formless and it develops itself into our heart through the values expressed by Sensei during class. This is why it is important to travel regularly to Japan as this is the only way to understand his way and to consider him as your true master. This is the Shin Gi Tai. The Gi (waza) and the Tai (body) are nothing if one doesn’t get the Shin (spirit).

Without accepting the master and his values, one stays trapped in his ego.

I am who I am because back in 1987, I decided to obey to one man, Hatsumi Sensei. I accepted to see the world through His filters and to abandon my freedom of decision in order to get more freedom. It might sound paradoxical but if you are looking for freedom the best way is then to let it go voluntarily. Less freedom momentarily leads to more freedom permanently.

The waza becomes the means to free yourself from your own certitudes. I compare that with Zen. In order not to think you monopolize your thinking on the mechanical posture. This is the same in Budô, we focus on the movements to learn not to think. By doing so, the rest of your brain is at peace. Even in meditation the kamae is the key to our understanding.

価値観 Kachikan (values) is developed by our ability to get rid of your 自由 Jiyû (freedom). Train with no intention (no reward), obey without thinking, learn the forms to forget them, and you will become free.

Sensei often speaks of 住 jû (living) in his classes. Please be alive through jû in order to become 自由人 Jiyûjin, a free spirit.

If you miss this fantastic opportunity Sensei is giving us, you will end up 自由刑 jiyûkei and be “depraved of your freedom”.


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