Japanton – Chronicles of Anton in Japan!

Some rumors have been going around about who is the most awesome Bujinkan instructor in Alberta.  Well I am here to tell you it’s Jim.  Now if you don’t know Jim, you better ask somebody cause you’ve got problems if you don’t.  Jim teaches, goes to Japan and is a cool guy.  Now I am talking Brock Samson cool.  The type of cool that you just have to take time to recognize on your training blog.

I summary, Jim is the most awesome.  Sorry Brian, Russ, Nick, John, Pierre and Natasha.  Maybe next time.

That’s right, Doug Wilson Bujinkan Shihan, or as I like to call him “Keeping It Real Doug” wrote a ‘What is Kihon’ post. That was posted over a week after my post on the subject. So now I am officially calling him out. I know you are a big TV star now but I will be keeping my eye out for you. If you are in North America or even if I have to wait for my next Japan trip I’ll give you what’s for. Keeping it Real Doug your blog will be closely monitored to insure that there is no repeat of such offenses.

Oh and for all my readers, be sure to visit Doug’s Blog for his post on Kihon, Doug has a unique insight into training in Japan.

So I promised my good friends in Edmonton some candy. A picture is included. I would like to tell them that I have found said candy. i am just trying to figure out how much to bring back to Edmonton. So you guys can relax mission accomplished.

Managed to make it to my hotel in one piece. A bit tired but can’t worry about that right now. On the agenda is Rob Renner training today in the afternoon, followed by Hastsumi sensei’s training tonight. I will keep you up to date on any words of advice from Sensei.

It is getting close to that time, gearing up for yet another Japan trip. This time I will spend 3 weeks in Japan, thought things will be a bit different.

I am working while I am there. Not a job teaching English, just working for my employer in Edmonton remotely from Japan. If this works out well, I expect this will be the first of many trips to Japan taken while working. this will allow me to spend shorter periods of time in Japan more frequently.

Anyhow, everyone going on this trip, get your passports ready and convert some yen because the time for Japan draws near.

I have finally got the domain http://edmonton-bujinkan.com up and running. The only other thing that I must do is have a spot for the West End Club. The reason for the change is site optimization and ease of remembering.

More club news, I am looking at getting the Grant MacEwan campus downtown as a new location for training. With a location in the college it would make future seminars simpler and will re-institute the monthly fees for those who have been asking about it.

Japan trip round 6 is quickly approaching. For those who are going, remember you will be finger printed. Also I still have Japanese study material for anyone who asks. Everyone who is going to Japan on this trip have already been there and understand the language gap difficulty.

Well that’s all for now.

I have been debating writing this post for ages. Every time I came to write a new post it appeared in my draft list and I did not have the heart to erase it. Probably because I do think that this is important.

In the Bujinkan rank means nothing. There are those who have skill and no rank and there are those who self admittedly lack skill yet are of high rank. This is OK, because ranks in the Bujinkan is not given out for skill. (This is true primarily for rank over 5th dan but if you travel to Japan the same applies for lower ranks as well.)

A problem arises though when people start refusing rank. The question becomes why refuse rank? Is it because you do not believe you are at that level? If so then train harder and get there. Is it because you don’t want to be the center of attention? For the sake of those who taught you, man up and take responsibility. Is it because you feel that rank is given out too easily? Then go ahead and show people an effective way to teach the art.

We have all seen people chase rank and obsess over it. Don’t obsess over it the other way. What’s the point? Do you want to hold some type of pride over the fact that I am a 5th dan and my taijutsu is as good as a Shihan. Good, so if he got in a fight his high rank won’t save him. Neither will your rank. If you have something good to share, share it. You know like how Hatsumi sensei shares information with us. While you are below 5th dan you can find a good Shihan who has the type of standards that you want to follow. After 5th dan, pass on your knowledge the best way you can. If that means that you smile and accept another certificate (if you can afford the extra cash) go ahead. You don’t have to put your rank on your website and business cards, just understand that when it comes to sharing info, people don’t look around the room for the great san dan they look for the judan, regardless of skill.

I spent family day long weekend in Calgary, hanging out with the club there. It was a lot of fun, everyone is improving very quickly and are trying to give the training a feeling of reality. Working with them makes me realize the journey that we have taken together. It also make me realize that I will have to train even harder to keep up with their skill level.

This trip also reminded me of the importance of sanshin and the kihon happo. For the majority of techniques it is good enough to understand them on one side, because if you can do one side then you understand the concept for both sides. Also I have had various shihan tell me that it is better to learn one side so that you can practice it rather than half know both sides and have nothing worthwhile to practice at home. The exception to this I believe is sanshin and the kihon happo. It is important to have these fundamental movements integrated in your body. Since all the other techniques are based on these ones then you need to thoroughly understand the movement on both sides of your body. Once your body understands the kihon with control and without hesitation on both sides, the techniques become both attainable and unnecessary.

Oh, and before anyone gets mad at me make no mistake, I am not there yet.

First if you guys could let me know what a good date for a Doug Wilson seminar would be. So far as far as seminars go there is Rob Renner in Calgary (April), Lubos P. in Edmonton (September) and Doug Wilson in Edmonton (?).

Also an update on Tickets to Japan, so far the best price that I have found is $985. I hope to do better so I will keep everyone informed.

Lastly I have the new domain www.edmonton-bujinkan.com to which I will move the club site. I am still trying to sort out the hosting details but I will let you know when the transfer happens. I would like to attract a few more people to the club. I don’t see any harm in having a large club filled with like minded people who are interested in Martial arts as opposed to sports.

There has been a lot of talk about the human weapon episode with ninjutsu. Mainly why did Doug Wilson grapple with a grappler? Well I will point out 2 things.

1. Doug was having fun

2. Did you see the shuriken on the ground after the altercation?

Doug was fooling around because if I know him he wanted to test himself. For example if the Judoka that was on the Human weapon really wanted to test himself and see how good a jujitsu player is, after he was up he could have taken the fight to the ground and see how he did. Doug did that, he won but he still closed the distance and the Human Weapon host got a win. No big deal it was a learning experience right?

Second, while Doug was grappling I think he pulled out two leather shuriken (throwing starts). They were on the ground after the exchange was over. I think they were pulled on purpose not because he dropped them. With the camera angle I can’t see it for sure but I am fairly sure that’s what happened. That was my opinion of the show, since I was asked.