Japanton – Chronicles of Anton in Japan!

You can once again purchase Tetsuzan Bujinkan Densho.  This book is a print of newsletters which have articles from Hatsumi Sensei and the senior Shihan.  The articles which tell you about training methods and the dangers of incorporating incorrect movement into your kihon.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is curious about the senior instructors thoughts on training.

Your life is on the line, practise well.

There is a drill that I have developed that I have yet to name.  Those of you in class last night might be able to help me with that.  The purpose of the drill is creating a more honest way to practice the kihon happo.  One of the problems that we have while training the kihon happo is that the technique for the purpose of learning is static.  This is good for learning the mechanics of the technique.  We must however move on, so creating a randori atmosphere with the purpose of practising specific techniques is the end result.

Many people are still having quite a bit of difficulty making the randori natural.  This is not a problem it will get better with practice.  Please make sure that you train this drill often, it will help you get a feel for where and when kihon happo fit into the space.

Your life is on the line, practise well.

Teaching has always been a challenge for me.  I want to help students avoid the pitfalls in which I have fallen.  There are certain mistakes that I have made and discovered either through being directly corrected or finding out through training.  As a result I have always tried to warn students of mistakes that I have made in the past so that they do not such a painful time getting past these road blocks.

I am sorry for doing that.  There are times to help through explanation I know, but getting through these hard times will make you a better martial artist I am convinced.  If I provide the answers in words and the reasons in words instead of letting students move through the process of fighting to find their own mistakes then how can they in turn help me see what is going on?

There is a level of basics that I need to demonstrate and teach, but there is a part of the process where you must discover why things are done so that you can train your eyes to see what is actually happening and your body to self correct.  There will not always be someone there to hold your hand when you are learning.  Your Budo is something that you must take responsibility for.  You decide how far you want your Budo to go.

Your life is on the line, practise well.

I have a theory about asking people what a technique felt like.  I don’t think that is a class teaching tool, I think it’s a self realization tool.

Hatsumi Sensei often says that it is important to have the control it takes to move your ears.  As it stands moving your ears is a skill that you have to learn.  You can’t be taught, you can’t be helped you just have to try it until you can do it.  Budo seems to be the same way.

Hatsumi Sensei experienced Budo through his teacher Takamatsu.  At the time he was learning there is no way he could hope to replicate the feeling that his teacher had.  At least not until he had some more experience.

So now the problem.  You have experienced the techniques and know what they feel like so how do you know if you do them correctly?  My suspicion is when your students have the same reaction that you did.

I believe that at first perhaps, the question of how did that feel was just to make sure that Hatsumi Sensei was on the right track with his techniques.  So over the next few months/years when I am training with you one on one and ask what did that feel like I’m not trying to be pretentious I am trying to study.

Your life is on the line, practise well.

Please if you are coming to Japan practice your ukemi before you get here.  I was having a conversation with a Japanese Shihan who said that we could not practice of the techniques that I wanted to practice because no one in the room (present company excluded) had ukemi on a level that was able to handle the techniques.

What is the point of coming to Japan to learn if you can’t learn the techniques because there is no safe way to practise it?  For the majority of us ukemi is what we will need the most in our daily life, how can you ignore this essential part of training?

I know I am just a little miffed because I didn’t get the training that I was looking for, but this is  a problem.  If you don’t have ukemi understand you will be holding training back.

Your life is on the line, practise well.

The work Kuzushi is often translated as take the balance. If you look at the kanji (which I have so helpfully included) it is a verb which means to collapse or to destroy.

If you take someones balance they will take a step and escape. ?If you however focus on destroying their kamae then you have effectively taken away power and ability to counter your intentions. ?I am sure I will have to visit more on the specifics of this as I figure them out further. ?So until then.

Your life is on the line, practise well.

Until this point I have never been in Japan to see the cherry blossoms.  I have now.  They are something to behold.  As I wonder around Japan feeling a sense of familiarity that I do not feel anywhere in the world outside of Edmonton, it occurs to me how much time I spend here.  The theme this year is difficult and the days are long.  I hope to attend 100 training sessions while I am here this time.  I am thankful for the friends with whom I am going to be able to train while I am here.  Also to the Bujinkan Czech Dojo, and their leader Czech Norris making nightly drinking acceptable I thank you.

I will begin posting information on training with Tsurugi, and Muto Dori Gata (note the Oxford comma please) as well as what I have been shown of Takagi Yoshin Ryu Jutaijutsu soon (I hope).

Your life is on the line, practise well.

It seems that over the past week and a half I have come up with a bit different view on the concept of Kaname based on what I have been hearing sensei say. The deep philosophy of this concept I will leave to those whom are far more familiar with Hatsumi Sensei’s language and background. I can only provide my ideas based on what I have heard, seen and felt.

Hatsumi Sensei has been talking and demonstrating kaname not as just a philosophy or an abstract idea of what the essence of the technique is but rather specific point in space in a specific moment in a technique. This point can change from moment to moment but it had a physical position in space.

Hatsumi Sensei had spoken about kaname being like the ougi (pin) in a Japanese fan, something that everything can rotate around. I am still trying to, wait for it… wrap my head around the idea. I will let you all now if I come up with anything more on the subject.

Your life is on the line, practise well.

The topic of what is practical fighting technique vs what is movement exercises has come up on more than one occasion.  I often get a bit miffed if during training people attack me putting themselves in a position that makes the technique far too easy to preform.  At a Shawn Gray seminar in South Dakota we discussed certain training habits in length.  I will do my best to summarize the learnings from this conversation.

I am very much of the opinion that when we (North Americans) started training in the arts of the Bujinkan, we did what we expected to see.  What I mean is many visitors had a few weeks maybe twice or three times a year to train with Hatsumi Sensei and the shihan.  They brought back what they could (and I thank them for that), and trained what they remembered diligently until the next visitor could make the trip.  The problem is that to fill in the gaps many relied on previous experience in other martial arts.

I do not by any means begrudge them for this, we are learning a martial art to defend ourselves, as a result it is good to have a more complete set of skills until you can fill in the gaps with Japan knowledge.  There is however a pitfall that I have fallen into for far to many years.  It’s only over the last few years that I have been climbing my way out of this trap.  The real danger is creating our own system based on what we want to see.

As someone who has trained in several martial arts, for years my previous martial arts experience prevented me from looking past certain habits to see what was being done in Japan.  Also there are many things that I did based on training done in the past (Bujinkan and otherwise) that I saw completely contradicted on my Japan trips and instead of accepting that this is the way that things are supposed to be done, I passed it off as that’s what I will do when I reach a higher level of proficiency.  What was the point of going to Japan if I didn’t go to learn?

I have to apologize to all of the teachers that I trained with in Japan who tried to teach me what I was doing wrong only for me to ignore the lessons because of my foolish notions of what I wanted to do.  There is no end to the amount of material available to us now, take a look at what Hatsumi Sensei and the shihan have been doing for years and see if it has really changed all that much.

There are certain things done for the sake of body conditioning.  Moving in what I would call “odd” kamae that doesn’t seem like it would have much of a combat application.  I was given an exercise by Seno Sensei in October of 2008, just a simple punching drill which made my body ache when I did it.  He told me afterwards that if I practiced it for a year that I would develop a body able to properly do the techniques of the Bujinkan.  Do not confuse junan taiso with waza, there are some exercises we do just to free up our bodies for future movement and technique.  If I could pass on a bit of advice for beginners it would be this.

• When you first start training work on taihen jutsu (ukemi and happo sabaki)
• Continue on the San shin no kata to co-ordinate your body
• Begin the Kihon Happo to learn to defend yourself (use omote tsuki no oni kudaki)

If you work through this method your Budo will be on the right path.  I also encourage you that if a teacher in Japan takes interest in showing you their version of a basic technique, work on it find out how to do it their way not yours. You have chose to take the time and money to go learn in Japan, take that final step and take the effort to learn their art while you are there.

Your Life is on the line, practise well.

At the start of the year the theme seemed to be kihon happo.  Now it seems to have changed to the sunshin of Koppo Jutsu.  In all the classes there seems to be that emphasis of going to the eyes, ribs and fingers in techniques.  It is apparently women’s self defence and good for when you are older.  I think I will give it another 30 to 40 years before I make this my mainstay of taijutsu but it is good to know.  Also it is good to be able to teach.  The concepts of not using power and working on your opponents weak spots and angles has been a standard for as long as I have been training.  Mind you that has not be that long in comparison to some.  It is a humbling experience meeting up with people like Sveneric and Mariette in Japan whom have been around since the early days.

You know the days when foreigners could not find a place to stay in Noda because they were not welcome.  The days when all of the train information was in Japanese and good luck trying to ask for help.

We owe a lot to those whom have paved the way for us in the past.  Remember to thank them when you see them.  While your at it take time to thank the translators as well.  They don’t have to translate, it frankly makes their training harder.  Wait I need an entire post for this one.

Your life is on the line, practise well.