togakure-ryu - NinZine 3.0

Keiko#20 TOGAKURE-RYU SANTO TONKO NO KATA with HOLGER KUNZMANN

budoshopMay 13, 2013

: 152 minutes, 1.29 Gb for $19.99
(H.264, 480p)
Available as download or DVD

This years theme was Togakure-ryu Ninjutsu/Ninpo-taijutsu and Santo Tonko no Kata

Shortly after returning from training in Japan with Soke and the Shihan, Holger held this seminar in Kaigozan Dojo, Stockholm, Sweden. This movie contains all 9 basic taijutsu techniques from Togakure-ryu Santo Tonko no Kata. They are taught and explained thoroughly as the basic foundation, and with many applications and henka. These nine techniques can be split in to three sections…

- Three unarmed techniques against an unarmed opponent
- Three unarmed techniques against a sword attack
- Three hidden weapons against multiple opponents

The last 30 minutes on this movie Holger went through some sword basics. Basic way of cutting, drawing the sword and more. All these techniques are explained and taught in detail.

Note: The instructions was in English.

Recorded: in Stockholm February 2008

About the Instructor

Holger Kunzmann’s main interest in Bujinkan is the basics. And he has become quite famous for his excellent taijutsu and very good knowledge and skill of the basics in Bujinkan. If you want to sponsor a seminar or course, please don’t hesitate to contact him. For more information see his web site Holger’s web site… http://www.bkd-reutlingen.de

About the download

Click here for more information about our download files and how it works!…

Kukishinden Ryū Happō Biken – article translation

bujinshugyoMarch 21, 2013

From Wanderings in Budo by bujinshugyo

九鬼神伝流八法秘剣

後醍醐天皇の守護についていた薬師丸蔵人隆真を始祖とする。後に功により九鬼姓を賜わった。棒、槍、薙刀、手裏剣、体術などの8法に剣術が加わる。剣が特に素晴らしい。当時は戦争の時代だったから殺人剣が多かったが、後に平和な時代になるとそれが活人剣になる。九鬼水軍が船の上で用いたため、腰を低く落として安定した構えが基本になった。

Kukishinden ryū happō biken

The founder Yakushimaru Kurando Takanao was a military governor (shugo) under Emperor Go-Daigo. The Kuki family name was an honour granted later. Kenjutsu is added to the eight methods that include bō, yari, naginata, shuriken and taijutsu. The sword (technique) is especially wonderful. At this time it was an era of war and many people were killed with the sword. Later in the period of peace it became the life saving sword. The Kuki naval forces worked on board ship so the fundamental became dropping the hips for a low stable stance.

九鬼神伝流八法秘剣 Kukishinden ryū happō biken – nine demons divine transmission style, eight methods, secret sword.

The 鬼 ki of kuki is generally translated as demon, however could also mean spirit or ogre (read Oni), more importantly this does not have the evil connotation that the word demon in English (or Judeo-Christian languages) does.
Shinden can variously be translated as ‘teachings of the gods’ ‘teaching conveyed from the gods’ ‘transmitted to the soul’.
Happō can be eight methods, laws or principles, bearing in mind that eight can imply ‘numerous’.

薬師丸蔵人隆真 Yakushimaru Kurando Takanao

薬師丸 Yakushimaru – medicine man, chemical expert
蔵人 Kurando – keeper of imperial archives or a sake brewer
隆真 Takanao – noble truth – the same kanji can also be read as Takamasa, Takanori, Ryūma, Ryūshin and various others – as there is no furigana in the article to indicate the pronunciation I’ve left it as Takanao.

守護 Shugo – military governor in the Kamakura and Muromachi period

後醍醐天皇 Go-Daigo Tennō – the later or second to bear the name Daigo, equivalent of saying Emperor Daigo II. Tennō – heavenly emperor/Emperor of Japan. Lived 1288 – 1339 and reigned from 1318 – 1339.
Go-Daigo in 1336/7 (transition from Kamakura to Muromachi period) set up the southern court and so began the period of two courts Nanboku-chō (Southern and Northern)

1185 – 1333 鎌倉時代 Kamakura jidai
1333 – 1336 建武の新政 Kemmu no Shinsei
1336 – 1573 室町時代 Muromachi jidai
1336 – 1392 南北朝時代 Nanboku-chō jidai (a subdivision of the Muromachi)

The lineage chart shows Kukishinden ryū, originating with Yakushimaru Kurando, passing through Ōoka Kihei Shigenobu to Ishitani Matsutarō Takakage who then passes it on to Takamatsu Toshitsugu to arrive at Hatsumi Masaaki. Note here that in the Japanese article 大岡鬼平重信 Ōoka Kihei Shigenobu is written – usually this person is 大国 Ōkuni Kihei Shigenobu – this may be typo from when the chart was edited for the magazine…

Historiska personer: Ikai mfl

IwatoSeptember 3, 2012

From Sida 24 – Iwato 1810 by Iwato

Förhistorian till våra ninjutsu metoder är fyllda med förvirrande namnbyten på de mest centrala personerna som förekommer i berättelserna. Läs nedan.

I förhistorian till Gyokko ryu och Togakure ryu omnämns en person vid namnet Ikai som en ursprungskälla till dessa skolor. Namnet Ikai [異匀], med det alternativa uttalet “Ibou”, kan tolkas som ”en karismatisk person” (I) från ”utlandet” (kai). Tecknet [異] symboliserar ”en person med demonhuvud”. Det kinesiska uttalet av dessa tecken är ”Yi Hui” eller Yi Gai”, men med samma betydelse. En hypotetisk slutsats man kan dra är att Ikai var en främling även i Kina, ursprungligen av ett folkslag från östra Kina.

I Hatsumi senseis bok Sengoku Ninpo Zukan (s.81) från 1978 skrivs det om Ikai enligt följande:
Under Huang You’s första år (1049 evt) gick Ikai från Sijiang i landsflykt till det avlägset belägna japan, efter att förlorat kriget mot Ren Zong’s armé, på Qidan’s och Xia’s sida. Han kom till Ise och bosatte sig i en grotta på Iga.

Sijiang är sannolikt samma region som Shandoung i dagens Kina. Muntlig tradition säger att han var en general, som var mycket skicklig i hicho ongyo no jutsu. Det sades att kineser, som Ikai (Yi Gai), You Gyokko (Yao Yu Hu) och Cho Busho (Zhang Wu Sheng) spred kunskapen om hichojutsu, karate koppo jutsu, senban nage jutsu och liknande till Japan.

Ur detta föddes Gyokko ryu kosshijutsu, Koto ryu koppojutsu, Gyokushin ryu koppo och Gikan ryu koppojutsu mfl. Om man betänker att Koga ryu ninjutsus 53 hus, och Iga ryu ninjutsus 30 hus alla utvecklade happo bikenjutsu baserad på Gyokko ryu’s läror, så kan det sistnämnda anses vara den äldsta källan till japansk stridskonst.

I en text av Takamatsu står det att Ikai hade två elever under Johou perioden (1074-1077), nämligen Gamon Doshi och Hogenbo Tesshin. Ninjutsu grundlades därmed under perioden mellan 1049 och 1077.

En alternativ bakgrund för Ikai är att han egentligen var samma person som Hogenbo Tesshin. Orsaken finns i boken Essence of Ninjutsu, på sidorna 121-122. Där berättar Takamatsu en historia om en gammal man som pratar med två elever. Den gamle mannen berättar om kriget när han slogs på Ka’s och Kittans sida mot kung Jinsou.
Jinsou är det japanska uttalet av det kineiska tecknet för Renzong.
Renzong var kejsare Song Renzong av Song dynastin, regerade mellan 1023-1063. Hans riktiga namn var Zhan Zhen och var en kejsare i den norra Song dynastin.

Berättelsen om den gamle mannen stämmer överens med berättelsen om Ikai i Sengoku Ninpo Zukan. I Essence of ninjutsu, på sidan 122, omnämns att den gamle mannen är Hogenbo och eleverna benämns som Ryutaro och Dosan.
Enligt boken blev Ryutaro senare den store ninjamästaren ”Yaryu Doshi” och Dosan fortlevde vidare under namnet Tendo Sakagami.
Tendo Sakagami kan vara samma person som Sakabe Tendo (nämnd i förhistorian till Togakure ryu och Shinden Fudo ryu Dakentaijutsu). Vem Yaryu Doshi är vet vi inte, men om det är ett tryckfel så kan det ju handla om Garyu Doshi.

…förvirrande?…

Shinden Fudō Ryū Dakentaijutsu – article translation

bujinshugyoAugust 30, 2012

From Wanderings in Budo by bujinshugyo

神伝不動流打拳体術
出雲冠者義照の伝えた骨指術の流れを汲み、源八郎為義が12世紀の中頃に創始。構え自然体ひとつしかないのか特長。ただし、実際わ心の中で映像を作って構えている。

Shinden Fudō ryū dakentaijutsu
Legend has it that Izumo Kanja Yoshiteru was the first to understand the flow of koppojutsu, Minamoto Hachirō Tameyoshi was the founder in the 12th century. The principal feature is the natural body posture. However, in actual fact I have an image (of a posture) pictured in my mind.

神伝不動流打拳体術 Shinden Fudō ryū dakentaijutsu – Divine transmission of immovability style striking body-technique or art. Often referred to simply as Fudō ryū by teachers in Japan.

出雲冠者義照 Izumo Kanja Yoshiteru – Izumo (province), young man (coming of age), shining justice – A young man from Izumo.

In mythology the entrance to Yomi黄泉, the land of the dead, is to be found in Izumo province. An interesting link to the ‘natural hell methods’ of the Shizen Shigoku no Kata in Shinden Fudō ryū…

源八郎為義 Minamoto Hachirō Tameyoshi – Minamoto (clan), eighth son, source of justice. An eighth son of someone in the Minamoto clan, of which there were many…

In the 12th Century 3 major families/clans vying for supremacy were the Fujiwara 藤原, Minamoto (aka Genji 源氏 Gen clan) and Taira (aka Heike 平家 Hei family).

The genealogy for Shinden Fudō ryū is fairly straightforward – from Ikai to Izumo Kanja Yoshiteru, Minamoto Hachirō Tameyoshi founded the style that was passed down to Toda Shinryūken Masamitsu to be passed on to Takamatsu Toshitsugu and then Hatsumi Masaaki.

There is a historical Minamoto Tameyoshi 源為義 – also known as Mutsu Shirō 陸奥四郎 sixth (rank) of the interior, fourth-son, with the position of Rokujō (Hangan) 六条判官 sixth-rank judge (under the Ritsuryō system mentioned in a previous post).

Minamoto Tameyoshi became the head of the Minamoto clan and supported Fujiwara Yorinaga in trying to place Sutoku on the throne in 1156, opposing Go-Shirakawa who was supported by Fujiwara Tadamichi, Taira Kiyomori, Minamoto Yoshitomo (the son of Minamoto Tameyoshi) – a mix of both Minamoto and Taira. This became known as the Hōgen war or rebellion (保元の乱 Hōgen no ran). Go-Shirakawa’s faction was the victor, with Minamoto Tameyoshi becoming a monk and consequently executed by his son. This begins the struggle between the Minamoto and Taira (源平 Gempei), with the Taira initially gaining dominance to then be defeated by the Minamoto at the battle of Dan no ura no tataki 壇ノ浦の戦. Minamoto Yoritomo was to became the first Shōgun of Japan.

(This is just here for interest – in no way to indicate that this person is the same as the founder of Shinden Fudō ryū!)

Gikan Ryū Koppōjutsu – article translation

bujinshugyoAugust 15, 2012

From Wanderings in Budo by bujinshugyo

義鑑流骨法術
骨指術の流れを汲んで、16世紀に河内の爪生判官義鑑房が創始した。
この骨法術から続く流れには、もうひとつ鈴木大膳太郎近政の本体玉心流という骨法があり、それが出雲の深尾角馬重義に伝わって出雲骨法となったが、初見氏にはその流れが伝わっていない。

Gikan ryū koppōjutsu

Drawing from the transmission of kosshijustsu, founded in the 16th century in Kawachi by Uryū Hangan Gikanbō.
From this koppōjutsu transmission there is another koppō school called Hontai Gyokushin ryū by Suzuki Daizentaro Chikamasa, passed on to Fukao Kakuma Shigeyoshi as Izumo koppō, this school was not transmitted to Hatsumi sensei (aka this is not the one that was passed to Hatsumi)

爪生判官義鑑房 Uryū Hangan Gikanbō

判官 Hangan, Zō – judge or magistrate, this term originates from the Ritsuryo 律令 system introduced to Japan from China in the 7^th Century – originally it indicated an administrator of the 3^rd or 4^th rank (out of 4).

義鑑 Gikan
Paragon of Justice

Most commonly Gikan ryū is referred to as the ‘Truth, Loyalry and Justice School’, this name being repeated throughout any site in English in relation to the Bujinkan (schools).

It may seem strange to many to point out this out, however Truth, Loyalty and Justice are differing meanings of the first character ‘Gi’ 義 – so really the ‘Truth, Loyalty and Justice School’ should be Gi ryū.

The more significant, and completely ignored, is the second character ‘kan’ 鑑, used to indicate several ideas from ‘to learn or take warning from’ or ‘a specimen or model’.

Gikan can be understood as the Example of Righteousness, Model of Honour, Paragon of Justice, Exemplar of Truth, To Take Heed of Morality.

Gikan ryū, to narrow it down in English parlance, can be the Paragon of Virtue or Paragon of Justice Style.

Gikan ryū is one of the 4 styles attributed to Gyokkan, who learnt the Gyokko ryū of Hachidō Nyūdō through Tozawa Hyakuunsai Kaneuji. Gikan ryū is passed though Ishitani Matsutarō Takakage and then on to Takamatsu Toshitsugu to arrive at Hatsumi Masaaki.