Bujinkan Santa Monica

Born to Fly: Japan Report One 令和7年

2026-05-16T16:00:18.024-07:00

I titled this post Born to Fly because I sometimes feel like I am compelled to fly to Japan. It feels like a second home. But I also benefit from all of the wonderful Bujinkan training, friends and teachers there.

This latest Japan Report video is accompanied by「Born to fly」from アキSONGBIRD. When I arrived in Noda-shi for a class with Furuta Sensei, I noticed some changes. I walked to my quick bird watching spot in さざんか公園. And I saw the pedestrian bridge over 県道3号 was closed for repair or demolition. Also the パチンコマルキン (pachinko Marukin) is no more.

Class with Furuta Sensei

Furuta Sensei began with a type of 打払型 uchi harai gata. He struck the opponent in 朝霞 asagasumi. But there was a hidden, hooking finger strike down into the throat.

During this exchange he focused on changing levels. He used cross steps to enter and occupy space. And the “body lean” to occupy the gaps in the opponent’s kamae.

He had the attacker deliver a second punch. And Furuta Sensei used a cross step to hook and stretch the opponent out. It resulted in a 逆武者捕 gyaku musha dori and a locked shoulder. He told us not to take the arm, but take the space.

He opened more space by sweeping aside the second punch. He leaned out of range to sweep it aside, then leaned back into the gap that created. It was like he was hiding in the gaps in the opponent’s attack.

Furuta Sensei called these leans “taihenjutsu”. This means the art of changing the body. These body transformations allow for escapes and counters.

It also creates opportunity for 虚実 kyojitsu. He exposed his own 脇 waki to draw an attack. Then dropped his elbow to parry.

Furuta Sensei then changed to 半棒術 hanbōjutsu 基本 kihon. First with a kind of 四方捌き shihō sabaki. He told us to move our body while the stick stays put. He used the word 吊るす tsurusu, to describe the way the stick remains suspended in space.

Then you might release one end of the hanbō for a long range strike. He explored this against a sword. He used 3-4 strikes with 八文字振り hachimonji furi.

Next, he shared some similar ideas with the 六尺棒 rokushakubō. He had a fascinating way of palming the end of the bō to remain neutral and uncommitted. With this technique any strike became possible in the moment. I guess the stick was “Born to Fly” because he demoed 棒投 bō nage.

Another neutral position came when he put the bō in a floating 起て “tate” position. This preceded a downward strike like 面打 men uchi. But because of its zero quality, the bō could fall on any axis. This would be for deception or necessity if there were multiple opponents.

My latest Japan training trip was off to a great start. I always arrive with plans of things to do or see. And I even prepare questions I hope to ask the teachers. But my favorite experiences are the unplanned. And there were many which I will share in the next posts.

Ittō-ryū Extra: Japan Report Twelve 令和6年

2026-03-08T09:37:00.000-07:00

The days and nights have become cold and crisp out in Noda. The founder of Ittō-ryū was in my thoughts during my brisk walk to the Bujinkan Honbu dojo for a class with Sakasai-san. For now, I pulled my thin jacket tight around my shoulders.

There were only three of us in the dojo. Ueki-san, myself, and Rich from Florida. Sakasai said it would be his last class for the year and he would resume on the 19th of January. Despite this, tonight he covered a lot of ideas with us.

He began with 一文字 ichimonji, 十文字 jūmonji, and 飛鳥 hichō. But he combined them all into one response to the opponent’s attack. Then he did something similar using 五行の型 gogyō no kata. The attack was two punches, and then he adapted chi, sui, ka, fu, and ku to break the opponent down little by little.

Next he used 生音 Seion to explore some very subtle angle shifts. No striking, and he did it without the 外掛け soto gake. He wanted us to throw through positioning alone. I found it very difficult because people don’t just fall over for no reason.

Next he went into a form from 義鑑流 Gikan Ryū that he called 差し手 sashite. He told us the secret was まあわい māwai. So we ended up in the same positioning as the previous throw from Seion. And then through subtle adjustments to the interval of our kamae, we could topple the opponent.

This next part left me scratching my head. He extended his 間 interval to the very edge of the attack, and then used one finger to to manipulate the punch. This was supposed to unbalance the opponent. Sakasai-san was successful against his uke, but the rest of us couldn’t reproduce the magic.

This was not a practical technique for a real fight. He even admitted that it was more of a training experiment. The point was positioning and how to affect balance. He said if you can do the light version, you can always add force.

Looking for the founder of 一刀流 Ittō-ryū

The next morning I went on a pilgrimage to the grave of 伊東一刀斎 Itō Ittōsai. I had no idea where it was, just the general neighborhood. So, as usual, I played the dumb tourist and asked random monks at the shrine. I was at the wrong shrine, so the monk there walked me down the block to 天妙国寺Tenmyōkoku-ji next door.

The lady who worked in the shop there knew exactly what I was searching for. She walked me through the maze of the cemetery right to the grave marker. I imagine other budōka have needed this same guidance in the past.

Itō Ittōsai was the founder of 一刀流 Ittō-ryū. His style became the foundation for a lot of modern kenjutsu. The Ittō-ryū philosophy was one sword, one cut. It is a decisive cut that is both attack and defense. He fought and won at least 33 duels about which he said that his sword seemed to act with its own will.

As Ittōsai developed his thoughts on kenjustu, he described this idea as 夢想剣 musōken. It has a dream quality where the techniques come from the unconscious. They are spontaneous and the cuts happen from instinct or inspiration. Even though this was an Ittō-ryū idea, I feel like knowing the source of inspiration is also a hallmark of our Bujinkan.

Visiting this grave site is one of the ways I learn about history. And I am also paying tribute to the warriors who came before. In the Bujinkan, the connection down through the generations is what keeps our art a living practice. All of the warriors who came before… refining techniques, living and dying on the battlefield… passed on their skill to make the art that we study today.

The cemetery visit made me hungry, so I went to a つけそば処 tsukesoba shop. I ordered the スパイスカレー温つけ蕎麦。 It was spicy and delicious!

The lunch was fuel for another one of my 愚痴壺 Guchi tsubo rants. In one of my classes, we studied a kata that relies on your training partner to be alive. You do a technique that he tries to counter. And then the kata demands that you counter his counter.

This requires him to give a live attack and be active and responsive. Too many students in the Bujinkan don’t train this way. A lot of people when they are in the “uke” role are like zombie attackers. They throw one punch and fall asleep.

Some are completely passive and become like a wet noodle. Others will actively resist and try to defeat your practice out of fear of injury, or even worse, a spiteful ego. They fight you every step of the way, even though it is just resistance for the sake of it.

I often tell my students that 50% of your training is being an uke. What are you supposed to do during this half of your training? Learn how to be an uke, which means learning how to receive and be safe. But you’re also supposed to learn how to attack!

These attacks must be real. They must be effective. You should never sleepwalk through that 50% of your training.

After my rant, I made the wistful journey to Haneda airport. I am happy to return home to my family and my own dojo. But I always feel that I miss Japan before I’ve even left.

I learned a lot during my trip and had many wonderful experiences. I saw many friends from all over the world. I also shot a LOT of video that I will be editing for members of Rojodojo. If you’d like to support my work and my teaching, please join us there.

Good Gasshō: Japan Report Eleven 令和6年

2026-01-12T15:05:00.000-08:00

Before I got to Gasshō, I began my morning commuting to 菊川駅 Kikukawa station. I was on my way to visit 井上刃物 Inoue Hamono. I had some questions to ask and maybe some items to purchase.

At the shop they sell Japanese woodworking tools. Their business has been around since the Meiji era. It is currently run by third and fourth generation family members 井上時夫 Inoue Tokio, and 井上真俊 Inoue Masatoshi.

Some tools they sell include: 鉋 kan’na (planes); 彫刻鑿 chokoku nomi (carving chisels); 玄能 Gen’nō (hammers); 鋸 nokogiri (hand saws); and all variety of 刃物 hamono for specific use cases.

They even had 尺 shaku and 寸 sun measuring squares. They also displayed a collection of cute 源氏鶴亀墨壺 genji tsurukame sumitsubo (turtle and crane ink pots). These are used like the chalk lines that I grew up using in construction to snap lines on lumber.

After running some more errands, I ended up walking to 両国駅 Ryōgoku Station. I caught the train from there all the way to Nodashi. It was time for class with Furuta Sensei.

Gasshō With Furuta Sensei

He started class with 天略宇宙合掌 Ten Ryaku Uchū Gasshō. It is a both kamae and a mudra. He went into the physical nature of the kamae first.

The drill he used came in three variations. First, as the attack comes in, you don’t move. You must have 不動心 fudōshin. Hold your ground and the shape of the kamae acts like a wedge to redirect the strike away from your center.

For the second he said we should “go.” Furuta Sensei likes to practice his English, so he said the first variation was “stay,” and second was “go”. In this case the Gasshō becomes a fist and strikes first.

In the third part of the drill, you open up your Gasshō to receive the attack. This is an example of 引力 inryoku that comes from 天地陰陽之構 Tenchi In’yō no Kamae.

This led into some philosophical discussion about Gasshō. The meaning of the mudra is quite deep. It includes all of the elements, yin and yang, and the whole universe in a praying posture. He even told us how to hold our hands for a kyojitsu that he described as a form of “dark energy”.

During a break, Furuta Sensei brought me over to the picture of Takamatsu Sensei hanging near the genkan. It is the photo where he holds the bō with a fierce expression. Furuta said that Hatsumi Sensei had written 天略宇宙合掌 Ten Ryaku Uchū Gasshō in the margins of the photograph.

He finished class with knife attack and defense. Using the same principles of Gasshō to defend and redirect. Or, you might draw your own blade to shield. Of course Furuta had many knives and threw them around the dojo.

If you were a bystander, watch out! He threw one at me and I managed to draw my own knife to deflect it and that made him happy. This is the joy of training with Furuta Sensei.

Hokusai

After class, I visited the 北斎美術館, Hokusai Museum. This museum opened in 2016 and I had it on my list every time I visited Japan. But I never could go because I didn’t want to miss anything at the dojo.

The museum was built on the site of the 津軽氏 Tsugaru family Daimyō residence from the Edo period. There is a story that Hokusai was commissioned to paint a folding screen with horses by the feudal lord. This prompted Hokusai to return to Sumida and finish out his days in Edo.

Hokusai was known for his woodblock and ukiyo-e prints, but he worked in many different styles and mediums during his life. He started as a young boy and produced tens of thousands of paintings. He had a remarkable ability to capture the essence of his subjects.

He is considered a master in all of the art world. During the period of “Japonsime” he was a great influence on European artists such as Van Gogh and Monet. Some of these artists borrowed or copied the style and technique of his ukiyo-e.

One of his most famous works is 神奈川沖浪裏, the great wave off Kanagawa. The wave is seen cresting in the foreground over Mt Fuji in the back. This image is one of the most famous in all of Japanese art, even into the modern day.

The museum building was designed by Kazuyo Sejima. The shape is five interlocking volumes clad with an aluminum facade. It has a similar presence in the neighborhood as the Disney Concert hall in Los Angeles where I live.

I was surprised by an animatronic depiction of Hokusai in his studio. He is wrapped in a kotatsu and crouched over a painting on the tatami. His daughter assists him with the water and ink. This scene brought nostalgia of my many pleasant afternoons watching Hatsumi Sensei absorbed in his own painting.

I loved the interactive nature of the museum. You can flip through reproductions of his sketchbooks. Not only is the artistic technique incredible, but Hokusai depicted all aspects of Japanese life and culture from that era. It is a historic record of the dress, customs, and even weapons that can inform our study of the Bujinkan Martial arts.

Much Like Hatsumi Sensei, Hokusai always thought his next work would be better. I think every artist feels that. Hokusai wrote a Haiku just before his death,

人魂で
行く気散じや
夏野原
Even as a ghost
I shall lightly tread
the summer fields

Every visit to Japan feels like a gift. I learn so much in training and from the culture. I hope to tread lightly before my spirit reaches the summer fields. Up next, Japan Report Twelve 令和6年.

棒手裏剣 Bō Shuriken Training in Japan Report Ten 令和6年

2025-12-19T16:44:00.000-08:00

A few Shuriken at Nagase Sensei's House

I woke up early because I had to ride four different trains to go to a 棒手裏剣 Bō Shuriken training session with 菅祐寿 Kan Hirotoshi. If you haven’t met him, he is the son of Kan Sensei and has become an expert with shuriken. In fact, they were training for the 棒手裏剣競技世界大会 Bō Shuriken world championships, so I might learn something!

Kan Hirotoshi interview about Bō Shuriken

During the practice session, I interviewed him with some basic questions.
Q: How did you get interested in shuriken?
A: While doing Bujinkan practice, the shuriken is included as part of the training.
Q: Why do you like shuriken so much?
A: It’s the result you get. You know whether it sticks or not, that result comes out, and that teaches you something very good.

Michael with 菅祐寿 Kan Hirotoshi and new Shuriken friends

They were training in the basement of a building that was converted into a dojo. There were just 5 of us there but each person was working on their own throwing style. The type that Hiro was throwing were 火箸型 Hibashi-gata with a square shaft. But he also had some that he designed himself that are hexagonal.

In 2022, I went into some detail about this shuriken design. He told me some secrets about the design, but I promised not to reveal them. I asked him about the design,

Q: What inspired you to make this design?
A: Ah. Well, like I mentioned earlier, I wanted to lighten the back end a bit. But it was hard to shave it down, so I made a little hole… I wanted to make the weight at the back lighter, and also, in terms of balance, I felt that this part would be difficult to use if it was too thin.
Q: Do you still practice Bujinkan?
A: Yes, at the Tezuka-dojo
Q: Do you use shuriken with your taijutsu?
A: Well, you see, all the training is the same. That’s why we use shuriken in our taijutsu and use our taijutsu to throw shuriken.

This last question inspired him to demonstrate. He showed doing a normal sanshin tsuki, but the finish was with a shuriken throw. Then he did the same with Jūmonji. And he finished with all types of ukemi while throwing.

Q: What do you hope people take away from training with bō shuriken?
A: Well, I want people to enjoy it with a lighthearted feeling. Don’t give up right away if it becomes difficult… a little practice will surely bring results, so please keep practicing and enjoy it. And have fun if possible…

Hiro’s throws were light. Even when done from long distance across the dojo, the throws were light and on target. And then it was my turn to throw.

I tried the light feeling, but many of my shuriken hit flat and fell to the floor. Then I went to my normal power throws and they all stuck. One of the other students there also threw this way. They told me he was a student of Nagase Sensei, so that made sense.

My main goal for going was to make a connection with Kan and his training there. Hopefully in the future my students and I can visit. And I think he would like to encourage more Bujinkan students to join in.

We all went to lunch together. And then I had to catch four trains back to 千葉県 Chiba-ken. I didn’t want to be late for my class with Nagase Sensei.

愚痴壺 Guchi tsubo rant

One time I asked one of my students to demonstrate a technique. He read 日撃 nichigeki from the text to demonstrate. He found the text confusing. This is common because the densho does not contain the full technique!

The full technique is densho PLUS kuden, or direct transmission from a teacher. This can only occur if the connection of our lineage is unbroken, from the founders of the art down to Soke Hatsumi, and then to the teachers who train with him. If your teacher does not train with Soke, you will probably be missing something!

I can always tell when I see videos or demonstrations from teachers who have not trained with Soke. Because they do the technique wrong. It is obvious they learned it from a video or from trying to decipher the text.

Bō Shuriken with Nagase Sensei

It had just started raining when I arrived at Nagase Sensei’s house. He had set up shuriken targets in the garage. The sound of the rain on the metal roof muffled the chunk and clanging sounds of the spikes of steel as we threw them.

The garage was small, but he had two shuriken targets set at one end. And he had two shelves full of shuriken. These were all varieties, different schools, types, and lengths. He even had random things like knives, tent spikes, and scissors.

There were about five or six of us there. Each student was working on their own skills. But many were exploring an underhanded 三心 sanshin style throw.

At first, I didn’t do that well. But Nagase Sensei began to give great instruction. It was about walking and throwing. People often start from a static position. But he said that was unrealistic. In actual combat you would already be moving. He said that in a real situation, you wouldn’t start by taking up kamae. It would just come out from the walk.

Watching him do this, and get in a rhythm with the walk, I was able to get in a rhythm myself. And I started to have success. The thunk sound of striking true is satisfying.

He showed us the way to release the shuriken from the palm using the word 滑らす suberasu. He demonstrated quarter spin and half spin. Then he showed overhand and underhand. He also did side release and no look versions from behind.

He showed some senban. He did this to emphasize that it is not a failure when the shuriken don’t stick in the target. Senban are not meant to stick, they are meant to distract your opponent so you can escape. bō shuriken function the same way. Nagase Sensei said, that if you hit them in the face with a metal spike, it will still cause damage.

He next focused on aim. You should be able to hit a specific target. He had us call out our targets: right and left; high; middle; and low. I tried this with the 逆打ち gyaku-uchi version (starting with my back to the target) and I hit every one! This made Nagase Sensei very happy. He said it was Nagase style!

During one moment, he used some shuriken that were nearly one 尺 shaku in length. They hit with such force, that they pierced the tatami target. He called me over to look behind where the spikes were poking through.

He finished by showing shuriken connected to sword drawing. Then he even threw the scissors and a tent spike. I told him he was a very dangerous man. He laughed and said, “dangerous man… I know!”

I feel very lucky that I was invited to this training. I think it happened naturally because of the relationship I have developed with him over the years. More Japan updates coming soon.

Kyoketsu Shōge: Japan Report Nine 令和6年

2025-11-08T14:16:00.000-08:00

I didn’t have time for any tourist stuff today because I was doing three classes in a row. I only include two of them in the video so that it can be a reasonable length. First up was Nagase Sensei and he surprised us with 距跋渉毛 Kyoketsu Shōge.

I was really surprised that there were only three of us students in Nagase’s class. But he maintained a great spirit and we got to study obscure things that don’t often come up in Bujinkan training. He began with taijutsu against two punches, with a focus on control of the second punch. But then he transitioned quickly to 十手 jūtte and connected these techniques to using your tsuka for control.

Nagase Sensei will check or stop the second attack. But he really is preventing any future attack. He will check the foot, check the other hand, or check the opponent’s weapon. He uses his own feet and hands to do this, but also his position.

Next, he focused on 隠剣術 onken jutsu. He explained to the translator that this was 隠す剣 kakusu ken, or hidden blade techniques. He focused on two special kamae for hiding blades. But if you have ever trained with him, you know he loves to use hidden shuriken.

距跋渉毛 Kyoketsu Shōge with Nagase Sensei

Since the dojo was empty we had the space to study 距跋渉毛 Kyoketsu Shōge. He began to teach 投げ縄術 nage nawa jutsu. I have done this plenty at home, but he shared some details that I had never heard before. He even took off his obi and showed us how we can solo train nage nawa! Nagase Sensei said that was our homework. I can’t wait to try that at home.

He showed us how to do the 振型 furi gata with rope and ring of the Kyoketsu Shōge using the proper grip. Then he taught us how to spin and pivot in all directions. And during the furi he held the blade in his left hand, and the coils of rope with only his little finger.

Nagase Sensei shot the iron ring out to strike the opponent. Then he whipped it back and caught it with his foot. I was very surprised when he used his foot to shoot it back out as the opponent tried to close distance. Then he looped the Kyoketsu Shōge around the attacker’s head and did a 頸投 kubi nage.

Noguchi Sensei does 人略の巻 jin ryaku no maki

After a coffee break, I returned to the dojo for class with Noguchi Sensei. I arrived early to meditate and work on my training notes. Yes, I still use pen and paper to write out the details of my training in Japan. I find this is good for my own memory because the act of writing makes me think about the training more deeply. A strange side effect of this is that I can remember the pages even without having to open the notebook!

Noguchi Sensei’s class was also on the small side, with about ten students. But he still gave us his full energy. He decided to teach from the 人略の巻 jin ryaku no maki.

I don’t know if it’s his knees or his hips, but something kept him from doing the 坐り型 suwari gata, so he did standing variations of 一撃 ichi geki, 抑込 osae komi, and 腕折 ude ori.

Next during 金縛 Kanashibari, he demonstrated an often overlooked, but critical aspect of this choke defense. This is known as 眼光⼀閃 gankō issen, which is sudden flash of the eyes to freeze the attacker. Hatsumi Sensei once told us,

The eyes emit 殺気 sakki. You’ve got to be able to stare him down. Looks very simple as a technique, but you’ve got to have a lot of spiritual power (精神 seishin) to carry it off.

He continued to say that it’s only once you can do things like this that you can do 不動金縛 Fudō Kanashibari. And it is the entrance into 遠当之術 tōate no jutsu. It is rare to train this type of kiai, so I appreciate Noguchi Sensei for that.

He continued to show very painful details for 天狗捕 Tengu Dori, 締脈 Ketsumyaku, 体締 Tai Jime, 地獄落 Jigoku Otoshi. These are battlefield techniques and my training partner and I took great care to not cause injury.

When he got to 虚倒 Kyotō, he showed a terrible henka driving the opponent’s knee straight down into the ground. He did this by first striking sai with his elbow. Then putting his own knee on the back of the opponent’s knee to drop to the ground. Devastating.

伏虎一 Huko ichi, and 伏虎二 Huko ni are variations of the same principle. You pummel the opponent with rapid strikes. One right up the middle to 鈴 suzu or 金的 kinteki. But the implication of the kata being named tiger is that you claw, rip, and tear. Not a fun feeling when Noguchi Sensei comes up from underneath like that.

I think we finished with 押虚 Ōgyaku, and 頭捕 Zu Dori. But that was my third class in a row so I was sore and sweaty. My head was swimming from all of the great details from each teacher.

Right at the end of class, after we vacuumed and cleaned the dojo, Noguchi Sensei awarded a menkyo. I won’t say who he gave it to because it’s not for me to announce that. But I’m not sure I’ve ever witnessed Noguchi Sensei giving menkyo before. Maybe it signals more signs of change going forward in the Bujinkan.

Behind the Black Gate: Japan Report Eight 令和6年

2025-09-21T14:33:00.000-07:00

黒門 Kuromon: the Black Gate

This morning I made my way into Tokyo to visit the 黒門 kuromon, or black gate. This was one of the few structures from 寛永寺 Kan’ei-ji that survived the battle of Ueno (上野戦争, Ueno Sensō). During the Boshin War (戊辰戦争, Boshin Sensō), and the gate marked the spot where the 彰義隊 Shōgitai lost a decisive battle against the Imperial troops.

Today it is riddled with bullet holes and cannon scars. The Shōgitai were the last of the Tokugawa Samurai. They had swords, arrows, and spears. But they were no match for the 官軍 kangun, the Imperial army led by 西郷隆盛 Saigō Takamori, who used Snider rifles and Armstrong Cannons.

黒門の半分見へて春の雨
the Black Gate
is only half visible –
rain in spring
〜Kobayashi Issa, 1805

My visit to the black gate was marked by the gentle fall of Ginkgo leaves. A quiet peaceful morning helped me reflect on such a fierce battle. Maybe one of the reasons I am allowed to be here was because of this war which led to the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate and the beginning of the Meiji Restoration.

After my morning field trip on Japanese history, I caught the train to the Bujinkan Honbu Dojo for a class with Nagato Sensei. On my way to the station, I randomly saw my new friend Natalie from Córdoba, Argentina. She was quite emotional after visiting the 子育ての銀杏 Kosodate no ichō Ginkgo tree nearby. I was caught off guard by the emotion she expressed but I was happy to see her.

Training with Nagato Sensei

Later when I arrived at the dojo, she and I were training partners. That’s when I found out it was her birthday! I speak Spanish so we had a great time training and sharing in Nagato’s class.

Nagato asked someone to demo, then he riffed off of that. He received the attack then passed it from one side to the other while striking with his elbows. Then he finished with 外掛け soto gake or various foot sweeps.

Then Nagato Sensei shifted to sword against sword. He started by saying that this was 神傳不動流 Shinden Fudō Ryū and there were no kamae. It was all from 自然の構 Shizen no kamae. So the cut would come in and he smacked it aside with his own blade to thrust in.

He called this all 無刀捕 mutōdori. Even though it was sword on sword, he still called it that. Then for emphasis, he dropped his own weapon and did pure mutōdori. Catching the mune and leveraging the opponent’s sword like a hanbō to turn it back into him.

During break he told us a story about a piece of wood that is displayed under the kamidana in the Bujinkan Honbu dojo. He said that back in the old days, everywhere was a dojo and training could happen at any time or place. One time it was during a walk with Hatsumi Sensei.

Nagato said that they passed by Atago shrine. There had beeen a large ginkgo tree there that had been struck and destroyed by lightning. Soke told Nagato to go and take the 中心 chūshin, the heart, the center, or essence of the tree. So Nagato Sensei ripped out a piece of wood from the heart of the tree. That wood is now part of the spirit of our Honbu dojo.

Here is another one of my 愚痴壺 Guchi tsubo rants. A lot of modern martial arts are infected by sports. The goals and training methods of sport are different. While the goals of our training are the survival of real combat.

We don’t train for tap outs or submissions. We don’t seek to win matches or score points. Our goal is not to be seen to begin with. Or maybe we escape. Or we even kill if absolutely necessary.

This kind of training is deadly and very different from sport. Many dojos who don’t have good teachers or are purely commercial get lost in sport training. Those people have lost their way. Sport training takes you down the wrong path.

During the break, someone asked Nagato Sensei about the old style training that seemed “harder” or more “violent.” Nagato Sensei didn’t answer the question directly. He said this was 矛盾 mujun, or a contradiction.

Nagato told us that in the old days, if someone killed your father, you were supposed to 仇討ち ada uchi, seeking revenge. He told us they gave out licenses for these revenge killings. I asked him if you could get one of these at the post office, and he laughed. He said you got the permission from your lord. Nagato told us that if you did not seek revenge, your family would come to ruin.

After break, Nagato did an evasion against two punches. It ended with a very light touch control on the outside of the opponent’s shoulder. Then he would redirect down to the attacker’s feet to throw using their own attack.

I still have a long day ahead of me. I will be training in three classes and late into the evening. You can follow my updates in Japan Report Nine 令和6年

Ride the Tiger: Japan Report Seven 令和6年

2025-08-16T15:50:00.000-07:00

Michael tries cola flavor Ninja gummies, a gift from 中川将志 Nakagawa Shōshi

I went out to do some laundry and grocery shopping before training. Along the way, I stopped in at the bookstore to find some inspiration from Hatsumi Sensei’s painting. As I flipped through the pages, my eyes settled on a painting of 毘沙門天 Bishamonten riding a tiger.

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Hatsumi Sensei gave the painting the title of 坂上田村麻呂 Sakanoue no Tamuramaro. This historic figure was one of the first Shōgun in Japan. Legends around him grew over the centuries and he was considered an avatar of Bishamonten, a god of war, and warrior king.

Hatsumi Sensei wrote some poetry from 虎倒流 Kotō Ryū on the painting. Soke said that when he visited Takamatsu Sensei, Takamatsu recited this poetry to him. The poem extols the virtues of a figure like Sakanoue, but I suspect Takamatsu Sensei was also honoring Hatsumi as his student.

Tiger Messenger

Tiger at 善國寺 Zenkoku-j, photo by Michael Glenn

The tiger symbolism reminded me of my visit to 善國寺 Zenkoku-ji which enshrines a famous statue of Bishamonten. One may view the statue on the day of the tiger. Based on the Chinese zodiac, this day is considered lucky. The tiger is Bishamonten’s messenger, appearing “in the Year, Month, Day, and Hour of the Tiger.” There is a saying “Travel a thousand miles and return a thousand miles” making this a day when “what goes out surely comes back,” meaning what you give you also receive.

I remember visiting Hatsumi Sensei’s garden where he showed us statues of the seven lucky gods. The Bishamonten statue in his garden may be the 多聞天 Tamonten portrayal, which means “listening to many teachings.” And I did listen intently during these visits with Soke.

愚痴壺 Guchi tsubo rant

Michael shouts into the 愚痴壺 Guchi tsubo, complaint pot

Later, while I was waiting for the train to the Bujinkan Honbu dojo, I recorded one of my 愚痴壺 Guchi tsubo rants. I noted how everyone fills your head when you start training. Violence from your own past, victories and defeats, friends and bullies—are all there in your head to influence your training.

Other people’s opinions and criticisms may affect how you train. But worst of all are your own ideas of what training should be. All of these things are there taking up space in your head.

Any ideas about martial arts crowd your thoughts. Ideas from movies, from sports martial arts, and from things you’ve read or seen online—these all fill you up and make it difficult to learn anything new. They cloud your judgement about what martial arts should be.

If you keep training, all of these people and voices start leaving, one by one. Then you are left with only yourself. And if you are lucky, even you leave. When you reach that state of “zero,” that’s when martial arts can really begin.

Training with Noguchi Sensei

Noguchi Sensei demos on my friend Oliver Martin

When I arrived at the dojo, it was a warm day and I quickly broke a sweat. Noguchi Sensei came up to me at one point and asked if it was too hot in here. I said yes and he went to turn on the air conditioners.

Noguchi was doing 九鬼神流打拳体術 Kukishin Ryū Dakentaijutsu. But everything was not as it seemed. He showed grappling techniques as strikes. And striking techniques became throws. At one point he bit one of his attackers and said, “you have to go from being a human to become an animal!”

There was a moment when I noticed his opponents were yelping in pain for no obvious reason. Noguchi Sensei came close to show me that he was wearing 角隠指釧 kakuin yubi, horned or spiked rings. In this class I really felt Noguchi Sensei’s Dakentaijutsu expression of Kukishin Ryū.

Every class begins a new dream of progress. I pack my gi and head to the dojo. See you soon with Japan Report Eight 令和6年

Snake Hollow: Japan Report Six 令和6年

2025-07-17T16:31:00.000-07:00

This morning in Japan, I got up early to visit 蛇窪神社 Hebikubo Jinja. “Snake Hollow” shrine was founded during the Kamakura period in 1323. The white snake has a close association with Benzaiten, and symbolizes living a life with a pure heart and dedicated to kindness. Since 2025 is the year of the snake, I thought it would be nice to pay my respects.

I started by taking advantage of the 撫で白蛇 Nade Shirohebi. I’ll let you translate that one! But this feature of the snake hollow shrine was supposed to bring good fortune and health, so I held my wife in my thoughts since she has been struggling lately.

Then I visited the 銭回し Zeni Mawashi and 銭洗い所 Zeni Arai-sho. This is where you bless your money and wash it to purify. The mawashi helps to circulate wealth more freely among people. And the washing cleanses in case there were any ill gotten gains. I guess it is a sort of spiritual money laundering!

Of course I brought my 集印帳 shūin-chō and received a nice stamp for the year of the snake. Then I donated to snake hollow shrine in exchange for some 御守 omamori. I like to bring these home for my students to help connect them to Japan and share whatever blessings I’ve found there.

Rant at Snake Hollow

At snake hollow, I stumbled across something that was new to me, a 愚痴壺 Guchi tsubo, which is a complaint pot. You lift the lid and complain into the hole of the jar about whatever troubles you may have. Then close the lid, leaving them in the jar. Of course I had a lot to yell into the jar.

BEGIN RANT: The ego in in martial artists! I meet students who come to class, and when presented with a technique, they decide that it won’t work. They decide that there is something wrong with the technique, or even the teacher. Even though the reality is they can’t do it properly.

This always makes me wonder, why are they there? Why did they come to the class? Obviously not to learn.

They say things like, “That would never work on the street.” Or, the teacher will demonstrate, and the student does something completely different because they decided the technique is bad. It is a self-fulfilling prophecy because they never learn how to do what is being taught. So of course it won’t work. These students have trapped themselves with their own opinions.

What is an alternative? As Hatsumi Sensei says, “Play!” If you watch baby animals “play” fight, that is not real combat. But they are preparing for real life and death situations. Or you can train like musicians who “play” and instrument and improv with other musicians.

These Bujinkan methods are the opposite in attitude of those self-appointed “serious” martial artists. You know the kind who train formal and stiff and think they know everything. They think everything should be dressed up as “real” so they can win in the ring or survive on the street. But they do not understand that their pretend “reality” training is a trap they put themselves in.

I feel like a playful attitude will help you survive. This is what Soke has always said. And it is a key to training honestly. END RANT

Training with 中川将志 Nakagawa Shōshi

Later that night, I went to Nakagawa’s class. I’ve known him for many years and used to partner up with him in Hatsumi Sensei’s classes. Lately, I’ve also trained with him in Furuta’s dojo. So I was looking forward to his perspective.

I just explained to him what his tshirt meant

The class was small with maybe only eight students. His style of teaching reminds me of Furuta Sensei. Lots of humor, but he also embodies the 雲隠流 Kumogakure Ryū body angling that I have been studying with Furuta. This is great for me, because it is not a style that I come by naturally. It gives me a lot to work on.

This feels like exploring new ground. It is very easy as a student to fall back on what you know. Then when something is not working you can use tricks that you’ve developed over the years. But the point of going to class is to learn something new.

He seemed really excited to be teaching. He kept going and going with no breaks. After two and a half hours he finally noticed the clock.

I really appreciate his love and enthusiasm for training. Some teachers kind of “phone it in” and just do the bare minimum. I won’t say who, but maybe you’ve been to one of their classes. It seems like they just show up to collect money.

But with only eight students, Nakagawa-san was very engaged. It’s great to see that kind of energy and spirit for sharing. Any student or teacher would do well to emulate his attitude in the dojo.

The Dainichi Effect: Japan Report Five 令和6年

2025-06-18T15:45:00.000-07:00

The Dainichi effect happened around midday, but first this morning I went to the 大江戸骨董市 Oedo Antique Market with Peter Crocoll. This market is quite large with many collectibles, art, and weapons. Many people bought and even wore vintage clothing. Peter found a book of 春画 shunga full of erotic woodblock prints as an amusing gift for one of his students back home.

From there we made a visit to 美術刀剣松本 Bijutsu Tōken Matsumoto. Peter brought another tsuka from home to be wrapped and restored. You may remember my trip last year when he had his first tsukamaki from Matsumoto. While we were there, a koshirae for a dagger caught his eye. The fittings had a rare decorative 海老鞘 ebisaya and Peter couldn’t resist adding it to his collection.

The Dainichi Effect

Later, seeking some inspiration, I returned to ponder the copy of Dojo Giga at the bookstore. When I randomly opened the pages, it fell open to Hatsumi Sensei’s painting of 大日如来 Dainichi Nyorai. Dainichi represents the center, and is the sun Buddha in Japanese esoteric Buddhism such as 密教 Mikkyō.

Depictions of Dainichi often show the hand gesture or mudra of 六大 rokudai. Each finger is part of the 五大 godai: chi, sui, ka, fu, and ku. They enclose the sixth element, 識 shiki, which is consciousness.

In the text of the painting, Soke wrote the name of 運慶 Unkei (1148-1224), who was a famous sculptor among the warrior class during the Kamakura era. Soke did this because in the year he painted, a new sculpture of Dainichi had been discovered and attributed to Unkei. Hatsumi Sensei’s painting was influenced by this discovery. This sculpture sold at Christie’s Auction house for an unprecedented $14,377,000 US dollars.

Hatsumi Sensei’s Dainichi painting hangs in the Bujinkan honbu dojo

Hatsumi Sensei’s Dainichi painting is currently hanging in the Bujinkan Honbu Dojo. The text on the painting is a sort of memorial. It has the posthumous Buddhist names of both Takamatsu Sensei and Hatsumi Sensei. I first learned of these names some years ago when I climbed a ladder to help install shelves for the gold 位牌 ihai, which are Buddhist mortuary tablets displaying the names above the Kamidana.

I have an emotional memory related to Dainichi in the Dojo. It was the day Hatsumi Sensei had to move his wife into a care home. They had been married for many decades and Soke provided care for her in recent years. But he couldn’t manage it anymore.

When he entered the Dojo, he skipped his usual, jovial conversation, and walked straight to the altar of Dainichi under the Kamidana. He sat with his back to all of us and spent many minutes in private prayer. Afterwards, he began to quietly describe some items,

I bought that green tengu when Takamatsu Sensei passed away. At the end of 42 years, I got the one below it here. And here is Dainichi Nyorai. I was born in the year of Dainichi. At this 50 year anniversary maybe it’s some kind of divine message that these things come. This 50 year anniversary just came very suddenly, and next year with this completion of mutō dori, everyone will become a Daishihan and start teaching for themselves. That’s why all of the Daishihan should become friends and have a close community.

While Hatsumi Sensei was talking, I sat maybe a meter behind on his right side. I listened carefully since his back was to me. All of the sudden he asked the entire room who should be the next Daishihan. Several people pointed at me. Hatsumi Sensei turned to see who they were pointing at and he instantly agreed, exclaiming “Ok, ok!”

Senou Sensei reads Michael Glenn's Daishihan for presentation by Hatsumi Sensei

The very next class he called me up to the front of the Dojo to sit before him. Senou Sensei read the new certificate and passed it to Soke, who then bestowed it on me. I bowed and everyone applauded. Hatsumi Sensei said, “There is a time for these things and when the time is right they should be given.” That this happened on the same day Hatsumi Sensei experienced a very personal life change makes me very humble and reflective. Maybe this is the Dainichi effect.

Training with Furuta Sensei

After these moments of reflection, I went to class with Furuta Sensei. Of course he gave me a ride from the train station. Training was in the school gymnasium, which is very large and has nice mats set up for Jūdō.

During the drive, he explained that he had just come from a meeting with Hatsumi Sensei and all of the new Soke. He wanted to share details, but I think he felt he couldn’t tell us everything. But he did share a few things.

He said that there was a new website (bujinkanhombuoffice.com) in the works for the Bujinkan. It will have official rules and rank order forms in an effort to streamline this process. There is also a new Daishihan lapel pin if you feel like showing off. Furuta Sensei also said that for someone to be recommended for Daishihan, they need letters from at least 3 current Daishihan.

Furuta started class with Ukemi, Sanshin, and Kihon Happō to warm up. He began to focus on the details of the 表逆 omote gyaku. He used some of his characteristic 雲隠流 Kumogakure Ryū angles. He showed this against a resisting opponent. Whereupon he emphasized how even one finger can break the resistance like a “push button.”

Furuta Sensei explains details of Oni Kudaki

Pushing the button transitions into 裏逆 ura gyaku. And even further into 手枕 temakura, which he also showed as 袖枕 sode-makura. Then the last henka was 鬼砕 oni kudaki.

He changed to 半棒術 hanbōjutsu against a knife stab. He grew very energetic during this portion of the class. I think the Starbucks caught up with him. He yelled, jumped, and charged at opponents using very big swings of 八文字振りhachimonji furi. It was very funny and we had a lot of laughter. He described this energetic feeling as 気魄 kihaku, which is a fighting spirit.

Furuta Sensei next gave us a lesson about making mistakes. When you try to hit 小手 kote with only the tip or edge of the hanbō, you might miss. This is very natural. But you don’t want this mistake to be your defeat. Instead, you embrace the mistake and turn it into something useful.

Furuta Sensei uses a Hanbo against two knives

He said that people don’t train for mistakes. They try to do perfect technique (which is impossible), but we should train for mistakes instead. Because we will always make some. Real combat is a clumsy, chaotic affair, so we should train for that reality. As Furuta Sensei said in his blunt English, “Mistake is good.”

The class had a lot of laughter and a good feeling. I think that is really the spirit that Hatsumi Sensei has given us. People try to be so serious, but training with a good heart and lots of laughter is best.

Nagase and Furuta 先生方 Japan Report Four 令和6年

2025-05-25T07:10:00.000-07:00

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

暗殺 Ansatsu: Japan Report Three 令和6年

2025-04-21T14:47:00.000-07:00

I rose early to catch a train. First I boarded the Jōban line, then transferred to the Toei subway to catch the Ōedo line. I warmed to the early morning sunlight because my trip had a dark destination. I was up to investigate the sites of two assassinations, or 暗殺 ansatsu.

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I wandered the neighborhood following a hand drawn map from the 幕末 Bakumatsu era. The map actually marked with red ink where blood was found on the street at the site of the murders. The first ansatsu was at 中ﾉ橋 Naka no Hashi.

Henry Heusken was born in Holland, but his family moved to the United States. He learned many languages and was asked to travel with the American Legation to act as a translator for the first Consul to Japan, Townsend Harris. He really took to Japan, dating women, and traveling freely even though foreigners were regarded with great suspicion in those days.

He ran afoul of the locals for a few reasons. First, he had a Japanese common law wife and child. He also had a fondness for horseback riding. But this was something that was reserved for the Samurai class. This really upset the Rōnin who disagreed with the Shōgunate and any attempt to open the country to foreigners.

暗殺 Ansatsu

One night, after he was returning from a party, a band of Rōnin called the 老士組 Rōshigumi ambushed him at the bridge. He was basically disemboweled, and he lay in the street for awhile before anyone came to his aid. He died later that night.

Visiting these crime scenes seems like a weird thing to do in Japan. What does it have to do with martial arts? If you understand the history of Japan, you know it is closely intertwined with Samurai and martial culture. Visiting these places helps me understand and connect to this history.

That was a very chaotic period in Japan, and justice for Henry didn’t arrive until 3 years later. This was when 清河八郎 Kiyokawa Hachirō, one of the leaders of the Rōshigumi was hunted down in a second ansatsu. He was found in the same neighborhood, just a few blocks away.

Kiyokawa had aligned his group of Rōnin with the Emperor going against the Shōgun. But the Emperor did not want this alliance. This left the Rōshigumi as nothing more than a group of thugs and terrorists.

Another group of samurai loyal to the Shōgun and led by 佐々木只三郎 Sasaki Tadasaburō confronted Kiyokawa at 一之橋 Ichi no Hashi. All these men knew one another, so he might not have suspected anything as they approached. In fact, one witness said they called out to him, “Kiyokawa Sensei” and, as he acknowledged them, they cut him down. Was it a politcal ansatsu, some kind of justice, or just an act of vengance?

After that excursion we met up with Furuta Sensei who gave us a ride to his home dojo out in the countryside of Ibaraki. The dojo was cold so he turned on the heater. But we warmed up quickly with ukemi practice.

One drill we did was to start curled up at the intersection of the tatami, and then roll in eight directions. After each angle, the goal was to return to the starting point. These rolls had to be very small and controlled.

After that we studied some basic striking using a three part punch. It starts with a 指環拳 shikan ken that changes into a 不動拳 Fudō ken, then slides into 手起拳 shuki ken. As one strike becomes three, your other fist is hidden from the opponent. But it also does three strikes. Then, the foot delivers three kicks. This was all done in a flow to break the opponent down.

Furuta Sensei evolved this training to draw hidden weapons during the three part strike. And he extended this line of training into long weapons. He started with an 大太刀 Ōdachi.

With a long sword, you don’t hack away like mowing down grass. You still use the kissaki to cut. As the kissaki drives into the target, a small turn in your body creates the cut. Furuta Sensei told us it was born from sanshin no kata.

He did the same with the 薙刀 Naginata. He showed us how to balance it in our grip. Then he taught how to cut with the body.

Furuta Sensei then spoke about countering long weapons. He said that Bujinkan people always have 9 kunai or 9 shuriken. So you attack with these ranged weapons until you create a gap to close distance. Then at close range the long weapon is not as functional for your opponent.

We had a lot of fun in that class. And Furuta Sensei is very generous. After class he drove me all the way back to the curbside of my hotel. I said it was like a Bujinkan taxi. At home, I often do the same for some of my students who ride the metro to attend class. I still remember when I was a young man and had two hour bus rides to go to class. So it is good to pay it forward.

Up Next: Japan Report Four 令和6年

Gokui Training: Japan Report Two 令和6年

2025-02-17T08:58:00.000-08:00

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.

Hidden Influence: Japan Report One 令和6年

2025-01-24T15:33:00.000-08:00

I’m off to Japan again. Every trip has a hidden influence so it feels fresh for me. I get excited leading up and preparing for travel. I get excited in the airports, on the planes, and on the trains. I always make big plans to do things in Japan, to visit places, to learn from specific teachers, to meet with friends I haven’t seen in a long time… But when I get there, Japan has other ideas for me.

The reality on the ground decides for me. I let Japan decide what I will be doing on that day, or on that trip. Then each trip becomes a unique experience in itself.

During one class with Hatsumi Sensei, he spoke of 幽玄の世界 Yūgen no sekai. He said it was like purposely taking a picture that was out of focus. He said you don’t want the focus to be too sharp. Instead you feel it with your eyes, your skin, and your heart.

I drive my curiosity just by noticing things. I try to notice the little details the country and the culture. I record things, I take notes in the dojo. This allows me to share with people who are interested. I’m very lucky to have been to Japan so many times. I know that not everyone can travel like this. So this is an experience I cherish.

隱身威光: Hidden Influence

After I arrived, I decided it might be nice to find some inspiration in Soke’s art. I know a place that has a sample copy of Dojo Giga that I could read. When I cracked open the book, my eyes fell on a painting with the title of 隱身威光: Hidden Influence.

The painting is very vibrant and has two figures, 天照大御神 Amaterasu Ōmikami and her brother 須佐之男命 Susano’o no Mikoto. It appears to be a scene from 天の岩戸 Ama-no-Iwato, in which Susano’o misbehaved and drove his sister into hiding in the cave. Since she is basically the Sun goddess, this plunged the whole world into darkness.

No matter how much Amaterasu defended her brother, he continued to misbehave and treated her badly. She became depressed and withdrew into a cave, removing her divine light from the world. Disappearing into the cave is symbolic of a type of death and depression. People who are depressed often withdraw into a cave of their own making.

As the story goes, the world was in darkness. Nothing would grow so starvation and famine spread. Various demons took advantage and rose up to plague humanity.

All of the other Kami became desperate to get her light back out into the world. No matter how much they pleaded with her, she would not come out. They even tricked roosters to crow as if the sun was rising. None of it worked.

They hatched a plan to make her jealous. They constructed a bronze mirror (one of the three treasures of Japan) and threw a big party outside the cave. The Shintō party goddess, 天宇受賣命 Ama no Uzume no Mikoto, began a wild dance outside the cave that was part comedy, part strip tease.

This amused all of the Kami so much that they grew festive and cheered loudly. Amaterasu heard all of this revelry and decided to peek out of the cave to see what had everyone so excited. Through this small opening, her light flashed out and caught the mirror.

She asked them why they were celebrating and they told her that there was a Kami greater than her outside the cave. She had to see this so she came out and her gaze caught her own reflection in the mirror. The other Kami quickly shut the cave behind her and sealed it with a Shimenawa.

In Japan, you find Shimenawa at shrines and even in the dojo. These ropes delineate a sacred space from the everyday world. So when you pass that threshold it is a type of rebirth into your sacred self. That is a nice cure for depression!

The kanji Hatsumi Sensei wrote on the painting are translated as “hidden influence.” But 隱身 kakurimi means you’re hiding yourself or become invisible. And 威光 ikō is a very intense and powerful light that is transcendent.

So you might hide or disappear within this divine light. Our training is hidden like this. This is why people with dark agendas or personalities can’t find the essence of our training. Even when they come to our dojo.

Hatsumi Sensei’s painting is asking us questions. The answers come in many layers. I’m glad I started my trip viewing this painting so it can be a “hidden influence” over my training.

Class with Nagato Sensei

After my art reverie, I went to Nagato Sensei’s class where I was immediately charged with the sign in sheet and taking money. Luckily the class was small, maybe only 15 people. Helping them sign in allowed me to say hello to each one.

Nagato Sensei had a “volunteer” demonstrate to open class. This person did a very elaborate technique that included 3 spins. I guess it was nice that his uke waited patiently for the wrist lock.

But Nagato Sensei used this wild use of space to explore. He did many pass throughs and hand offs of the locked wrist. All the while pressuring with his elbows or using his legs to stop or lock up the opponent so they were trapped.

Nagato Sensei’s footwork is quite refined. He used a lot of cross steps to lock up the opponent or even sweep their feet out from under them. His legs kept the opponent frozen in space. This even included submissions like a dō jime.

Class with Paul Masse

After that class I took a small break for lunch and went back to the dojo for the next class with Paul Masse. Paul is a friend so training with him feels like sharing. He often asks for my input in class or for me to share what I remember from training with Hatsumi Sensei.

And the great thing is, my memories will trigger a waterfall of Paul’s own training memories with Soke over the last 30 plus years here in Japan. He started off class very advanced with a subtle use of 刀匿 tōtoku. But he quickly realized he needed to simplify for the small group that was at the Honbu dojo. He changed to a grab and punch defense.

But, I kept pushing for the more advanced material. So he began to use 虚実 kyojitsu to access hidden weapons. At one point he let the attacker drop, who then seemed to just fall into position.

Paul told us that Hatsumi Sensei called this 回経つ外力 Kaitatsu Gairyoku. This is kind of a mechanical effect such as using gravity to unbalance. But it has larger implications because you are inviting the powers of nature to assist you.

Gravity is the most obvious force in the dojo. But we are surrounded by many natural forces at all times. Which of these can be your “hidden influence” to help you prevail in a fight?

Powers of nature don’t have to be invited, they’ll just show up. Kind of like how I just show up in Japan. If you’d like to learn more about my trip please look for Japan Report Two 令和6年 coming soon.

Japan Report Eleven 令和5年

2024-11-13T06:28:00.000-08:00

下谷神社 Shitaya Jinja, photo by Michael Glenn

I got up early to catch the train into Tokyo. I headed to 下谷神社 Shitaya Jinja to fill in my 集印帳 shūin-chō stamp book. But I also wanted to purchase some 御守 Omamori as gifts for my students back home.

2024 is the year of the dragon and Shitaya Jinja has a bit of a dragon theme. You might remember on a previous visit I was very lucky to be invited to enter the 拝殿 haiden. There, on the ceiling, is a painting of a dragon by 横山大観 Yokoyama Taikan that was commissioned by the parishioners. I thought my students would appreciate omamori with a dragon motif.

After my visit to Shitaya Jinja, I had another train ride all the way back out to Noda-shi, and the Bujinkan Honbu Dojo. The first class was with Noguchi Sensei, and I was definitely ready to hear his laugh. I heard him as soon as I opened the door of the dojo. I was the second student to arrive and Noguchi gave me a cheerful welcome before I even stepped over the threshold. We had a great class which I will review in a minute.

First, I had to go pack and catch a train to Haneda airport. The commute was crazy busy, with the windows all steamed up, and the cars swaying with the weight of our bodies smashed together. A young man next to me used his finger to make drawings in the window condensation.

At the airport I had a little time to kill before my flight. And I like to walk a lot before my 12 hour flight across the Pacific ocean. As I strolled around Haneda, I discovered they had installed a scale replica of 日本橋 Nihonbashi.

The bridge is made of Japanese Cypress and has many wonderful details you can study as you cross or walk underneath. From their description, “The wall is decorated with Edo period folding screens from the National Museum of Japanese History that depict various famous locations throughout Edo… This pair of screens is one of only few historical artifacts that depict scenes from the time that Edo was founded. “

Since I still had time before my flight, I reviewed my notes from Noguchi Sensei’s class. He trained on the 天之型 ten no gata section from 神傳不動流 Shinden Fudō Ryū and he embraced the idea of sudden change. If you’ve trained with him, you know he moves fast. He covered all of the kata from the section along with a bunch of his own henka.

As he began with 日撃 Nichi Geki he explored different levels. The normal, chudan level might use a strike to 七抜 shichibatsu to stop the opponent’s throw. But he also showed variations for the jodan and gedan levels. He told us to make sure everything you do is a kamae.

月肝 Gekkan was all about the rhythm. Noguchi Sensei interrupted the opponent’s attack with his kick, taking their rhythm away. That deft set up flowed into a take down.

When we got to 風靡 Fubi, he didn’t want to do the leaping 胴締 dōjime. Even though I know he is capable because I saw him do it many times over the years. But since he is now in his eighties, He had some creative ways to express the kata without the risk of that move.

He kept telling us to “embrace our opponent with a loving feeling.” But his embrace attacked 腰 koshi. And it also disguised a 足起拳 sokki ken to 鈴 suzu. He said you crush them down.

During 雪耀 Setsuyaku he applied a 逆背負投 gyaku zeoi nage. But he did it almost without touching. He would set of the form of the lock and then drop the power out to send his opponent flying.

When he did it on me, what I felt was very surprising. The lock confused my body structure. Then as he dropped out, I went flying even though it didn’t feel like he did anything. This gave me some ideas to work on when I return home.

With many of the techniques, but 霧散 Musan in particular, Noguchi Sensei would do the opposite of what you expect. The kata might say to take one side, but he would take the other. He would take one arm up, and one down. If you only take one, the opponent will sense what you are up to and try to counter.

Noguchi Sensei called one of his throws a 俵投げ tawara nage. This is like throwing a big bale of rice. He told us that one of the 47 Ronin was famous for doing this kind of throw.

You hoist them up and heave them over. For any normal person, it takes a lot of vigor to do a throw like this. But Noguchi Sensei did it without any force or power.

I really enjoyed Noguchi’s energy and good humor. He finished by rocking his uke with a 骨法拳 koppō ken where he swung the entire arm like a baseball bat. He laughed and said that he was like the baseball player, Shohei Ohtani.

As I strolled around Haneda, I found an installation of 絵馬 Ema. An entire wall strung with these prayer plaques. You can purchase your own plaque and write a wish or prayer on the back to add it to the wall. The described purpose of the installation is to help heal travelers from Covid. The Japan tourism business was hit hard when they closed their borders for almost 3 years.

I had a great trip with many adventures and training discoveries. But every time I leave Japan I start making plans to return. You can expect more Japan Reports from me soon.

Japan Report Ten 令和5年

2024-10-21T07:55:00.000-07:00

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 Nine 令和5年

2024-09-23T09:01:00.000-07:00

Noguchi Sensei and Michael Glenn toast Hatsumi Sensei on his birthday

There are no classes today 令和5年12月2日 because we are celebrating Hatsumi Sensei’s birthday. This day always makes me reflective and nostalgic. It has been four years since I last trained with Soke in the dojō because of his retirement. But every time I’ve seen him in the last four years it has felt like a celebration full of humor, joy, and good conversation.

When I arrived at the party Niigata-San informed us that Hatsumi Sensei was in the hospital with a fever and could not join us. They said he was busy pestering the nurses and trying to smuggle in some wine for his birthday.

We still celebrated in his honor. I got to see many friends including some that I only see once a year at his party. The new Soke in attendance made speeches and shared stories of their memories of training with Hatsumi Sensei.

Noguchi Sensei gave us some inspiration when he compared training to forging a Japanese sword. He spoke about training at different ages in life. He said you must strike the sword while it is hot. During this “hot” period is when you train hard and build good form, and forge a good heart. He said that he didn’t know how much longer he could keep training, but he wanted to continue enjoying the training because he appreciates us all and the energy we bring him.

By chance, I sat next to Daisuke-San who I had not met before. He is a policeman and he surprised me by producing a bottle of liquor. Then he took a small appetizer plate and poured some into the saucer. He said this was Japanese mafia style. We drank together from the saucer and he said now we are family!

People stood in line to offer their gifts for Hatsumi Sensei’s birthday while my friend Yabunaka-San filled out labels to mark each gift and who it was from. I stood nearby and he walked up and wrote a label and stuck it on my chest. He started laughing hysterically. The label basically said one extra large gaijin for Hatsumi Sensei. What a thoughtful present!

They distributed some note cards for us to write birthday messages to Hatsumi Sensei. I wished him happy birthday but I also thanked him for the way he inspired my life. My life would be very different without him. He has provided me a path in life as well as budō. He has often said we are not just doing martial arts, we are studying how to live.

The morning after Hatsumi Sensei’s birthday I went to the 丸の内 Marunouchi district. Which means it is “inside the moat” of Edo Castle. I find it remarkable that I am able to just wander in these grounds. Just a few generations ago, I would have been killed or arrested if I was caught wandering Daimyō alley.

But today, Mitsubishi bought much of the land for a central business district and surrounded the moat with skyscrapers. I did manage to find a few remnants of the moat and walls marking the castle grounds. I entered by crossing the moat on a bridge to 和田倉門 Wadakura mon.

This gate was built in 元和6 (1620). The name implies it was used as a storehouse. Goods transported from the bay to the 倉前 kuramae (the street of Imperial granaries and rice stores) and into the gate. Later, when the Meiji Emperor first came to Edo, he passed through this gate.

When I passed through the gate, I came into a courtyard surrounded by heavy walls to form a 枡形 masugata (a place for soldiers to assemble). The feeling of being surrounded by these stones reminded me of something Soke said.

During a class where he was teaching 破術九法 Hajutsu Kyūhō and the forms of 蹴返 keri kaeshi, he said,

And in that instant you’re surrounding and controlling the opponent. These four kicks become just one ring. Don’t think of it as four kicks, think of it as a trap that you’re setting in the process. You’re not just kicking it out with the opponent. Otherwise it ends up being just like a carpenter. And you lose the art of it. We’re studying life.

I don’t know why the heavy walls of the square reminded me of this idea of surrounding an opponent with kicks. But during that class Soke instructed us,

I’m not teaching punching or kicking. It’s not that simple. I’m teaching the ability to live within the kukan. To survive within the kukan.

During my walk around this area, I came across a group of volunteers cleaning some stone monuments. I asked them what the monuments were for. They told me the one on the right was a 御製 Gyosei, or Imperial Poem written by Naruhito on his ascension to the throne. He wrote,

「学舎に　ひびかふ子らの　弾む声　さやけくあれと　ひたすら望む」When I hear the cheerful voices of children Resounding through their classrooms I hope from the bottom of my heart They have a bright and beautiful future ~ Emperor Naruhito

Apparently every year the Imperial family composes poems in a ceremony they call 歌会始 utakai hajime. They have a reading broadcast on NHK to share with the public in Japan. Next to his monument there is also one for Naruhito’s Father, Akihito, written in 1991,

「いにしへの人も守り来し日の本の森の栄えを共に願はむ」With the people I pray that the forests of our forefathers will be protected and may prosper in the Land of the Rising Sun. ~ Emperor Akihito

These are the “official” translations, and while they don’t match literally, they catch the spirit of the poetry. It was nice to see volunteers caring for these monuments. In what other country would poetry be displayed and looked after for so many decades? I am often amazed at the random depth of culture I discover just stumbling around Tokyo.

Japan Report Eight 令和5年

2024-08-18T16:31:00.000-07:00

I woke up on the day before Hatsumi Sensei’s birthday party and cranked open the window to find another spring day in December. The weather feels like it is trying to confuse the trees to bloom early. I arrived in Japan over packed with jackets and sweaters, but I end up walking around Tokyo in my t shirt.

This Japan report is summarized from the FULL video available on Rojodojo.

During my preparations for the party tomorrow I was thinking about a class with Hatsumi Sensei a few years back. It was on the day when Soke awarded the Daishihan to 筒井巧 Tsutsui Takumi. During the training Hatsumi Sensei told us that he wasn’t teaching, he was just giving examples.

Even so, we cannot steal his technique. Soke went on to say that artists must create works that can’t be untangled or stolen. You must create unique or original work that can’t be understood only on a superficial level. This kind of work is unique to you and your spirit.

Hatsumi Sensei’s taijutsu or budō is like this. It’s not something that any of us can steal from him. It’s unique to him. He often says that techniques that can be taught, given away, or stolen are worthless techniques that don’t have any spirit.

He finished by saying あり思想ですね Ari shisōdesu ne, meaning that’s a good enough idea for now. That one idea can take you very far in training. And you probably don’t need much more than that.

Next, I did some bird watching at 財田川 Saitagawa before class. The ducks and herons were diving like it was spring. Watching their territorial disputes gave a good example of how nature finds the proper distance.

The avian tactics reminded of a Friday night class at the old Honbu Dojo. Soke had hung the 神韻武導 Shingin Budō scroll for the yearly theme in the corner. Someone, I’m not going to say who, swung a sword at Hatsumi Sensei. Soke didn’t move an inch but he wasn’t cut.

The attacker’s distance was off. Or, Soke put himself in a position where he didn’t have to move. At that moment he told us it was important to have 平気 heiki. This is like remaining calm, cool, and composed in the face of danger.

He told us to gauge the distance with just a glance. Size the opponent up. You should immediately know if you are at risk.

In my many years working in construction, I developed the ability to size up distances, sizes, and amounts of material. I could look at a plank and with just a glance tell you its size. Or, I could quickly estimate the quantity of sand needed to mix concrete for a wheelbarrow, mixer, or even a truckload.

It’s the same in budō, if you have a lot of experience with weapons, or with many types of attacks, you can tell if someone can hurt you with just a glance. It’s not something you have to test, you just know if you are in a safe spot. When you have that type of knowledge it is easy to have heiki.

Your spirit is at peace. Then when you avoid an attack, it’s like doing nothing. Which is really the nature of Hatsumi Sensei’s budō.

The spirit of the river and the waterfowl had put me in a mood. And I made my way to the Honbu dojo. Paul Masse was teaching that afternoon.

He began class from 型破の構 kata yaburi no kamae with the hanbō. The attacker came in with a knife and he pivoted inside and outside exploring ideas of 支点 shiten. He finished class from 無念無想の構 munen musō no kamae and pivoted into a form of 刀匿礮姿 tōtoku hyōshi with the hanbō.

Paul inked some 書道 shodō for us, and on my board he wrote 弱を示して強に出る Jaku o shimeshite tsuyo ni deru, which he translated as, “show weakness but turn it into strength.” This is an expression of kyojitsu, but also an important idea for the self sacrifice of sutemi.

After the class, Paul’s wife Tomoe, invited us to their house for an おでん oden party. She is also very generous and made a very nice presentation of the stew for us. Hanging out with Paul is always rewarding. He is good with training but he also thinks deeply about philosophy, poetry, and the Japanese mythologies that make up the 極意 gokui of our Bujinkan.

Japan Report Seven 令和5年

2024-06-19T09:35:00.000-07:00

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

2024-05-17T17:26:00.000-07:00

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 Five 令和5年

2024-04-14T07:28:00.000-07:00

Bujinkan training in Japan isn’t only about training. Sometimes it is about cultural experiences you might have there. And sometimes you might even find healing in the dojo!

I began this day in Japan with a visit to 美術刀剣松本 Bijutsu Tōken Matsumoto in 西葛西 Nishikasai with my teacher Peter Crocoll. He brought a tsuka from home to be refurbished with new 柄巻 tsukamaki and fittings. We had some nice tea while Peter and Matsumoto-san swapped stories about their experience at this year’s 大刀剣市 Dai Tōken Ichi sword show. While they chatted, I wandered the shop looking at all manner of swords and weapons for sale. By the time we left I was happy to still have my wallet!

This is a summary of the video I recorded in Japan which you can see here: Japan Report Five 令和5年

From there it was back to Noda-shi for training. On my way I shared a story from one of the classes I had with Hatsumi Sensei at the old Honbu dojo. Soke was teaching 無刀捕 mutōdori but reversed it to teach us a counter. In the video I demonstrate the grip change that he showed us. This grip is used for deception so your opponent cannot tell from which angle your sword will arrive. The cut appears to come straight down, but the grip change is hard to perceive for your opponent.

He told us when you cut, 相手の影成っている Aite no kage natte iru, you have to become the opponent’s shadow. Stick to him as his shadow. Mirror his position. Then, no matter how he tries to evade, he can’t escape his own shadow.

Hatsumi Sensei often shared small tips like this. These tips are the kind of thing you discover only by training with a teacher who has depth. I feel lucky to visit and train in Japan for these many years with Hatsumi Sensei.

Next, I arrived at the dojo for Noguchi Sensei’s class. He taught the 初伝型 Shoden Gata from 虎倒流 Kotō Ryū. After showing the basic form, he did many henka where he controlled the space by changing angles and levels.

For example, with 押虚 Ōgyaku, after checking the opponent’s attempt to throw, he dropped to attack the knee or even the foot. During the kata 捕捉 Hosoku, he slid down the leg from 声 koe to the knee or ankle. I was training with Wakana and she is a lot smaller than me, so I really struggled to get low enough. And she had to stretch to get up high!

We had a lot of fun and Noguchi Sensei came over to help us often. He asked us if we had seen the viral 刺股 sasumata incident that had happened in Tokyo. Three men on scooters showed up to a jewelry store for a smash and grab robbery with hammers. An employee of the store grabbed a sasumata and started thrashing them with it. He even beat the hell out of the scooters! We had a great laugh with Noguchi Sensei about this.

Later that evening, I ran into a friend and asked him how he was. He had tears in his eyes and was really down. He had received some bad news from back home. I don’t want to give details because it is private. But during our conversation I suggested to him that if he went to class it could help and he might find healing in the dojo.

Anyone who has trained a long time can tell you that Bujinkan training can be like a form of therapy. Many times in my life when I struggled with emotional or physical problems, going to the dojo lifted my spirits. It seems odd that getting beat up has healing properties!

A long time ago during a class at Ayase, Hatsumi Sensei said that training is like 武道の鍼灸術 budō no shinkyū-jutsu. This is the budō of acupuncture. The idea was that just because you are causing pain doesn’t mean you are causing injury. He told us this as he attacked kyūsho. Then he said it was a form of healing.

Soke said that this is what 天津蹈鞴 Amatsu Tatara is all about. You might use pain to promote healing. People show up to the dojo with all kinds of problems in life, both physical and mental. But through training they start to feel better. I thought about my friend and the pain he was in. And I hoped that through the pain, he might find healing in the dojo.

Japan Report Four 令和5年

2024-02-22T06:29:00.000-08:00

I start off my Japan Report Four video going to Hatsumi Sensei’s house and the Bujinkan Honbu office. I do this on every trip because this is how I submit my rank paperwork for my students. In the video I talk about my “secret” route to his house. I also recall past times when I could just visit and have tea with Soke.

During my walk to his house, I review some of my notes from old classes with Soke. During one class he said 自分の第六感兼ねあいうち Jibun no dairokkan kane aiuchi. This is when you make your intuition match reality. Or, more directly, your intuition is combined with something concrete such as a strike.

Later in that same class, Hatsumi Sensei said 意識をさせない Ishiki o Sasenai. He was telling us not to allow our opponents to sense our intentions. Don’t put out any intention for your opponent to read. I thought it was fascinating to think about dairokkan and the use of intuition while also hiding your intentions. Hatsumi Sensei’s classes were full of subtle lessons like this.

Next, I went to an afternoon class with Nagato Sensei. People sometimes ask me why I haven’t gone to Nagato Sensei’s seminars here in the U.S. Well the answer is simple, I save my money for Japan. For example, Nagato Sensei did a seminar in Ohio. For me to buy round trip airfare from Los Angeles, book a hotel, and pay the Tai Kai fee, the cost is almost the same as one of my Japan trips. I’d rather spend two weeks training in Japan than two or three days in Ohio.

It was nice to train with Nagato Sensei. He had just returned from a Tai Kai in Finland. And he spoke fondly of his trip there.

He started the class like normal by asking someone to demo a technique. Someone showed something that looked like 霧散 Musan. Then Nagato Sensei did henka based on that.

He did a lot of transitions from one punch to another and pass throughs using his elbows. It is easy to be distracted by his hand movements. But he always sets up each technique with perfect distance and good use of his feet.

The class was full like in the days before the pandemic. My training partner was from Germany. At the end another guy from Germany took and passed his Godan test.

Later that evening, I meet up with some skater friends. They were skating “illegally” in a parking structure. I got my camera out and filmed their kick flips along with their ゴン攻め gon zeme spirit. Until a security guard made us move out into the street in front of the デイリーヤマザキ Daily Yamazaki.

Japan Report Three 令和5年

2024-01-05T08:40:00.000-08:00

Last night Paul Masse invited me and my teacher Peter over to his house in Noda-shi. While we were in the backyard swapping stories, his wife Tomoe invited us inside to a warm dinner of ちゃんこ鍋 chankonabe. She and Paul are very friendly and generous.

Paul asked Peter what he found at the antique weapons market. Peter said that he was looking for 矢の根 yanone, which are arrowheads. He also said he bought a tsuba with a giant centipede on it.

Paul was curious about this so Peter told us the story behind it. He told us 俵藤太物語 Tawara Tōda monogatari, the legend of Tawara Tōda. I share my version of the story on the video so if you'd like to watch the full video report, you can find it here: https://www.rojodojo.com/japan-report-three-reiwa5/ . But the short of it is that Tawara Tōda killed a giant centipede with a well aimed arrow.

We had a wonderful time over dinner while swapping stories. Paul’s young boys were full of energy and were running around like crazy people. Danzo thought it was funny to steal the knit cap off of my head and run away with it. Well, he also had a runny nose. So without thinking, he blew his nose into my cap! I decided I wasn’t putting that back on my head.

The next day it was raining, so we began our morning at 東京国立博物館 Tōkyō Kokuritsu Hakubutsukan which is the oldest and largest national museum. The museum holds a wonderful collection of Japanese art and archeological artifacts. Many are designated as national treasures.

The exhibitions range all the way from 30,000 year old paleolithic tools, to Jōmon pottery from 3000 BC. Buddhist artwork and sculpture are represented, along with a collection of indigenous Ainu craft works. The museum also holds swords, armor and a variety of weapons.

I paid special attention to the arrows on this visit. I also discovered a 腰刀 koshigatana which was new to me. I thought it was a tantō at first but it doesn’t have a tsuba and apparently is worn differently. I spent a couple of hours in the museum taking notes and pictures. Even though I have been here so many times, I wanted to stay longer. But I had to run to catch a train.

But I was delayed by a side quest because I stumbled upon a Ninja festival! They called it Ninja City and it was a gathering of crafts and farmers from the Iga region who were promoting tourism with the Ninja hype. They had activities for children throwing shuriken and I even faced off with a Ninja wielding a giant daikon radish as a weapon! You never know what you will find in Japan. A surprise around every corner.

I would have stayed to fight, but I had to run through the rain to fetch my training gear out of the locker in the train station. Then I had a long ride out to Yokohama. Paul Masse invited me to his dojo and asked me to share with his students some things I remembered from Hatsumi Sensei.

Of course I was happy to help, but I go to Japan to train, not to teach. So when Paul bowed in and started the class with ukemi warmups, I was ready to roll. Then after the warmup, he asked me demonstrate something. So I did a weapon retention technique with the attacker using 両手捕り ryōte dor i to control my knife.

Paul then used my technique to explore his own ideas and henka. The class moved fast and was a lot of fun. Everyone was very friendly and the spirit of the class was much like Hatsumi Sensei’s classes.

Afterwards, I rode the train with Paul back to Kashiwa. That became its own adventure. Paul sprinted during every station transfer. I already had a long day and was carrying a heavy backpack so I struggled to keep up. I found out later that he was in a hurry because his children had a bedtime and he wanted to see them before they went to sleep. The train ride is almost 1.5 hours from his dojo to where he lives in Noda-shi.

I am having a wonderful trip. Paul Masse’s friendship and generosity have enriched my training and today was full of great moments. I will share more in my Japan Report Four 令和5年 coming soon!

Japan Report Two 令和5年

2023-12-26T08:22:00.000-08:00

Morning Song at 月野宮神社 Tsukinomiya Jinja, photo: Michael Glenn

On this day of my Bujinkan Japan Training trip, I began with a visit to the the 月野宮神社 Tsukinomiya Jinja Flea Market. There, I found an impromptu concert from a local guy with a guitar. And I also found many antique swords, jutte, and miscellaneous weapons. I finish by sharing a lesson from Hatsumi Sensei about 弱いも支点 yowai mo shiten, using your weakness as a pivot point.

If you want to support my work, sign up to Rojodojo, and you can watch the full video: Japan Report Two 令和5年

During my train ride back to the dojo in Noda-shi, I stopped for lunch at a street festival on 大宮銀座通り商店街 Ōmiya Ginza-dōri shōten machi. This was random luck, I just popped out of the station and the party was on! Some nice people whipped up tasty and filling yakisoba for me and I ate it straight off the grill.

Once back in Noda, I had a great class with Furuta Sensei. He started the class with tehodoki. But his unique approach is informed by 雲隠流 Kumogakure Ryū. He had us match our own body and shoulder to his grab then change angle or levels. He even had us grabbing our own body or clothing for extra support.

Then he changed to hanbōjutsu against a knife attack. He did a flip strike to disarm. If that doesn’t work, pivot under to unbalance. Add a final strike to the hand to finish.

Then he showed receiving the knife in a vertical kamae with the hanbō alongside your own body. When he pivoted under, he extended one finger like a jutte to hook the attacking arm. Meanwhile the hanbō is passed behind the attacker’s head to lock his arm and choke.

He finished class with sword. He had us receive in 棟水之構 Tōsui no Kamae, then push the attacker’s sword aside. But your own sword must control the center line before you cut down to kote.

Great training so far. And up next from my Bujinkan Japan Training trip, Japan Report Three 令和5年

Japan Report One 令和5年

2023-12-15T06:19:00.000-08:00

Every Bujinkan trip I make to Japan feels like a gift. And I always share that with you all in my Japan reports. This trip, I decided to video a lot. Like every day. So there will be quite a few of these. The only issue is that it takes me time to edit all of this video, so these Japan reports may spread out into next year. The first video is here: Japan Report One 令和5年

The first day of any Bujinkan trip to Japan starts with a marathon. 20 hours of travel by Plane train, and automobile. Also, a lot of walking with a heavy backpack up and down stairs, through airports and train stations, and of course to the Honbu Dojo!

Because I’m crazy, I arrived at the airport and went straight to Noguchi Sensei’s class. The class was smallish, maybe 20 people. I was a little shaky on my feet so I slammed some milk tea to get my energy back up. I partnered with Mario From Croatia.

Noguchi began with 中伝之捌型 Chūden no Sabaki Gata from 高木揚心流 Takagi Yoshin Ryū. He put a lot of focus into what the opposite hand was doing (the non technique hand). Controlling the shoulder or elbow. Pushing the other side away while capturing a lock on the wrist, elbow, or shoulder. And lots of 虚実 kyojitsu!

I was intrigued by 腰投鎌 koshi nage gakari, because he pivoted under the grabbing hand using his head to pass through. Then he gripped the opponent’s belt from behind for the throw. What was hard to understand was that he really threw using his own head and body position against the back of the opponent’s arm. In fact he did many no handed techniques using just his head.

He did so much kyojitsu. In fact, during one technique, he said to cover 反対 hantai, so he turned his thumb down and covered the opponent’s rear hand with his elbow. But the elbow was a threat and became kyojitsu hiding the claw or finger strike to 五輪 gorin.

When I arrived in Japan, I first noticed all of the construction and changes since my last trip. Nostalgia made me reflect on something Hatsumi Sensei said,

Just because someone’s been training for 40 or 50 years it doesn’t mean anything. It doesn’t matter how long I’ve been training, it’s nothing special. I’m still walking along behind Takamatsu Sensei. That’s what the tradition means.

It made me think that I am doing the same by following Hatsumi Sensei. As a Jūgodan and a Daishihan, I feel this as my duty and responsibility. Soke went on to tell everyone at the dojo,

There are many people at a high level, 15th dan and above. Please train with them. These people at the 15th dan level are showing this important feeling. They are moving at this high rank, but at my level I’m doing what I learned from Takamatsu Sensei.

Soke said this last part because he could tell we did not understand what he was showing us. How could we understand something that he learned from Takamatsu Sensei and that he has been perfecting for many decades? The reality is, we all only can see from our own level. The same happens with my own students. I am following in Hatsumi Sensei’s footsteps, but they are following in mine.

He said that the Daishihan are born from him. Training with people who have this connection is how you get a direct line to the teaching in Japan. It is also how to stay connected to the ancient lineage of all who have come before. I can trace my line from Hatsumi Sensei back to Takamatsu Sensei, and those who came before. And I remain a humble student following in their footsteps.

Forgive the video quality, I was testing a new app and quickly discovered I didn’t know how to use it. For all the future Japan Reports, I abandoned it and stuck to the familiar. My next Bujinkan trip report is here: Japan Report Two 令和5年

The Sound of Bujinkan 変化 Henka

2023-11-06T10:19:00.001-08:00

One Friday night back in the old Honbu Dojo, Hatsumi Sensei moved to a very high level of training right from the start. After he asked someone to demo, he immediately went into counter attacks using his fingertips. And he said to be playful.

Hatsumi Sensei painted and hung a scroll in the corner of the dojo. He did this every year to express the yearly theme. This year it was 神韻武導 Shin'in Budō. You can read this as Budō of exceptional artistry. Or, when you look at the characters for Shin'in, it could be a Budō that expresses the sound of the heart, the soul, or even the kami.

神韻武導 Shin'in Budō, Bujinkan Honbu. photo Michael Glenn

Earlier that afternoon, I had made a pilgrimage of sorts to visit 矢切の渡し Yagiri-no-Watashi. The ferry that has been taking passengers across the Edo river for nearly 400 years. The Tokugawa shogunate did not build bridges over rivers to protect Edo. Ferry boats leading to the highway were strictly controlled, but ferries for farmers who had farmland on the opposite bank were allowed.

For people who were not allowed to enter Edo, they would cross on these ferries disguised as farmers. A good use of 変装術 Hensō-jutsu! Maybe a few ninjas made this crossing during their travels.

My student Jesse waits, 矢切の渡し Yagiri-no-Watashi pier

This ferry was the setting for the sad love story between Masao and Tamiko in Sachio Ito's novel ``The Grave of Wild Chrysanthemums''. It is also the setting for a popular song of the same name. I was surprised to discover that in 1996 the Japan Ministry of the Environment selected this ferryboat as one of the 100 Soundscapes of Japan.

Besides the sound of rowing, you might hear the rippling water of Edogawa, some black headed gulls, and skylarks. These sounds were like a mediation for me, setting the tone to prepare for the dojo later. Sometimes what you do before and in between classes is almost as important as the training itself.

Now when I show up for a class like this, where Soke is teaching many subtle lessons in his quick and energetic manner, I might have a chance of keeping up. If I can understand just a little of his teaching, my whole trip to Japan will have been worth it.

The sound of training wisdom came just before break time. Hatsumi Sensei was showing a form of 指押さえる yubi osaeru, controlling just like I shared in my training reports from Japan. He grabbed a hold of Nakadai-san and really applied the pain. Nakadai yelped into the rafters from the intensity.

But while it may have looked like the finger manipulation was the key to this technique, Soke had actually shifted his shoulder and chest forward. He did this by dropping his left shoulder and raising his right. This made Nakadai’s 胸捕 mune dori almost useless. And it also fed into 親殺 oya goroshi right under Soke’s thumbnail.

The train from Atago station rumbled and thundered by at just that moment- rattling the whole dojo. Soke just laughed and chuckled his way through two more opponents. It was hard to hear what he said, but I was lucky to be right under him when he explained,

分散させる。変化させる。虚実、な？
bunsan saseru, henka saseru, this is kyojitsu, isn’t it?

Bunsan saseru means you may break up or scatter to create variance. You distribute your response to the opponent in a way that causes the breakup of his attack, his tactics, and even his mind or will to fight. Soke expressed the kyojitsu here by offering his mune on one side, but capturing the oya goroshi on the other.

While henka saseru allows you to create change. The transformation of the technique arises from shin’in. While Nakadai was screaming in pain up into the rafters, Hatsumi Sensei used his whole body to control from that one point. Then he said 次次次 tsugi tsugi tsugi Next next next... The kyojitsu is hidden in the Next.

One of my students who made the trip to Japan with me was on his own after that class. I wasn’t very conversational. I sat quietly on the train back to my hotel. I wrote some notes in my composition book. But I paused to listen to the sounds of Japan.